Hi! Welcome to Stuff Moms Google, a newsletter for (anxious) new moms who find themselves looking for all the answers to modern motherhood at 2am in your search bar. I’m Ashley Fenker, an essayist and freelance professional writer. While I’m no parenting expert, I AM a mom in the trenches who turns to writing to find answers. I teach new moms how to start journaling to move from anxious to calm (sounds dreamy, right?!). You can save your seat for my free journaling training right here.
If you want to get real with a new mom and have a vulnerable conversation, ask her about her Google search history. In the deep night illuminated by the glowing moon, moms find themselves frantically searching for answers to every single question that’s ever crossed their scattered minds. When will my baby sleep through the night? What’s the name of that magical swaddle? How long do I wait before I call the doctor about that rash?
motherhood: we laugh, we cry, and we google everything.
The searches tend to start with a question looking for a practical answer, like why is my baby’s poop green? When will my baby walk? But behind every “simple search” is a whole bunch of deeper questions: How do you survive the first year of motherhood? Will I ever feel like myself again? Am I a good mom?
If you’re a mom searching for your identity (with a search history full of funny and not-so-funny questions to prove it), then welcome. Come on in. Don’t be shy. We’ll kick things off with an icebreaker: what’s the last thing in your search history?
Hi, I’m Ashley! I’m a new mom looking for answers to these same 2am Google searches. For me, the idea for Stuff Moms Google came from a late-night search for “Will cabbage dry up my milk?” I stuffed cold cabbage leaves in my bra, laughed at myself, then proceeded to cry while wondering if I was a bad mom for stopping breastfeeding “too soon.” Motherhood is an emotional roller coaster that can feel incredibly lonely, so we’ll write our way through it, together.
I’m an essayist and freelance professional writer. My essays have appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Upworthy, Scary Mommy, and more. My essay collection will be published in 2025. I also created an online course called Postpartum Journaling 101. If you’re a mom who wants to start journaling, check out my free training, “5 Journaling Secrets to Thrive as a New Mom.”
When I’m not writing creatively, I’m working as a professional writer for clients like nonprofits looking for a grant writer and communications expert. Or I’m working as a mom, chasing my son around to intersect his attempts to eat cat litter (and then Googling how much is too much cat litter to consume.)
