Five days after birth, the baby smiled in her sleep. "Congratulations, may you have great fortune in the Year of the Dragon!" At midnight on January 23rd, fireworks were heard outside. Looking at my drowsy baby, I offered her my New Year's greetings. On June 30th, 2011, I officially met my baby, and just a day or two before that, due to live-tweeting my childbirth process, we became Weibo stars. Time flows without a trace, but the Weibo diary of the following half year allowed me to record my baby’s growth milestones and taught me how to be a competent “mom.”
Weibo Fame
After the bustling New Year's Eve night, on the morning of January 23rd, when my father-in-law and mother-in-law gave red envelopes to my daughter, she raised her delicate fingers and shook the envelope repeatedly with a mischievous grin, laughing until her gums showed. Her adorable appearance made me unable to resist showering her with kisses.
On the night of June 28th, 2011, at 11:30 PM, I suddenly went into water breaking for no apparent reason. On the way to the hospital, my husband wasn’t by my side yet, and apart from my parents, neither my friends nor anyone else knew my condition. Thus, I logged onto Weibo and posted the four words “my water broke.” From there, it was unstoppable. Over the next 40+ hours, between bouts of labor pain, I would go online and update the latest situation on Weibo.
At 4 PM on June 30th, my daughter was born safely. After a brief nap, I received a call from a colleague who shouted excitedly, “You’re famous!” Still dazed, I followed their instructions and logged into Weibo, where I found countless @mentions and comments, and my followers had quickly surpassed a thousand. It turned out that my colleague had written an article based on my Weibo updates, earning me the titles of "the first person to live-tweet childbirth" and "the first Weibo mom."
Subsequently, various media interviews came pouring in. My father, who had previously known almost nothing about the online world, one day asked me, “What did you write online that even my friends in Changsha know you had a child?”
Learning to Be a Mom
However, raising a child wasn't as smooth as writing Weibo posts. It was more challenging than any job I had ever done, testing both physical endurance and willpower.
In the first one or two months after my daughter's birth, her sleep schedule was irregular and often reversed day and night. As a result, I barely slept for nights on end, eventually nearly fainting in bed after 19 days. Soon after her birth, my daughter developed eye discharge, later diagnosed as blocked tear ducts. When the nurse used a needle to unblock it, my daughter cried loudly, and my hands trembled as I held hers, fearing the consequences of my decision.
Nearly six months later, my daughter started experiencing symptoms like colds, coughs, and fevers up to 39°C. Whenever she fell ill, she couldn't sleep well and cried at night, forcing me to get up and comfort her, holding her for one or two hours at a time, leading to painful "baby-holding hands."
Still, compared to these occasional minor issues, my daughter’s daily small progress brought immense joy. On the 35th day after her birth, she swam wonderfully—able to do backstroke, breaststroke, and even mimic space walking. On the 48th day, she could follow her mom's movements with her eyes. By the 62nd day, she began enjoying conversations, babbling nonstop. By the 68th day, she could play on her own for two hours while watching a mobile crib bell. Around the 80th day, she tried to put her entire fist in her mouth, sucking so intensely that she let out loud cries, truly showing what drooling meant.
These experiences, indescribable in books, I recorded one by one on Weibo, causing waves among mother-level fans who shared their parenting experiences, accompanying me and my baby as we grew together.
Netizen Interactions
Netizen “qillsc”: I followed you during your stay-at-home pregnancy period. Watching your live-tweeting of the childbirth process made me anxious along with you. Later, naming the baby together, seeing you take her to the hospital for tear duct flushing, I felt so heartbroken. Then I also had a baby, and I gradually experienced the same pain and joy as you. In short, as mothers, let's keep cheering each other on.
Netizen “Xiajiahengheng”: The fear of childbirth disappeared after reading Sichenyang mom's Weibo.
Netizen “Tuma's Parenting Diary”: Let us cheer you on together; it's an unforgettable experience for all of us.
Selected Baby Growth Weibo Posts
● August 1st, 2011
Today was the first time I took the baby to get vaccinated. She handled it well, crying for less than a minute when the needle went in. However, it broke my heart when the doctor said she needed to wash her eyes because she always had eye discharge. Watching a whole bottle of medicine poured into her eyes, hearing her cry loudly, broke my heart, but luckily, she stopped crying once it ended.
● August 17th, 2011
Potty training the baby is like a battle between two people. My strategy is "observe carefully and act opportunistically," while hers is "attack unexpectedly." Ultimately, the result is that my pants get wet, just varying in size each time.
● September 10th, 2011
Yesterday, the baby returned to grandma’s house, and her schedule readjusted. After drinking milk at 2 AM and not sleeping, I comforted her for half an hour with no effect. Eventually, I hugged her and fell asleep myself, letting her move around freely. Around 4 AM, I suddenly woke up and realized she had fallen asleep sometime earlier. Ha ha, such a good girl!
● October 4th, 2011
The baby is so interesting. She didn't sleep for half a day, just sucking her fingers. When her grandma pretended to hit her and asked, "What's this?" she responded with a sweet smile. Her grandma couldn't help but laugh. Truly impressive!
● November 11th, 2011
I don't know when it started, but the baby's ability to imitate actions has become so strong: when my dad sways his body while making wine, she follows suit; when I show her how to brush her teeth by extending my index finger, she does the same. Immediately, I extend my thumb to praise her, and she stares at me, slightly bending her previous extended finger and slowly spreading her thumb.
● November 18th, 2011
After working all day and being away from the baby for 8 hours, the result upon returning home: when I reached out to hug her, instead of her usual forward-leaning posture, she turned her head and clung tightly to her grandpa... According to Xin Kuai Bao.
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