As Gemma Atkinson marked 15 weeks since giving birth to her baby son Thiago, she shared a candid message reassuring fellow parents to "hang on in there."
The former Emmerdale actress kept it casual in a black jumper with her blonde hair secured in a bun as she cuddled her baby boy, who sported a striped babygrow, dog bib and the same blue eyes and fair hair as his famous mother.
"15 weeks today," Gemma began, adding: "We now have our routine that works perfectly for us. We're down to 1 feed a night & the start of him finding his voice with the googoo gagas and giggles.
"It's crazy but weeks ago I imagined never getting to this stage. The same happened with Mia in the early weeks. You think this is life forever! You think you won't see mates, sleep, wash your hair or do anything for yourself ever again. But you will. Some may do it sooner, some may do it later, but you will do it.
"To any new parents, hang on in there! I'm worlds away from how I felt weeks 1 to 5. Every stage is a phase, and this too shall pass. So make the most of it."
Gemma and her fiancé Gorka Marquez – who met on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 – already share a four-year-old daughter called Mia, and they welcomed their second baby back in July. Announcing Thiago's arrival, Gemma told her Instagram followers: "Little man is here! He arrived safe and sound and he's utterly wonderful. Mia is already the mother hen we expected her to be [laughing face emoji]."
She added: "We're all home together soaking up this lovely bubble before Gorks has to leave for Strictly rehearsals next week. Thank you for all your lovely wishes. Our family is complete."
Opening up about her C-section, the radio host told her followers: "This was me on Mon 17th July 3 [hours] after an elected C-section. I didn't get my vaginal birth. My waters broke and I went into labour and stayed at home for as long as possible.
"I was given the choice of the artificial hormone to induce labour again or a section. Weeks ago we said if it came down to that we would 100% go with the section… It was actually a wonderful experience and it just so happened that the same surgeon who delivered Mia was on shift. So she delivered Thiago as well."
Gemma has been praised for her honesty when it comes to parenting two young children, admitting "everything is more challenging." The Hollyoaks star was sharing a peek inside her post-natal fitness journey when she made the confession about her family life.
"If you're lucky enough to have a gym or workout space at home it makes getting in the gym easier. Same way if you live walking distance to the kids school it makes getting there easier.
"It doesn't make the chaos or getting them ready any easier, the same way having the gym doesn't make the actual workout easier. You still have to do the work. You still have to put in the effort to actually do the workout."
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