Tales of a New Mom

the honest first year, night by night

3 a.m.

It’s 3am. You’re doing fine.

Honest guides to late pregnancy, postpartum recovery and the newborn weeks, from a first-time mom about eighteen months ahead of you — what it feels like, what's normal, and what to do tonight.

The latest entry · Is This Normal?

Colic in Babies: What It Is and How Long It Lasts

Colic in babies is hours of crying in a healthy baby, also called PURPLE crying. When it starts, when it peaks and ends, what helps, and when to call.

Colic is long, intense, hard-to-soothe crying in a baby who is otherwise healthy and growing. The AAP says about one-fifth of all babies develop it, usually between the second and fourth weeks, and that colicky crying generally stops by 3 to 4 months, though it can last until 6 months. You may also hear it called the Period of PURPLE Crying. It is not caused by anything you did. Have your pediatrician check her once to rule out a medical reason, then the job is soothing what you can, putting her down safely when you can’t, and never shaking her.

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Start with the hard part

Newborn Sleep Survival Guide: The First 12 Weeks Newborn Sleep Survival Guide: The First 12 Weeks How newborn sleep really works in weeks 0–12 — what's normal at each stage, what helps tonight, and how to survive until it gets easier, from a mom just ahead.

Browse by stage

102 entries

Earlier entries

November 2026

How to Trim Newborn Nails While Baby Sleeps

Trimming newborn nails while baby sleeps: file or clip, timing it to deep sleep, what to do if you nick a finger, and when scratch mittens actually make sense.

Is This Normal?

October 2026

the first year

Baby by Week

Week-by-week and month-by-month newborn guides — what’s developing, what’s normal at each stage, and what actually helps.

weeks 1 to 52

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  11. 11

months 1 to 12

  2. 2 mo
  3. 3 mo
  4. 4 mo
  5. 5 mo
  6. 6 mo
  7. 7 mo
  8. 8 mo
  9. 9 mo
  10. 10 mo
  11. 11 mo
  12. 12 mo

7 weeks with their own entry11 months with their own entry45 weeks and 1 month with none yet

the first 24 hoursYour Newborn's First 24 Hours: What to Expect
week oneC-Section Recovery, Week One: An Honest Play-by-Play
the first weekBreastfeeding the First Week: Day-by-Day Reality
weeks 1–3Newborn Peeling Skin: What's Normal in Weeks 1–3
the first 6 weeksPostpartum Recovery Week by Week: The First 6 Weeks
the first 12 weeksNewborn Sleep Survival Guide: The First 12 Weeks
12 weeksFourth Trimester Survival: Getting Through 12 Weeks
By week 7
By month 11
Across several weeks 7

Browse by stage

8 entries
Pregnancy & Birth

Third-trimester prep, labor signs and birth stories told honestly — what things actually feel like when it’s your first time.

all 8 →
15 entries
Postpartum Recovery

Your body and mind after birth, week by honest week — healing timelines, c-section recovery, and when to call your OB.

all 15 →
21 entries
Baby by Week

Week-by-week and month-by-month newborn guides — what’s developing, what’s normal at each stage, and what actually helps.

all 21 →
26 entries
Is This Normal?

Newborn noises, skin, spit-up and strange little behaviors explained — what’s normal, what helps, and when to call the pediatrician.

all 26 →
32 entries
Sleep & Feeding

Problem-shaped help for newborn sleep and feeding — cluster feeding, bassinet refusal, witching hours and nights that fall apart.

all 32 →

Written by someone just ahead of you

Nora Callahan

I'm Nora — first-time mom to a busy eighteen-month-old, and a former project manager who made a spreadsheet for everything and still got surprised by all of it. I write the guides I needed at 3am: what things actually feel like, what's normal, and what genuinely helped — with the medical stuff left to pediatricians and OBs, where it belongs. You're doing fine.

more about me