When my husband and I were contemplating having a third child, we heard from many people (and even the Internet) that three is the hardest number of kids to have. We struggled with infertility with our first two children and considering that this would already be considered a geriatric pregnancy (Say whaat?!? Who came up with that term anyway?!), we knew that if we were blessed with a third child, it would most likely be our last.
I knew our family wasn’t complete so despite the “warnings” of three being difficult, we went for it. Fast forward to today and the sweetest 5-month-old baby boy is our third child and the perfect “baby” of our family. So is three the hardest number of kids? Nope, I don’t think so, and here’s why: it’s all hard, just in different ways.
New mamas with one child, having one is hard. The first child is hard because everything is new. You are learning and growing right along with that sweet baby. You are figuring out feeding schedules and sleep training, when to start baby food, and how to ever get out of the house on time again. It’s new and wonderful and exhausting, and yes some days are really hard. Everything with that first child continues to be new, too, so that part really never changes.
Adding baby number two also comes with its own challenges. I found all of the details surrounding taking care of a newborn much easier the second time around. I felt more confident having done it all before and I didn’t wander in the middle of the night if my baby would ever let me sleep. I knew she would eventually and that the sleepless nights were just a phase. Now, juggling a toddler and a newborn? That was hard. One of me and two kids with very different needs, it was and still is a balancing act every day. It took me a while to feel comfortable going places when it was just me and my girls and my husband was at work, but we figured it out and are still figuring it out!
Now here I am, a work-from-home mama to three kiddos and you guessed it, some days are still hard! The warnings about three being the hardest though? I don’t buy it. The ins-and-outs of baby care are easier, juggling multiple kids with different needs is easier, but now we’re outnumbered and that is downright crazy sometimes!
When it comes down to it though – whether we have one, two, three, or more kids – we all have hard days and things we struggle with. One mom doesn’t have it any easier because they “only have one or two.” Being a mom is the best and hardest job in the world no matter how many children you have and I wouldn’t trade this wild ride for anything!
