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.
elle-0409
member
Re: The Great Question Thread
TLDR at bottom haha
Every time I've had a scan, they have told me at the beginning, they are not allowed to tell me *ANYTHING*.
Even at my anatomy scan, they had to go review with a doctor before they showed me baby bits, but also explained that they wouldn't be giving me any medical info, and that it would all be sent to my OB. (They did say (this is the foot, this is the arm, this is the heart, etc, as they showed us).
One pregnancy, I had one scan at 9 wks, and the sonographer was very brisk and adamant that "I will not tell you ANYTHING about this scan." I told her I completely understood. And we chatted, and I asked about her job, and we discussed what I was going through. At the end, she asked if my husband was waiting. I said yes. She asked me to go get him. I brought him back, and she said "I could get in a lot of trouble for this, but I have something I want to show you!" She had taken a video of our little baby, wiggling around and waving! We burst into tears and hugged each other and thanked her profusely. (TW*. I was getting a scan because the ER couldn't find a HB after I went in with bleeding. A week after the scan, I had a MC. I am SO grateful to the sonographer for giving us that only opportunity to see our baby. *end TW)
Anyway, so far, every time I have had a scan with a sonographer, I have sweet talked them (unintentionally) into breaking rules and giving me the knowledge that baby is ok. Once, I happily let a student do her first vaginal US on me. For like... 40 min haha. (I was in for query ectopic). I got to learn a lot that time because the sonographer asked if it was okay if she explained everything to the student (and therefore me) as they went.
The only times I've had someone do an US and be *allowed* to tell me ANYTHING, is when it's a doctor doing it.
Other than the ones I've had in ER (or the ones a doctor is performing haha), I've never seen a doctor the same day.
TLDR: here sonographers aren't allowed to tell you ANYTHING, and I've never see a doctor the day of the scan
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
So totally normal to not hear it now ❤️
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
@morgantu NIPT can be done earlier, tests for more, and is more accurate. I go for mine next week as it is provincially funded for certain pregnancies. Undecided as to whether we will find out gender, kind of feel like keeping that a surprise this time!
I've asked two different doctors about boosters and both said they didn't think they would be recommended for pregnant women at this time...but everything changes so rapidly as we get new data, I plan on asking again when I go for my appointment at the end of the month.
I am very on board to get a booster, and I hope that it would give the baby antibodies.
ETA The booster is only being offered here to specific more vulnerable populations.