Hello, let me introduce myself first..
For the first 30 years of my life, everything was smooth and worry-free. I was my parents’ most beloved child, found my true love in college, and happily married him after graduation.
At work, I was my boss’s most valued employee. Whenever I was in charge of a project, colleagues would inevitably say, “Oh, then I’m totally at ease.” I was constantly named “Employee of the Year,” with generous bonuses every year.
Later, I started my own business. Within just three months, I had broken into the market and started making money. By the fifth month, I was earning twice my previous salary. Growth was steady month after month. Right when the business needed more hands, I serendipitously met an amazing partner, and the company reached a whole new level.
Really, it seemed like at every step, whatever I needed, a pair of hands would always place it right in front of me, just in time.
My Two Girls: Ellie & Mia
Meet Ellie, My Firstborn
In 2020, my husband and I decided to have a child. After trying for over a year, we finally got the news in 2021 that a little one was on the way. In 2022, we welcomed our first child, Ellie. She made me a mother.
She is utterly adorable—big eyes, rosy skin, chubby little hands. Every time I look at her, I can’t help but give her a kiss. She is pure joy, and I love her more each day.
But as a first-time mom, I faced unprecedented difficulties. The postpartum tearing wouldn’t heal, and the pain was excruciating. Clogged milk ducts made my breasts hard as rocks. The severe sleep deprivation… And what was even more crushing was that, with zero parenting experience, I was clueless when faced with her unexplained wailing, night terrors, refusal to nurse, constipation, diarrhea, fevers… I desperately searched online, longing for one accurate, truly useful answer!
It was during this time that I thought, once I make it through this “dark” path, I must leave a light on for other new moms.
And Then Came Mia
Ellie had just turned one when I got pregnant again. In 2024, we welcomed our second daughter, Mia.
Completely different from Ellie, Mia is a great eater and sleeper. Although she had her fussy moments in the first two months, starting almost from month three, she became super easygoing. She feeds on schedule, gradually sleeps through the night, loves her solid foods, and adapted quickly when I had to stop breastfeeding due to mastitis.
This made me realize just how vastly different babies can be! It made me even more determined to write about my experiences.
Why I Had to Start This Blog
The Catalyst: A Life Pivoted
After Mia was born, my business also began to decline sharply. I had no choice but to close it and become a full-time mom. My work no longer involves Excel and Word, but instead revolves around changing diapers, washing bottles, making baby food, and managing household chores…
This has been a monumental challenge for me. All my past achievements seem irrelevant now. Managing two young children has brought me a sense of frustration I’ve never known before.
The Daily Reality
They are always fighting over things. When one is in my arms, the other immediately demands to be held too. When I try to cook, Ellie wants me to read her a book. When I attempt to load the washing machine, Mia has a diaper blowout, and I must drop everything to change her…
By the time I finish all that, I see the cup of hot coffee on the table has gone cold again. And it’s not until evening that I remember, “Oh my goodness, the clothes are still in the hamper, unwashed!”
Of course, being a mom is filled with happiness, but that doesn’t negate how hard it is.
My Promise to You
Because I’ve walked this path myself, I won’t just tell you how joyful motherhood is, like many websites do. I want to share my real, unfiltered experiences so every new mom can find a “companion” here.
I want to tell you: you are not alone. What you’re going through, I’ve been there too. Your breakdowns, your helplessness, your moments of losing control—I’ve had them all. You don’t need to feel guilty. This is just a small, necessary stretch of the journey for every mom.
My Hope for This Space
I really want to share my parenting experiences—not just the warm, glowing moments, but to honestly document the pitfalls I’ve stumbled into, the tears I’ve shed, and the “survival wisdom” I’ve scraped together in utter exhaustion.
The Goal: A Mom’s Toolkit
I hope this blog becomes a “mom’s toolkit,” filled not with vague theories, but with:
- Practical Tips: Like how to quickly figure out why a baby is crying, tried-and-true methods for dealing with clogged ducts, or how to efficiently manage the daily grind with twins (or two under two) solo.
