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babyessentialshub
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.
9:34AM
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9:29AM

This Week's Leaders in July 2014 Moms

Third-Party Reproduction

New Discussion

ER for donor today :. UPDATE!!

erink1981 member

February 2013 in Third-Party Reproduction

Hello all,My donor is at re's office right now for ER. nbsp;Thoughts and prayers for nbsp;her would be so appreciated : I'm so excited to finally be at this point. After a 3 year journey, I feel like things are finally happening! I'm so thankful for my donor and whether or not we end up pg this cycle, I am forever grateful to her!nbsp;nbsp;Ill update later!! :nbsp;

UPDATE: they retrieved 15 eggs! They said she did wonderfully! So excited!!

DD conceived with no issues, but born at 33 weeks due to PPROM
loss #1-06/2010 loss #2-2/2011 loss #3-5/2011
07/2011 dx with a Balanced Translocation
9/2011-decided on domestic infant adoption 10/2011-signed with an agency and getting ready for homestudy

12-2012-after being with our agency over a year and only shown to EM once we decided to talk with RE about DEIVF. Thru a crazy sequence of events we decided to go for it and we picked a donor MUCH quicker than anticipated
1/13/2013-started lupron with anticipated transfer in mid Feb.
ER 2/15 resulted in 15 eggs/10M/6F with ICSI.
2/18 transferred 1-8cell and 1-9cell embie. Snuggle in little embies.
positive on HPT 6dp3dt. Could this really be IT?!?! Beta 14dp3dt=2440. U/S scheduled for 3/20.

0 Reply to Post

Re: ER for donor today :. UPDATE!!

liz4paws member

February 2013

SO EXCITING!!!! I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers today. FX for lots of great eggs!

************ Signature/Ticker Warning ************
Me (32) DH (36) - Finding our way to baby #1
Me: POF/DOR - AMH <0.16, heterozygous c677t MTHFR, insulin resistant and gluten intolerant
DH: Severe MFI

12/2/11 - IUI #1- BFN
8/1/12 - IVF #1 - Zero response from max stims (600iu intramuscularly)
My ovaries are just for decoration

12/6/12 - Adopted five embryos that had been frozen for over ten years!
2/11/13 - DEmbryo FET #1 Thawed four, sadly two didn't survive. Transferred two beautiful blasts.
2/16/13 - First BFP of my life @ 6dp5dt! EDD 10/30/13
3/27/13 - After beta and u/s hell, no heartbeat ever detected. D&C at 9w1d.

6/5/13 - Adopted four new embryos that had been frozen for seven years!
9/12/13 - DEmbryo FET #2. Thawed and transferred two beautiful blasts
9/17/13 - BFP @ 5dp6dt! EDD 05/31/14
9/29/13 - m/c @ 5w1d.

11/19/13 - DEmbryo FET #3. Thawed and transferred one blast from each batch. Wow!
11/23/13 - BFP @ 4dp6dt! EDD 8/7/13
Beta #1 @ 13dp6dt - 522 Beta #2 @ 16dp6dt - 1373
6w5d ultrasound showed one perfect baby with a beautiful heartbeat of 134bpm!

Snowflake baby is a girl!
Our beautiful Snowflake girl arrived on July 22, 2014!
My embryo adoption blog: Wishing on a Snowflake

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crene84 member

February 2013

Can't wait for an update...good luck!!

Married Since 09/2006, TTC Since 09/2010
DX: Unexplained infertility, DH normal
3 Femara cycles - Oct, Nov, Dec 2011, all BFNs
IVF #1, ER 2/15 (5R, 4M, 4F), ET 2/18, Beta 2/29 = BFN
Follistim + IUI on 6/25 = BFN
Home Study Finalized 8/14/12! Profile Active - 8/17/12!
Officially Matched 8/29/12, Our perfect angel born 9/25/12!
Biggest surprise ever, unexpected BFP on 4/12/13!

Our Angel through Adoption

Our Little Miracle

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Km672 member

February 2013

Yeah!!! So excited for you!

