Carrie Bickmore

THE TV HOST TALKS ABOUT THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF MOTHERHOOD

JUST WEEKS AFTER WELCOMING her third child, daughter Adelaide, into the world, The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore has courageously detailed the struggles of caring for a newborn.

Taking to social media, Bickmore, 38, who is also mum to daughter Evie, 3, and son Ollie, 11, revealed she was feeling “horrendous” just weeks after giving birth and even had to return to hospital due to a case of mastitis – inflammation in the breast tissue, which affects nearly one in five breastfeeding women.

“Hate you, mastitis,” Bickmore shared with her 586,000 Instagram followers on Dec. 21, having woken up in the middle of the night to settle Adelaide who was restless. “The middle of the night can be such a lonely time [for mothers],” she added.

But a bout of painful mastitis isn’t the only struggle that Bickmore, 38, has shared about being a mum of a newborn – and fans

have praised her honesty. The Gold Logie winner has also been candid about lack of sleep, back pain and exhaustion, as well as admitting to feeling overwhelmed.

“Surviving on four hours’ broken sleep,” she captioned a photo of her with Adelaide and partner Chris Walker on Jan. 8, adding she’d also been forced to take late-night pram walks and eat her meals with one hand.

Bickmore, who says she’s broken down with tears of happiness and tears of exhaustion over the past few weeks, also went on to reveal her daughter could be suffering from reflux – a condition common in newborn babies which can be distressing for parents to manage – and that she’s been given “conflicting advice” as to how to handle the situation.

Despite the difficulties, Bickmore says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The nights are long … but the years are short. Treasuring every moment,” she added, while crediting “domestic god” and long-time partner Chris Walker for supporting her through this stressful and emotional time.

“While I rest, Chris looks after Adelaide, wrangles a cray cray three-year-old, folds the clothes and entertains a bored 11-year-old,” she wrote on Instagram on Dec. 21.

“It would be so hard without support … Thanks to everyone helping us get through these days.”

Last year, Bickmore opened up to WHO about her pregnancy while showing off her blossoming bump for our WHO sexiest issue. “My body certainly feels sorer and more tired this time around,” she revealed. “I had Ollie in my 20s and it’s a different experience having a bub in my late 30s. “When I had Evie, Ollie was 7, so I wasn’t having to carry him around, but this time round Evie is still little so it’s much harder looking after a toddler while I have limited movement.” Thankfully for Bickmore, both Ollie (her son with her late husband, Greg Lange, who died of brain cancer in 2010) and Evie have embraced their little sister Addie with open arms. “[There’s] no such thing as personal space for Adelaide,” Bickmore captioned a photo of her three children on Instagram on Jan. 7. “Besotted,” proud dad, Walker captioned another. •

Bickmore says her partner Chris Walker wants to have more children. “He’d have six kids if he had his way,” she revealed.

“You are a day old and already just the best. Addie arrived at 1.38pm yesterday and Mum was a superstar,” Walker shared on Instagram on Dec. 9, 2018.

“No such thing as personal space for Adelaide,” proud mum Bickmore captioned this photo on Jan. 7. The look of love! Evie, 3, holds her little sister for the very first time.

“My happy place,” Bickmore said in September of spending time at the beach. “Evie’s face says it all.”

Bickmore on the panel of The Project just months before giving birth to Adelaide.

Big brother Ollie, 11, can’t get enough of his new baby sister.