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: Newborn/Postpartum Thread
Has anyone tried filing your babies nails down?Henry is starting to scratch himself and we only have so many sleepers with the mittens built in. He won't keep other mittens or socks on his hands. I'm nervous to try it. Is it better to do when they are sleeping?
Married May 16th 2015
July BMB June Siggy
My mom is staying with us this week to help out, and DH and I just left to grab a few groceries. I realized in the car that this was the first time I had been without my baby for about 10 months, and I totally lost it. My mom is perfectly capable and I trust her with Emma totally, but it was so hard! We got home a bit ago and I was super proud of myself that I made it an hour with only one sobfest!
Today was also my first PP outing, we walked to the pediatricians office and then took the dog for a walk after. It was kind of scary but felt good to get some fresh air for sure. But I am so exhausted now you would think I ran a damn marathon!
Good job getting out and making it! you should definitely be proud
We had our one month appointment today, time flies… Our LO continued to put on weight so that felt good… But then they sent us to get an ultrasound on her because her belly seems distended. They think it’s nothing (especially because she was born early) and just want to be safe, but the radiology tech didn’t say anything during the exam, and they sent us home without talking to the doctor. And no one from the pediatrician’s office called us to debrief about the results. So of course we are now having all kinds of anxious thoughts and we’ll have to cope until tomorrow when someone had better call us! So she seems to be doing well overall (sleeping and eating well), but that was stressful.
It’s so good to hear about how everyone else is doing!
@WVUPetunia Taco Belle, too funny!!! Hahaha I love it!
@onesassybissh @theshannondee good to know about the lotions for babies… we’ve been waiting it out but maybe I’ll check out those products
@abpl2014 I tried filing her nail, it hasn’t been super successful… our NP recommended a cuticle remover but I’m too freaked to use anything that can actually cut anything… like @TiffRox81 my friend has recommended biting it off myself…
@thepen15ismighty that’s awesome! a small victory maybe but a lot of work! It's such a relief when they start gaining weight!
@rakel88 my appetite was also low for the first 2 weeks PP I’d say… I also just didn’t care about anything else except my LO so I’d have to remind myself to eat… It’s getting more normal now!
I definitely have to remind myself to eat too.. It's the weirdest thing to me. But hopefully like you it'll start to turn around.
I was a bit irritated though when his doc immediately jumped to suggesting I start supplementing with formula because he'd lost weight. My milk just came in today, I want to give it time! He's eating fine and we're getting a rhythm, I just didn't have much for him to eat right away which I thought was pretty much the expectation. Obviously I don't want to put my child at risk, but it's only day 4 and I don't want to do formula unless absolutely necessary. Ugh. Makes me feel like I'm already doing things wrong. But I'm just going to hold out until his weight check later this week and hopefully we can get it up without supplementing...
@winnie1122 that's pretty ridiculous they would already suggest formula. My lo at 2 weeks still hasn't returned to birth weight and my ped said he's just a slow gainer. As long as he's not super fussy, has plenty of pees and poops then he's good! Ds spit up a lot after feeds. He did have reflux. I would feed him holding him football style with his head propped above his belly then keep him upright after feeds for a bit. That's when I got a rnp for him to sleep in also so he wouldn't be flat.
Anyone have an overactive letdown? I think I do on my left side. During feeds lo has a hard time latching on my left, and sputters and coughs and sometimes he just spits out mouthfuls of milk! i looked it up tonight and I think that's what's going on. Any suggestions how to battle this? My left side was my dud boob with ds so I'm surprised by the change this time!
@winnie1122 she doesn't spit up anything! She did in the hospital but not since we have come home. I totally get you on feeling like I'm doing things wrong! You got this. I really hope the weigh in shows progress!!! I don't want to use formula either if I can help it
My question is - when will I poop? It's been 6 days since my last poop and 5 days since my c-section. I have gas every day and feel a little like I could poop a few times a day but know not to force anything out. I really want to get it over with and think it will help my stomach to feel better but am not sure what to do. How long is too long to go without pooping? I'm taking the Colace twice a day and a probiotic once a day. I eat a healthy diet with lots of water and fiber...so I'm just waiting at this point.
@holly142 I had pain for about 10 days. Once I took off my steri-strips at day 7 it made a world of difference. I stopped using oxy (5mg so barely anything) at like day 5 and just went with Tylenol until about day 10. Moving around made the biggest difference, looks like you're on the right path.
@jlmartinez517 I think I finally pooped at day 5 after my c-section with last poop being the day before that. It really wasn't so bad because I didn't force it until my body was ready. The stool softener helped. My doctor said not to freak out, is common for it to take up to a week after c-section.
Probably wimp lol
@jlmartinez517 I fortunately had a BM on day 3, a few hours before I was discharged from the hospital. I'm back to feeling like I need to again but anxiously waiting for that happen. I'm just trying to drink lots of water and taking my stool softeners.
Started TTC in June 2014
Started seeing RE in June 2015
HSG in July 2015 = normal, started Clomid/Ovidrel/IUI cycle in August 2015
Cycle #3 in October afforded 1st month of mature follicles - underwent IUI
BFP on 10/27/15 - EDD 7/8/16
DD#1 born on 7/1/16
TTC #2 in September 2018
BFP on 12/2/18 - EDD 8/16/19
Team Green!
@jlmartinez517 I was super scared to poop but when I kinda felt like I had to go, I just went and sat on the toilet for a while.. Just sitting there kinda relaxed everything and it happened.
Edit: thought I'd read all the posts in this thread before writing my response.. I hadn't. Congrats @jlmartinez517!
@jlmartinez517 yay!