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.
kellyw88
member
Re: Induction process
Be prepared for it to go quickly. She was induced at 6 am, she was slow until 3 pm then little guy was there in 1 hour. She went into shock because of how fast it was.
Not to say this always happens or anything. It just really took her by surprise how quickly it happened, so I figured I would mention it to give you a possible heads up.
Besides that it was a good experience and little guy came out hunky dorry
For me, I went to the hospital bright and early (6am) and by 7 they had started me on pitocin and broke my water. That was it. 7 hours later I had my baby.
I went in for Cervidil on a Monday night. I'd been 0% effaced/0cm dilated at every cervical check since 35 weeks. Cervidil inserted at 7:30pm started some contractions, but nothing too bad. I sent DH home around 10pm. I took an Ambien to help me sleep along with a Zantac.
Stronger contractions were waking me up on the hour by 12:45am. I called DH to come back around 4:30am since I was crying at some of these. The Cervidil was removed at 5:30am. I was 100% effaced, but still 0cm dilated. We started the Pitocin drip at 6:30am which resulted in some stronger contractions. My OB came in around 8am and was able to open me up to 3cm manually and broke my water. Baby at -3 station. Much stronger contractions after this.
The anesthesiologist came in with the epi at 8:47am and it was great. Then (to begin with) all I felt when I had a contraction was some rectal pressure. Mostly I was able to nod off between contractions. Timeframes here are blurry for me, but DH wrote some things down. I was at 10cm at 12:30pm with baby at 0 station. Started pushing. DH just let me know that the epidural had run out before the end, so I was w/o it for maybe 30 mins? I don't remember what he said now.
I'm not sure what time my OB got there. Maybe 3:45? Baby was born at 4:12 p.m. I had a 2nd degree tear.
If you count what time I went in and got the Cervidil inserted to when she was born, it took almost 21 hours.
Jamie
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
I was induced with my first and it was a very long process! Checked in at 6am, got going on Pitocin at 8am, waited and waited and waited, eventually had my water broken around 3pm and got my epidural right after. Waited and waited and waited until I was fully dilated at about 9:45pm. Pushed for 3 long, horrible hours and then my son was born a little after midnight.
It was a long day but I had the epidural so I wasn't feeling pain and I could rest most of the time. I wish I had eaten before hand because I was in labor for 17 hours and couldn't have anything except ice chips. I was so exhausted when all was said and done.