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.
yl1m32015
member
Re: Please Use The Search Function
Mom to Cam and Al, now expecting baby number 3, August 2016. Praying for lots of sticky baby dust!
Mom to Cam and Al, now expecting baby number 3, August 2016. Praying for lots of sticky baby dust!
You definitely are @revlaurawittman! No worries!
Good job!! Bumpie of the year!!
This is supposed to be a support group, if I'm feeling aggravated and concern with something is somewhat of a hassle to have to go through the search when is much easier to simply ask, it's part of being on an active forum, even if it's the exact same problem someone else posted I want someone to answer me personally; if I wanted to read through someone else's answer I would just type it in on google and find old answers because most pregnant women usually have the same general issues.
Together since 2006
Married 01.17.15
Mom to Cam and Al, now expecting baby number 3, August 2016. Praying for lots of sticky baby dust!
A community is for support. As I said before, it's not the same experience to read a post with someone else's question and answers, you want a personal answer, you wanna feel people are talking to you, praying for you if something's wrong and spreading happy thoughts directly to you.
Together since 2006
Married 01.17.15
My bigger problem with the multiple posts is that it implies people aren't really here to be a part of the community. They just post, get answers and then leave I think if you ask questions you should stick around and help too.
Mom to Cam and Al, now expecting baby number 3, August 2016. Praying for lots of sticky baby dust!
Together since 2006
Married 01.17.15
Mom to Cam and Al, now expecting baby number 3, August 2016. Praying for lots of sticky baby dust!
Jamie
Mom to Cam and Al, now expecting baby number 3, August 2016. Praying for lots of sticky baby dust!
I want to engage in interesting conversations with some like minded (baby minded?) ladies, but a lot of these posts just don't offer that. Just my 2 cents post THANKING for this sticky.
I escalated that quickly haha.
Jamie
I just love you guys!
(I wish there was a happy dance emoji)
Jamie
One thing is that if there are a couple of the same topic on the first page, I overlook that. People can be writing the same thing at the same time and it posts that way, so there may not have been a previous post until they both posted. Or if it's something that's down on page 4, 5, 6, then maybe not, either. But if it's on page 2 or 3 and posted the same day, then maybe should have looked around a bit first. In reality, I don't like the Search function. I don't think it works that well. But I don't think it's that difficult or time-consuming to look through a couple of pages of posts to see if there is something that's already been posted that is what you are asking about. Going to Google and typing in your question and "thebump" works a little better, even if you get results from 2012.
The ones saying that they want to repost so they can get a personalized message instead of looking for someone's post who may have a very similar issue to yours, who do you think is answering your posts? There are a LOT of women here. Most are in the same boat, especially right now. It isn't really fair to expect to get a personalized response to fit only you when there are several others with the same concern. You may not think it's fair to have to look at another's post that is similar to yours, but I don't think it's fair to not do that. And you may learn something that you didn't know, and be able to provide support to someone else that is having a similar issue. If it's support you are looking for, then you also have to give some.
And if you can't find something after looking around a page or two, that's ok. At least try. Mention in your post that you looked around, but didn't see what you were looking for, and maybe a "Hey, I looked around, but didn't see anything that really fit the question I have. Sorry if this has already been answered, and if so, please direct me to where I can find that. In the meantime, here's my question:"
Also, the "I can post whatever I want, however I want, you don't have to read it" posts come off a little childish to me. Yes, you can post whatever you want and however you want, and so can everyone else. But it's not always/usually going to make you friends. There have always been those posts and always will be those posts, but no one has to like them, either.
I just hope that we can all have a little courtesy. For the most part, this board is very courteous. It's worlds different from some of the stuff that happened on my previous BMB (and that one was tame compared to some others!), and I'm thankful for that. And expecting courtesy for yourself also includes providing courtesy to others.
Jamie