Eva Longoria Gets Candid About The Hardest Part Of Her Parenting Journey

In the beginning, everything about parenthood can seem difficult because, although you love this tiny human with every fiber of your being, life as you knew it is forever changed. The lack of sleep, the around-the-clock feedings, the needing and wanting your touch all of the time — need I say more? Desperate Housewives alum Eva Longoria's admission about the hardest part of her parenting touched on these dilemmas, and I think many parents out there can relate.

As a quick refresher, the actress shares a son, Santiago, with her husband José Antonio Bastón. Their little guy was born in June 2018, so he's just over 1 year old at this point.

Now that Longoria, 44, has survived the first year of motherhood, she opened up to Us Weekly Saturday regarding the hardest part of her journey so far. When questioned on this topic, Longoria replied, “Not sleeping when I was breast-feeding. Just being awake every three hours. That was exhausting, but so rewarding in its own way.” And all of the breastfeeding mamas just shouted a collective "amen."

Of course, Longoria's first year as a mom has had plenty of highs too. As ET Online reported, Longoria marked her son's first birthday with the sweetest social media shoutout. "When did this happen?!!! I have a one year old! Y’all he’s not a baby anymore, he’s a toddler!" she captioned a photo of herself holding Santiago. "This past year has been the best year of my life."

She continued, "Having this beautiful soul to wake up to every morning and to put to bed every night has been magical. Every laugh and giggle that comes out of your mouth and every smile that crosses your face has been pure joy! Thank you for choosing me as your mamá! I love you amor mio! Happy Birthday Santi baby!"

Not long after that post, Longoria followed up on Instagram with another sweet photo of Santiago. "There are just sooooo many photos from this year that I can’t post just one!" the proud mama wrote. "Happy birthday my sweet baby boy!" Aww.

But amid all of the cute moments, there were some tough ones, too. In June, not long after Santiago's birthday, she spoke with Parents magazine about juggling the responsibilities of work and motherhood. “Going back to work was hard. Breastfeeding while working was hard, just for the timing of the pumping and the feedings and the sleeping and the not sleeping,” she said. “You just do it and get it done.” Yep, pretty much.

What I'm hearing from Longoria is that breastfeeding her baby boy is definitely one of the hardest parts of parenting, as well as being a working mom. And, as someone who has breastfed four babies (two while working outside of the home), I can absolutely back this up. Being the default parent to wake up with the baby at night (because you're the one with the boobs, after all) can definitely be a drag. And pumping around your work schedule can be a logistical nightmare.

With that said, breastfeeding has also been one of the best parts of motherhood for me. But that's parenting in a nutshell: Difficult and wonderful, all at once.