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.
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Re: ~*~*MSPI Moms Weekly Check-In*~*~ 7/1
Hang in there! It can take a month for your body to get rid of the dairy so you may not see improvement right away.
Tomorrow we see the GI. DD2 is going to have the allergy panel done, and if it is negative I am going to try to add dairy back in I think. I added wheat back in at 4 months, and it didn't go well....so I think my best bet is to try dairy. I am keeping my fingers crossed!
Good luck with the allergy panel!
@camedowncrushing GL at the GI! I hope you get some good advice and a game plan.
@Salemkitty13 Oof, that is a lot of restrictions! The Food Allergy board on TB can be a lot of help, and there's lots if food allergy boards on Pinterest. I will send you a PM with a link to my board; I was avoiding everything you listed except oats and tree nuts. For pasta I used Tinkyada brown rice pasta and Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta. Baking recipes with wheat flour I just subbed barley flour. Hopefully your LO will outgrow some of these? GL!
1. How are you doing? How is your LO doing?
We are doing great! I have successfully added both soybean oil and soy lecithin back into my diet with no problems (yay! I can eat oreos again!). Either she outgrew her sensitivities to them or it was a quantity issue, because I'm still pretty convinced she didn't get better until I cut them out.
2. Any other burning questions you'd like answered or experiences to share?
Nothing today. PPs have given great food suggestions, I second avocado/guac as a replacement for cheese on sandwiches, burgers, tacos. I think it saved me in the early weeks!
DD is 6 weeks old and I went on the diet for the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy just in case. She was doing great until I ate out at 3 weeks and must have had some cross contamination. My suspicions were confirmed with mucus diapers for several days and the tummy pains I know too well.
1. How are you doing? How is your LO doing?
I actually think we're doing really well. I think I've got my diet under control and while I miss the freedom of eating whatever I want and eating out (I'm too afraid right now!), I can handle it.
2. Any other burning questions you'd like answered or experiences to share?
I'm wondering if anyone knows if a virus can cause mucus diapers? Things have been going really well for us BUT DD got a nasty virus that actually put us in the hospital for 4 days about 1.5 weeks ago. She had bad diarrhea while we were there, but it had been cleared up 2-3 days. Then yesterday and today the mucus diapers are back. Ugh! My hunch is that it's NOT the virus but instead peanuts. I had a lot of peanut butter the day before and it's the first time I've had it since she was born. Does anyone know if it IS peanuts, how long until I should see the mucus gone? Or is it possible the virus could cause this even though it's been 11 days and we didn't have mucus diapers with the virus earlier.Side note - those who mentioned the coconut milk ice cream, the So Delicious mini ice cream sandwiches are super tasty!!
TTC #1 4/09-3/10, dx PCOS, 5th round clomid BFP 3/27/10, Nolan Lee, 11/13/10, PROM 36 weeks
TTC #2 6/12-3/13, natural BFP 3/24/13, TWINS
MC first twin at 11weeks, MC/preterm labor second twin, DD at 15weeks, 6/7/13
BFP 9/21/13, EDD 6/5/13!! It's a GIRL
SHE'S HERE! Scarlett Christine, 5/19/14
1. How are you doing? How is your LO doing? This past week didn't go as well. I think we have an issue with acidic fruit/citrus. There was blood in her diapers and I am not sure what it was due to exactly. The only irregular things I ate were pineapple and a chicken dish we made with lemon. So, I'm adding both of those to the list for now.
2. Any other burning questions you'd like answered or experiences to share? Hmm, I don't think I have anything this week. I may soon. We are starting solids in the near future (eek!). I remember having so much fun with DD1 but I'm a ball of anxiety with DD2 because of all the foods we can't have. We will start with avocado so hopefully it'll pose no problems. I'm sure my poop detective work will be thrown for a loop.
3. @RingOfFire11 has graciously accepted my offer to take over the check ins! I will send you a PM soon.
I'm late to the party this week but will try to be more timely (at least just to get the post up and may give my response later). @rocknrollfriend , you've been such a huge help with our journey! All your advice has been invaluable. Thanks so much!!!
