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.
JoJo507
member
Re: Baby wearing and strollers
Currently going through our second deployment. Can't wait for Zoe to meet her daddy!
I definitely used a stroller. It was nice in the early months when baby was still small and sleeping a ton to be able to move the infant seat into the stroller when going somewhere. Waking up a newborn to take them out of a carseat and put them in a carrier wouldn't be too much fun.
Other occasions we used strollers--when you're going somewhere hot babywearing is less fun. Also, if we're going somewhere like the aquarium which we'll be walking around for 3-4 hours, it's nice to have a place for the baby to go since while a good carrier is comfy, you do need a break sometimes.
I definitely babywear more than using strollers, but I don't think a stroller is necessarily a bad thing to have either.
I tried to use the stroller on long walks but DS hates it. So it has been tried exactly twice and is now collecting dust. But I'm hesitant to sell it in case he starts liking it at some point... maybe sell the expensive one and buy a cheap one just in case?
But I babywear every day!
MY JOURNEY AS A SINGLE BF-ING, CD-ING, BABYWEARING MOM
We got a stroller because after we had everything we wanted my grandmother (who is well off) offered to get us something. It was the only big ticket item we didn't have so we decided to get one. We did not get a travel system so didn't have the benefit of snapping the car seat in and out, which might have been nice with my son, my daughter wakes up whenever the car stops anyway.
We have put our stroller in the car and taken it somewhere maybe half a dozen times since my son was born. 3 of those are since my daughter was born. With 2u2 it has been nice to take the stroller to the museum at times, so I can either put my daughter in there and play with my son more effectively or put my son in there when it's time to go so he stops getting distracted. Even so, we don't bring it every time.
We did however use the stroller on a daily basis from about 6-18 months for my son. We walk the dog every day and he was getting heavy. We kept the stroller in the garage with the leash and it was easy enough to pop him in there and go. When running errands etc it's much easier to bring a carrier than the stroller.
We don't intend to get a double stroller because of how infrequently we used the single. The toddler can walk with us when we walk the dog now and the baby gets the stroller.
We use both equally. I always have the Ergo or the RS in the bottom on the stroller for when he's sick of it and vice versa. O loves to be worn, but not all the time. Like another pp mentioned we used it a lot to transfer the carseat into if we didn't want to move him.
You never know.
DD1 hated to be worn, so she was in the stroller a lot. DD2 hated the stroller, so she was worn all the time. Say thank you, try it out, and move on.
I love babywearing but I also use the stroller quite a bit. When I was pregnant I used to think how silly it was for people to use a stroller because they are so big and bulky and it was so much easier to just wear your baby. Well, let me tell you. When my DD (who is not a good napper) falls asleep in her carseat there is no way I am waking her up to wear her. It is so much easier to just pop the carseat into the stroller with her sleeping. I don't know if it will change once she gets older but I use the stroller quite a bit for outings because of this. I usually also have a carrier with me when we are out because once she wakes up she wants out of the stroller. Like the other day we were at the mall and I had her in the stroller for a good hour and a half because she was sleeping. When she woke up I wore her in the Moby and used the stroller to put all my shopping bags.
I find that I use the baby carriers more for walks around the neighborhood.
We have a stroller (though not a travel system), but I definitely babywear more. Part of the reason is because my kid HATED the stroller until recently. Would scream his head off if he was in it.
However, the stroller was nice to have when going clothing shopping since they frown upon you hanging your baby from the dressing room doors when you're trying on clothing! And we do like having it for going on walks on the nearby trail. It's also PERFECT for pool time. When we go to the pool he can sit in there and read/play and take a nap and he's shaded by the canopy.
We BW as a normal form of transport for DD. That being said we also have 3 strollers. I got a 3rd hand bugaboo frog when I was pregnant which now live in our basement and is used by my mum when she takes DD out and about while looking after her as she's not comfortable getting DD on her back in our carriers (she'll use them if I'm here to help her).
When DD was little she hated to be too hot so in the summer when it was very warm (so in the 90's) she'd scream. We went on vacation when she was 4 months old and didn't want to take the bugaboo so my parents got us an umbrella stroller. We use that if we go on vacation where it's hot or if we're going clothes shopping (when we go to the states).
We also have an OLD jogging stroller which I used to run with, I've since had an injury and haven't run in a month or so and have now found out that I'm pregnant with #2.
So in the long and short of it it's always good to have the option if not just for you but for other caregivers.