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.
Jmgresham22
member
Re: Op deleted
QFP. Seems likely
Take your bullshit and go back
Who said that no one here is getting pregnant?
Have you actually bothered to READ any posts on TheBump at all?
Hold up now. I don't usually get riled up by posts on TB but this one has really made my blood boil, which I assume, OP, was your goal, so congrats. I've been posting here for a few months, so I'm still new. But in the time I have been here, these ladies have been enormously supportive and kind. They took up a collection to give their own fucking money to an internet stranger who lost her baby FFS! I'm amazed by the kindness and community that is on TB.
Congrats on coming to TB and posting the bitchiest thing I have seen on here, so you win that prize.
And as for the whole God doesn't given mean people babies thing, I am a Christian, and I'm not sure if you are, but if the only Christians I knew were people who believed shit like that, I would run the other direction so fast.
I'll be sure to avoid twoweekwait.com if people like you hang out there. Please don't come back here again.
BFP 6/15/14 EDD: 2/24/15
Boring troll is boring, and ugly inside to boot.
I've read a lot of posts, mine included, that you guys immediately get snarky and mean. All any of us are looking for is hope and truth. I agree there are some people who may post in the wrong place or who may be so much in denial that those 20 bfns mean nothing to her..... But the WAY something is said sometimes means more than what is actually said. I don't think there's a place for sarcasm or poking fun or anything else in a board designed to be supportive. It's like "mean girls" of ttc. I wanted to come here an be able to say those chicks are crazy these ladies are nice! But you guys have a bad rep. I know you don't care.... But there are ladies who are just starting out who aren't educated and who come here to learn. They're not just being ignorant on purpose.
Now I HOPE that at some point I can get along with you because I need answers to some things.... And something's are better learned from people's experiences than a text book answer from google.
I apologize for MY harshness.... And my opinion doesn't matter.... But I do wish everyone could just be a bit nicer here.
TTC #1 since August 2011
My Blog
September 2012: Start IF testing
DH (32): SA is ok, slightly low morph, normal SCSA Me (32): Slightly low progesterone, hostile CM, carrier for CF, Moderately high NKC, High TNFa, heterozyogous mutated Factor XIII, and +APA
October 2012-May 2014: 4 failed IUIs, 3 failed IVFs, and 1 failed FETw/donor embryos
November 2014: IVF w/ICSI #4 Agonist/Antagonist with EPP and Prednisone, Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, and IVIG for immune issues. Converted to freeze all due to lining issues. 2 blasts frozen on day 6!
January 2015: FET #2 Cancelled due to lining issues
April 2015: FET #2.1
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!
TTC #1 since August 2011
My Blog
September 2012: Start IF testing
DH (32): SA is ok, slightly low morph, normal SCSA Me (32): Slightly low progesterone, hostile CM, carrier for CF, Moderately high NKC, High TNFa, heterozyogous mutated Factor XIII, and +APA
October 2012-May 2014: 4 failed IUIs, 3 failed IVFs, and 1 failed FETw/donor embryos
November 2014: IVF w/ICSI #4 Agonist/Antagonist with EPP and Prednisone, Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, and IVIG for immune issues. Converted to freeze all due to lining issues. 2 blasts frozen on day 6!
January 2015: FET #2 Cancelled due to lining issues
April 2015: FET #2.1
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!
The members that participate here like the vibe. If you don't, fair enough. I actually don't blame people for preferring a warmer atmosphere. But there is a culture here that we like. I wouldn't troll the internet for the happy horseshit boards and tell their members they're wrong. Because that would make me an asshole. You must have a pretty big ego to think you're the Internet forum police... That it's your job to find the places that don't meet YOUR standards and demand change.
You came in here, blasted everyone, and retaliated by saying something vicious. Own what you did and move along. Please.
I read your other posts. You started slamming other posters BEFORE you actually got snarked. The replies you got in the chart stalk thread were factual and not callous as you alleged. Maybe you misread them or they were tainted by what you already thought of us.
The ladies here get to the point quickly. No flowery mushy stuff, just realism. Sometimes it comes across roughly. If you really came here to get along with people, make the effort instead of going all holier than thou.
And I stand by what I said earlier. It was way inappropriate for you to say the whole God and infertility thing, whether it was made up or your belief, it was rude to say the least.
Yeah, cool you didn't mean it you just wanted to show us the error of our ways. Whatever.
