Hadley Brennan

I spent eight years catching babies at Scripps Memorial in San Diego, and honestly, I thought I knew everything about postpartum life. Then I had Beau in 2019, and my hormones decided to throw me a curveball I wasn't expecting. The crash was real—like, crying-in-the-Target-parking-lot real. My husband Ryan kept suggesting I talk to someone, and I did, but what actually helped me climb out was writing. Not journaling (I tried, lasted four days). I mean writing actual thoughts that other people might read. I started a little blog mostly to process the fog I was in, and it turned out a lot of y'all were in that same fog, just trying to figure out which baby carrier wouldn't wreck your back or whether those expensive nipple creams were worth it.

I grew up in Charleston, where my mama taught me that honesty delivered with warmth beats fake niceness every time. After nursing school at MUSC, I moved west for a travel nursing gig and never left. Now I'm in Encinitas with Ryan (he's in commercial real estate), Wren (she's seven and currently obsessed with rock collecting), and Beau (four, obsessed with trucks and refusing pants). Between school pickups and trying to keep our yard alive in this drought, I test products that real parents actually use. Not the luxury stuff that shows up in gift suites—the thing you're about to buy at 11pm because you're desperate and the reviews on Amazon are all over the place.

Here's the thing: I'm not getting kickbacks from Big Stroller or whatever. I buy most of this stuff myself, and when brands send me things, I'll tell you that up front. My nursing background means I'm pretty skeptical of wellness claims and marketing language that sounds scientific but isn't. I'm just a tired mom with opinions and a little bit of extra time during Beau's preschool hours. If I can save you from buying something that'll end up in a garage sale six months from now, or point you toward something that genuinely makes life easier, that's enough for me.