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: TW Limbo Land with SCH - T&P please
Me: 27 - DH: 33
Married: June 2011
TTC #1: January 2016
BFP #1: February 22nd 2016 MC w/ Misoprostol: March 21st 2016 -Blighted Ovum
BFP #2: July 6th 2016 EDD: March 15th 2017
M17 October Siggy Challenge: Animals in Costumes
Baby #1
Baby #2
~04/19/16 EDD 12/26/16~
SaveSaveSaveSave
TTC Since: Nov. 2015
Dx: PCOS
Clomid + Ovidrel, Round I: BFN
Clomid + Ovidrel, Round II: BFN
Clomid+Ovidrel, Round III: BFP! 7/5/16
Happily Wed DH in May 2010
June 2012: DD#1 born after countless fertility cycles, our 4 year old miracle
TTC #2: current cycle: 225iu Menopur for 4 weeks, Ovidrel Trigger= BFP! Beta #1; 333, Beta #2 713! 1st u/s showed TWINS (7/18)
I went into the ER after heavy bleeding at around 5 weeks and they actually told me then that I had miscarried. Started the whole process of grieving as well as checking my HCG levels weekly and then they randomly spiked up. went back in (2 weeks later at this point) and there was still a baby in there! measuring 7w 1d and they were able to find a heart tone, which is promising. it was terrifying and horrible but I (so far) have a had a good outcome. I just found out my SCH measures about 4 cm. which is fairly large. They don't seem to concerned about it as my next appointment isn't even until 8/12. But i'm right there with you, it makes for so much anxiety!
Me: 26 Hubs: 28
Married: 6/6/15
Baby Girl: 3/22/2017
Friday betas were 58357, and Tuesday was 99461. The doctor was pleasantly surprised and mentioned that doubling takes a lot longer later in pregnancy, so my numbers are consistent with viability right now.
Also, the amount of times I've thrown up today is consistent with WHAT THE F. It went from tolerable nausea that would be at bay with sips of water, to I can't keep anything down and my stomach is twisting. Doctor gave me Diclegis and Zofran.
I also applied for short term disability today. I called my manager today and was like peace out! I'm not coming to work for at least a week, here's my doctors note! Not really, I was very sweet and told her my doctor would like me off for at least a week and she recommended short term disability.
I am so so surprised. I was all the bad thoughts yesterday.
Type 1 Diabetes since 2001, MTHFR hetero A1298T
Dogs: Raider 4 yrs, Dex 4 yrs
BFP #2 7/6/16 SCH, D&C 8/4/16
BFP #3 12/26/16 EDD: 9/6/17
My Chart / My Diabetes/Pregnancy Blog
My Type 1/TTC/Pregnancy Podcast:
Juicebox Podcast Episode 118
A1Cs:
1/12/16 6.7%
5/25/16 6.0%
11/2/16 6.1%
3/22/16 5.8%
4/27/17 5.4%
6/13/17 5.3%
"Sugar Fancy Tutu"
Me: 27 - DH: 33
Married: June 2011
TTC #1: January 2016
BFP #1: February 22nd 2016 MC w/ Misoprostol: March 21st 2016 -Blighted Ovum
BFP #2: July 6th 2016 EDD: March 15th 2017
M17 October Siggy Challenge: Animals in Costumes
Me: 26 Hubs: 28
Married: 6/6/15
Baby Girl: 3/22/2017
Married in April 2007
One Furbaby - Adorable Pitt Mix
15 Months TTC....2nd Cycle of Letrozole - Success!
Expecting our first two little miracles - Boy/Girl Twins! - EDD March 3, 2017
High Risk Pregnancy - Type 1 Diabetic; Hypothyroidism; Di/Di Twin Pregnancy
**TW in Spoiler**
BFP 6/30/16, MC 8/21/16
BFP 05/04/17, 5/10/17 Emergency LAP due to ectopic. Right tube removed.
BFP 07/12/17, ECDD 03/25/18 - Silver Orion Born 3/23/18
BFP 09/30/19, EDD 06/11/20
EDD: 3/13/17
Baby #1
Baby #2
~04/19/16 EDD 12/26/16~
SaveSaveSaveSave
I'm in the ICU. Yesterday, I started throwing up as I mentioned. Well, being a Type 1 diabetic, I checked for ketones and found them to be the largest possible. I couldn't keep anything down or drink water to flush out the ketones, so I went to the ER and let my OB and endo know. I had severe abdominal pain, cramping, and low back pain, not to mention the throwing up.
My lab work showed normal blood sugars, so we aren't quite sure on what caused the ketones (stress, the bleed, did my pump suspend for too long since my sugar was low) and I was not Diabetic Ketoacidosis. But, my endo wanted to place me on a dextrose and insulin drip to help stabilize my blood sugars and force out the ketones and prevent their production.
I passed a large clot last night and continued to bleed heavy, and have been wearing these lovely maternity diapers for post partum bleeding. We drew HCG again this morning, and it showed they dropped from 99000 to 86000. Concerned it may have just been diluted blood, my OB ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a lot more bleeding, more clots, no HB, and baby did not grow at all.
She is concerned I will just continue to bleed and bleed, especially if I let this progress naturally, and end up with an emergency, so we are doing a D&C this evening.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and listening to my drama. I love you all. We drew all the labs for genetics and MTHFR and other issues that could be causing this.
It sucks to be doing this again.
Type 1 Diabetes since 2001, MTHFR hetero A1298T
Dogs: Raider 4 yrs, Dex 4 yrs
BFP #2 7/6/16 SCH, D&C 8/4/16
BFP #3 12/26/16 EDD: 9/6/17
My Chart / My Diabetes/Pregnancy Blog
My Type 1/TTC/Pregnancy Podcast:
Juicebox Podcast Episode 118
A1Cs:
1/12/16 6.7%
5/25/16 6.0%
11/2/16 6.1%
3/22/16 5.8%
4/27/17 5.4%
6/13/17 5.3%
"Sugar Fancy Tutu"
Married: June 2011
TTC since Feb 2016
BFP#1: 7/7/16 MMC: 8/16/16
BFP#2: 5/8/17 - CP
BFP#3: 6/27/17 EDD: 3/10/18
Me: 27 - DH: 33
Married: June 2011
TTC #1: January 2016
BFP #1: February 22nd 2016 MC w/ Misoprostol: March 21st 2016 -Blighted Ovum
BFP #2: July 6th 2016 EDD: March 15th 2017
M17 October Siggy Challenge: Animals in Costumes
Baby #1
Baby #2
~04/19/16 EDD 12/26/16~
SaveSaveSaveSave
BFP#1 1/21/14 ended in loss DNC 3/5/14
BFP#2 7/2014 Baby Girl born 4/15/15
BFP#3 2/10/2016 natural mc 2/27/2016
BFP#4 6/25/2016 Due 3/2/2017
Samantha - 4/5/2017
Happily Wed DH in May 2010
June 2012: DD#1 born after countless fertility cycles, our 4 year old miracle
TTC #2: current cycle: 225iu Menopur for 4 weeks, Ovidrel Trigger= BFP! Beta #1; 333, Beta #2 713! 1st u/s showed TWINS (7/18)
SaveSave**TW in Spoiler**
BFP 6/30/16, MC 8/21/16
BFP 05/04/17, 5/10/17 Emergency LAP due to ectopic. Right tube removed.
BFP 07/12/17, ECDD 03/25/18 - Silver Orion Born 3/23/18
BFP 09/30/19, EDD 06/11/20