Creating And Raising a Baby is a Wild Ride!
On my seven year anniversary of becoming pregnant with our firstborn child, I find myself thinking deeply about all that we women experience in the world of fertility, pregnancy, and new motherhood.
Now, to be clear, I’m NOT thinking about this because we are planning on a third child (NOOO!!! I can barely handle two!) but rather because I know several people close to me who are in the process of trying to get pregnant, or are deep in the learning that comes with a newborn baby.

It all made me realize that I have never before put together all the articles I’ve written on the topic into an organized resource. This is particularly shocking because do you know what the #1 most popular article of all time is on this here travel blog? It’s my “Strange Pregnancy Symptoms” article, which just passed 95,800 reads today!
Who knew that the most read post on a travel blog would be about the journey to… motherhood?! Now without further ado I give you this list of helpful pregnancy and new baby articles which I hope you’ll forward to anyone who could benefit from them.
Pregnancy Stories and New Mom Tales
Being pregnant is strange, funny, confusing, and weird. These stories will make you feel less alone in the odd things that happen to a body while growing life.
In the second half of the list, you'll learn tips and advice about the "Fourth Trimester" or newborn stage, including tales of nursing non-stop, getting a first passport, dividing chores with a partner, and travel with baby!
12 Strange, Funny Pregnancy Symptoms of Months 1-4
Early pregnancy symptoms are nothing I expected. Sneezing?! What the heck? Click through and laugh, perhaps with an exclamation of recognition.
20 Funny Pregnancy Symptoms of the Third Trimester
Superhuman sense of smell? Changing belly sizes in a day?! As your due date grows closer, so do the odd and hilarious side effects of growing a human inside.
Hilarious Pic: Flexing My Abs Makes a Pregnant Triangle!
Speaking of strange pregnancy symptoms... turns out I wasn't the only one who got a triangle-shaped belly! Find out why, plus see some photographic evidence of this phenomenon.
A Secret To Happy Pregnancy From West Africa Travel
I figured out the hard way the mistake a lot of women make during pregnancy, and it had a lot to do with a mistake I made during travel in Ghana. Find out what it was here.
Pregnant AND Toddler: 17 Tips to Help Home and Travel
Pregnancy is hard, but carrying a baby in your womb AND chasing a toddler is often even harder! Here is a detailed trimester-by-trimester guide to how to manage both your belly and child, both at home and on the road.
Why I Traveled to Dubai, 5 Months Pregnant and Alone!
Being pregnant doesn't mean you have to stop seeing the world! Learn about why I took a solo trip to the U.A.E. while in the second trimester of my second pregnancy, and what it was like.
Maternity Dresses: 8 Secrets for Fashion and Comfort
Finding clothes that fit when you're pregnant can be tricky, but when you find the combination of dresses, shirts, pants, and leggings that work, it's a game-changer for comfort. Here are my top tips for feeling good in what you and your belly wear.
The Frustration of Wanting to Be Pregnant But...
This article is a throwback to 2010, three years before I had my first child. In this post, I was explaining how I did want to be traveling the world alone, but I knew I wanted children in the future, and didn't know how that would happen. Little did I know that a few months later at my Welcome Back to America party, I would meet the person who became my husband and the father of our kids!
What Do New Mothers Do All Day (and Night)? One Word.
Congratulations on having your baby! Now the Fourth Trimester begins: those first months where your newborn is doing a certain thing at all hours of the day and night. Check out this chart of what it is...
Getting the First Passport for Your Child: A Warning
I would recommend applying for your baby's passport as soon as possible (Maternity Leave is ideal) so you don't have to rush at the last minute for an unexpected trip. Just make sure you don't make the mistakes on the forms and with timing like we did, explained here...
How to Travel With a Baby: 11 Tips to Make it Easy!
Though baby travel can seem daunting, in many ways it's easier than toddler travel, so take those trips now before the walking starts. Here is a list of what to pack and do for road trips, airplanes, and more.
Clothes to Pack for Travel as a Fashionable New Mother
Though I found any shirt fine for nursing as long as you pack a nursing cover, it's fun to have at least one specialty nursing dress or top with hidden side slits like this one.
You Gotta Experience It to Get It, With Travel and Baby
There are some things that only first-hand experience allow you to understand. This article relates travel to India to the reality of having your own baby. Both are... WOW.
The Original Exploration We ALL Took, Illustrated
One of the miracles of new babies is they remind us all that we didn't used to know. This post uses the example of our son discovering and exploring his own fist -- a research project which took him weeks to do!
The First Haircut for Baby: It Really Had to Happen!
At some point you may decide those adorable baby curls need a trim. It can be a surprisingly fraught decision, so this article explains the thought process and reassures you that it will be ok. Cute illustrations of a first haircut included.
My Husband Crocheted These Outfits For Our Baby?!
My husband needed something to calm his nerves in the months before our second baby arrived, so he took up crocheting. If you want a laugh, plus some artistic inspiration, check out the kid outfits he created! My favorite is the giant purple star with our daughter's face peeking out...
8 Practical Tips for Juggling Family, Career, and Sanity: From Oats to Coaches
These 8 concrete strategies help make being a working mom possible. Pay special attention to the exercise where you write out and clearly divide chores with your partner! It has saved us.
A 1st Birthday Party: Tips in 7 Funny But True Steps
Congratulations on making it to one year of parenthood! Now the big question: What is a "Smash Cake" and how can it go wrong? Hehe. See photos here of what I'm talking about with the big first birthday party.
Tired as a Mother? Go Beyond a Spa Day for Mom Burnout: Solo Travel Momcation!
Pregnancy and motherhood are absolute gifts -- miracles in fact -- yet through this all, we must remember that we are also human individuals: People who also need to take care of our own selves. If and when the time comes that you're ready for a night or more of solo travel self-care, here are instructions for how to make it work for everyone. Enjoy!
We Are NOT Meant to Create and Raise Life ALONE.
I’m sharing these articles with you today because it’s hard enough to be pregnant and raise young children — blessing though it is — but it’s even harder to do it in isolation. We need to know that others have gone through similar wild and crazy things, and that we are not alone!
Please use these articles for a laugh, for concrete advice, and to feel better, but please also reach out to others in your community, family, and online for the support that every single one of us needs to powerfully move through this massive set of transitions.

