So, I’ve never given birth to a baby, but over the last 9 months of trying to bring this meal planning product to life, there were many moments when I wondered, “Do I have a child or a product?” I’m sure every new mom or new entrepreneur has had these moments. And for those that have done both, you all are amazing beyond words.
- You fantasize about what it’ll be like when it grows up
I am constantly daydreaming that this product will grow up to do real good for the world - You make sacrifices for it
I’ve realized I just can’t do all the things I used to do. I’ve had to miss out on a lot and made many lifestyle changes so this can all work. - You read books and blogs to get ready
What are the best development methods? What are the best products for it? I’ve realized the more I read, the more confused I get, and the best method is to just go with my intuition. - You’ll get a lot of unsolicited opinions on how to do it best
But I always remind myself, only I know what’s best for my baby, and I can never lose sight of that. - Sleep deprivation comes with the territory
I am someone that needs 8 hours of sleep but if the life of your product means losing a few hours, those 8 hours don’t feel that necessary anymore. However, this lack of sleep does make me want to bawl my eyes out over anything and everything. - You must push!
When crunch time came and I had to get my hands dirty in our code, I was incredibly scared of pushing that code. Here’s a conversation that went down between my developer and me:Jen: Jess, you need to push!
Jess: What if I poop all over the table?
Jen: I just won’t tell you that it happened, and I’ll clean it up and pretend it never happenedI imagine this is what also happens in the delivery room, no?
- Your body reacts in weird ways
Weird pains. Swelling. Abnormal sweating. Discomfort. Inability to sleep. Check, check, check, check, and check. - The birth is only the beginning
I keep saying, I just need to get to the due date and then I can ease up. That is clearly so, so not what’s going to happen - You’re afraid you’ll break it
It seems so fragile, and I was so scared of breaking it. I was new to coding, and there were so many times that I felt that I had no idea what I was doing. Luckily this baby is resilient to a lot of my idiocy - You can’t stop staring at it
I keep looking at it and am completely in awe that I made this - In the meltdown moments, you ask, “Why did I want to do this again?”
I gave up grooming, exercise, sleep, and my generally awesome, easy, and cushy life so I can deal with this crap? - Because it is your baby
I have not created a real live baby, but for now this product is my baby. I’ve put a lot of my hopes and dreams into it and have loved it so much, even way before it was born.
See what my baby looks like