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: **Overdue Thread**
@kat81 and @bacorrea I hope baby waits!
I told my office I'd be working from home until the baby arrives. I don't want to worry about riding the train to/from work while in early labor or my water breaking while in the office anymore. And it's nice to avoid all the annoying questions and worried looks.
DH eats them like how a normal person eats potato chips so I thought, this must not be too bad, I'll try it. Big mistake. 1 pepper down, not so bad, definitely spicy, but tolerable. About 3 peppers in I started coughing from how spicy they were and could stop. Well then coughing turned into choking from a seed going down the wrong side which then turned into me vomiting into the kitchen sink so violently that I pissed my pants and had tears running down my eyes. If it wasn't bad enough, this morning I had a burning hot #2. I'm definitely feeling some cramping and before I got sick the baby was moving like crazy so we'll see where this goes, but I definitely don't recommend it. I'm thinking I'm going to go down the pineapple route or just get some hot wings because those are always good.
Good luck @rosemarylaff!
eta: because I can't spell
DS - January 2014
TTCAL | April 2016
CP | June 2016
CP | July 2016
But yeah, I don't want to end up going to hospital with my house in shambles because I'm going to have to come home to the mess or worse depending on whether DS stays at someone else's house or MIL/my mum come to my house to stay with him
DS - January 2014
TTCAL | April 2016
CP | June 2016
CP | July 2016
Well I'm here because I'm having impatient-induced insomnia. As predicted, this would hit Monday, 4 days overdue. My parents are leaving town in a matter of hours. No signs of labor for me (other than the contractions I've had about every 8-75 minutes, usually every 25, for the past two weeks). So they won't get to see this baby until they come back, whenever that might be. I'm also getting more concerned about how our "help" (other grandparents) will leave the country this coming weekend; the closer we get to that time the more worried I am.
My SPD had been treating me well but now it really sucks because I had a very very active weekend to try to get the baby out. Everything is extra sore and lying here, having to get up to pee, etc, is really rough.
At least tomorrow (today--in a few hours) the kids will be at school and I'll have another check-up. But yeah, I'm a sourpuss right now and annoyed I'm not sleeping. I'll probably just get a nap in tomorrow.
Also I'm starting to get annoyed with the check-ins from friends and family. At first I was liking them because I wasn't ready or impatient yet myself but now it's so annoying. Worst of all from DH, actually! He stayed up late to work and every time I got up to pee he was like, "are you having the baby?" NO, DH, I GET UP THIS OFTEN EVERY NIGHT TO PEE. I'll obviously tell him if something is happening. (And to make matters worse yes I usually am contracting but it's a one-off or two-off I-have-to-pee contraction rather than the timeable ones.)
On the major plus side, I am a total badass because I went to a dance class today! And I totally kicked butt in it, too. My group even applauded me for this one thing that we did across the floor one person at a time. My parents took me (I don't really drive on my own now) and took some photos. Maybe I'll post them. I was proud of myself and very happy to be active. I could never do this at the end of my other pregnancies.
OK writing that last bit made me feel better already. I hope you ladies hang in there!
This is our diaper pail, ordered from amazon actually after I was overdue already. Seems like a message about the baby.
Well I guess it is a good thing for the baby to be 4+ days late if the diaper pail is also going to be late.
And @kat81 I totally get your frustration with people asking for updates. So. Annoying. Especially when you're trying to keep your mind off of the obvious.
On the positive side, the NST was GREAT in that the baby's health is quite good. That's what matters!! Fluid check Friday or so.
DS - January 2014
TTCAL | April 2016
CP | June 2016
CP | July 2016
The fluid test, done by ultrasound, is to measure how much fluid is in there. I guess for whatever reason fluids sometimes go down when you're overdue and they want to make sure there is enough. I don't really know the details about this, though. Apparently it does somehow look into the placenta health as well (I guess they can see the placenta's size on the ultrasound, for example.)
The NST I think is the first check/intervention so to speak, then the fluid test. Or you do both the same day.
DS - January 2014
TTCAL | April 2016
CP | June 2016
CP | July 2016
I also didn't know that they'd look at kidney function in the fluid check. I thought it was just to test fluid levels...maybe it depends on what you get. Mine is at the less advanced imaging center so I'm not sure they'll even be able to do a kidney check. I am terrified of a super slow/small leak possibility, though, because I'm GBS positive so any water breakage is even worse than usual and I've had MASSIVE discharge all pregnancy. Yesterday at the midwife appointment I got up from my seat to disrobe for the cervical check and noticed a wet spot in the seat. As in I had so much going on down there I had gone through my pantiliner and underwear and pants (thin ones). I told the midwife but she was not concerned, as discharge does increase and it was already so much to begin with. But that's precisely why I'm afraid I wouldn't notice if my water leaked. Especially because someone on here or the fb group said that when their water broke while the baby's head was extremely low (mine is), the water barely leaked because the head plugged it up. I could totally see this happening as the baby's head is extremely low (and has been for 3.5 weeks, so no that is not a sign I'm going into labor soon.)
Out of curiosity, were your moms overdue with you and/or your siblings? So far my pregnancy has been very similar to my mom's and she was 2 weeks overdue with my brother and I and 10 days with my sister. I know due dates werent always as accurate but it makes me think I'll have to be induced.