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: Introductions
How did you find out? Peed on a stick, we’ve been TTC for several months, had a miscarriage in October
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) - first time mom! Have 2 dogs and a husband. Work full time as a software engineer
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) - Super nauseous and nothing helps. The select few people who know keep telling me it gets better but that isn’t helping either, i just get frustrated. My diet is based on what the food will feel like coming back up. I’ve been quite reserved emotionally i think as a coping mechanism from the miscarriage. It’s like I’m afraid to experience any joy or excitement. My first appointment is in a week so hoping to start feeling positive after that.
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? - telekinesis so i could clean without having to move.
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) My husband and I have been married since June. I have a daughter from a previous relationship. I currently work from home. I enjoy anything outdoors.
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) **TW** I was pregnant in the fall and found out I had lost the baby at 12 weeks. I had a d&c and got pregnant my next cycle. I thought that if I found out I was pregnant again, I’d feel a sense of dread after going through such a tough loss. But I’ve been very happy and grateful to be pregnant again. My symptoms aren’t as bad as my last pregnancy, but my hormone levels have been so much better. I recently had a bleed that scared the heck out of me but baby is still okay. We haven’t told our families yet because I am still telling people we had a miscarriage and I didn’t want to go through that again if we ended up having another miscarriage. I guess I am pretty nervous to tell people that I’m pregnant again, but not exactly sure why. **end TW***
@improbablyanxious I’m an engineer too! Electrical by degree, avionics systems engineer by trade and manage several software engineers.
How did you find out? I was a few days late and tested once.
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) I am a graduate student studying Dairy Science and my boyfriend works in construction. I will be defending my thesis in August or September so while we were TTC clearly we hadn't calculated 9 months ahead. TW Part of this was due to a MC in May which was our first pregnancy and I had a fear, unfounded, of infertility TW. I love cows and different cultures. My boyfriend comes from a family of good cooks and he cooks well which is a plus for me.
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) I just had a 12 week ultrasound and that went well, now I have to tell my bosses ect. I didn't introduce myself earlier because I have been anxious about this pregnancy.
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? Understanding the context behind what people are saying to better understand them.
Due date? 8/10
How did you find out? We’ve been trying for a little over a year and just started going to a fertility doctor. They did an HSG and one of my tubes appeared to be blocked, so I definitely thought I wasn’t pregnant (at the same time they told us you are more likely to get pregnant the month of an HSG). I been feeling kind of bad over the weekend, so my husband kept telling me I should take a test, but I didn’t want to waste a test so I waited a bit (plus it was before a missed period and I thought there was no way it was symptoms). But then my niece was born on Tuesday and so I had babies on the brain and decided to take a test the Wednesday morning and was shocked to see it was positive!
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) I’m 36 and this is my first pregnancy, but I have a super cute (and super spoiled) goldendoodle. I live in DC and work in health policy. My husband and I have been married for 3 years.
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) Really depends on the day. I’m waiting to really feel connected to my pregnancy - it still feels really abstract and distant. I had a lot of anxiety at the beginning but that has gotten better. As has the nausea (though I wouldn’t have said that yesterday)
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? Right now because it’s cold and I hate being in the cold, being able to teleport from place to place.
Due date? 8/21/22
How did you find out? Pee test because I was super hungry constantly.
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?)
I'm married, I have a 16 year old son and 12 year old daughter 3 dogs, 8 ducks and 10 chickens. I work ft in HR
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) Had fist appointment and first ultrasound yesterday. I'm tired but not as sick as I was when I first found out.
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? I would love to fly.
This year marks MH and I’s tenth anniversary. We have three boys—6, 4 and our youngest just turned 1. This is the fastest we have ever gotten pregnant and TW I have had three miscarriages, two back to back between DS2 and DS3 so I’m kind of nervous since it’s still early.
Due date? End of August, probably 31 August
How did you find out? I took a positive test right before Christmas but have just been waiting to see how sticky this bean is.
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) I’m a SAHM and I spend all my time doing laundry, regulating the Paw Patrol and trying to organize my house. We have two shih tzus and a Maine Coon cat who just walked into our life three years ago. We love camping, road trips and exploring new places.
