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.
Re: Inducing a VBAC
~Sweet Girl *8/18/08* c-section ~ Sweet Boy *12/2/10* VBAC ~ Sweet Boy *8/14/12* VBAC~
VBAC Birth Story 2VBAC Birth Story
I had a pit induction at 39 weeks due to high bp and had a successful pain med free VBAC. I do have a birth story about it- It's long but here it is:
On my appointment on August 5th, my blood pressure was high; it was around 140/90. Dr Cummings sent me home to be on bedrest and I had to go back on Wednesday to have it checked. Wednesday, it was the same. I had another appointment on Monday. On Monday, it was again the same, so he advised that we go ahead with an induction on Thursday the 18th. I was nervous about this, as I really wanted to have as natural of a birth process this time as possible, but I worried that if I waited, my blood pressure would continue to rise and cause other problems. I agreed to the induction. He checked me and I was 1 cm, 50% effaced and he said Kylie was in a good position.
I came home and sent a text to my doula, Maria, who I knew was out of town until the 18th. We talked about what to expect, and she called Tonya to see if she was available to come to me on Thursday if she did not make it back into town by the time I needed her. I continued to drink a lot of RRL tea and pray for peace for the induction.
I was really nervous about the induction, and spent a lot of time in prayer and reaching out to friends and family asking for prayer and support. I was writing down Bible verses that I thought would bring me peace and guidance during labor. Tonya also emailed me a list of wonderful verses that we could use as support during labor. Tonya also sent me names of some nurses to request that she had worked with in the past who were supportive of natural birth and VBAC.
On Thursday morning, my husband and I woke up, got everything loaded in the car and headed to Denton. We stopped to grab some breakfast burritos for breakfast and I realized I forgot my purse at home, so we turned around, came back and then headed back to Denton. We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 and saw Dr Cummings when we walked up to Labor and Delivery. We joked with him a bit and then were taken to Labor Room 10.
After I changed into my gown I told Cory that I was upset that I forgot to ask for a specific nurse and that made me worried. I knew I would not be likely to request a new nurse if I didn?t like the nurse assigned to me, even though I know it is possible. By God?s sweet plan, the highest recommended nurse, Laura, walked in and introduced herself. As soon as she walked in, I knew it was her and I was so relieved. She and I talked a bit about the plan, how Dr C induces slowly, etc. She was thrilled that I was wanting a natural birth and very supportive of VBAC. She checked me and I had no change since Monday.
She talked about breathing techniques, how I could labor in different positions, etc. She started the IV and we waited on Dr C to get out of surgery to give her the orders for the pitocin. Around 11 he came in and checked me and they started the pitocin at a 3 around eleven thirty. The plan was to increase by 3 every half hour. I texted Maria and Tonya to update them, and found out Maria?s flight was delayed.
I was having pretty regular contractions that just felt like bad period cramps. Around 4:30 Dr C came in to check me again and I had made no real progress. Kylie had moved to a -2 position and he said she was a lot lower than before but no dilation yet. I was really discouraged by this and he asked how I felt about him breaking my water. That made me really nervous because I did not want to be on a clock or be at a greater risk of c section. He assured me that he would not put me on a time clock and that he really thought it would help move things along. I agreed that he could break my water. They said it had a small amount of meconium. At that same time, my arm started really hurting from the IV. The nurse said it was likely the penacilin and brought me a warm towel to wrap around it. I was in a lot of pain from that when suddenly the contractions really started picking up and were intense. Cory called Tonya and I texted Maria to give them an update. Tonya said to let her know when we felt like we needed her to come.
The contractions were really painful and coming very fast. I took a lot of bathroom breaks to walk around and sat on the labor ball. The easiest position seemed to be for me to lean against the bed and have Cory and my nurse squeeze my hips and rub my back. I was trying really hard to concentrate on breathing through the contractions but there was not much break at all between them so I was having a hard time staying on top of pain.
Cory called Tonya to let her know that I was needing some extra support at about 5:30. Shortly after I remember going to the bathroom with him and telling him that there was no way I could keep doing this, that I really thought I should get the epidural. Dr C came in and I told him that I wanted this baby out. He checked me and I was around an 8. He told me that I would be getting the baby out, he was just there to help.
Tonya arrived and was helping to rub my back and talk me through breathing through the contractions. I got on all fours on the bed and did some grunt pushing. I noticed they started getting the warming table turned on and Dr C was still in my room. Then Laura checked me again and said I just had a small lip left. I continued to push and try to breathe through the pain.
I started pushing around 6:50 and I wanted to turn back around to the traditional labor position to try to ease the pain in my back. She was born at 7:14. I only had minor tears and 3 stitches. They had to give me a shot of pitocin in my thigh because I was bleeding heavily. Kylie weighed 8lbs 1 ounce and was 20 inches long. She was quite a chubby little thing and latched on quickly and loved to nurse.
My husband was able to go get our daughter Kaycie and she ran to my room once he told her Kylie was here. That was the biggest reason I wanted a VBAC, to have that moment with the four of us. It was perfect. Kaycie was so happy to see her much awaited and prayed for little sister. J
I was induced at 41 weeks. I had to pressure them into "allowing" me to wait the extra week, even though they said it was safe to wait that long.
I was given the foley catheter to open my cervix and I went from 1-2 to 4-5 in one hour. Every nurse that was on staff that worked with me raved about that procedure and its high success rate.
I did get an epi before the procedure. I started on pitocin at 4pm and pushed baby out at 12:30 am after 20 minutes of pushing.
Had a great VBAC experience!!
I was induced at 42.5 weeks. My birth story is here: https://taviaredburn.blogspot.com/2011/09/chase-daniels-vbac-birth-story.html
I would definitely see if they'll let you start out with pumping/foley cath like I did. Are you dilated or effaced at all?
My story may not be the MOST encouraging (especially considering I was hoping for a natural birth) but I did have a VBAC!
I was induced with a foley and it was awesome! Went so smoothly. I did have to have some pitocin after the bulb fell out to keep contractions going. I forget how long labor was total but it was under 24 hours. I also had a epidural about halfway in and internal monitors. I did post my story a while back if you would like to read
https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/60237902.aspx
Good Luck!!