Me (32) DOR, elevated NK Cells/ 2 copies of MTHFR mutation/ MH (35) azoo/high DFI (TTC#1 since 2009)

IVFs#1-4: (4/10-2/12) all BFN

Surprise Bfp (9/11) - c/p

DS IUI#1-2 (9/12, 10/12) - BFN

DS IVF: (11/12) - BFN

DE/DS IVF#1: (10/13) - 2 day 3 embies transferred-BFFN

FET of 2 day 6 blasts: (12/13) - c/p
DE/DS IVF #2: (4/14) - 1 day 5 blast transferred...BFFN...again.
FET 5/14: 1 day 5 hatching blast transferred...another BFFN
Repeat SHG 6/14-normal / Endometrial Receptivity Array biopsy 7/14-Receptive Uterus
New RE, additional testing reveals elevated NK Cells
FET of 1 day 5 blast (RE recommends transferring 1 due to elevated NK cells) with lovenox, steroids & intralipids in October

Report0 Reply
stinkerbell6879 member

February 2013

Yay!! Glad things are going good!

April 2013 DE IVF= BFN
September 2013 DE IVF (Fingers Crossed) = BFFFN! again...
October 2013 FET of our last 2 = Beta Hellzz for 6-7 Weeks. M/C
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BeckyP005 member

February 2013

Awesome!! Good luck

ME:46 MH:44 DE IVF 2014
Met with RE 4/11. 2 IUI's BFN. DE best option. Switched clinics to do "shared" program. Had to retake all tests and a mamm that put me behind and then on a DE waiting list for 12 months. Picked a donor!! (10/13/13) Got matched. Estimated transfer in December. After 2.5 years of patiently waiting I will finally cycle....can hardly believe it. DE cycle got cancelled. One of her tests came back positive. Waiting for another donor. Donor picked!! (1/18/14)
DE IVF #1 (4/26) BFN DE FET #1 (6/4) BFP! Beta 1=339 Beta 2=852 Beta 3=9957 EDD 2/22/15!!

Report0 Reply
liz4paws member

February 2013

FIFTEEN!? FIFTEEN!!!! THAT'S GREAT! Thanks for the update! Let us know how the fert report come out!

************ Signature/Ticker Warning ************
Me (32) DH (36) - Finding our way to baby #1
Me: POF/DOR - AMH <0.16, heterozygous c677t MTHFR, insulin resistant and gluten intolerant
DH: Severe MFI

12/2/11 - IUI #1- BFN
8/1/12 - IVF #1 - Zero response from max stims (600iu intramuscularly)
My ovaries are just for decoration

12/6/12 - Adopted five embryos that had been frozen for over ten years!
2/11/13 - DEmbryo FET #1 Thawed four, sadly two didn't survive. Transferred two beautiful blasts.
2/16/13 - First BFP of my life @ 6dp5dt! EDD 10/30/13
3/27/13 - After beta and u/s hell, no heartbeat ever detected. D&C at 9w1d.

6/5/13 - Adopted four new embryos that had been frozen for seven years!
9/12/13 - DEmbryo FET #2. Thawed and transferred two beautiful blasts
9/17/13 - BFP @ 5dp6dt! EDD 05/31/14
9/29/13 - m/c @ 5w1d.

11/19/13 - DEmbryo FET #3. Thawed and transferred one blast from each batch. Wow!
11/23/13 - BFP @ 4dp6dt! EDD 8/7/13
Beta #1 @ 13dp6dt - 522 Beta #2 @ 16dp6dt - 1373
6w5d ultrasound showed one perfect baby with a beautiful heartbeat of 134bpm!

Snowflake baby is a girl!
Our beautiful Snowflake girl arrived on July 22, 2014!
My embryo adoption blog: Wishing on a Snowflake

Report0 Reply
erink1981 member

February 2013

Thanks ladies!!

DD conceived with no issues, but born at 33 weeks due to PPROM
loss #1-06/2010 loss #2-2/2011 loss #3-5/2011
07/2011 dx with a Balanced Translocation
9/2011-decided on domestic infant adoption 10/2011-signed with an agency and getting ready for homestudy
12-2012-after being with our agency over a year and only shown to EM once we decided to talk with RE about DEIVF. Thru a crazy sequence of events we decided to go for it and we picked a donor MUCH quicker than anticipated
1/13/2013-started lupron with anticipated transfer in mid Feb.
ER 2/15 resulted in 15 eggs/10M/6F with ICSI.
2/18 transferred 1-8cell and 1-9cell embie. Snuggle in little embies.
positive on HPT 6dp3dt. Could this really be IT?!?! Beta 14dp3dt=2440. U/S scheduled for 3/20.
Report0 Reply
erink1981 member

February 2013

Sorry for all the extra letters in my updated post. I did it on my mobile. Stupid mobile bump! I'll update tomorrow on how many are fertilized

