I got questions yesterday after I sent my email out to you. A lot of the questions were for more about me, and some of them were more about my website. I wanted to answer those questions - the ones about the site on the blog, with a couple more video clips (I'm like a kid at... well, Christmas, with this video software ;p) If you have more questions, just let me know. There are more than 2,000 moms on this list so I can't promise a personal response - but I'll try and answer on the blog.

http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/Questions

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I'll tell you a little more about my story now:

I actually think we're a lot alike - when I got pregnant with my first baby, I was working outside the home. I worried about what would be best for my baby. How could I balance working and being with her? Eventually I decided to leave my job, but that didn’t solve my problems. I was home with my baby, but I spent every day worried. I felt like I wasn't contributing enough to the family. And I sometimes wondered if I was losing the “me” while mothering day in and day out.

I did want personal fulfillment - and I hated the little looks I got (mostly from other women!) - as if being a mom meant I had “let myself go” or was “just a mom.”

I wanted money for my family - knowing that I was contributing in a tangible way was important to me. Plus I wanted the added security so I could really relax and enjoy my child. I wanted her (and them) to have a *happy*, *relaxed* mother.

I'll tell you what though, I felt torn. I wanted to feel like I was spending as much time as I should with my baby - that I wasn’t compromising my baby in any way as I pursued a fulfilling career. ...But I didn't want to feel like was sacrificing my baby for money at a job, either. Which was really better, the stress of working a job or the stress of not having enough money while I was a stay-at-home mom?

I started to look at work-from-home opportunities. There were so many out there, so one could work for me, right?

But I was frustrated because all these work-at-home schemes seemed so complex. They all required me buy products, or sell products, or had a complicated multi-level-marketing structure I just didn't "get." On top of that, most of them required that I set up appointments, cold calls, or work on someone else's time... ...how was I supposed to care for my baby if I had to schedule all of that in? Where was the freedom?

What I decided to do was find something I could do online - and something that made sense to me. Something with a proven record that I could do step-by-step. I started the same way I always start - I looked for something to read. I devoured all the information I could find. I'll admit, so much of it was way over my head (or I got the feeling that the $1500.00 they wanted at the end of their sales page was a scam...)

Then I found a book. One book, a free book, that had things laid out clearly, and step-by-step. It was so well laid out that I not only got it, I could easily fit the process into my life. I could do a step, or part of a step, then stop and care for my little ones. I could pick up where I left off when they went off to sleep ;)

I learned how to use my passion – what made me excited – to build a website online. The system the book recommended was great. It worked. Step-by-step I was writing content and building a website. I was able to get online and share something I loved. I was totally excited! This project was all me, and it gave me inspiration and a goal. It was personally fulfilling to me – and it didn't steal my time with my kids. I worked when I wanted to (usually when the kids slept!) – I didn't have to obey anyone else’s scheduling.

Not only did I get to share what I loved... I got people to listen. It started slowly, but I built up the traffic to my website. The site was there, and other women were finding it and benefitting from it! After building it up, I started recommending products and taking some advertising... I was making money, online, and at home. I had the security I craved, and I had the time for my family.

I had a solution that's not too complicated – business is not supposed to be complicated. Once you figure things out, it should just work. And it shouldn't take all of your time. What's the point of working at home if you still don’t have any time for your family?

Anyways, like I said yesterday, I've thought about sharing this with you for awhile, but it was the survey that really made me take action on it. I also wanted to reply to your questions from yesterday, so here it is. My story - with its happy ending :)

Remember you can check out the questions about the site here:

http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/Questions

~Kristen

P.S. I really want to thank you for just how much you do to make my website a success. It means a ton to me that I'm able to help women have healthier pregnancies and good births. And I've loved seeing the healthy, happy babies posted to the baby gallery. When I think about what I want most in life, it's to help babies be born - maybe not as a midwife or doula - I'm not sure if that's for me. But I love to write, and I love knowing that what I write touches your life, even in just a tiny way. So thank you for giving me that opportunity, and sharing your birth stories, your bellies, babies, and your questions with me - and the thousands of other women who visit the site every day.

P.P.S If you missed the book I gave out yesterday, you can get it here: http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/ForYou

After you've picked that up, go ahead and check out the answers to the rest of the questions I received: