I’m calmer as a Mum of 3 than a Mum of 1 and here’s why...

“I can’t find the wipes, Mum!” I hear my eldest call out. At this point I’m elbows deep in an enormous toddler man-size poo, it’s on the wall, the floor, my hands, his everything. Don’t ask! But here we stand, frozen in the hallway. I won’t let him move and now we don’t have any wipes. The baby is crying in her bassinet, well screaming and my eldest returned without wipes but with a half chewed up toy and informed me the dog has swallowed the other half. At this point, I strip my feces covered son down completely and race him to the shower. Amidst the hose down, I hear the newborn wailing in the background and I remember a time when all I had to deal with was one baby. I remember how overwhelmed I felt, any cry or wimper would send my anxiety through the roof. At the time, it all seemed so hard. I thought I was so tired, SO TIRED... more tired than anyone had ever been because I had a baby... oh how I laugh at myself now. At the time, I would look at people who had 2 or more babies and think there was something wrong with them or more so, me. How did they do it? How did anyone manage more than one child? Because I was struggling with one. I return to my current situation and smile, well, well, well, would you look at me now old Mum of 1...once I clean this shit off the walls, tend to the newborn and check that the dog hasn’t died, I’ve bloody got it going on 🙌🏼 These situations occur daily now, the difference is, I’ve learned to embrace it, fully embrace it. For each of these moments are just that, moments. They all pass and in the grand scheme of things, looking back they pass too quickly! These stressful moments are life. They are motherhood, I spent the majority of my first borns life trying to avoid these moments or beating myself up when they happened, I felt like it made me a bad Mum. I wanted a calm, relaxed home and when things went wrong it was stressful, BUT!!!! It was only stressful because I made it stressful, how I handled the situation determined how they responded. So now, I take a deep breath, I smile and we get done what needs to be done. I’ve let go of my idea of perfection, they’re kids. There’s going to be mess, it’s going to be loud, there’s going to be tears and sometimes sh*t on the walls.. But, there’s also going to be laughs and cuddles and when I decided to relax, let go and enjoy the ride - Motherhood became enjoyable, really enjoyable. I felt calm and in control, the kids were relaxed. We began to live in the moment and made sure I enjoyed every moment, good or bad. For me, the adjustment from no babies to one was by far the hardest. I suppose it greatly depends on the baby, but having your life turned upside down and not truly knowing what to expect was hard for me. The adjustment from 1-2 was tricky, I had good and bad days, juggling both had me frantic at times but the jump from 2-3 has by far been the easiest of all, three children 4 and under all at home and I’ve never felt more at ease. In fact, I love it. There’s no down time, no time to put my feet up or catch up on rest but I’m cherishing every moment good and bad. 

So, for all those about to embark on the next stage of Motherhood, I can assure you, it’s going to be ok! I know how you’re feeling, you’ve got so many things on your mind. How will you cope? Will you ever sleep again? Will you love your second as much as your first? Will you be able to give them all the attention they require and equally? Is it wrong to leave everyone behind and start a new life in Mexico? Relax! You’ve got this, Mumma. You’ve done it all before, there will be an adjustment but before you know it you’ll find your groove and you too will look back and laugh, you’ll look at your life now with more love than you’ve ever experienced and you’ll know it’s going to be ok, better than ok. It will be the best thing you’ve ever done and remember every moment shall pass. Speaking of pass, could you #pass the wine 🍷 xx