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Study: Mothers with three children have more stress

(MyFoxBoston.com) – A survey of more than 7,000 U.S. mothers found that mothers of three children stress more than moms of one or two, while mothers of four or more children actually report lower levels of stress.

The TODAYMoms.com study found that mothers who have three children have more stress. The transition from one to two children is less stressful than going from two to three, and surprisingly, the transition from three to four or even more is less stressful.

The study cites the Duggar effect as the reason mothers with more children stress less than those with three. According to the Duggar effect, once a family reaches a certain critical mass of kids, life seems to get a bit easier.

On a scale of one to 10, the average mom ranks her stress level at 8.5, the study found. Mothers are putting more and more stress on themselves to be the perfect parent, boss, coworker, coach, chef, as well as countless other roles.

The TODAYMoms.com study also found:

  • 46 percent of moms say their husbands/partners cause them more stress than their kids do
  • 72 percent of moms stress about how stressed they are
  • Biggest cause of stress: 60 percent say it's lack of time to do everything that needs to get done
  • 60 percent of moms say raising girls is more stressful than raising boys
  • Nine out of 10 moms stress about staying fit and attractive

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