Get Down with The Letdown: An Overview

Welcome to The Letdown! It's been waiting for you...

I am so glad you are here. I’m glad I’m here. Here’s a bit more about me, why I started The Letdown, and what you can expect as a reader. 

About Me

Espresso shots: two. Days since last shower: also two. Photo credit: me.

I’m a Gemini vegetarian…just kidding. I am a Leo, I eat two-faced Geminis! Also kidding. I’m a Leo sun, Leo moon, Capricorn rising if that tells you anything…and lions also eat goats so not sure what that ultimately says about me. I’m also a 1:1 Enneagram Four, also known as the intense creative. I tell you this because most of my life I felt alone and like an outsider - like something was missing. So I spend a lot of time searching for the missing piece or the answer that will unlock it all, hence the astrology, the DiSC profile (I am an “i” - why is the “i” the only lower case one? I like being different but not minimized!), the Myers-Briggs (ENFJ), and the Enneagram.  I stare into the depths of myself like a marine biologist studying a tidal pool. It changes and doesn’t change but the missing thing never washes in. (I did find the fifty pairs of sunglasses my dad lost in the ocean over the years.) 

Then I became a mom through three extraordinary experiences. In 2016, my oldest daughter was born at 29 weeks and two days. We welcomed her brother three weeks early in 2019, and he was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome. In late 2019 I put the ultimate goalie in place - an IUD - but in 2022 my youngest daughter was born on her due date in spite of the 0.01% odds. 

Third time’s a charm! One hour into the pitocin drip. Photo credit: hubs

So now I feel like Tom Hanks on Castaway but I don’t even have a Wilson! That’s not exactly true, I also have three stepsons and we have lots of Wilsons in a special ball holder in our garage. Because balls need special holders. 

The truth is I’m not alone, and neither are you, and this whole motherhood journey is hard and absurd and joyful and rich. Like the montage scene in Barbie when she’s deciding whether or not to be human - she sees it all and picks it anyway. 

Why I started The Letdown 

I struggled to breastfeed my first two kiddos and true to my nature, turned over every rock looking for the magic bullet to increase my supply. I can’t even look at a breast pump now. Third time’s the charm, and the experience with my third surprise baby went surprisingly well. I started a journaling process during that experience which I published into a book. I love writing and wanted a quick get-in, get-out way to get my thoughts down on paper and connect with others (think well run school drop-off versus afternoon delight but let’s be honest well run school drop-off is very sexy).  The Letdown is my creative outlet to process my experiences. And to help sell boob journals if I’m honest. 

Breastfeeding: beautiful and exhausting. Photo credit: my three year old

The vibe with The Letdown is just like it sounds. I am trying to capture both that relief and release when your milk comes in and the panic when it comes in at the wrong time (on your white shirt during a business meeting). It’s the same with the highs and lows of motherhood. 

What I Write About: 

• Breastfeeding 

• Pumping 

• Pediatric hospital stays

• Raising children with disabilities 

• Preterm labor

• Running (keeps me grounded)

• Self care? 

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read The Letdown) 

• Laughter

• Inquisitiveness 

• Authentic tales from the trenches of motherhood 

• A deeper look at my experiences with breastfeeding

• An invitation to stop searching and start being (this is for me, but you are invited to the party)

• A friend

What Not to Expect (aka Sh*t They Didn’t Tell You in What to Expect)

• An advice column 

• Tips and tricks - there’s enough of this being hustled over on the ‘Gram 

• Silver bullets (but a silver magic wand sure would be nice, like those wands the three fairies have in Sleeping Beauty that do all the chores…)

• Parenting methods - I’ve tried gentle parenting and gotten laughed at and screamed at 

• Taking ourselves too seriously 

• Information about astrology other than my jokes above (also, I’m a Leo so I don’t know much about other signs except my own) 

• Craft ideas (I’m not crafty as in mason jars and bows, I am crafty like a fox and what does the fox say? had to do it.)

Here are some of the essays I’ve had the most fun writing:

Bad Weaner - deciding the best time to wean my third

United States v. Kendall: The Case of the Incompetent Breastfeeder - I put myself on trial for my breastfeeding attempts

Me-time Fail - the time I tried throwing pottery and realized it’s best I stick to words

Third-time, First-time Parent - my first two babes were in the NICU and I had no idea what to do with one that wasn’t

Right now The Letdown is free, just like breastfeeding (cue deranged laughter). If I change that I will let you know but right now I don’t plan on it because let’s face it, as a mom what can you plan on except snack day at school?

Thank you for being here and joining me on this adventure. I know I don’t walk alone and I want to make sure you know you don’t either. Bottles - wine, breast pump bottles, Dr. Brown’s, Tommee Tippee (less parts!) - up!