Pause Pages: Tackling Overthinking, Scandinavian Culture, and 7-Month Updates on Crawling & Solids
a monthly care package of thoughts, faves, and little joys — plus some prompts for a little mom self-care woven into your day.
Welcome to the monthly roundup! Think of this as a little care package of all the things I’ve been loving, thinking about, and obsessing over lately — books, baby stuff, articles, and random life joys that deserve a shoutout. It’s also a time to pause, reflect, and nurture yourself — a little mom self-care woven into your day.
I’m excited to open up this month’s Pause Pages to my free subscribers, so you can get a sneak peek into what these monthly roundups are all about! If you enjoy this glimpse, I’d love for you to consider becoming a paid supporter of Mother, etc. — your support helps keep this space going!
March Intention: stop overthinking, for goodness sake
Over the course of the past month, I found myself paralyzed by indecision more times than I care to admit. It started with the bigger stuff — like starting solids with Keira — and then trickled down into the smallest, most comical details.
I was overthinking things like stepping up onto a box during my workout, questioning whether I was doing it right. My friend’s husband (who was training us) casually said, “Jules, you think too much. Way too f*ckin much.” He was right.
And then, if my hubs asked me one more question, I would just stare at him like... my brain cannot compute. My reply was often, “I don’t know. What do YOU think?”
As a new mom, I want to make the best decisions I can for Keira, but I’m realizing that all this overthinking doesn’t serve me.
In a recent post, Issue #4: Night Feeds, Midnight Thoughts, and the Lessons I Didn't Expect to Learn, I shared how I’m leaning more and more into my intuition. I don’t always need a book, an app, or the internet to confirm it — I just need to feel it. The more I lean into that, the more I’m trusting myself.
This month, my intention is to stop overthinking and to start feeling more in my body, especially when it comes to the daily decisions I’m making.
I want to make quicker decisions, let go of the pressure to “get it right” and instead, let things flow with ease. It’s about tuning into my gut and trusting that the choices I make are good enough.
Less overthinking, more feeling. I have more to say on this topic… maybe it will be a future Substack issue.
💭 Prompts to Ponder:
What’s one small decision you can stop overthinking today?
How can you trust your instincts more and let go of the pressure to “get it right”
What’s one area in your life where you can embrace more flow and less control this month?
Pssst… don’t forget to catch the Q&A at the bottom of this issue!
Reflection: 7 months into motherhood
Oh, this stage is so fun! The giggles, the big smiles…it feels like we’ve developed our own little unspoken inside jokes. Honestly, I look like a psycho grinning back at her because I’ve
never felt such pure joy.
The car situation is getting better. I drove for the first time last week solo… a 45-minute drive and it couldn’t have gone better! Documented it here. Timing it with Keira’s naps is key, but of course, it’s not always that simple since her nap schedule changes every day. I’m so grateful for my mama friends who totally get it and were flexible with me letting them know that morning what time I could meet them. Flexibility really is everything in this season!
my sweet friend, Nicole, cheering me on for my solo drive! Keira is sooo close to crawling! This feels like the biggest milestone yet because, as I’ve heard from dear friends, crawling turns into walking so fast, and then you’ve got a toddler. Right now, I’m in that “I-can’t-be-bothered-with-anything-else-I’m-soaking-up-the-last-few-months-of-my-little-baby-being-a-little-baby” phase.
Sleep has been so.much.better. Still sleeping all together, still side-lying feeding, and she rarely cries at night now... just stirs, wants some milk, falls back asleep. Sometimes she is up at 3:30am blowing raspberries and looking around, so we change her diaper and I nurse her back to sleep. 9/10 times it works. Honestly, can’t complain right now… such a stark difference from where we were last month. Side note: I track my sleep with my Oura ring, btw… had some questions about the app I featured on my stories the other day.
I’m starting to dreamstorm Keira’s first birthday!!! I have never thrown a big party besides hosting family Christmas… I am excited to go all out, because this is our first birthday as parents, and we will absolutely remember this sweet sweet time. We will also be celebrating Keira’s “Dohl”, which is her Korean first birthday. Many of our close friends became parents the same year as us, so it will just be a really fun time with all of our babies.
