A mum has penned an honest Instagram post about the reality of life with a four-month-old, to show there’s more going on behind the scenes than people realise.
Shannon Peterson, from Oregon, US, shared a photo of herself sat on a ball feeding her son, who she refers to as ‘J’, with her head in her hands.
Although J had been a relatively easy baby, Peterson said four months “happened” and his needs grew tenfold.
“The other day I spent three hours like this, people. J had to be swaddled, on his back, in my arms,” Peterson wrote on the photo on Instagram.
“Our house was (is) a mess, my breakfast (lactation smoothie) sitting abandoned behind me, dirty hair and desperately in need of a shower (and five minutes without someone touching me) - and at the brink of tears.”
Peterson continued: “The truth is, this is who I am most days.
“Not a put together human who has her act together. Not a mum who can juggle working from home with kids. I’m just a crazy person trying to maintain some semblance of calm while attempting to figure it all out.
“Counting down the hours until bedtime and the kids are asleep, and then that first delicious sip of gin and tonic or wine.
“And you better believe I heavily edited the you-know-what out of this picture to make it look light and airy and ‘fit my feed’.”
The mum ended the post by providing comfort to other parents in the same situation.
“Here’s to you mama, holding it together even when it gets rough,” she added.
“And even if you’re not, you’re still a part of this club of crazy. Anyone else having a really rough week?”
Peterson was showered with words of encouragement.
“It gets better,” one mother wrote. “Been there, got the sick on my t-shirt and cried myself to sleep. You can do it mama.”
Another mum commented: “At least we’re not alone out here. I’m pretty much exactly where you are - an almost four-month-old and an almost three-year-old and yes most days are exactly this.
“Cheers to holding it all together, even when we feel like it’s all falling apart.”
Overwhelmed with the kind words, Peterson shared another photo of herself smiling on the sofa with her two kids.
“I want to cover you all in rainbows and hugs,” she wrote in the caption. “Thank you so much for all the love from my last post! Four months is a wicked beast and not for the weak, and I’ve been overwhelmed with it all and trying to keep up appearances.
“I am glad it resonated so much with you all and that you appreciated seeing the more authentic side of things.”