Zoe Marshall and her NRL star husband Benji have been overjoyed since the birth of their baby son Benjamin Fox.
But the radio personality revealed how transitioning into motherhood has been far from her glamorous life as seen on social media.
Taking to Instagram, the new mother, from Sydney, shared a candid post about her -parenting struggles just a month after welcoming her first child.
Sharing an emotional photograph of herself, the 33-year-old football wag explained how adapting to her newborn boy has been difficult for her.
Zoe Marshall revealed her struggles with motherhood since welcoming her newborn son
The mother and her husband Benji welcomed son Benjamin Fox on the night of February 26
‘This is me,’ she said of a picture of herself crying in her bed as she shared the highs and lows of parenting.
‘Overwhelmed, after crying in my room for an hour. Benj had been playing away and I just couldn’t handle any of it.
‘I felt bad for wanting some space to breathe and weep. I felt scared that I didn’t know what Fox needed.
‘I was so incredibly exhausted. Hungry. Depleted. Sad. Confused. Week two and three was so hard for me.. I hadn’t left the house in days.
‘I couldn’t catch up with life. Couldn’t bare to see visitors. I wasn’t myself and wasn’t managing. Why didn’t parents talk about this phase? I felt so alone. Isolated.’
The young Sydney couple have been overjoyed since the birth of their baby son Benjamin Fox
And while she’s embracing her new family, she wanted to remind her fans the brutal reality behind becoming a parent for the first time.
‘There’s going to be so many joyful times with baby Fox shared on social media,’ she said.
I need to show you the realness too, the days of not getting time to eat, poo explosions (Foxes not mine), never ending laundry and dishes, crying over nothing, not being able to sleep when you get to have a sleep,sore neck, wrists, back, nipples, butting heads with your partner and scrolling google for answers
‘I need to show you the realness too, the days of not getting time to eat, of poo explosions (Foxes not mine), of never ending laundry and dishes, of crying over nothing, of not being able to sleep when you get to have a sleep, of the sore neck, wrists, back, nipples, of butting heads with your partner and scrolling google for answers.
‘Not to mention the healing your body is going through, pants that don’t fit, strength you no longer have in your body. It’s a hard hard time.’
‘As glorious as having a little miracle is we need to acknowledge the transition into parenthood and how challenging that can be.’
Despite her challenges with the latest addition to her brood, Zoe said she feels a lot better since transitioning to motherhood.
‘I’m having much better days now with a few of these thrown in for good measure (like the last two days – brutal),’ she said.
‘This isn’t post natal depression it’s transition and I wish I was forewarned. I’d love to know I’m not alone.. what was the biggest challenge for you?’
The young couple welcomed their ‘miracle’ baby boy named Benjamin Fox last month
The new mother, 33, gave birth to her son weighing 3.83kg on the night of February 26 after getting an epidural following 10 hours of excruciating contractions
Her emotional post comes just a week after she publicly announced the birth of her bundle of joy.
She gave birth to her son weighing 3.83kg on the night of February 26 after getting an epidural following 10 hours of excruciating contractions.
The proud parents shared the exciting news of the birth in a series of intimate photographs for Woman’s Day magazine.
Here, the couple spoke candidly about the arrival of their first child – and the poignant meaning behind his name.
‘The doctor said the cord was wrapped about the baby’s neck, so I told Zoe she had to push. It was as if I was giving a talk to the boys on the field,’ Benji said, laughing.
The NRL superstar described the moment his wife gave birth was ‘by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do’.
The 33-year-old new father reminisced holding his son for the first time after cutting the umbilical cord.
‘I held him up like on The Lion King and put him on Zoe’s chest straight away, and we were both crying. I was hysterical,’ Benji said.
The name ‘Benjamin Fox’ stems from the couple referring to each other in their relationship as Arctic Fox, which means mating one partner for life.
The pair also wanted to pay tribute to the rugby league star’s uncle, who is also named Benjamin, and Zoe’s late mother Jan wanted to name her Benjamin if she was born a boy.
‘With Benji not having his dad, me losing my mum, and then him losing his adopted dad, it’s a nice feeling to have our own family. This is our only priority in the whole world. Nothing else matters,’ Zoe said.
The couple have been maintaining a low profile since giving birth to baby Fox three weeks ago – and they are yet to share personal photographs of their son.
Initial reports suggested the pair stayed tight lip about their son’s arrival after signing a magazine deal with Woman’s Day.
Taking to Instagram, Zoe revealed they have been spending quality time offline.
‘FOX. You have stolen my heart. I’ve been deep in the baby bubble, savouring every moment,’ she said on Monday.
FOX. You have stolen my heart. I’ve been deep in the baby bubble, savouring every moment
‘No social media, hardly any visitors, just giving myself space to get to know this new love. It’s a love I couldn’t comprehend, challenging me in ways I didn’t expect, there have been many many tears – tears of joy and pure overwhelm.
‘Thank you everyone for all the love and support through this time. I promise I will be out of my little cocoon soon.’
She also praised her husband for his support.
‘You have been my rock through every moment since pregnancy and you stepped it up another level through the birth (literally holding me through every contraction) and now as the most wonderful father,’ she said.
‘I am so grateful to have you in our lives. You give me so much confidence and calm in this new phase.’
The NRL superstar described the moment his wife gave birth was ‘by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do’
Benji also took to Instagram to share the exciting news about his bundle of joy.
‘So excited to share our baby boy Benjamin Fox Marshall with the world. We call him ‘Fox’,’ he said.
‘I am so proud of you Zoe for your courage and strength throughout the pregnancy and the birth and Fox is so lucky to have an amazing and caring woman as his mother.
Watching you give birth was by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do but seeing your strength and determination blew my mind
‘Watching you give birth was by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do but seeing your strength and determination blew my mind.
‘You amaze me pulling Fox into the world is the best thing I have done in my life and I feel I have the greatest honour in being his father! I am completely in love.’
The baby news comes nearly one year after Zoe revealed she was struggling to conceive due to her battle with stage-four endometriosis.
She admitted she went on an extreme Chinese detox to help her get pregnant,
The diet usually involves no food for two weeks – only the consumption of a herbal concoction – three times a day.