When it comes to parenting, third time’s not the charm.

　　说到养育孩子，养三胎就不那么有吸引力了。

　　A survey by “Today” found that moms who have three children are more stressed than those who have fewer kids. It also found that moms who have more than four children actually report lower levels of stress.

　　《今日》的一项调查发现，有三个孩子的妈妈比那些孩子少于三个的妈妈压力更大。调查还发现，有四个以上孩子的妈妈其压力实际上更小。

　　“There’s just not enough space in your head for perfectionism when you get to four or more kids,” Dr. Janet Taylor told “Today.” “The more children you have, the more confident you become in your parenting abilities. You have to let go … and then you’re just thankful when they all get to school on time.”

　　珍妮特泰勒博士告诉《今日》：“当你有4个或4个以上的孩子时，你的大脑没有足够的空间去追求完美主义。孩子越多，你对自己的育儿能力就越有信心。你必须放手……然后，当他们都按时到校时，你就会心存感激。”

　　More than 7,000 mothers were surveyed, and moms on average reported their stress level at 8.5 on a scale of one to 10. Meanwhile, 46 percent say their partners were more stressful than their kids. Even worse, 75 percent of moms say their stress comes from the pressure they put on themselves to save face in front of other parents.

　　超过7000名母亲接受了调查，母亲们平均反馈她们的压力水平在8.5分(满分为10分)。与此同时，46%的人说他们的伴侣比他们的孩子更有压力。更糟糕的是，75%的妈妈说她们的压力来自于她们在其他父母面前为了挽回面子而给自己施加的压力。

　　“You always hear about the mommy wars, but I feel like we’re judging ourselves more harshly than anyone else,” said Jill Smokler, owner of blog “Scary Mommy.” She has three kids and says it’s the most stressful number.

　　“吓人妈妈”博客的博主吉尔.斯莫克勒说:“你经常会听到妈妈之间的战争，但我觉得我们对自己的评价比任何人都要苛刻。”她有三个孩子，她说这是压力值最大的数字。

　　“Going from one to two was an easy, breezy transition,” said Maryland-based Smokler. “Two to three, everything was turned upside down. I did not feel like I had it together…just crossing the street and not being able to physically hold all their hands I found tremendously stressful.”

　　马里兰州的斯莫克勒说：“从1到2是一个简单、轻松的过渡。2到3，一切都颠倒了。我觉得我形神分离……即便只是过马路，无法握住他们所有人的手，我都觉得压力很大。”