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.
JNR6510
member
Re: Inductions
I have an appointment with my OB the afternoon before and she'll check my cervix then and based on how things look, we'll have a better idea of how things will go with the induction the next day. Generally my hospital starts you off with cytotec to soften the cervix and start dilation. Once you've progressed to a certain point then they'll start the pitocin. My OB said they try to give you as little pitocin as possible and then turn it off if your body takes over and you don't need it anymore. Here's hoping I don't need a lot of it...
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"
I started with misoprostal and then moved onto pitiocin. Contractions weren't bad at first but started getting very painful as they upped the dosage. The midwife checked me and I was only at 3 cm. I was super discouraged and asked for (and got) the epidural. An hour later, DD was out with 2 pushes. If I had known it would be so fast, I could have held out for an hour!
edited for spelling
@JNR6510, don't be scared of the medication. Talk it through with your doctor and SO and make the choice that is right for you based on the advice of people with education, experience and facts.
Also about the epidural, my personal experience was really awesome. I was still able to move around on my own and feel enough. They still didn't let me walk around or anything though.
Ultimately you have to go with your gut and do what is best for you.
TW in spoiler:
I guess I am just trying to get an idea of what has worked for people in their experience. I would love to go pain med free. But I also don't want to stall labor or make the birth experience a nightmare when something as simple as an epidural could improve things.
I don't like Cytotec either due to its off label use for miscarriage, and the pain associated with it. It has poor connotations to many of us. But, I've never heard of it being a "bad" choice for induction.
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"
@JNR6510
cytotec was the one hard no for me in the whole labor situation, i was open to every thing else if medically necessary. The reason why I chose to draw the line at cytotec is for a couple reasons.
1. Cytotec as a cervix softener is being used as an off lable method of action, which means the drug was not intended for this use, it has never been tested for this use. Doctors happen to notice what it can do and often use it for miscarriages, and then translated that use to labor, but because it's off label use there isn't the same testing and trials done for the cervix ripening action of this drug as there is for the intended use (prevent stomach ulcers when using nsaids)
2. Once cytotec is inserted there is no going back. Pitocin can be turned off if mom/baby don't do well with it. Cytotec dissolves completely and then you can't undo it if you have a negative reaction.
3. There's alternatives to using cytotec. Cervidil is a drug that was created FOR the intended use of softening the cervix, and it can be removed if a woman has a reaction to it. A foley bulb can also be used to open the cervix.
4. Women have died from cytotec. Here is a link to one woman's story in a official study on cytotec. It concluded that cytotec was too risky to use in labor. It is rare but it has happened. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684033/#!po=17.3077
I'm sure many doctors have successfully used cytotec, but in the rare chance that I would be the one to have a reaction to it I decided that under no circumstances would I allow cytotec to be used in me. I would choose cervidil instead if I needed it.
I hope you can talk with your doctor about any concerns you have and that you can come up with a plan you feel comfortable with. Good luck!!
days late and I had a dose of cytotec and it kick started my labor. I never needed pitocin, but the contractions were intense and didn't let up at all. They were one on top of each other. I couldn't really move either due to IVs, monitoring, group B strep antibiotics, etc. I asked for an epidural after 4 hours. From the time of the cytotec to delivery was 10 hours for me. I'm going for an unmedicated birth this time with a doula at my hospital.
Labor and delivery isn't without any risk even if your med free! Amniotic embolisms are also a real risk and they are almost always fatal (my biggest fear). So there isn't a need to produce a bunch of fear into inductions.
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"
So... it sounds like I'm doing Cytotec because I don't want cervical ripening to fail. /shrug
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"
Maybe if you're lucky your cervix will ripen enough on its own before you get to your induction date and you can go straight to pitocin!
@jessieR358
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"
i was given a double dose since my hospital took 3 hours to admit me and i think that's why my contractions were so intense and worked so fast. If I had to take it again I would, but I would request one dose!
Prostaglandins, like oxytocin, are naturally released during labor. Synthetic versions are unlikely to harm mother or baby during induction, if given in proper dosages. There may be some endocrine issues immediately following, because hormones all do a million things and trigger feedback loops that affect many bodily functions, but one goal is for things to return to normal homeostasis, so this will happen in most cases.
If you have certain endocrine, blood, or inflammatory conditions, you may want to ask your doctor about side effects of prostaglandins since they affect more bodily systems than oxytocin/pitocin does, but for most people, there shouldn't be a problem either way, aside from some relatively mild side effects.
Anyway, as a neuroendocrinologist (research, not medical practice, so this isn't medical advice) I suggest looking into any drug you take. But there is a lot of fear mongering online and many of the counterindications of hormone based drugs are situation dependent.
Good luck, everyone!
We also had our second childbirth class last night and the instructor went over labor interventions. They were all very real/scary since I am thinking they're likely to happen for me. So now I am wondering whether I should try to have my membranes swept in the days leading up to the induction in the hope that it will help with cervical ripening and potentially make the induction go more smoothly (less need for cytotec, fewer hours of waiting for contractions). Did anyone else have this done, or is anyone planning to?
Married 2013
Kiddo #1: Sept 2015
BFP: 1/19, EDD: 9/30
"I'm having fruit salad for dinner. Well, it's mostly just grapes, actually. Ok all grapes. Fermented grapes. Fine, I'm having wine for dinner."
I also have friends who had it done twice, and it never did anything. It was uncomfortable, but quick, and I'd much rather try that first before inducing with medications.
DS2: EDD- 09.08.17