Nobody prepares you for this part—the part after the dreamy photos and the matching onesies. They don’t tell you about the exhaustion that leaves your body trembling, the nights that stretch on forever with three babies crying in harmony, and the crushing silence that grows between you and the person you once leaned on most. I love my children fiercely. But when it’s 2:47 a.m. and I’m rocking one baby while the others scream, I wonder how much love weighs when survival feels impossible.

We weren’t ready. Not for three. Not financially, not emotionally. The man I married—the one who once made me feel safe—now winces when the bottle warmer beeps. We speak less, not out of anger, but out of sheer depletion. And in that fog of desperation, a thought crossed my mind so heavy it made me question who I even was: What if we gave one up for adoption? It broke me. I never said it aloud—until he did too. And we cried. Because we loved them. Because we were drowning. Because we didn’t want to let go—but didn’t know how to hold on.

Then came the call from my sister-in-law. She and her husband had tried for years to have a child. Their offer to adopt one of the babies was wrapped in love, not judgment. But instead of giving us an answer, she gave us a lifeline: a family counselor who opened our eyes to resources we never knew existed—financial help, emotional support, and programs for families with multiples. Slowly, we learned that asking for help wasn’t a weakness. It was a turning point.

We’re still tired. Still figuring it out. But we’re together—all five of us. And if there’s one message I want to leave behind, it’s this: You are not broken for needing help. You’re not a bad parent for having dark thoughts in impossible moments. You’re human. And sometimes the bravest, strongest thing you can do is raise your hand and say, I can’t do this alone. Because you don’t have to.