'This is who I am most days' Mum blogger shares reality of motherhood with honest photo

A mum blogger has taken to Instagram to share a very honest photo revealing the reality of life with a newborn, striking a chord with mothers everywhere.

Mum-of-two Shannon Peterson, from Portland, in the US, posted a picture of herself feeding her four-month-old son and spoke of how life with children doesn't always look like what she posts on social media.

'Just in case you thought my real life was anything like these tiny squares, I give you: this is 4 months', she wrote in the picture's caption.

Even though she says her son has been an 'incredibly easy baby', his needs have grown in the past four months and she, like many other mums, sometimes struggles to cope with the demands of motherhood.

'The other day I spent THREE HOURS like this, people. J had to be swaddled, on his back, in my arms. While I was bouncing on my giant exercise ball (never once used for it's intended purpose). With my boob perfectly resting in just the right spot on his chin', Shannon wrote on her Instagram post.

'Our house was (is) a mess, my breakfast (lactation smoothie) sitting abandoned behind me, dirty hair and desperately in need of a shower (and 5 minutes without someone touching me) - and at the brink of tears.'

With the honest snap, the mum wants to share the reality of motherhood behind her otherwise carefully-edited social media feed.

'The truth is, this is who I am most days. Not a put together human who has her act together. Not a mom who can juggle working from home, kids, etc. I'm just a crazy person trying to maintain some semblance of calm while attempting to figure it all out. Counting down the hours until bedtime and the kids are asleep, and then that first delicious sip of Gin & Tonics or wine.

'And you better believe I VSCO and heavily edited the you-know-what out of this picture to make it look light and airy and 'fit my feed'. Because I'm stuck on the couch under a 4 month old cluster feeding little dude who won't have anything to do with anyone but me.

'Here's to YOU mama, holding it together even when it gets rough. And even if you're not, you're still a part of this club of crazy.'

The post resonated with many other mothers who have been through similar situations with their children.

'I remember all of this very clearly still! Hang in there Mama!', one mother wrote, while another commented 'Oh, I wish I could hug you! I don't even know the journey of two but I remember struggling with my one those first few months. You'll find your groove mama, and you are doing everything right so just let these moments just little storms that will pass you by'.