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: Introductions
I am a WAHM and just got a BFP at 12/13dpo. I had/have barely any symptoms but was kinda obsessed with taking tests haha!
Looking to getting to know you all!
Hi there, I'm Amanda. I just found out that I'm expecting. My EDD is September 14. I have a 2 year old son and I lost my second son at 26 weeks back in August. I am excited to be here but nervous at the same time!
DS1: 12/17/2014
DS2: born sleeping at 26 weeks on 8/8/2016 due to chromosomal deletion
Pregnant with baby 3 - EDD 9/14/2017
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"
Started TTC April 2011
Me: 32, DH: 32
Diagnosis: Endometriosis
- - -
I'm a YouTube vlogger who talks about Infertility, IVF and Endometriosis. Check it out here!
Follow along at http://liv4today.blog
Instagram @liv4todayvlog
i am so sorry for your loss!
@blessdtxas
M/MC at 9w4d 5/23/12.
DS1- 8/2013
DS2- 11/2015 (Second round IUI)
DD- 9/2017
Baby #4 Due 5/10/20 TEAM GREEN
Infertility blog
Trying for a baby since 4/10
DX: Infertile 6/11 Me: LPD, all other blood work clear.
DH: low sperm motility,low count.
Met with RE start clomid + TI + IUI 5/12= IUI cancelled due to positive Cystic Fibrosis carrier test. DH tested Neg. for Cystic Fibrosis,
6/12 Clomid + TI +IUI=BFN 8/10 IVF consult.
IVF #1 Started BCP 9/2 Lupron 10/11 stims 10/27 ER 11/6!! 5 eggs retreived only 1 mature. FERT report shows none made it.Cancelled cycle.
IVF #2 BCP 11/18 Lupron 12/14
Stims start 12/29 ER 1/8 ET 1/11 put in 1 grade B and 1 grade C. Beta: 1/20 = BFN
IVF# 3 7/13 BFP ended in chemical pregnancy
9/15 diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance gearing up for IVF# 4 Dec/ Jan
Everyone Welcome!
Started TTC April 2011
Me: 32, DH: 32
Diagnosis: Endometriosis
- - -
I'm a YouTube vlogger who talks about Infertility, IVF and Endometriosis. Check it out here!
Follow along at http://liv4today.blog
Instagram @liv4todayvlog
Me: 31 DH: 36
Married since 11/25/2013
#1 (bio) born 01/18/2006
#2 (bio) born 09/08/2008
#3 (step) born 02/17/2009
#4 (our 1st together) EDD 09/09/2017
I got my BFP a few days ago. I'm a STM with an N15 (was supposed to be D15, she came 3+ weeks early) DD. This was our first cycle trying so we were really surprised since it took longer with DD.
EDD is 9/14 based on O since I was charting. First appointment and ultrasound is 2/2 at 8 weeks!
Started TTC April 2011
Me: 32, DH: 32
Diagnosis: Endometriosis
- - -
I'm a YouTube vlogger who talks about Infertility, IVF and Endometriosis. Check it out here!
Follow along at http://liv4today.blog
Instagram @liv4todayvlog
I'm alison ! I'm from Virginia ❤
DH and I lost our first baby in July... but I'm excited to say
our rainbow baby is here !!
5 weeks & 5 days as of today.
Due September 2!
DD2 born 9/10/17
I am a STM. DD was born July 2015 and DH and I had a bumpy road since then trying to have another. Long story short, I went in for testing to see why I was having so many miscarriages and found out I have a very mild case of Turner's Syndrome. All of the doctors and genetic counselors we saw told us that our baby girl was a miracle and we would never get pregnant naturally again and strongly suggested IVF (something we cannot afford). So, we stopped trying and just had unprotected "fun". Surprise! We're pregnant again - due September 1, 2017.
