Making Space for Grief While Raising a Newborn and Toddler

How do I make space for my grief when my days and nights are filled with caring for a newborn and a toddler?

Sometimes I feel like I’m living in two completely different worlds at once. One where I’m warming bottles, changing nappies, chasing after a curious toddler and running on broken sleep, and another where my heart feels heavy and aching with loss. There’s barely a quiet moment to sit with my thoughts, yet the grief finds me anyway, in the middle of the night feeds or while folding tiny clothes. I wonder how other parents do this, how you hold deep sadness while still needing to be soft, present and patient for your little ones.

I don’t want my children to only remember a tired, distant version of me, but some days it feels like survival mode is all I have. At the same time, their small smiles and warm cuddles are the only things that gently pull me back to the present. How do you find even a few minutes to breathe, feel, and grieve, without feeling like you’re taking something away from your kids?

If anyone has walked this path, I’d really love to know what helped you create space for your grief in the middle of the beautiful chaos of raising young children.