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!*
Me:31 H:31
DX: MFI - 1% Morph
12/16 -IVF #1 - Antagonist Protocol w/ Lupron trigger
ER - 11 retrieved- 9 mature - 7 fertilized - 3 sent for PGS on day 5 - No normals (1 XXX Embryo - may use in future)
3/17 - IVF #2 - Antagonist Protocol w/ HCG trigger
ER- 13 retrieved - 11 mature - 8 fertilized - 2 sent for PGS on day 5 -2 Normal
FET #1 - 5/16/17 - BFP! - Beta #1 5/25 - 156 - Beta #2 5/30 - 2562 - Beta #3 6/1 - 5191!
BFP#3 5/22/17 | MC 6/17/17 at 7w3d
this baby is an IVf baby--my husband is currently battling lymphoma and we still wanted to grow our family so we tried IVf and thankfully it worked
Me:31 H:31
DX: MFI - 1% Morph
12/16 -IVF #1 - Antagonist Protocol w/ Lupron trigger
ER - 11 retrieved- 9 mature - 7 fertilized - 3 sent for PGS on day 5 - No normals (1 XXX Embryo - may use in future)
3/17 - IVF #2 - Antagonist Protocol w/ HCG trigger
ER- 13 retrieved - 11 mature - 8 fertilized - 2 sent for PGS on day 5 -2 Normal
FET #1 - 5/16/17 - BFP! - Beta #1 5/25 - 156 - Beta #2 5/30 - 2562 - Beta #3 6/1 - 5191!
We did IUI and clomid twice and got our 2yr old and this time iui and letrozole worked on the first shot with this pregnancy
IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI
EDD: Feb 5, 2018
Married: 2012
BFP #1 Sept 2014, MMC Dec 2014 | BFP #2 May 2015, DD Jan 2016
I'm a mom of two DDs, 4 and 2. I'm currently a SAHM, but will be transitioning to working part time in a month.
Got my BFP on 6/1/17
EDD is between 2/8/18 and 2/12/18 based on my O date and my last period. First appointment not till july.
Okay, here we go! This is my first pregnancy so bear with me (still learning all the abbreviations but I am a teacher so abbreviations are definitely something I'm used to!)
We got our BFP on May 26th, EDD is Feb 6th based on ovulation...totally still nervous that it's so early...I even took another test today to double check! Haha. I do officially have my prenatal intake appointment this coming Thursday
My estimated due date is Feb 10th, but I'm almost positive I ovulated early, so we'll see what they say at my first ultrasound. I got my first BFP on Tuesday afternoon. I have two other children, a DS who is about 3.5 and a DD who is about 1.5; so this will be my third baby
DS was born on his due date and DD was born the day before hers. I'm a SAHM. I also really love cooking and crafting (when I can).
I am a STM with a 2 year old DS and 9 year old step-son. My EDD is Feb 3 based off LMP. We are trying to hold off as long as possible to tell our family because my sister in law is pregnant with their first. Don't want to "steal any of her thunder". I am worried about how long we can hold out because I'll probably show sooner with the second?
I am a SAHM to my 5 year old DD and my three sons ages 3, 2, and 8 months. BFP on June 1 with EDD of February 7th for number 5 though I think I ovulated late so do expect that to be actually a few days later.
Anyway, this will be our 4th! We have a 7, 5, and 2 year-old as well.
BFP May 2017.
BFP November 2011 TWINS!!!. Lost a twin at 7 weeks. DS born VBAC.
BFP July 2009. DD born via c/section for breech presentation.
BFP Jan. 2009. Missed miscarriage at 9 weeks.D&C March 2010
December 2009 - Diagnosed with bicornuate uterus.
TTC since March 2012
2013-2014 - 6 rounds of Clomid - BFNs
3 failed IUIs in 2015
October 2015 - wait listed for IVF #1
IVF #1 March 2016 - bfn, zero frosties!
Femara cycle 1 May 2016 - POAS starting May 21st / beta testing May 25th....
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
Congratulations and nice to "meet" everyone!
30 year old from Alberta, Canada. First pregnancy and looking at a February 1, 2018 due date. I am excited and nervous! My husband is an airline pilot so he is going to be out of town a lot so it will definitely be a bit of a learning curve for both of us!
I am a professor at a small university and I also do some field hockey coaching for fun.
DS2: 10/23/2015
IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI
EDD: Feb 5, 2018
@Zoey1019 so happy we get to be in the same BMB!
Hi! I have a son who will be 5 in August, and was a big fan of my August 2012 BMB even though I didn't post much. I've been TTC since August 2015. After nearly a year with long cycles, I started with an RE last June. After a failed IUI, 2 rounds of IVF, 2 chemicals and a failed transfer, we just got good news yesterday that our 4th frozen embryo transfer worked. It hasn't really sunk in yet! I have my first ultrasound next Monday. I really hope this one sticks.
ETA- my EDD is 2/8.
DS: 5 years old
TTC #2 since August 2015
July 2016: Testing cycle with 100 mg Clomid = BFN
August 2016: 50 mg Clomid + IUI = BFN
October 2016: IVF#1 - 13 retrieved / 12 mature / 9 fertilized / 2 blasts
November 2016: FET#1 = chemical
January 2017: FET#2 = chemical
March 2017: IVF#2 - 18 retrieved / 18 mature / 16 fertilized / 5 blasts
May 24, 2017: FET#4 - BFP! - Beta #1 151 - Beta #2 503 - Due date 2/9/18
Im so happy so see so many IVF/IF people here!
EDD looking like 2/10
ETA: EDD according to the internet is 2/10, same as my husband's birthday!
@Megzb510 Ahhhhh!!!!! Yay!!!!!!
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