<a href="https://daisypath.com/"><img src="https://davf.daisypath.com/3BHOm5.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Daisypath Anniversary tickers" /></a>
April Siggy Challenge
I am 100% struggling with not telling anyone and it's been... 7 hours. I have a looooooong few months ahead of me.
Tentatively introducing myself over here. I'm 5 weeks today, with basically a miracle baby. DH and I tried for a year and a half, went through IUI and IVF, and we lost our first frozen embryo after transfer. I was gearing up to start transfer #2 when I realized I'd been spotting without a period....took a test and boom. I am still extremely shocked since I was basically told I have a 1% chance of getting pregnant naturally.
Been having some small brown spotting still, on and off. A little nervous about it- I've never been pregnant before so all this is scary- and thrilling!
EDD: Sept 8
DH & I both 34.
8/16: IVF, antagonist protocol
21 eggs | 9 blasts | 7 normal through PGS
10/16: FET = BFN
12/16: Surprise natural BFP
Beta 1: 177 | Beta 2: 483 | Beta 3: 8,755 | Beta 4: 39,007. Baby born 9/5/2017
NOW on sibling journey.
2/20: FET = BFN
4/20: Surprise COVID BFP
Adopted Furbaby: 2014
TTC#1 : 1/2016 | IUI #2 - BFP 12/24/16 -- born 9/8/17
TTC#2: 11/2019 | Dx DOR (AMH 0.3), AMA
IUI #2 - BFP 7/1/20 -- EDD 3/14/21
Not sure when my first appointment will be.... I have to determine first whether I will be initially dealing with my RE or going to my OBGYN first since I am considered high risk.
EDD 9/6/17 - found out 3 days ago, u/s yesterday everything good but - still in shock... (might as well copy paste my last intro since I just made it on the last board... oooops lol)
This is my second pregnancy, first hopefully live birth. This is my fiance's first pregnancy. We've been together almost 5 years now. I'm 30, he's 28. I got my BFP 1/4/17 on our 4th engagement anniversary. Our EDD is 9/6/17 and that is the 5th anniversary of our meeting. Kismet I'm hoping.
Praying for a good outcome this time around.
I have PCOS so I didn't know when to test. We weren't really trying, however we both really want children down the road. I tested about a week past when my period was due - or about 19 dpo and 4 HPTs came up right away. b/w confirmed, and had the u/s today. I'm 5 weeks - & still in total shock...a good shock though lol
I was hoping to improve my health before it happened (I'm currently in a wheelchair for the last few years for back problems, but the doctors are hopeful I can recover. Tbh this gives me even more incentive to work hard at physical therapy). Been having some moderate AF like cramping but they said that's normal. I just underwent gastric bypass in March 2016, and already lost a lot of weight. The doctors are again not that worried though since it's almost been a year since that surgery.
Just hoping everything goes okay this time around. Nice to "meet" and congrats to everyone
We are still getting used to the idea but getting more excited every day. My EDD is September 5th and my first dr's appt isn't until the 30th so we have a few more weeks to let this all continue to sink in!
I will be 33 in a few weeks and my honey is 40. We live in North Carolina with 4 dogs (I know we are nuts... but I wouldn't change our sweet, little, 4-legged, combined family). Looking forward to leaning on you ladies for info as reading some of your posts I am realizing how much catch up I have to do! Congrats!
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"
My first clue was when I willing orders an olive and mushroom pizza slice. Definitely not anything I'd normally, or ever, order. Today will be coming up with a fun way to tell DH and seeing if the office is open to call and make our first appointment!
I'm a FTM with an EDD of 9/2. We originally thought our EDD was 8/23 but had our first ultrasound yesterday which confirmed 9/2. I'm 38, and not experiencing many symptoms other than mild cramping and sore boobs.
Nice to "meet" you all!
Sarah
My first appointment is on Monday 1/9!
I'm looking forward to talking with you all!
Married to David 3/22/14
Started TTC again October 2016
BFP on 1/6/17!
good to know! thank you!