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) My first appointment is Friday… 21 January. The nausea is all day and pretty awful. They are still fighting with my insurance company about getting my nausea meds covered. I’m cautiously optimistic that I’m going to be holding a baby in 8 months.
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? Oh I would pick flying.
Hello and welcome to the August 2022 BMB!
Introduce yourself: Hello all ! My name is Maribeth and I am a 37 year old mom of 2 boys currently pregnant with a surprise #3 from PA.
Due date? 8-13-22
How did you find out? Late cycle which I thought was due to some medication I was on but surprised to find a positive test.
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) Married to my wonderful husband and we have 2 boys ages 7 and 4. We have a 2 year old golden retriever. I have been a SAHM for the last 7 years and just started substitute teaching at my sons elementary school this year in hopes of transitioning back to a classroom in the future but looks like that will
Be on hold for a little bit longer. We love to spend time outside and playing sports. I was a college field hockey coach before becoming a SAHM.
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) Honesty I was in a weird place for bit with this pregnancy bc we weren’t trying for a baby and kinda had taken a third off the table… so until we made it to the doctors and shared our news with very close loved ones I was having a hard time being happy and excited.
I have been very sick this time around with the morning sickness lasting 24 hrs a day.. hoping it lets up a bit soon. My previous pregnancies the morning sickness lasted 20+ weeks with both boys.
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? My super power would be to fly.
Due date? Aug 1st, 2022 - So already > 12 weeks!
How did you find out? peed on a stick.
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) - First time mom, work from home consulting in tech. have a kitty cat and dog and have been married 2 years now.
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) - oh the anxiety. Lots of random bleeding ,but everything is healthy so far.
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? I think i'd like to fly. Seems freeing.
bleeding. Hopefully it stops for you!
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
I am due on August 7th
We have been trying for over a year but have only had two miscarriages thus far, I had a MRI scheduled and was taking a pregnancy test prior to getting it and after two weird tests our third showed a strong positive.
I work full time but we are planning on me being a stay at home mom or maybe working very limited part time. Huge animal lover and extremely cautious mom to be.
Nausea was a huge huge problem for about four weeks straight with daily vomiting and even 1 week of barely able to get out of bed with out feeling dizzy, faint and throwing up again. We finally have that under a little control and now just being super cautious and trying not to get to excited until we are through the first trimester, I can’t handle another MC especially right now. I have my second appt today so we can hear the heartbeat and hopefully get a little calmer from the doctor haha.
I would love to have the superpower of being a fantastic mother and wife, I am so scared I am going to mess up so all I want is to be able to take care of my family in the best way possible.
Due date? August 23rd
How did you find out? Missed a period and feeling off. Took a test, then a second test.
Tell us about yourself.
My husband and I have 6 kiddos, ages 16, 15, 13, 10, 7, 6.
How are you feeling?
What would your super power be? Prep dinner by blinking my eyes twice.
An idea for a strong relationship with your spouse through all this: Something my husband and I are committing to this year is a date night every week so we can focus some intentional time on each other. After all being pregnant, postpartum, and having a newborn all in one year will be a lot on us physically and emotionally and can wear away at relationships if we aren’t intentional. Doing a date every week can sound like a lot to plan, but the last three weeks have been at-home dates while trying not to be nauseous and yet they were so special. We played board games, a video game competition, read together, and even though it was only an hour or two, it really felt so special. Some dates we even planned that day because it’s not always easy to make them happen… but it’s worth it. In the future, we will likely have some fancy dinners out, bowling, movies, romantic picnics, spa days, etc… but knowing that we WILL make sure to even have a foot soak in a tupper tote or movie night and cuddles is something to look forward to! Having nausea and no desire to get out of pajamas to go out means that a lot of our current “home” dates will probably be more realistic during postpartum than the fancy ones. Finally, After we choose and do our date I add “Date_/52” and what we did on that day so I can look back for ideas!
I found out on Thanksgiving morning by taking a stick test (but waited to tell husband until all the rest of the family had left for the airport the next day).
I’m this is our first child! My husband and I got married in September and then moved to CT in October and then got pregnant in November so it’s been a busy time.
I’m feeling super excited and in awe that my body can do this. It’s been a relatively easy pregnancy so far, though I have a weak pelvic floor and have needed to start physical therapy to strengthen it during pregnancy (I recommend PT to anyone and everyone!)