I am generally not very snarky, but I stand by my screw you comment. Anyone who comes in and starts telling people that they are horrible person and that God is punishing them with infertility is going to get a "screw you" from me. Whether you mean it or not it was a douchey comment. I have spent the last year and a large sum of money undergoing infertility treatments. It's emotionally, physically, and financially draining. It is very insulting when people start throwing out their hairbrained idea that "God uses infertility to punish horrible people."
I recommend appologizing to the infertility community. Your comment was rude and completely unnecesary.
TTC #1 since August 2011
My Blog
September 2012: Start IF testing
DH (32): SA is ok, slightly low morph, normal SCSA Me (32): Slightly low progesterone, hostile CM, carrier for CF, Moderately high NKC, High TNFa, heterozyogous mutated Factor XIII, and +APA
October 2012-May 2014: 4 failed IUIs, 3 failed IVFs, and 1 failed FETw/donor embryos
November 2014: IVF w/ICSI #4 Agonist/Antagonist with EPP and Prednisone, Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, and IVIG for immune issues. Converted to freeze all due to lining issues. 2 blasts frozen on day 6!
January 2015: FET #2 Cancelled due to lining issues
April 2015: FET #2.1
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!
I'm not sure if you expect people to believe this, or you're just trolling..
It absolutely was rude and inappropriate and so not a reflection of me or who I want to be. PMS plus a ton of BFNs after being so sure we had caught it just has ME in a callous mood I guess. Not to mention sarcasm doesn't transfer well through text. So cd 3 here and dying inside because like everyone else I am dying for a baby here. So I do so humbly apologize, TO EACH AN EVERY ONE of you and have said my prayers and asked forgiveness as well as said a prayer for all of you in your journey. I will likely lurk, but beyond this thread I will likely not post. I do apologize and I hope you guys can forgive my rudeness.
The 2WW has lots of everyone comparing symptoms and convincing each other they are pregnant, only to be devestated when AF arrives. Honesty will get you banned over there.
edit: spelling
I didn't know we were different.... I thought it was normal for women who are ttc to symptom spot and squint at lines that aren't there. Lol....I guess I get it now.... We are the nuts lol
I knew it was weird when I started there I was like that's totally not a line!! And everyone else was tweaking and swearing bfp! .... Now I'm doing the same thing
I have been blessed with two healthy babies, but I also have two angels. I understand what it means to lose a pregnancy and to ache and wonder if you will ever get pregnant. I was diagnosed with pcos at 17 with a severe case and was told i likely wouldn't conceive without serious intervention if I conceived at all. I've also had two ectopics, one that almost took my life. I understand you ladies, and pardon the language, I was a bitch, and I understand bridges are burned. But I wish every single one of you well and hope you get your take home babies soon.
Not a threat, just a warning. Anyone can read this, do a simple google search and come up with your private information. It's not recommended to use your real name, especially if you act like a jerk and insult good people who never did anything to you.
Understood. I honestly have no idea what came over me. That's sooo not me and if any of you knew me you would know that. I hate that I said ANYTHING. I do believe that those ttc are the only ones who can understand what we are going through and we should be each others biggest cheerleaders.
@Jmgresham22 - Honey, you really need to just move on. Please drop the shovel and stop digging your hole. If you just vanish, everyone will forget about your nasty comment and maybe you can find another board to get support. There's Babycenter, Baby Gaga, What to Expect, etc.
And just delete your thread from IF. Please. They don't want to see that, and they definitely do NOT want to read your "God is punishing you" comment. No matter how many times you said "I take it back"... you can't take it back. It went out there, it's here, and now people have taken in their impressions of you.
Just go and move on. And next time, think before you type, especially since you claim to be a good religious girl.
Ok here is my advice. You need to drop this thread. Stop posting, stop responding to other's posts, just leave it alone. You have spread your drama over two boards now, I think that is enough damage.
If you really want to post on this message board, make a new screen name and start fresh. And don't ever bring up the God/Infertility comment ever again.
TTC #1 since August 2011
My Blog
September 2012: Start IF testing
DH (32): SA is ok, slightly low morph, normal SCSA Me (32): Slightly low progesterone, hostile CM, carrier for CF, Moderately high NKC, High TNFa, heterozyogous mutated Factor XIII, and +APA
October 2012-May 2014: 4 failed IUIs, 3 failed IVFs, and 1 failed FETw/donor embryos
November 2014: IVF w/ICSI #4 Agonist/Antagonist with EPP and Prednisone, Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, and IVIG for immune issues. Converted to freeze all due to lining issues. 2 blasts frozen on day 6!
January 2015: FET #2 Cancelled due to lining issues
April 2015: FET #2.1
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!