2. Questions - any brand suggestions on granola bars or easy to eat snacks that I don't have to prepare? I'm already a little overwhelmed with learning to do 2u2 on my own and could use easy foods.
Also has anyone been able to see an improvement with just cutting out obvious dairy and not the hidden or baked dairy? Part of me is hoping he would be ok with those things so I don't have to restrict so much and because I haven't seen any symptoms in his diaper, but at the same time I would rather avoid it all and keep him feeling good. Thoughts?!
Married to DH 10.29.11
DD born 1.26.13
DS born 6.12.14
#3 due 12.6.16
giggler25 - Welcome!! It does get easier - promise!! I totally get the mental aspect of it too. I went cold turkey with a lot of foods to begin with and doubted if it was truly necessary a billion times. When my LO's diapers and overall mood improved (took about 5w), I knew I was doing something right and it was so worth it! We still have bumps in the road though (like this past week). GL!
camedowncrushing - GL!! Keep us posted. My LO is no where old enough to getting this done but I'm interested in the process, in case we have to do this later. I hope you get good news or plan of action.
Salemkitty13 - I have no real advice but just wanted you to know you're not alone. I can't have all of the things on your list except oats (unfortunately, more too), so I can at least commiserate.
I eat a lot of whole foods but many of the websites, include eggs and nuts so I can't use those recipes. I tend to get a lot of my ideas from paleo websites (although they use eggs and nuts too). Rice pasta has been my friend, lol.
StinaLeigh - It's my understand a virus can absolutely cause mucous in the diaper. I'm not sure how long it would last though. I can't eat peanuts and when I cut out nuts, it seemed to clear a lot faster (a few days) opposed to how long dairy/soy takes. GL!
mattanda2011 - Welcome back! I didn't think I ate any soy things either until I realized how much has hidden soy (my spices, vitamins, etc). If you don't see results in the next few weeks, that may be worth looking into. I second the recommendation for Lara Bars - they are delish. I wish I could eat nuts because I'd be eating all the Lara Bars.
mamagreene - Go you! You sound so positive on your very limited diet and that's very refreshing. I'm avoiding a lot of food right now but it seems like nothing in comparison to what you're eating. GL!!
BKD1386 - Sorry to hear things took a turn. Seems like everytime I get to a good place, that happens too. Personally, I would eliminate eggs and/or wheat before I'd go total elimination. It's been very trial and error for me but I had really good results after I took out eggs and subtle results when I removed wheat. I tried one at a time to help pinpoint. Since he sounds happy and is thriving, it may be easier on you. GL!
@mattanda2011 Welcome back! Yes, some babies do improve with only obvious dairy elimination. If he is just gassy and fussy, cutting obvious dairy might work. If he's having other symptoms, like green/mucousy/bloody stool, I'd say it's better to cut all dairy now then try adding back in trace amounts. Kit's Organic Bars are similar to Larabars. Dried fruit and a handful of nuts is a great snack. I ate lots of cereal with rice milk, peanut butter on dairy-free toast, dairy-free crackers with mashed avocado, hummus with veggies, tons of bananas and other fruit. HTH and GL!
We actually had a dr. appointment today so I had them test for blood. All negative so I'm really glad about that! (I was secretly fearing that maybe wheat or something was just catching up with us at 6 weeks). Luckily, she's not too unhappy like she is with soy/milk so I think I'll just stay away from peanuts for awhile and re-try later to rule out virus or not. Ahh- the constant game of "what is causing the mucus poo/reflux/gas pain".
I'm glad to have found this check in!
TTC #1 4/09-3/10, dx PCOS, 5th round clomid BFP 3/27/10, Nolan Lee, 11/13/10, PROM 36 weeks
TTC #2 6/12-3/13, natural BFP 3/24/13, TWINS
MC first twin at 11weeks, MC/preterm labor second twin, DD at 15weeks, 6/7/13
BFP 9/21/13, EDD 6/5/13!! It's a GIRL
SHE'S HERE! Scarlett Christine, 5/19/14
Glad there was no blood!
Thanks ladies!! I know I haven't had any dairy, and I'm pretty sure with the soy. I'm going to cut out eggs and wheat for now and hold off on the TED, hopefully that will help!