Welcome to the Chaos.
I’m a mom of three under three and the founder of the jewelry brand Alison Lou. After navigating the wild ride of early motherhood—while running a business—I’ve pretty much tried it all. This is a space to share the products, tips, and real-life advice I’m constantly texting to friends who are overwhelmed by all the noise. Think of me as your shortcut through it all.
To kick things off, I figured I’d start from the beginning: the birth of my first child, my son Benjamin.
I was induced at 41.5 weeks. He was extremely stubborn and had zero plans of coming out on his own. I was really hoping for labor to start naturally, but that wasn’t his story (or mine). When I checked into the hospital, I was just 1 cm dilated—and he was cozy. Honestly, I would’ve been too given what I was eating during that pregnancy.
The doctor started me with a Foley balloon. Pro tip: always ask the resident to insert it, not your OB. Residents do it all day long—your OB, not so much. It took three tries to get it in, and even then, it didn’t do much.
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