Stories of extreme motherhood

When we first found out we were having triplets, we felt many things. That included an initial shock, worry about pregnancy and babies’ health, and concerns about money.

To sum it up, we were intimidated by the future, by what was coming.

There is an old saying, that while your head is scared, your feet keep going. And this is what happened.

We were scared while every day brought us nearer to having three more children (we already had one).

We worried about money, and it became a topic we discussed regularly, with a calculator, pen and paper in hand.

We kept putting one foot in front of another. This was a major multi-year project, and there was not a minute to waste.

Each of us gravitated to what we were best at.

I read a lot of books about frugal leaving, borrowing them from the library instead of buying them. I made notes and wrote ideas into a notebook started to help us get through the next few years of life with a much larger family.

My husband created spreadsheets and financial models. We poured over them to get a clear view of our finances and plan how not to go bankrupt.

My pregnancy was both short and long. I started to feel it early, and my first trimester was difficult. I worked from home a lot.

My second trimester felt like the third. I returned to the office for a few weeks as I needed to stay employed to get my maternity benefits.

By five months, it took me twice as long to walk to the bus stop. Soon after, I looked like I was about to deliver, and I had to go on bed rest.

I spent a few more weeks at home in bed, and then in a hospital. Everyone was telling us to rest as much as possible because there will be no rest for a few years to come. They were so right…

Our babies, like most triplets, were born prematurely at seven months.

Life was a whirl since then.

Once in a while, as I regaled yet another crazy or funny story from our family life, someone would say: you should write a book about it.

Should I? I don’t know yet.

Could I? Life was too crazy to concentrate on writing, too frazzled. It constantly felt like a mud race: there is no finish line in sight, and the obstacles keep coming.

In the meantime, here I am writing about it all, one post at a time, with a few goals in mind:

• Keep writing and get better at it.
• Share my story.
• Feel young again.

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If you can relate to these stories — let’s connect.

If you felt the same monumental tiredness and desperation to get through the tough early years with several small children (whether they were born at the same time or one after another) — you are not alone, I understand how you feel.

If you are now where I was a few years ago — I hope reading these posts can give you a few ideas about surviving another day, month, and year.

And if you want to feel young again as your children grow up — let’s exchange experiences.

We can feel young again, and we deserve it!