Our favorite thing about Solly Baby is you; the community of parents doing the beautiful, messy, important work of raising little ones. And the more we have the privilege of getting to know you (over emails and DMs and social media and real-life bump-ins), the more we’re inspired by your stories. So much so that we knew we needed a way to share them. Which is how our Full Heart Series came to be. As we share stories from moms around the world, we hope you’ll find something here that resonates, encourages, and reminds you that parenting with a full heart comes in many forms. Enjoy.
Let's start with a quick introduction.
Name: Aly Lamoreaux
Children: Cade (20 months), Noa (4 months)
Location: Washington State
Occupation: Writer (for Solly!)
Solly: What’s a “full heart” moment you experienced recently?
My toddler is in a super sweet stage where, right before bedtime, he ceases all squirminess (a miracle), crawls up into my lap, and drinks his milk while I read to him. Often, I’m wearing my daughter in the Solly Wrap at the same time and having the two of them snuggled up close at the end of the day just feels like pure magic.
Solly: Birth stories?
With my first, I was in labor for 31 hours total. I wanted so badly to deliver without an epidural and did SO much prep work in advance for it. Long story short, after laboring for 26 hours and throwing up with every single contraction (even after they gave me every nausea med under the sun), I got an epidural, labored for five more hours, and welcomed our baby boy after three hours of pushing, three failed vacuum attempts, and one last push. He came six days after his due date.
With our little girl, labor and delivery was three hours start to finish. I woke up in the middle of the night to super strong contractions about three minutes apart and was in complete denial that I was actually in labor because it was eight days before my due date. After 30 minutes of consistent, strong contractions, I called my husband (who's a firefighter and was working an overnight shift) and told him he needed to make the 45-minute drive home. By the time we got to the hospital, I was already in transition. They got me into a room FAST and found that I was 9cm dilated. Two pushes later, our baby girl arrived sans epidural! It was exhilarating, empowering, and completely shocking.
Solly: Something that's surprised you about motherhood?
Motherhood has been incredibly redemptive for me. My mother struggled with addiction throughout my childhood, and we didn't have much of a relationship growing up. Becoming a mother myself has felt like a second chance—an opportunity to be present for my kids in a way that my mom wasn't able to be for me. But the most redemptive piece of the story actually circles back to my mom. She is just about to celebrate eight years of sobriety, and spends one day a week babysitting my kids. Watching her love them has been one of the most beautiful, healing experiences of my adult life.
Solly: What was the fourth trimester like with your second baby?
Oh man. It was amazing, and it was also really hard, which is just kind of a good summary of motherhood in general. I was on maternity leave for the entirety of my fourth trimester, and that was such a gift as we adjusted to life as a family of four, but man—the transition from one to two has been way tougher than zero to one for me. I think partially because there's such a small age gap between our kids (16 months), and because my fourth trimester fell during the gloomiest time of year weather-wise here in the Pacific Northwest. It's been a steep learning curve trying to figure out how to care for an infant while being present with a busy toddler who was used to having my sole attention. At the same time, my fourth trimester was super sweet. We spent so much quality time together as a family, worried a lot less about the little stuff since it was our second time around, and my physical healing was much smoother than after my first birth.
Solly: Something you loved to do pre-kids that you would like to start up again?
So often, I think there's this pressure to get back to your old self postpartum. I think it's a pressure that comes from society in some ways, but also one that we place on ourselves. I've felt it twice now—that desperation to just feel like myself again and jump back into the hobbies and rhythms that were part of my life pre-baby. In reality, I don't think we ever really go back to our old selves as mothers. Every time we welcome a new baby into our lives, we welcome a new iteration of ourselves, too. And with that, new iterations of interests and hobbies. All that to say—I've always loved fitness, cooking, and being creative—and I'm excited to figure out how to weave those things into my life in a way that sparks joy now as a mother of two.
Solly: Define motherhood in five words or less.
Coolest job I’ve ever had.
Solly: Pregnancy cravings/aversions?
Cravings: soft serve, fresh-pressed juice, a crispy Diet Coke (*MUST be a fountain drink, no cans or bottles!)
Aversions: Eggs, ground beef, broccoli
Solly: Three must-have baby items?
1. Solly Wrap (duh!)
2. A really comfy chair. I'm obsessed with ours!
3. All the burp cloths (and here’s the thing: people will tell you that the muslin ones are awesome. I respectfully disagree. They’re always too small and dry weird after they’re washed. I like these ones wayyyy better.)
Solly: Something you didn't put on your registry that you wish you would have?
Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Spray. I didn't have it on my registry for our first, but I did for our second! Kids are just messy and with two under two, we're constantly dealing with spit up and blowouts and food stains and who even knows what. We've used this stuff on clothes, carpet, furniture, EVERYTHING and it's easily the most effective stain treater we've used.
Solly: What three items are in your motherhood starter pack?
1. Coffee
2. A really good support system
3. Endless grace for yourself
Solly: What Solly items do you have?
I've got everything, baby! The Wrap is an obvious favorite—I have seven and counting and they have saved my life with the transition from one to two. Our youngest has had super bad gas and reflux, and being in the wrap is one of the easiest ways to help regulate her system and keep her calm, especially during the witching hour. It’s also my favorite way to give her tummy time when our toddler is running wild around the house!
Some other product favorites:
Our Women's Sleep Set: Listen, I've never been a real pajama girl (I just lived in big t-shirts), but these have changed my life. They're SO soft, so flattering, so breathable. I wore them all throughout pregnancy and postpartum, and love how put-together they make me feel even when I'm running on three hours of sleep and have spit up in my hair.
The Swaddle: To be honest, I wasn't able to appreciate how amazing our swaddles were until I had our second because swaddling is an *art form*, and as a first-time mom, having a velcro swaddle felt way easier. But let me tell you, my poor firstborn was missing out! Our swaddles are SO soft and dreamy, and really beautiful. I'm obsessed. They make the perfect lightweight blanket once babies are out of the swaddling stage, too!
Solly: Rapid-fire round…ready, go!
Favorite indulgence: These sourdough chocolate chip cookies
Best children’s book: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Drink of choice: In the morning: Iced double espresso, At night: Topo Chico
Fave sans-kids activity: A sweaty workout or a glass of wine + chatting with girlfriends
Motherhood topic you could talk about forever: The mental load of motherhood
