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.
st.augbride
member
Re: My ped's blanket approach on sleep training
This. My ped is kind of like yours and told me to let DS cry because he was waking at 1 am, 3 am and then 5 am. She felt the 3 am wake up wasn't necessary. I did listen to her at first, but quit because I just didn't feel comfortable doing that. I didn't change pediatricians because she at least seems to know her medical stuff, I just ignore her on parenting advice. My DS goes to bed at the same time as yours, wakes up at 3/4 am to eat and is up at 7:00, but he also wakes up around 11 pm to eat again. I consider this awesome since he use to be up every 2 hours. Don't worry, your baby is just fine and probably likes to eat more like mine does.
I would never let a baby cry for 90 minutes!
Our son did STTN, until a few nights ago, Saturday he was up at 3am and last night he was up at 12:45am...very weird.
Henry Cavill...You're welcome!
BFP #3: EDD 1/10/13 **DS born 12/30/12!!!**
BFP #2: MC 7/2/11 @ 12 weeks
**Missing our February '12 LoveBug**
BFP #1: MMC discovered on 12/6/10
my pedi told me to let her cry at 2 months. smh
Mine wakes around 2 or 3 am. I am fine with this until 6 months, then I'll decide if she still is really hungry or if its just a habit.
Violet Mae born 1/15/13
So, holy crap, I just posted this exact topic on the Attachment Parenting board. Like, the exact same thing. My doctor even had the nerve to print out this RIDICULOUS article to have me "look over."
If you want a laugh, check it out:
https://www.boystownpediatrics.org/KnowledgeCenter/pediatricadvisor/AdvisorInfo/pa/pa_nightfd_hhg.aspx
(Not my pedi, but same article she gave me today).
Seriously, I'm going to have to approach this differently next visit. I don't know if I have the balls to tell her straight up that I think this advice is nuts, or if I should just smile and nod through it. UGH.
Wow, seriously? I think your DD is sleeping awesome!
We also had my DD's 4 month appointment today and our pedi asked, I told her DD goes down at 7:30 and wakes around 12 something to eat...she then also wakes again by 4 or 5. She had a brief period where she slept straight through to 5am but not right now.
She didn't seem concerned. I do remember her telling me when DS was 4 months that technically they should be able to STTN without eating, but I don't remember what she considered STTN....DS woke up a LOT as a baby and didn't STTN until 16 months.
I wouldn't mess with a good thing. If you try to stretch her until 5 or 6 who knows what she'll do, it could totally throw her off and she'll start waking even earlier or more often.
DD (5 years old) from IUI in 2012
TTC 3rd and final!: IUI #1 in progress!
you should print out the article that talks about CIO negatively affecting a baby's brain.
Do you have a link to share on that? I'd love to read it.
Disregard - found your reply to my post on the AP board. THANKS!
That is crazy. Waking up once per night is not bad at all. My pedi tries to give me unsolicited advice about things like this. He said to not feed her if she wakes up at night, because then she will expect to be fed if she wakes up at night. Well, if she's waking up hungry, then obviously she needs to eat. I'm pretty sure breast-fed infants are eating on demand and I am going to keep feeding her that way...
He also told me (after I told him about her spit ups) that I should add rice cereal to her bottles so she doesn't spit up as much. I flat out told him NO. My husband laughed at him. The pedi will tell us to do this and then get pissed off at us when we bring in our obese toddler in a few years... Meanwhile, LO is clearly just a "happy spitter" and is gaining weight just fine.
Thankfully we all just have enough brains to filter out what is good and not so good for our own kids.