I’ve been so teary – I worry the older kids feel left out
Sam Faiers on mum guilt as she adapts to life with her third child and being in no rush to get back in a bikini
Sam Faiers said she has been living in a blissful “little bubble” since welcoming baby son Edward and she is glowing as she poses with him.
But the TOWIE star admits her third experience of motherhood has been hit by serious mum guilt as she feels like she has been neglecting her older kids.
Sam, 31, and boyfriend Paul Knightley, 33, welcomed Edward at their Surrey home on 13 May. He was born after a three-hour labour, weighing 7lb10oz.
The reality star revealed earlier this week how she planned for a water birth but abandoned it at the last minute – delivering him standing in the corner of their kitchen. Edward joins siblings “Little” Paul, six, and Rosie, four.
Sam, who co-sleeps with Edward in the spare room, said, “It’s been hard emotionally. I’ve been really teary since I’ve had Edward because I don’t want the other two to feel left out. When my hormones are everywhere, I just cry. It’s like, I’m so in love, I’m in this little bubble but then I’m hormonal and tired. Emotionally, having a third has been my most teary. Then physically, the logistics and the juggling – it’s so full-on.
“Edward’s not a long sleeper in the daytime, it’s 20-minute pockets here and there. I don’t get a minute. He has definitely been my neediest newborn.
“He’s a proper mummy’s boy and is only happy in my arms at the moment but I secretly love it because this newborn stage goes so quickly.”
Meanwhile, Little Paul and Rosie are relishing their big brother and big sister roles.
Sam said: “Rosie can be a bit of a baby hogger. She’s like the mummy – she likes to put the blanket over him and help me bathe him. Little Paul sings to him and reads to him.
“I wondered if they’d get jealous but they’ve been so good. I explain to them Mummy will be with Edward a lot because he needs mummy’s boob.”
And after going through her third pregnancy in seven years, Sam is learning to love her postnatal body once more.
As she prepares for her first holiday as part of a family of five this August, the star admits she feels too self-conscious to wear a bikini seven weeks after the birth.
She explained: “When I look in the mirror, I’m very much still mushy. My tummy is soft. I’m not ready to wear a bikini.
“I think it takes me around six months until I start feeling my own body again.
“I don’t hate my body, I’m just carrying that baby weight and I’ve lost a lot of strength too. I should have done more exercise in my pregnancy. But when you’re a mum of two, it’s hard.”
The family are now adjusting to having
Edward in the fold – with Sam admitting going from two to three children is tough physically and emotionally, giving her little time to think about “snapping back”.
She adds: “I haven’t got a plan to snap back. I don’t feel the pressure like I used to. I wasn’t that small before I got pregnant anyway.
“Breastfeeding does help because your body is working all day producing milk and burning calories. But I also eat a lot – I’m hungry all day.”
Sam, who credits her glowing complexion to taking tablets made from her placenta (she has placenta facecream, balm and moisturiser as well), breastfed Paul and Rosie exclusively until they were 15 months old.
And she is doing the same with Edward, although this time it’s tough.
She said: “His latch hasn’t been as strong. We’re getting there but it’s been a rocky road. I’ve had two occasions now where I’ve had blocked ducts and it’s so painful. Then he’s coming off the boob and taking in air and crying because he’s gassy. It’s a vicious circle. It’s got better but the first few weeks were tough. I didn’t have it with the others.”
Meanwhile, Sam was thrilled to learn sister Billie is expecting. The 32-year-old, mum to Nellie, six, and Arthur, three, revealed earlier this month that she is having her third baby with husband Greg Shepherd.
Sam added: “A week before I had the baby, Billie came over to ours. She said, ‘I want to show you something’ and pulled a baby scan out of her handbag. I just screamed – I didn’t expect it.
“I had a feeling they might want one more. Billie kept saying, ‘Now I see you pregnant I do feel like I’d like another one’. I think Greg especially was like, ‘Two is enough’. But you get broody again, don’t you? Especially when it’s so close to home.
“I’m so happy for them. It was only a week but it felt so nice being pregnant at the same time. She’s doing really well.”
So does Sam expect to feel broody again now her sister is pregnant? “I’ve always wanted a big family. I’d consider a fourth but it sounds very scary,” she said.
“It has been full-on – I’m not going to sugar-coat it. It’s nice to know I could have another one if I want as I’m still quite young but I’m not sure yet. This newborn stage is hard but I wouldn’t change it for the world – and I know I’ll miss it as soon as it’s over.”
The baby is a mummy’s boy. He is only happy in my arms at the moment