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.
stillziggysmom
member
07/2018-08/2018
Re: Let's Talk Exercise
1. How far along are you? 4+6
CP 3/2019
@CapricaAndrea I feel ya! 25-lb toddlers are no joke, especially active ones. I've got one of those too and hoping it motivates me to be a little more active for his sake.
Terrible. Last time I gained 60lb between morning sickness (the first 16 weeks where eating was all that seemed to help) and heartburn (the entire rest of the time, where eating seemed to help) and I'm still about 15lb over where I started the first time, and I was about 10lb overweight then.
My work schedule is super irregular so meals and fitness are hard to get into a routine. I walk my dog some, and play with/ carry my toddler but that's about it.
I'm wanting to see if I can get in some sort of a routine where I'm walking regularly. My goal is to only gain around 15-20lb this pregnancy since I'm starting overweight, but ultimately I just want us both to be healthy. I have a good friend who managed to only gain about 15lb during pregnancy by being super disciplined about avoiding sugar and walking daily. She is diabetic and started overweight. Her OB told her she didn't have a choice, so I'm getting advice from her about what worked and what didn't.
I don't really go for those much. For starters, I usually don't have the discipline to maintain them, but I know they're not healthy and they're unsustainable. I tried like a day of keto once...
2. I am nervous. I am not a huge fitness person, but I am not a total couch potato either.. If I am not cooking, cleaning, or playing with my kids, I am out and about running errands or walking to the park..I would like to do something like yoga though, because I feel like that would be just for me and baby and it would give me some time to myself.
3. No, I don't. Unless you count climbing up to my three story apartment on a daily basis my routine. Sometimes I do it multiple times a day. I actually started thinking I was pregnant when I became seriously winded after just the second set of stairs. ( we have one set just to get into the building that isn't included in the three stories.)
4. I intend to keep as fit as possible. Like I previously stated I am not super fitness oriented, but I do want to be healthy. I intend on looking into yoga, and I am going to continue to eat healthy so I dont gain any unnecessary weight.
5. I dont know if this was a fad, but I used to wear ankle weights and high heels to try and make my legs look more toned without actually working out. It did nothing besides make my legs too sore to move. Maybe if I stuck with it I would have seen more improvement. I have no idea.
2. I am feeling pretty good. Was at an all time non prego weight high right after new year's and managed to lose about 12 lbs with watching food and completing Beachbody Liift4 8 weeks.
3. During my first two pregnancies I went to the gym after work and just did the treadmill and some light weights. This time around after finishing lifft4 with some heavy lifting I feel so much stronger, and I was kinda hoping to try to keep it up and just slow down the pace to what I felt comfortable.
4. So I'm about 5 lbs heavier than I was when I started my second pregnancy, and which I had gained about 30 lb. My goal is to try to gain less than I did then. Both of my other DS were born in March and I know I probably had too much weight gain from the holidays. I'm typically a lighter eater and more active in the summer so I'm hoping that will be my advantage till October rolls around.
5. Not really into fad diets.
@Peachie89 you can do it. I keep trying to keep the visual of the pregnant women running a marathon as my motivation.
8w 6d
Mostly to keep my core strong, to help with labor and recovery. I did this bare minimum with my last pregnancy and it helped a lot.
I did a juice/broth cleanse for a week, and I was SOOO hungry. Never again.
How am I feeling fitness wise? Well not the best. I am currently the heaviest I have ever been at the start or..at any point in my previous pregnancies. I'm very worried about weight gain and the threat of what comes with that in pregnancy.
My fitness routine includes getting in as many steps as I can and soon once my best friend whom just had her baby 2 weeks ago is ready for the gym we will be doing treadmill and hour or so a day! I am very conscious of what I'm consuming as well
My fitness goal is to gain less than 15lbs and stay active and keep with my fitness routine my entire pregnancy. It's very important to me and I think it's the best for the baby as well!
Most outrageous health fad...i guess Intermittent fasting but it's not outrageous it works wonders if you stick with it helps retrain Your body and mind. I was workijg out and doing it and about 2 weeks later i found out i was pregnant ..i tried "60 hour reboot" you do teas and broths instead of meals it was awful lol
I've never been the most physically active (in my adult life, mostly just walks and hiking). I'm amping up my walks and hikes right now as much as fatigue/nausea will allow, but I'd really like to get my core stronger. Any recommendations on exercises or techniques to help with that?
9 weeks 3 days
normally I am petite and fit
my body shape changed a bit
stretches and jogging in Central Park and being active
to keep moving and not turn to M U S H
So far I have been walking at least an hour a day and attending prenatal yoga. I skipped out the past two days due to a migraine I can Not shake
I cringe thinking about dieting! Sounds like torture
I love dessert.
I was very fit before pregnancy and have been feeling good when I do go to the gym but I don’t always want to go (major fatigue). I’ve cut back to 3-4 times a week at most.
I usually do CrossFit 4-5x a week and yoga 3-4x a month. I’m a CrossFit trainer as well.
To stay active the whole time- even if that means taking a long walk for the day. Doing what I can for as long as I can then modifying movements when I need to.
Counting calories. Eat what you want, when you want in moderation. Stick to real, whole foods
- My doctors are encouraging me to do 30 minute walks 5 days a week. So I'm making sure I did that. Because I didnt exercise before I got pregnant they don't want me to do anything too drastically different from my original lifestyle. They suggested prenatal yoga and swimming. My dad has a nice pool so I plan on going swimming when it consistantly is warm out. Lots of yoga studios around me but I haven't found one that does prenatal yoga yet.
- Honestly I just want to have the healthiest pregnancy I can. To only gain the recommended amount of weight from my doctor and to not develop gestational diabetes. Other then that I want to work on my squats in preparation for giving birth.
Ugh there was this "diet" I did for a month. You only eat low fat cottage cheese with either pineapple or beets for 3 days then eat less than 1200 calories for 4 days and switch back and forth. Obviously I lost a lot of weight but I was miserable because it's not at all healthy.
Has anyone used a rowing machine throughout their pregnancy? We have one at home and I'm thinking about using it. I used it a little before I got pregnant, but I'm not proficient.
@mrszoobear I love Yoga With Adriene - free on YouTube! She also has a prenatal series I just downloaded for $27.
@cpk@cpk3535 Yoga Glo is great! And yes it's definitely nice to check in at a studio from time to time.
I did download some free YouTube prenatal videos but haven't got around to trying them yet.
@bookworm492 - thanks for sharing! I also found someone online who mentioned it was the one exercise she could do after her baby was born - it was lulled to sleep by the whirring.