🧠 Mom Brain Moment: The other day, I put on oven mitts to wash the dishes.
Life Lately: things worth sharing
For anyone struggling to keep up with baby books or printing photos: check out Mootsh (reminder, no ads here!). I was at my friend Remi's house and she showed me this subscription where you pick 10 photos a month, and they print and send them to you. Instantly sold, haha. It saves me a trip to Walgreens, and in the spirit of not overthinking, it feels like money well spent to document Keira’s first year. I may even just write on the backs of the photos since writing in her baby book is starting to feel like something I’ll never get around to.
Solids are going well, but intentionally still going slow (following Keira’s lead). She drinks a little homemade meat stock every day for gut health, and besides making sure she’s eating foods with iron, the rest is mostly exploratory. I love these cute baby jars, and these freezer trays for meat stock and bone broth. This month, I want to try giving Keira a lamb chop — getting a little more into baby-led weaning now that I’m feeling more confident. I’ve never actually made a lamb chop before, but Keira is getting me more excited to cook and try new things.
These teething sticks are Keira’s absolute fave. It feels good on her gums, and we can dip them in purees/yogurt. It’s probably her favorite thing to hang onto right now. Thanks to my good friend Gabby for the reco!
I get asked a lot about my to-go mugs. I’ve had these Luxey cups for about 5 years now. It’s my favorite cup, because it has the best lid in my opinion. I just went on their site and ordered a new one that’s ceramic inside with the same lid. I wish I’d spent the extra few bucks to get it engraved with my name, though — oh well!
Currently reading There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather. Insightful read on Scandinavian culture and how we can takeaway valuable lessons for raising more resilient, confident kids here in the U.S. It’s also a reminder that while it’s easy to say, “Nope, it’s too cold,” we’ve got to open the windows and get outside for that fresh air. Literally only good things come from it.
Bonus: Personal Joy–Writing this newsletter, honestly. It feels so cozy here. I’m so grateful for this new space to share my thoughts and connect with you all. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite corners of the Internet.
Ask Me Anything!
Q: How was your postpartum hair loss journey?
A: Not as bad as I thought? For the first several weeks, it was a lot of hair falling out, and I sureeely thought I’d be bald, but then one day it stopped. I think it really only lasted about 8 weeks for me (October-November), and since then, I’ve had just normal hair loss. I think I’m in the clear???
Q: Pregnant with my first! Do you think we can wait to setup nursery since the baby will sleep in our room?
A: YES! If you’re feeling overwhelmed with prep for baby, I certainly think you can put the nursery on hold until baby arrives. You may not have as much time or energy to paint or do major renovations (something to consider), but beyond that, I think it could be worthwhile to wait and see how your needs evolve.
While decorating Kiwi’s nursery brought me soooo much joy, we have yet to use it (7+ months in). We currently have zero plans to transition her to her own room(let alone crib), since we all sleep together in one bed at night. Every family is different, so you may find you want the nursery a lot sooner. For us, though, I think our needs have vastly changed, and I don’t know if/when/how we will use that room.
No major regrets, though! The recliner was a great purchase and is now in our bedroom. Thankfully, beyond the crib and recliner, the rest of the furniture was stuff we already owned.
Q: Do you nurse to sleep for naps?
A: Yep, I do! Nursing to sleep has been the easiest, most natural way to settle Keira for naps. It works for us, and I don’t stress about “sleep associations” or “bad habits.” Right now, it feels right for this season, and that’s what matters most to me.
That said, every baby is different! Some moms love nursing to sleep, while others find a different rhythm that works better for them. No one way is the way — just the way that works for you and your baby. 😊
✨ Each month I’ll pick a few questions to answer in this roundup! These questions can be submitted via email, IG, or in the comments section below.
See you next month, mamas!
This space feels so cozy, it’s always a pleasure reading you, Jules 🥰
As I’m 39 weeks pregnant tomorrow and waiting impatiently for baby to arrive, I was wondering: in hindsight, what are your top tips/recommendations/advice for a first time mom/family?🤍