I've recently given birth to my 3rd child, and unlike my other two pregnancies, this one was completely different in every sense of the word.
Thankfully, my bundle of joy came into this world kicking and screaming, and I will be forever grateful for her.
Sadly though, like many parents, the "help" everyone said they would provide whilst I was pregnant has never arrived.
I have a very small family who I rarely see or hear from, a few people I can call friend, and never seem to catch a break, and this has been the case in all of my pregnancies.
Recently, though, I have been feeling overwhelmed by everything. Being a partner, a parent, and a full-time employee, I feel I have lost all sense of who I am.
I doubt myself continuously about whether I am doing enough for my children, could I do more, do the older siblings feel left out etc, and I feel it is becoming a vicious cycle I can't break free from.
I am struggling to split myself into four. If it's not the kids needing/wanting something, then it's my partner. I can't even remember the last time I had a "toilet break" in peace. Heaven forbid, a bath/shower without company, would seem like a spa day. When the house needs cleaned, I feel guilty as I am then not doing activities, then when doing activities, I feel guilty as the house is untidy. I apologise for even typing this, as it feels more like a rant than anything, I guess I just wanted to speak to like-minded parents in a similar situation to myself.