Additional Needs
Age Appropriate
by Jodi Shenal
on 26th April, 2024
Being a mum
I think as a mum it can often be very easy to point out your shortcomings, your failures and the times you just plain got it wrong.
Being a mother is not an easy job.
There are days when you question your every movement or word you utter, including those uttered under your breath.
There are days when you cry into your cup of tea and wonder what a hot drink tastes like without tears and snot in it! It's incredibly rewarding but you have to go through a lot to get to that point.
I won't lie, becoming a mum of 2/3 has been incredibly hard. The first year with Florrie and Ethan was one I wasn't sure what I was doing and one I wasn't sure would ever end.
Having a child with complex needs is like having a baby in a 9 year olds body. Chuck in 9 years of no sleep, hospital appointments, physio, medical emergencies and seizures, then add in a newborn baby, yeah things got tough at times.
People often say the newborn stage is the hardest. I'm not sure I entirely agree with this but that's one for another day.
I was incredibly blessed to have an amazing baby. One who fed well and slept well.
Don't get me wrong there were times nothing would settle her but on the whole she was a great baby.
The baby completely relies on you for their every need. They are fully dependent on you.
Ethan is still like this newborn stage at the age of nine.
The hardest thing I found having the two of them was if they both needed seeing to at the same time.
I've become an expert at one hand tube feeds whilst holding a baby in the other arm with a bottle. Add in number 3 and I then have no idea which one to go to first.
It kind of feels like whoever shouts the loudest gets sorted first. Inevitably one of them will always have to wait.
I've spent a lot of time conquering having 2 and then 3 children during the holidays or at weekends on my own due to Steve working.
It's taken about 18 months but I think I finally have it down to an art. It's not been an easy road, it's pushed me mentally and physically to my limits at times.
I think it's time to finally look back and celebrate just how far I've come as a mother over this time.
I have always wanted to be a mum. There are times now where I question why that has always been my dream.
Days that have broken me. Its easy to focus on that. What's not easy is to celebrate the days that went well, the days where everyone came out smiling and I'm reminded just how far we've come.
The days where I am reminded just how amazing being a mother is. The days where I am incredibly bless to have 3 beautiful children.
So, this is a post to say to you all, mum's, dad's, carers, grandparents etc celebrate how far you've come, forget the bad days and focus on just how great a job you really are doing.
From one exhausted parent to another well done!
