Where it started.

I’m a new mom, and like a lot of new moms, I thought I had some idea of what to expect.

Day three of feeding my baby showed me just how wrong I was. Suddenly, I was holding a screaming, colicky baby who seemed absolutely miserable every time she ate, and I had no idea why.

I talked to pediatricians, paused breast feeding, tried just about every baby formula in existence, changed bottles, and when none of it made a difference I started breast feeding again. I burped her how the internet told me to. I held her upright. Bought an inclined bassinet. Joined every mom group on Facebook. Gave her gas drops, gripe water, and probiotic drops. I investigated lip ties and baby chiropractors.

Basically, if another exhausted mom on the internet said it worked, I probably tried it.

After all of that, turns out my little one has multiple food allergies, and while I was ecstatic to learn why she was in so much pain, it brought on a whole new problem. Figuring out what I could actually eat became one more thing on an already very long list of things I suddenly had to learn.

I found myself standing in grocery store aisles reading ingredient labels and Googling ingredients (what really is a natural flavor anyways?). Finding something that looked safe, only to realize it contained one of the things I needed to avoid. And constantly asking the same questions:

Okay… so what CAN I eat? And honestly, why does everything have soy in it?!

And I kept wishing there was just one place I could go and say, “I need something without these ingredients. Just show me what I can buy.”

That’s how Modern Mama Project started.

At first, I was trying to solve my own problem. But somewhere in the middle of all those late-night searches, I realized there had to be other moms doing exactly the same thing.

Other moms reading labels while holding a gassy, fussy baby. Other moms trying to figure out what to make for dinner when more than half the pantry suddenly feels off-limits. Other moms who are tired, hungry, overwhelmed, and just want someone to make one part of this a little easier.

So I decided to build the thing I kept looking for. Modern Mama Project is for me, but it’s also for you.

Because being a new mom is hard enough.

Finding something to eat shouldn’t be.

Andreia

First-Time Mom, Founder, and Somehow Still Awake