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: Pregnancy Chatter and Questions - Week of 10/17
BFP: 9/29
DD2 8.22.13
MMC 1.4.17 at 16w
Expecting #3, EDD 1.29.18
All the perfume/cologne/cigarette smokers are killing me today. I can't deal.
<a href="http://lilypie.com/"><img src="http://lagm.lilypie.com/3Fc1.png" width="200" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie Angel and Memorial tickers" /></a>
BFP #1 6/13 DD 3/14
Mirena 10/14-5/16
BFP #2 9/2/16, CP confirmed 9/8/16
BFP #3 10/10/16 EDD 6/22/17
I called the nurse triage line and I'll just let them decide if I should come in or not. Waiting to hear back.
DH: 35 | Me: 29
BFP #1- 07.25.12, EDD: 03.24.13, DD born 03.26.13
Surprised BFP #2- 02.25.15, EDD: 10/29/15 |*m/c 7w4d, D&C 04.02.2015
BFP #3- 01.21.16, EDD: 09.29.26 |*m/c-blighted ovum 2.19.16 8w1d, D&C 03.04.16
BFP #4- 05.24.16, EDD: 02.04.17 |*natural m/c- 07.08.16, 9w1d
BFP #5- 09/25/16, EDD: 06.07.17 GROW, BABY, GROW!
Question: I can get a bikini wax right? I'm a regular every 6 weeks waxer and just realized my next appointment is on Friday...
Me: 34, DH: 38 ~ TTC since 2014
IUI #1-3 (Nov 2015, Feb 2016, May 2016) = BFNs
IVF ER (July 2016) = 7 PGS normal embryos
FET #1 (Sept 2016) = BFP! DD born 5/30/17
FET #2 (April 2019) = BFN
FET #3 (July 2019) = BFP! DS born 3/27/20
EDD- 06/13/2017
**Stinkerbelle-8-27-10 * Mr.P's 2nd Mama 7-27-07**
i have been POAS to follow progression since no betas. Today at 17 dpo it equaled the control line on my wondfo. Guess that should be my sign to stop. I wish I could keep testing til my sono!!
Married May 2013
BFP #1: 10/14/16 - DD born 6/2017
TTC #2 November 2018 (Mirena removed October 2018 after 1 year)
BFP #2 9/11/19 - EDD 5/24/20 - DD born 5/2020
TTC #3 May 2022 (Mirena removed after almost 2 years)
BFP #3 11/24/23 - EDD 7/30/24
My previous MFM/Perinatalogist's office does what you could call boutique or non-medically necessary u/s.
I'm considering doing that as a way to tell my boys about being pregnant and it wouldn't hurt to get to find out the sex early... I'd rather have a later anatomy scan to ensure everything is developed enough (at least 20w).
The minimum option is $90 and you get images emailed, 10 minutes of u/s, and complementary MFM consult if they find any abnormalities. They do video and longer sessions... it just costs more.
Anyone actually starting to lose some of the really early pregnancy bloating?
Also, I don't really have morning sickness, but I am super sensitive to smells and they make me gag. I have a little bit of evening sickness.
Tomorrow is is my first ultrasound. Wish me luck!!
Married May 2013
BFP #1: 10/14/16 - DD born 6/2017
TTC #2 November 2018 (Mirena removed October 2018 after 1 year)
BFP #2 9/11/19 - EDD 5/24/20 - DD born 5/2020
TTC #3 May 2022 (Mirena removed after almost 2 years)
BFP #3 11/24/23 - EDD 7/30/24
BFP #1 6/13 DD 3/14
Mirena 10/14-5/16
BFP #2 9/2/16, CP confirmed 9/8/16
BFP #3 10/10/16 EDD 6/22/17
DD2 8.22.13
MMC 1.4.17 at 16w
Expecting #3, EDD 1.29.18
Seems pretty insensitive... they collect so much data on us, they know we are pregnant...
Also, after reading it... all it said was here are a bunch of symptoms but they could also be normal pregnancy symtpoms. What is the value in that post/article?
c1tym0m22 if it wasn't for my constipation and insomnia (I wake up at the stroke of 345 every night and can't fall back asleep until 430, and then my alarm goes off at 445 so it's a whole thing), I would forget I was pregnant until such time as I went to get some wine with my dinner and realized that I couldn't. The days that I actually poop I feel completely normal. I'm 5w6d now. But it was like this with DD as well. I didn't have boob soreness until 7 weeks and never had nausea at all.
I'm with @BelhurstBride on the medically unnecessary ultrasounds. The reason you get ultrasounds from your doctor is that they know your specific risk profile and are able to weigh that against the risk of having an ultrasound. Boutique places just want to make money. Additionally, the techs there are not specifically trained on pregnancy ultrasound, so not only could they be inaccurate on the sex, but if they find what they think might be an issue, they can't tell you anything conclusive and you just wind up freaking out until your doctor can see you. At which point, your doctor will order ANOTHER ultrasound, which might have been unnecessary all along, because whatever the boutique tech thought he saw may not have even been a problem.
I know it's annoying to wait 18-20 weeks for an anatomy scan to get the sex of the baby, but seriously, we're taking about an extra month, at most, past when a boutique place will do this for you. If you can't wait an extra month for this information, which is ultimately unimportant (seriously, the health of the baby is really all that is truly important), you are going to be in for some trouble when you are actually raising a baby. Patience is a virtue. I was dying to know with DD but I waited for my AS. I will wait for the AS again this time.
I wound up having 6 ultrasounds for my low risk pregnancy last time. 8w for dating, 12w for NT scan, 18w for anatomy scan, 26w because my fundal measurement was 3 weeks ahead (at which point they determined it was just because DD was breech and all balled up in there), and 36w to make sure she had flipped and was head down - that one literally took all of 3 minutes. And then I had another very brief one at 38w because my blood pressure was starting to elevate, so they wanted to check the placental health along with a NST. And I think probably two of those (the 26w and 36w ones) were unnecessary, but the doctor wanted me to have them, so I did.
just one of the many reasons the bump is referred to as 'the dump'.
<a href="http://lilypie.com/"><img src="http://lagm.lilypie.com/3Fc1.png" width="200" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie Angel and Memorial tickers" /></a>
K born 8/31/12
C born 1/11/14
BFP #3 Nov 2014: D&C January 2015
BFP #4 Sept 2016: Due May 31 2017
K born 8/31/12
C born 1/11/14
BFP #3 Nov 2014: D&C January 2015
BFP #4 Sept 2016: Due May 31 2017
MC 4/15
BFP 10/10/16
Married 12/5/2015
4 fur babies - 2 cats, 2 dogs
TTC July 2016
Me: 29 DH: 35
Married: 9/29/12
DS #1: 3/8/15