From Tricks to Get Pregnant, to Gender Swaying…
It was my community that got me through every aspect of pregnancy and new motherhood, and I send them my deepest thanks now. Sometimes it’s the most random and peripheral community members that give the most impactful tips.
For getting pregnant, it was the friend of a friend who taught me about the FertilityFriend app and the paper and digital (affiliate links coming) ovulation tests which helped pinpoint the 3-5 days a month that a gal is actually fertile. It was a fellow blogger who tipped me off to the the best acupuncture and womb masseuse (yes, Mayan womb massage exists, and is excellent) for trying to conceive — all of which I’m convinced worked together for success.
One of the biggest surprises came from the sister of a friend who overheard me wondering about the tricks to naturally getting pregnant with a girl, and tipped me off to the famous book on “gender swaying” by doctor Shettles (check it out at the affiliate there). I can’t guarantee the results for others, but I will say that after doing everything in the book, we were indeed able to have a girl! And a girl as stubborn as her Mama, at that.
Miracles of the Human Body and Spirit.
There has been so much about the journey through pregnancy and motherhood which has astounded me. On one hand, it’s felt shocking and jarring how much people didn’t tell me about what I would encounter. On the other hand, what a miracle to learn of previously unknown superpowers of one’s own body, and to experience the support of community when it appears.
What’s YOUR Experience with Pregnancy and Motherhood?
In the comments below, I would love if you would share anything that has stood out to you on your own fertility, pregnancy, and new parent voyage. Each of us has SUCH a different story, and I would love to hear yours!

The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Sarah
Tuesday 21st of April 2020
Loving these stories and wish I had read them when I was pregnant :)
Lillie Marshall
Tuesday 21st of April 2020
Hoping to share them so others can see the ideas before they give birth!
Darla
Monday 20th of April 2020
Great thoughts here. I am sure it must be especially stressful to be pregnant at this time.
Lillie Marshall
Monday 20th of April 2020
Pregnancy always has its ups and downs, and the context of what's going on in the world certain has its effects on mood and logistics!
Merryl
Monday 20th of April 2020
Great post! Really insightful
Lillie Marshall
Monday 20th of April 2020
Thanks, Merryl!
Laura
Sunday 19th of April 2020
I wish I knew about this blog a year ago, when I was pregnant with our first son Luca. All the information is so valuable as you experience such weird things during pregnancy and I remember myself searching for everything on the internet! Really nice posts, Ill keep updated for more :)
Lillie Marshall
Monday 20th of April 2020
Thanks, Laura, and hope Luca is doing well!
Vlera
Sunday 19th of April 2020
Everything in this blog is sooo cute, I hopeall the best for you and your family
Lillie Marshall
Sunday 19th of April 2020
Thanks so much, Vlera! Sometimes things about pregnancy (like triangle belly) are more strange than cute, but you make a good point that it's nice to see the fun in everything!