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: January Symptoms
Have very mild nausea at times but so far I have been lucky in that department.
I have trouble sleeping, I keep waking up every hour and tossing and turning, and am very tired all day long. I work 12 hour days so not much time for naps, and I get up at 3:30 am for work so not getting more than 6 hours of sleep lately.
Sore boobs that grew from my regular D cup by at least 2 cup sizes already, I'm in sports bras and true body bras right now. My back hurts from the size increase - they are SO heavy!
And just the other day started getting zits, which I never even had as a teenager.
Oh and peeing like crazy which was actually one of my first symptoms. I've started noticing some swelling in my hands and I feel super bloated.
Pregnancy #2 Natural Miscarriage at 6 weeks 03/2014 Due date 11/9/2014
Pregnancy #3 DS 02.23.2015
Pregnancy #4 Missed Miscarriage at 11 weeks 11/2018 Due date 5/22/2019
Pregnancy #5 Positive test 12/11/2019 Due Date 8/17/2020
I’m having weird breakouts too. My chest has tons of little bumps and I feel so self conscious like I have to wear high-necked shirts. I also got a pimple on my ear lobe, so weird.
My nausea is pretty constant but not too bad at the moment, it's defiantly worse some days that others particularly if I'm tired, hungry or dehydrated. See bands and ORS tablets are saving me on those days. My nausea lasted until 19 weeks last time and was worst after 12 weeks, so I'm currently steeling myself and expecting that the worst is yet to come.
I've also started to get the sweet foods aversion that I had in my last pregnancy again, it actually lasted for a little while after the birth. Fruit is fine but anything with sugar or even worse sweetner just tastes so intensely sweet. So it looks like I'm back to drinking almost nothing but water (I'm so disappointed that I can't get La Croix water in the UK).
***TW***
****trigger warning****
1 LC, girl 5 years old
TTC #2 Summer 2017
BFP 1/5/2018, MC (D & E) 2/23/2018
TTCAL May 2018
BFP 9/20/2018, MC (D & E) 11/16/2018 :'(
I have such an intense sense of smell as well. I can currently smell what I can only guess is someone’s Head and Shoulders shampoo sitting near me. I can smell everything and just last night I was asking H how dogs don’t get nauseous with their incredible sense of smell. I literally feel like I could outsmell a bloodhound right now. I also have messed up tastes. Like tasting metal in a glass bottle of coke. Or something being really salty when it’s not.
@radiohd18 I hope you managed to see some nicer bits of Brum not just the view from the train.
Yes I will be using the NHS, there are very few private maternity hospitals in the UK and the NHS care is usually very good. As yet I have just seen my GP to tell them I'm pregant, and then they request a booking appointment with the midwife team. There has been a bit of a delay in me getting that appointment but I've finally got a date for next week. So at the booking appointment, it's the first time you see a midwife, and they go through all your history and essentially book you into the hospital and your future appointments. The NHS has more of a light touch approach than in the US, if our low risk you won't get seen much. You typically only get a 12 and 20 week scans though a lot of people (including me) pay for private scans.
***TW***
****trigger warning****
1 LC, girl 5 years old
TTC #2 Summer 2017
BFP 1/5/2018, MC (D & E) 2/23/2018
TTCAL May 2018
BFP 9/20/2018, MC (D & E) 11/16/2018 :'(
@starlight_7 and @blackgirlmagic I also see on the bump info for week 9 the diaphragm moves up to help the lungs take in more air! Maybe that's it!
I get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, sometimes 9. My blood work from my first appointment is all fine - my iron is actually high, and I've never needed to take additional iron beyond my prenatal with my previous pregnancies. I've also been taking 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily. I'm just constantly so worn out. We've been sick, so that might be part of it.
Craft Blog
I’ve been a real grouch lately, but not sure if it’s a symptom of pregnancy or just life. I’m guessing life.
I really can't complain though, atleast I'm not throwing up all the time. I really feel for you ladies that are struggling with vomiting. ❤
@jojokoodles my headaches aren’t relieved by Tylenol either. I had one this week for more than 2 days and it was making me more nauseous than I already was. I slightly increased my caffeine intake and that seemed to help. Hope you feel better soon!
Also echoing what most people said about fatigue. That has really hit me hard this week! I almost fell asleep today at work. Yesterday I was awake for a normal amount of time and when I went to bed, it felt like I had just pulled an all-nighter.
I'm usually a decently patient person, but the last couple weeks I just really have none to spare. I've been really salty with some of my students (who honestly deserve it, but still... ).
hubs: 26
ttc #1: 4/19
dx: PCOS