It’s hard to be pregnant with other kids at home.

Because the expectations as a mother are still the same, but you're doing it with half the energy.

And no one else is going to clean the house and tackle that huge pile of laundry because your joints hurt, and your ankles are swollen,

or bathe your kids because you feel so much pressure in your nether regions.

And no one’s taking care of ALL THE THINGS for you, so you’re spending most of the day on your feet: playing chase, carrying everything and them, and keeping up with your elder kids' busy schedules.

And when one of your children is on the ground at the store having a fit, no one will lift him for you. You'll have to pull him over your big belly while he's kicking, crying, and screaming, all while trying to calm him down.

But you’re not alone,

every part of mothering becomes harder when you’re pregnant: mentally and physically.

Because both pregnancy and parenting are hard work, so when combined, it can feel like you’re doing everything wrong at times.

But give yourself grace.

Because it’s okay to put your children in front of a screen so you can take a midday nap.

It’s okay to give them mini muffins as you rush them out the door for school because you overslept.

Plus, your children won’t remember what you didn’t do during this time.

They’ll only remember you loving them,

trying,

and showing up—

and that’s what matters most,

through every stage of motherhood.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book "Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder" is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId. And my Children’s Book 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰 is 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞!: https://amzn.to/317TvVc