- Pitfall Avoidance Guides: Sharing the baby products I regret buying the most, and those “game-changer” parenting hacks. Letting you know which parenting anxieties you can let go of, and which principles are worth holding onto.
- A Community for Moms: I hope my stories connect me with more moms like you. We can cheer each other on in the comments, share our own tricks, turning the storms we face alone into a journey we walk together.
The Bigger Vision
My previous career taught me to analyze data, solve problems, and optimize processes. Now, I’m applying all those skills to this new “position” of Mom. I want to prove that a mom’s value is absolutely not confined to the home. The mindset, resilience, and creativity we built in our careers can shine just as brightly—perhaps even brighter—in this more complex, long-term “project” of raising humans, and can even be transformed into a force that helps others.
My hope is simple: that every mom who opens this blog can let out a sigh of relief and say, “So it’s not just me.” Then, she can find a bit of practical info, a dose of comforting solidarity, and return to her sweet, chaotic mom-life with a little more confidence and a little less weight on her shoulders.
This road? Let’s walk it together.
JessieJH
member
Re: Looking for OB and reccomendation (Overlake Vs. Evergreen)
THIS! I loved Dr. Russell - she delivered my daughter (med-free) and we are actually considering switching to her for Baby #3......(no I'm NOT pregnant, I'm thinking for the future). She was present during my ENTIRE labor at the hospital, given it was only 2.5 hours - but she was fabulous!
I think both Overlake and Evergreen get good reviews on here. I have had 2 Overlake babies - one with an Epi, one unmedicated. I was in the tub for the first and I believe it could have been a water birth if that was what I wanted (i didn't)
I love my OB - Elisabeth Anton at Bellegrove OBGYN. (bellegroveobgyn.com) Dr Moore and Dr Brown are also great.
My Blog
Dr. Keys was my doc with Laurel, and we totally thought that she would be delivering her, but she was too fast! Loved Dr. Russell. I had seen her a few times when Dr. Keys was out of town or delivering a baby so it was nice to have already met her. I've heard way too many good things about the midwives though, so I'm going with them for number two! (Whenever that time comes!)
Another rave for the midwives at the Center for Womens health. I had my first daughter throught them and I was with them for the first 12 weeks of my 2nd pregnancy and only left because my pregnancy was too high-risk.
Evergreen does offer water births.
Steal my kids picture or pretend they are yours, I will find where you live and ship all of their dirty diapers to your doorstep. Promise.
Do they do them in the normal bathrooms or bring something in?
Wow- thanks ladies. I could almost cry this info is so helpful. I'm actually not looking for a water 'birth' but wanted to labor most of the time in a tub or shower for pain management. Then get out for the final push.
These are great reccomendations to start with. Now I'm so much more excited for the tours. :-)
I didn't use this option but heard about it when I was pregnant with Meg. The website says that dad can bring swim shorts to join mom in the tub. I'm assuming its the regular tub?
Steal my kids picture or pretend they are yours, I will find where you live and ship all of their dirty diapers to your doorstep. Promise.
I have used Overlake for 99% of my medical needs and my LO will be born there this weekend (stay tuned!) - I know they have jacuzzi tubs you can labor in and I *heart* by OB (Katie VanKessel) - she's very laid back, non-intervention oriented, and really listens to me (which was by FAR the most important thing for me). I'm over 40 but otherwise have had the picture perfect pregnancy and she's been wonderful. I've seen a couple other docs in the practice and like them as well.
Good luck and congrats!
Another recommendation for Evergreen and the midwives at Center for Women's Health. Med free, midwife there the most of the entire time (12 hours labor at the hospital)
Only negative was I felt pressured to have my water broke, turns out it was a good thing (although painful) but I wasn't happy at the time being given what I saw as an ultimatum. I didn't like my night nurse that first night, but our delivery nurse was awesome.
