I’m Val! I’ll bet you’re wondering how I’m qualified to give advice to other moms. The truth is, I’m not. At all. I’m not a doctor and I actually don’t have any clue what I’m doing most of the time.
I gave birth to my adorable baby boy, Humphrey Harlen, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I’m originally from Portland, Oregon but my husband and I have been traveling for the past few years. We also write a travel blog – wanderingwheatleys.com – where we give advice to fellow world travelers.
With the birth of our son has come some unique challenges. He was born 4 weeks early – my water broke while I was at the gym on the treadmill – and since he was still breech I had to have a c-section. It wasn’t what I planned but my vag is still intact so it was basically a win. He was in the NICU for a few days due to liquid in his lungs and then developed jaundice which led to lots of tears from mom on our third day in the hospital.
A few months later he got a UTI which required a 7-day stay in the hospital so he could get intravenous antibiotics. And we are fairly certain that he’s allergic to cow milk protein and soy (through my breastmilk). Plus he’s a crappy sleeper unless he’s cuddled up next to me – making naps and nighttime sleep a real chore. So our little man is pretty high maintenance!
And through it all my husband and I have had to figure things out mostly on our own. Due to COVID-19, our usual pediatrician got stuck in Israel and we’ve battled language barriers and other difficulties that come with living in another country. We’ve relied heavily on Google and trusted our instincts.
My goal for this blog is to help other moms who are going through the same challenges while adding in a bit of humor. I hope you find these articles to help you navigate the craziness of being a new mom!
Note: The articles in this blog generally refer to “moms” and “dads” specifically or “partners” generally. I do this because I am a cis female and am married to a cis male and I am relating the posts to my own life.
I fully support LGBTQ+ parents and hope that my heteronormative terms are not offensive or off-putting in any way. If you identify as an LGBTQ+ parent and would like to contribute content for this site please get in touch!