We've had the privilege of knowing Sally for a while now. After sharing the most beautiful photos for our Long Weekend Collection last year when her youngest was just a little babe, we fell in love with her California-laid-back style, easygoing attitude, and precious family. Now that her youngest is over a year old (time flies!), we circled back to chat about life as mom of three, her experience with secondary infertility and loss, and her breastfeeding journey.
Name: Sally Drum
Children and ages: Ezra (7 years), Bodhi (4 years), and Poppy (13 months)
Location: Irvine, California
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom + content creator
How’s life as a mom of three? What was the transition like from 2-3?
Having three has been beautiful, chaotic, healing, exhausting, messy, and life-giving. All the things! My husband and I had always said from the beginning that we wanted two kids, but we kept feeling like someone was missing. When we thought about what our future holidays would look like, we kept seeing a third, and knew we needed to try for one more. Then having a little girl after two boys has absolutely completed us.
The transition from 2-3 was actually fairly easy. Our third just folded right into the chaos of our family. Sure, some things needed to change, like we needed to get a bigger car, and it takes us a little longer to get everyone ready and out the door, but it truly feels like this is how our family is meant to be.
What were your pregnancies been like? Favorite and least favorite part?
My pregnancies were pretty textbook. I was super sick for the first trimester, and then literally on the day of my second trimester, I would feel completely fine. While being sick was hard, I loved being pregnant. There’s so much power in knowing and feeling all that your body is doing to grow a little human.
Besides being nauseous and sick, my least favorite thing was the heartburn and random middle-of-the-night charley horse cramps. I would wake up screaming because my calf muscle would be locked up…I’m pretty sure my husband would say this was the worst part as well haha.
Can you share a bit about your pregnancy journey?
When we had our first, the pregnancy was completely unexpected. I was on birth control at the time, and we just happened to be that 1%. So given how that happened, we just assumed we were extra fertile and we thought we would get pregnant with our second right away, but that was not the case. It took us about 9 months of trying to get pregnant with our second and those months felt like eternity.
I hadn’t heard the term “secondary infertility” until more recently, and reading about it brought me back to that season that just felt so hard. Every month of being hopeful and then feeling let down. Every symptom that I prayed was a sign of the beginning of growing life. Going to doctor to get checked out to make sure everything was okay. Changing how I nourished my body to try to make it “ready.” It was a challenging time for us as a couple, but our faith and relationship grew as a result of it.
Between our second and third, we experienced a loss, and to be honest, I just never thought it would happen to me. In my naivety, I just assumed that because I’d already experienced two healthy pregnancies, our third wouldn’t be any different. I’ll never forget going in for my appointment, lying on the table, and hearing the deafening silence as the nurse moved the ultrasound wand around. I could tell the nurse didn’t want to say anything, but I knew. I can still feel the hot tears running down my cheeks. I had seen my baby moving on the ultrasound before and we had dreamy of what our family was going to look like. And then it was gone. It was one of the hardest moments of my life.
I shared the news pretty immediately because I needed support, and the support we received was overwhelming. I had so many rally around me, and heard stories from so many other women that had experienced the same loss. I hated knowing that other women had suffered through loss, but knowing I wasn’t alone also gave me strength.
Your style is so laid back and cute! What are some staples in your closet for summer?
Thank you! There was a time when my closet was full of options and accessories, but having littles changed that for me. I needed the ease of having pieces that I could throw on (and together) quickly, so I invested in quality staples.
Never underestimate the power of a white top and denim. The top could be a girly eyelet style, a classic tank, fitted t-shirt, or an oversized button-down. I also love having a long white skirt on-hand and mixing that with colorful tops!
Best thing about being a mom so far?
Getting to witness my kids’ personalities form and shine. To see their uniqueness and being entrusted with nurturing each of them in the way they need.
What’s your feeding journey been like?
When I had my first, I felt like no one was talking about breastfeeding and how hard it is! Looking back, I feel like the hospital also instilled a lot of fear in me. They kept pushing me to supplement without really telling me why, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was failing. As a first-time mom, I wish I could go back in time and reassure myself that I could do it and to trust my body.
Even with having breastfed my first two, my third had trouble latching due to lip and tongue ties, so that threw me for a loop. But there are so many more resources now, and more options for lactation support—I was even able to have a lactation consultant come and do house calls!
RELATED: Breastfeeding 101 with The Lactation Network
Expert Answers to 10 Common Breastfeeding Questions
What’s a “full heart” moment you experienced recently?
It’s honestly in the little moments when my kids don’t think I’m watching. I see how kind and sweet they are with each other and other kids, or they make sure to get extra of whatever treat or item for one another. And as a mom, that makes me feel like I’m doing something right. My heart feels so full knowing that my children have each other.
Solly product or print you’re currently loving/eyeing?
My kids LOVE the coziness of your pajamas!
Rapid-fire round…
Favorite indulgence: When I have time, I’ve gotten very into reading fantasy fiction (started with ACOTAR)
Best children’s book: Where the Wild Things Are and Peter Rabbit were always the boys favorites. I also loved Angelina Ballerina as a little girl.
Drink of choice: A vanilla latte or (and maybe this is lame), but ICE COLD water. If I’m feeling naughty, I also love a classic root beer.
Favorite sans-kids activity: The beach (also my favorite activity with kids 🤣)
Motherhood topic you could talk about forever: Birth stories—I love hearing them!
Post-bedtime with the kids snack: Vanilla bean ice cream with fruit
If you love reading the stories and experiences of parents like Sally, get cozy and dive in to our Full Heart series.
