Third Time Lucky?

You only have to do a quick Google search to realise the extent of the third baby conundrum. Do I go for a third or stick to two? Is three a crowd? Is three children much harder work than having two? I’m going to be honest, I was one of the Googlers. For a long time we debated the issue. We spoke about it on holiday, we spoke about it on the few date nights we had, we even spoke about it in raised voices during a trip to soft play hell. But still we couldn’t decide.

You see having three children felt a bit like we were pushing our luck, being greedy – I mean we already had two healthy kids didn’t we, maybe we would be better to just be thankful for that? But that nagging broodiness kept getting the better of me (to be honest, I’m not even sure why – I hate being pregnant and I’m not overly keen on newborns). Eventually we decided that we knew we wouldn’t regret having a third (I mean, nobody can look at their child and actually regret it right?) but chances are we might regret not doing it. So we went for it.

So, for this is for all those people still googling. Having 3 children is hard work. Harder than Google tells you. Going from 2 to 3 is not easier than going from 1 to 2, its carnage. There is always someone who needs something from you and leaving the house takes on a new level of stress (like it wasn’t bad enough before). Oh and the night times. Some nights my house actually feels like a circus (without the popcorn – although I have been known to snack in the middle of the night I’m up for so long) we are up and down so much.

HOWEVER it is also brilliant. It’s fun, it’s messy and it’s loud. Watching the older two with their baby sister has often brought a tear to my eye (in a good way this time- although I’ll admit to sliding down the wall crying on rough days, but this is the positive paragraph so I’ll leave it there!) the relationship they are forming is truly adorable and the older the baby gets, the more the bigger girls delight in her, celebrating her accomplishments with the same (completely over the top) joy that we do. Equally seeing the baby’s face when she sees her sisters upon their return from a day at School or nursery melts my heart. The thought of them all growing up together (no doubt sharing tips on how to get one over on me) also makes me smile inwardly.

So in hindsight, would I make the same decision again to have a third baby? Absolutely. It’s bloody hard work but if you think having one child is rewarding, times that by 3 and then some. One word of advice though: Brace yourself!

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