I had both kids (unmedicated, although not by choice! lol) at Evergreen. Different OBs for each baby and different delivering doctors, as mine came out too quickly. I can't say enough good things about the entire staff and all of the doctors I saw during both pregnancies and deliveries at Evergreen. Dr. Shaunie Keys (Evergreen Women's Care) was my favorite and Dr. Russell (same practice) - who delivered my son - rocked, too.
AND Evergreen's NICU is amazing, too, if you (God forbid) happen to need them.
Good luck!
Baby website / My blog
You can rent larger labor tubs- we were considering it before I knew I had to have a C. Also, I forgot to say that the nurses were really nice- C had to go to the NICU for about 4 hours right after birth, and her nurse gave us a hardback book she'd put her name and date in along with a birthday message for Charlie. It was the nicest thing- I wish I'd gotten to meet her. My room nurses were super too.
Newlywed Athlete Blog
DD Arrived 10/17/2011
2012 Races
Valentine's Day Dash - 5k - 2/11/12 - 34:21
Kirkland 5k - 5/13/12 - 31:59
Another vote for Dr. Brown at Bellgrove OBGYN. I loved Overlake (I was inpatient for 5 days so I really got to experience it!) and had a great birth experience but it really sounds like a midwife might be the way to go for you.
I'd suggest you pick which ever is most convenient location wise. I started out at Evergreen but moved to Overlake as I worked in DT Bellevue. It was great until I had to drive by Evergreen to go to Overlake for appts once I stopped working and when DS was in the NICU for a few days after I was discharged.
Another Evergreen mama, here! I had 2 very different birthing experiences. My first, with Dr. Maura Cardwell, didn't go the way I would have liked, but most importantly my doctor left choices up to me and my baby was just perfect. (I highly recommend my doctor, she was great!) 2nd birth was a vbac with the midwives at the Center For Women's Health. I never thought I was the midwife "type", but I LOVED them!!! They supported me through every step, even when a doctor in the practice wanted to just go against my wishes and just schedule a C. (This doctor was not mentioned in any of the prior posts.) I actually considered filing a complaint against her.
As for the tub, the one in the bathroom is the size of a standard tub. I really don't think you would be comfortable in it, nor would your DH fit in it very well. I rented a birth tub, but alas, Gavin came too fast, so we had to cancel it. The company was super nice, and refunded me my deposit. If you want a referral, let me know. My plan was to labor in it, but not necessarily give birth in it. Just another card in my hat to pull out for labor!
Another thing to think out when comparing OBs to midwives - the doctor is really only there when the baby is crowning. The midwife is with you pretty much the whole time. (I arrived at the hospital with #2 fully dilated and ready to push, so I can't say how early they usually stay with you.)
Hope this helps!
I asked about a water birth when I had DD at Evergreen and they said that I could rent a larger tub from an outside company for that purpose if I wanted. They have jetted tubs for laboring in though- I unfortunatly had to be monitored constantly and the sound of the jets was interfering with the sounds of the baby on the monitor so I coudlnt be in there long.
My overall experience at Evergreen was fantastic though, and if we were going to have another, I would for sure go back there. My OB was Dr Lorraine Robertson, and she was pretty cool- very laid back. My DD was delivered by Dr Gong from the same practice (A Womens Clinic at Evergreen) and I LOVED her!
I LOVE the midwifes at Puget Sound Birthing Center. They are kind, patient, and listen incredibly well. I am with Sunita, Val, and Ally (there are 2 teams there).
The space feels like a small home, which I also like vs. the hospital clinical feel. You can birth there if you are considered a low-risk pregnancy.
I would recommend taking the tour and meeting with a midwife. That's what made the decision easy for me
Jennifer
We delivered at Evergreen and had a great experience. I highly recommend it. Pretty natural birth and they followed what I wanted. I had my own private room all day and one nurse was assigned to me which made it more comfortable.
As for OB, I go to Dr. Mary Beth Wittman and her offices are right there at the hospital.
Classes there at the hospital are great and there are also classes after you give birth once a week for you to attend with your newborn and get to know other mothers or just ask whatever questions might be on your mind.