DD conceived with no issues, but born at 33 weeks due to PPROM
loss #1-06/2010 loss #2-2/2011 loss #3-5/2011
07/2011 dx with a Balanced Translocation
9/2011-decided on domestic infant adoption 10/2011-signed with an agency and getting ready for homestudy
12-2012-after being with our agency over a year and only shown to EM once we decided to talk with RE about DEIVF. Thru a crazy sequence of events we decided to go for it and we picked a donor MUCH quicker than anticipated
1/13/2013-started lupron with anticipated transfer in mid Feb.
ER 2/15 resulted in 15 eggs/10M/6F with ICSI.
2/18 transferred 1-8cell and 1-9cell embie. Snuggle in little embies.
positive on HPT 6dp3dt. Could this really be IT?!?! Beta 14dp3dt=2440. U/S scheduled for 3/20.
Report0 Reply
crene84 member

February 2013

Yay 15 is great!!

Married Since 09/2006, TTC Since 09/2010
DX: Unexplained infertility, DH normal
3 Femara cycles - Oct, Nov, Dec 2011, all BFNs
IVF #1, ER 2/15 (5R, 4M, 4F), ET 2/18, Beta 2/29 = BFN
Follistim + IUI on 6/25 = BFN
Home Study Finalized 8/14/12! Profile Active - 8/17/12!
Officially Matched 8/29/12, Our perfect angel born 9/25/12!
Biggest surprise ever, unexpected BFP on 4/12/13!

Our Angel through Adoption

Our Little Miracle

Report0 Reply
happywifemomofone member

February 2013

15 sounds great, FX for and excellent fert report tomorrow!

TTC since 10/09 Me-43 DH-44 RE and testing 10/10-11/10, Recommending IVF 1/11 New RE AMA and DOR-DH low motility IVF #1.1 cancelled 3/11 due to poor response IVF #1.2 May 2011, one perfect 8-cell embryo, 3dt-BFN, IVF #2.1 Converted to IUI d/t poor response. New RE 9/2011. IVF 2.2 completed using HGH,EPP,DHEA, Q-10 and accupuncture. Transferred one 8-cell, grade one embryo on 10/19. BFP 10/31/11 Chemical pregancy on 11/2/11. Started stims for IVF #3, our final try, on 12-2-11. ET on 12/18. Transferred 3 Grade A embryos-BFFN Planning DE IVF, late March/early April- Donors ER expected to be 4/2-4/4. PAIF/SAIF welcome
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JM1977 member

February 2013

Great news! Hope you get an equally wonderful fert report!

TTC with DOR, low morphology, fertilization issues
IVF#1 Oct 2009 (CCRM) - BFN
IVF#2 March 2010 - Poor response/cancelled
DE IVF#1 Aug 2010 - BFN
DE IVF#2 Dec 2010 - Transferred 1, 2 frozen - BFP!
TTC#2 FET Jan 2013 - Transferred 1 - BFP!

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Strunella member

February 2013

That is great news! Keep us posted!

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indianasunshine member

February 2013

15 is amazing! Congratulations!
Sending thoughts and prayers your way as you watch your little embies grow.

Me 43, DH 49 Married November 3, 2007 TTC #1 since November 2007 First RE appointment May 13, HSG 5/17- tubes are clear, SA - very good, FSH 6.8, rubella immunity, saline sonogram 7/2 - uterine polyps, hysteroscopy date FINALLY 9/4! Blood pressure and thyroid are under control! Come on BFP!!!! My Blog IUI#1 1/14 , AF=BFN 1/28, IUI #2 3/9, AF=BFN 3/20 Cycle 20 IVF #1 = BFP!!! Beta #1- 196 Beta #2- 784 Egg retrieval 5/1 - 11 eggs! Update 5/2 - 9 mature, 7 fertilized! Embryo transfer 5/6 - transferred 2 beautiful blasts and have one snowbaby Induction scheduled for 01/11/10 - 38 weeks, 1 day April 3, 2012 FET with snowbaby (identical twins) BFN and a big broken heart Moving on to DE 8/2012-Donor chosen! 9/2012-12/2012-Donor passed all testing, off BC pills, waiting to complete 2 full cycles. 12/16/2012-cannot move forward with donor, cycles not regulating. 12/17-New proven donor 1/11- started Lupron on our baby boy's 3rd birthday
Egg retrieval 2/27 - 27 eggs, 24 mature, 19 fertilized
Embryo transfer 3/4 - 2 beautiful, hatching blasts and nothing left to freeze. Beta #1 461 9dp5dt. Beta #2 1230 11dp5dt.
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=34gkr4h" target="_blank"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/34gkr4h.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
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