Trying to conceive & pregnancy
This is the softest corner of My Mama Mode, and the one that took me the longest to write. It's the waiting, the wondering, the loss, and the strange brave thing it takes to hope again afterward.
I'm putting it all in one place because when I was in it, I wanted to find someone who'd say the true version out loud — not the tidy version. So here's mine, in the order it happened. 🤍
How we got Luke
The beginning of ours: the years of quietly wondering whether it would ever happen, and then the day it did. Plus the birth story, which went exactly nothing like the plan on my fridge.
- The Baby I Was Terrified I'd Never Have (How We Got Luke)
After years of not preventing pregnancy, a quiet fear grew in the back of my mind—until a single day in 2021 changed our world forever.
- Luke's Birth Story: Breech, a Booked C-Section, and a 37-Week Surprise
We had a C-section on the calendar for October, but breech baby Luke had other plans when my water broke early at 37 weeks. Here is his birth story.
Loss, and the fear that comes after
These two are the tender ones. If you've lost a baby, you already know why they're here — and if you haven't, they might help you sit with someone who has. Read them when you have the space for them, not because you scrolled this far.
- The Baby We Lost: Our Miscarriage Story
The story of the baby we lost — the not-knowing, the pain that finally brought answers, and the quiet grief nobody prepares you for. You are not alone.
- Trying Again After a Loss: The Fear No One Warns You About
Trying again after a miscarriage is its own kind of scary. Here is the honest truth about the fear, the waiting, and those quiet what-ifs.
Thinking about baby number two
The messy, unglamorous middle: knowing it was time, getting my body ready, the trackers I tried and what I honestly thought of them, and the money conversation nobody starts until it's already a thing.
- How Moving to the Mountains Made Us Ready for Baby #2
We left Vegas for Colorado — for the rivers, the pine trees, and (mostly) the snow. Somewhere in all that fresh air, we knew it was time to try for baby #2.
- My Mama Mode Started Before Baby #2 Even Existed
Before trying for baby #2, I chose to get my body healthy first. Here is the honest (and slightly nauseous) prep chapter nobody talks about.
- Budgeting for a Second Baby (When Big-Kid Costs Are Already a Thing)
The second-baby budget isn't about cribs—it's funding a big kid and a baby at the same time. Here's the honest math, what to reuse, and sneaky costs.
- Pregmate vs Inito vs kegg: My Honest Ovulation Tracker Review (So Far)
Pinpointing ovulation is way harder than health class made it sound. Here is my honest, no-sugarcoating take on Pregmate, Inito, and kegg.
One important thing: I'm a mom sharing her own story, not a doctor, and nothing here is medical advice. Please take anything that worries you to someone with actual letters after their name. More on that in my disclaimer.
Wherever you are in this
Waiting, grieving, hoping, or just quietly wondering — you're not doing it wrong, and you're not doing it alone. I'm glad you're here.