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: Pregnancy Announcements
DH: 37
DD: 03/17/17
DS: 12/06/19
When do you plan on telling family/friends?
I told my 2 best friends before i even told hubs lol. A few other friends know now. I told my sister on easter because my kids are good with secrets. My youngest busted it out to my MIL during her sunday skype. My birth father and birth mother will receive a package soon announcing it.
When do you plan to announce at work?
My direct boss knows because she knew we were trying and i was super nauseous one day and she guessed.
Any people you are worried about telling?
Nope. Ive never been one to care about how people feel about my choices.
I was trying to have my 2.5 year old say "Daddy, I'm going to be a big brother" but instead he kept saying his brother is a big brother. So instead my 6 year old said " Dad, did you know I'm a big brother" when my husband acknowledged 6 year old said "Did you know C is going to be a big brother too?"
When do you plan on telling family/friends?
We'll share after the first trimester, we reach the 2nd trimester on our 7th wedding anniversary so we'll share after that time.
When do you plan to announce at work?
After the first trimester. I usually travel to a conference in October for work, so I need to confirm with my doctor whether or not I'll be able to travel for that conference. I'll share when we need to book our flights and conference registration which is usually in July.
Any people you are worried about telling?
I'm always most nervous to share with my parents, which is silly because they're always so excited for us.
DH: 37
DD: 03/17/17
DS: 12/06/19
-We were doing fertility treatments and IUI so I shoved a test in his face at 6:30am on our test day and said “Holy sh** is that a line?” Then demanded Whataburger and more tests. We are classy.
When do you plan on telling family/friends?
-We already told them. We kept everyone very informed on what we were going through and how everything was going. So they were all waiting to hear test results that morning.
When do you plan to announce at work?
-After initial blood test and fertility doctor appointment. They ruled me high risk and put me on light work duty, so there was no getting around it.
Any people you are worried about telling?
-We will not be putting our pregnancy on social media for personal reasons. But I am hiding clues in all of my Instagram pictures to see if anyone catches on. It has been fun so far.
When do you plan on telling family/friends? I already told my parents and sister, and we told his mom. Two of my best friends also know, but we are waiting to tell the rest of the family/friends/announce on Facebook until after the next ultrasound, when I'm hopefully given the all clear and told that SCH is dissolved.
When do you plan to announce at work? I was going to wait until the same time as telling everyone else, after the second ultrasound, but when you work in close proximity to 6 other women, apparently they pick up on things like when I start drinking ginger ale when I never drink soda, or start snacking more frequently when I'm not a snacker... they called me out on it, so yeah, cat's out of the bag in the office, haha. As for officially contacting HR about maternity leave, I will be waiting until after the second ultrasound.
Any people you are worried about telling? Honestly, we were concerned about telling his mom...she's difficult, very simply. But, she reacted well. Hopefully she continues to do so, but we are bracing ourselves for any future outbursts, based on past experience. We haven't told his brother yet, and I'm not sure when or even if he plans to do that. They have a very strained relationship, haven't talked in months, and we're pretty sure there's some mental illness there, so I'm letting him take the reigns on that one.
When do you plan on telling family/friends? My mom spilled the beans, even though I asked her to wait until July.
When do you plan to announce at work? I am a STAHM.
Any people you are worried about telling? My Grandma, she is in and out these days and I didn’t want to get her hopes up if something happens. Also my MIL. She is the sweetest person I know and will try and fuss all over me, for which I am grateful but not exactly comfortable with.
That wasn’t hard- we tell each other everything, so I just told him after I got my first few positive pregnancy tests. We were also both paranoid about MC because our last one ended around 11 weeks, and I needed his support right away.👍
When do you plan on telling family and friends?
We’ve already told a few immediate family members, our daughter (8yo) found out at Disneyland around 7 weeks. We’ll probably tell more family and friends in the next few weeks (I’m at 12 weeks today).
When do you plan to announce at work?
Probably when it starts to look a little more obvious. I’m not showing too much yet, and my work attire is very casual.
Any people you’re worried about telling?
Not really, I have already told the most opinionated people who all knew about the MC last time. After some people’s (family members) reactions to our last attempt (which we also kept pretty private) did not impress my husband and I, so we’re keeping things a lot more to ourselves this time. I don’t need extra crazy-person induced stress, thank you very much!
I told my boss yesterday incase a family member posts on Facebook or something, I wanted her to hear it from me. We still haven't told any friends other than a close friend who deployed around our 8week mark. Hubby couldnt contain himself for that one.
I'm starting to get nervous about telling people because this pregnancy still doesn't feel real to me. I feel like I need more time to digest this on my own, but I also want my family to be able to stand by us as we experience everything. Talking to them may help it feel more real. Im so conflicted, can anyone share your perspective on these issues?
Side note- My family is pretty much all we have. Hubby doesnt even plan on telling his mom (shes nuts) & he rarely, if ever, interacts with his other family members because of all the drama.
I woke him up at 5:30am after seeing a BFP in less than a minute. I had a feeling that morning.
When do you plan on telling family/friends?
I told some family and friends already because we were excited, but waiting to tell the rest after our OB appointment week 12.
When do you plan to announce at work? After my OB appointment.
Any people you are worried about telling?
Not necessarily worried, but will have to negotiate time off work of without taking unpaid time if possible. I'm in academia with no maternity leave.
"Mr. Moony is pretty stoked about the new human joining the pack in December. He's not the only one. ❤"
I have only told one friend, she had a history of miscarriage and I wanted her to process it alone. She doesn't talk to me much anymore now that I'm expecting though.
None of my other friends have kids, I'm very hesitant to share the news with anyone really. I'm not excited about it so I don't want to have to fake enthusiasm just to make everyone else comfortable.
When do you plan on telling family/friends? We told family around 9-10 weeks. I am still telling close friends as I meet up with them one on one.
When do you plan to announce at work? Plan to announce a little after 13 weeks!
Any people you are worried about telling? No.
@cpk3535
I'm in the same boat...my siblings blabbed to people and I FREAKED OUT on them. It is so rude! I feel like its honestly SELFISH... they want to be the ones to get attention by telling something they shouldn't, or gossiping which is just plain disgusting to me. I freaked out on them lol. Not cool! Esp since it's my first ever!
I have pretty severe anxiety about sharing this news. Has anyone else experienced this? Any tips on helping overcome this? I'm at a loss.