Don't both parties have to be present in front of a judge when custody is granted?

My mother had me sign what she claimed at the time to be "temporary guardianship papers" so she could care for my daughter, while I was very I was sick in the hospital. I signed these papers without a lawyer present, while I was a patient in the hospital with a 102° fever. Weeks later, I called her on the phone one day saying I was going to come get my daughter and I no longer needed her to care for her. She tells me there were custody papers I had signed and I now had no legal rights to my daughter so I couldn't come get her. Is this true? She can't just get the custody papers notarized to get rights.