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.
ginmae85@yahoo.com
member
Re: Is there anything to help make sure I have a VBAC???
I think the only thing any of us can do is try. Educate yourself, and make sure your doctor is on board 100%, or have a plan of what to do if s/he isn't. If you're worried about your baby being breech, do the suggested exercises (google it, or check out spinningbabies.com) to get your baby to turn (and to stay head down). Seeing a chiropractor can help with optimal pelvic alignment, which can help get/keep the baby in a head-down position.
Hope that helps, and I hope your baby stays head down--it's pretty rare for them to flip so late. Good luck with your VBAC!
You were checked at 36 weeks? It's not surprising that you were closed and the baby was high--you weren't even due for nearly a month! Try not to read anything into it, cervical checks before labor don't mean anything, especially that far ahead of your EDD.
Staying active during the last weeks of pregnancy can help promote good fetal positioning and get your body ready for labor. Is your doctor supportive of you having a VBAC? Do you know what their VBAC success rate is?
My dr is very supportive of me trying for a VBAC. I do not know what their Seccess rate is. I am also going to go to my Chiropractor next week. And hope for the best. I am just getting a little worried because my BP is starting to go up a little and scared they are going to want to take the baby. Fingers crossed everythings works out.
Ok this may be dumb to ask, But where I feel the hiccups is that where the head is? Because just last night I was feeling hiccups very low so maybe it is head down.
Yes, you know how your head kind of bops when you hiccup? Babies are the same so if you feel the hiccups low it's a pretty good indication that the baby is head down. If you feel around the bum feels different from the head so you can also get a decent idea from that.
I could definitely tell DD was breech and feel the hardness of her head compared to her bum.
Spinningbabies has some great info on belly mapping to figure out your baby's position if you want to try that as well.
My acupuncturist suggested doing cat/cow pose and trying to spend about 30 minutes essentially in the on all fours position. I usually put a pillow under my chest and sorta lay with my booty in the air. I feel like it's helped the baby stay head down. He was quite the spinner.
He's be head down at the start of monitoring and by the time we got to the US to check fluid, he was head up.
Good luck!
Hate to disagree about the hiccups thing...but my son was breech (found out at 32 wks and the kid didn't move). I had nearly weekly u/s to confirm he was still breech from the time I was 36-40 wks. I could feel hiccups really low every morning at 5 AM for weeks before he was born. So, just be careful and get the u/s b/c that is the only way to know. My mid-wife (who has over 30 yrs of experience) thought his rear was his head when she felt my belly.