I’m a designer so my super power would be making the world around me beautiful
nice to meet you all!
Due date? 8/9
How did you find out? Home Test
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) I am 30yrs old we live in Texas, I work for Hulu me and my husband have been married 9yrs. We have 3 boys and 1 girl. Pets we have 3 Belgian Malinois, A Great Dane and A Great Dane mix and a Chemeleon.
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) I go to a high risk and regular OB will be going to my 3rd Appt next month. Feel great 5th child and I have no morning sickness Knock on wood LOL!
Hi! I’m T, I’m 26 and live in NY
Due date?
8/9/2022
How did you find out?
Pregnancy test! Took it a day after my period was supposed to come; me and my H had been trying, so I was checking ;)
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?)
I’m a nurse and my husband is in school full time. We have a 14 month old girl; she keeps us busy!!!
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?)
I’m feeling pretty nauseous overall and very anxious as we are expecting twins!
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be?
I would love to fly!!
I tired to change my username, lol, I hope it worked!
I’m so bad with these things ;)
I’m from Queens, ny
Anyone else?
> @texas-gurl Hi Jennifer! Welcome! 😊 I’m so glad things are going well and you don’t have morning sickness! Are you planning to find out if this one is a boy or girl?
Yes hoping for a girl! My doctor wanted me to do a panorama blood test so I might find out with that well my husband I want to be surprised lol! I would post a picture but don’t have the option to yet!
Due date? August 27
How did you find out? Pregnancy test, but I knew we’ll before a test came back positive!
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?)
As I said, I have a daughter (4) and a very supportive partner! We like to watch shows (Brooklyn 99 is my favorite) and I’m an avid reader!
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) I’m having all the symptoms this go around… nausea, sore breasts, acne, exhausted all the time!
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? Oof, I think I’d like the ability to be super stealthy (and teleport haha)
Due date? 8/28
How did you find out? On Christmas, I was having a hard time eating; no appetite and felt full after hardly any food. It crossed my mind but we had been trying for a year and a half and after so many negative tests the thought passed quickly. Leading up to New Years I still felt different. I only tested for peace of mind to drink on NYE... and it was positive.
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?) I’m a newborn photographer
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?) like crud. Food aversion, especially sweets, nausea, soooo tired. Nerves about the age gaps and my middle starting kindergarten at the same time. I’m also with a new doctor, that I like, but establishing that relationship still feels daunting.
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be? Teleporting or some form of immediate transportation
@knottie9fdd7b9860a129dc I relate to the nausea! I hope it starts to feel better soon. I know everyone is different, but I was 4 when my baby brother was born and I LOVED being old enough to play “mommy” with him. Even though I have a sister in between us, I was able to bond better being old enough to understand I had a new little brother. We are closest of all the siblings to this day. I’m sure seeing your little ones hold “their baby” when they are excited to come home from school, will melt that fear all away!💕 I hope transitioning to kindergarten at the same time goes smoothly. Kids love to talk all about their baby sibling in the young classes like that!
Due date?
August 11, 2022
How did you find out?
I had been tracking my cycle and Ovulation but got impatient and tested a little too early and got what I thought was a negative, but went back and looked again and it was super faint. I was about 2 days late when I tested again and got a blazing positive.
Tell us about yourself (Other children/pets? Job? Things you like to do? Spouse/partner?)
Hi! I'm Angie. I'm 39 and this is my second pregnancy. My oldest is 16 1/2, so quite a gap. She's, rather indifferent as she was quite enjoying being my only. DH and I just got married in October and is my daughter's step-dad. He's super excited and can sometimes be obnoxiously supportive, lol. We have 2 kitties, one chill panther and one psychotic tabby kitten.
How are you feeling? (First appointment? Any symptoms? Emotionally?)
Emotionally pretty good. Still doesn't seem real sometimes. Have been dealing with almost constant nausea since mid-December and it just now seems to finally be subsiding, can't wait to be able to eat normally again! Just had my first official prenatal appointment on Tues and everything seems good. Had first ultrasound on the 11th and got to see our wiggly little bean! Hubby was is complete awe.
GTKY Fun fact: Tell us what your super power would be?
I think either being able to fly or time travel.
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