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.
Re: The SleepEasy Thread
Also on engorgement:
I had the same problem with waking up engorged. I used to wake up just before LO to pump off the excess (only 5min), then feed. DH suggested that I try to pump before bed instead as it's easier for me to stay up than get up early. I'm a super leaker but hate wearing clothes to sleep so I just sleep with a towel under me, which seems to help with getting BM everywhere. I don't know how EPing might change the issue, but that's what worked for me. Maybe try to push back the pumping time a little each night?
Gotta get the girls on a similar schedule eventually anyway as we cut back on nursing sessions
J14 Jan Siggy Challenge: Santorini
@Roccostar We're in the same boat re bad naps, I feel your pain
Nap time with my mom went pretty well too. Only had trouble for the last nap. He cried for 30 minutes and then fell asleep.
Night 2: think we are teething so I gave him some tylenol because he was in obvious pain. I was worried about a rough night ahead but he fell asleep immediately and then I didn't hear him wake up again. He played quietly in his crib in the morning until I came to get him up. I feel like this was way too easy... we will see how tonight goes.
Also, why do I still feel so exhausted!?
Ah, now I understand @MommyWaldron.
Thanks for all the info so far and hopefully I'll be back and active after reading the book.
Night #3 last night and she woke (not fully, but stirred / made noise) 3 times, none of which required a check-in. I still went in (once she was back to sleep) just because I couldn't resist.
Question though... she is going to bed at 6pm since the time change and up at 5:30am. How can I go about stretching this a bit to have her go to bed a little later (like 630/7) without it messing up all of the progress we've made?
My goal today is keeping him on schedule so his bedtime is back to usual. And we're working on changing bedtime from bath/jammies/nurse/song to nurse/bath/jammies/song and see if that helps.
J14 Jan Siggy Challenge: Santorini
@shellbell813 Yup! Exactly what @cinnamonsmiles said! Since we started DS has been up at least once a night talking to himself for 10-20 min. I haven't checked in yet because the one time we did, he was hysterical.
Naps are still not going well. She falls asleep fairly quickly, but only stays asleep for 30-45 minutes. I leave her in the crib for the full hour screaming. Then it is very difficult to keep her awake for 2 and a half hours. We're just going to keep trying. I did give her an emergency nap in the stroller like the book suggests.
Glad to see that everyone is making progress!
Naps have been 30-40 minutes - so much better than crying the whole time when we started, but not perfect.
Bedtime is 7/730 and takes average 10 minutes fussing/crying then sleeps until 330/4. I thought it was because of the time change, but DH thinks it's because growth spurt and he's legit hungry. So last night (for the second night in a row), DH brought him to bed at 4 or so after 30-40 min crying and I fed him and we fell asleep.
So I'm thinking of re-starting a dream feed at around 2 and see if that irons things out and we can stretch our sleep to at least 6/7.
Thoughts?
I'm not sure how your plan would work, but I do think bringing him to bed is setting you back.
We had weaned him off night feeds altogether and he seemed to be doing ok. But I did do one last night hoping it would help and we still had the same issue.
I absolutely agree re bringing him to bed. It's DH who can't handle it motn.
And now he's been up for 30m after being asleep for 45 after bedtime. I don't get it.
J14 Jan Siggy Challenge: Santorini
I think we're in the middle of extinction burst or a growth spurt or something! He's been up 3x since bedtime 2hr30m ago. Blargh. Gotta power through it, eh