Turning Plans Into Code: My Week 2 Progress on Bloom After

Source: Dev.to

What I Built This Week

1. Building the Backend Architecture

One of my main responsibilities this week was setting up the core backend structure that the platform will run on.

We began building the backend using Node.js with MongoDB via Mongoose, which lets us define structured models for the different types of data Bloom After will manage.

I worked on creating and wiring the main database models for:

• Resources – educational materials and support content
• Clinics – locations where mothers can find help
• Community Stories – shared experiences from mothers
• Admin accounts – used to manage platform content

Defining these models early allows the frontend to interact with consistent data structures when retrieving or updating information.

Alongside the models, I also implemented several backend utilities, including:

• API routes for resources and clinics
• Rate limiting to protect the backend from abuse
• Basic server structure for handling requests

This forms the backbone of the application that future features will build on.

2. Wiring the Backend to the Frontend

Another major part of my work this week involved connecting the backend APIs to the frontend pages that the team is building.

Working closely with Grace Olabode, who has been developing the Resources and Clinic Finder pages, I wired backend endpoints that allow those pages to retrieve real data from the server.

The connected backend routes include:

• Resources
• Clinics
• Admin login
• Dashboard data

To make it easier for the frontend to interact with the backend, I also created a small utility API helper file that simplifies how requests are sent from the frontend code.

3. Admin Login and Dashboard Setup

I built the admin login page and added loading states so users receive clear feedback while requests are being processed.

On the backend, I wired the authentication logic so that login requests communicate properly with the database, enabling authorized administrators to manage content such as resources, clinics, and community stories.

4. Handling Location Data for the Clinic Finder

One of the more challenging technical problems I tackled this week involved location‑based search for clinics.

The clinic finder is designed to help mothers locate nearby support centers. However, searching for clinics by location turned out to be more complex than I initially expected.

Examples

• A clinic located in Ikeja should still appear when a user searches for Lagos.
• Searches for Ojo or Oshodi‑Isolo should surface relevant nearby hospitals.

To make this work, I started working with latitude and longitude data, using geolocation APIs to convert addresses into coordinates. Once we have those coordinates, we can compare distances between locations and determine which clinics are closest to the user.

This part of the system is still evolving, but this week marked the first step toward making the clinic search smarter and more accurate.

Infrastructure and Deployment

Another part of the work this week involved preparing the backend infrastructure so the application can run reliably.

Together with Grace, we set up several services for the project:

• MongoDB – storing application data
• Cloudinary – hosting images and media assets
• Render – deploying and running the backend server

Grace created the initial service accounts, and I configured the backend to use the required environment variables for connecting everything properly.

By the end of the week, we had the backend successfully deployed, allowing the team to start testing the system in a live environment.

Supporting the Backend Team

As Backend Lead, part of my role is also coordinating with other developers contributing to the backend track. This week I assigned two early tasks:

• Prospect – worked on the login page functionality
• Sophia – helped set up MongoDB and database configuration

Both did great work, and reviewing their implementations was a valuable learning experience. One of the best parts of a collaborative sprint is how much you learn from reading other developers’ code and approaches.

Challenges I Faced

The most difficult challenge I faced this week was working with location data.

Handling location searches sounds simple at first, but once you start thinking about how people actually search for places, it becomes more complicated. A user might search for a state, a city, or even a local government area. Making sure the system still returns relevant clinics requires converting addresses into coordinates and comparing distances accurately.

I spent a good amount of time experimenting with geolocation APIs and figuring out how to structure the data so this system will work reliably.

What I Learned

One interesting thing I learned this week is that cookies can still be used even when the frontend and backend are on different domains.

Before this project, I assumed cookies only worked easily when both systems shared the same origin.
But with proper configuration, cookies can still work across domains — although the security setup is slightly different.

This was something one of the backend volunteers explained to me, and it opened up new options for how authentication can be handled.

Feature Progress This Week

By the end of Week 2, several parts of the platform had started taking shape:

• Admin login and dashboard system
• Resource content APIs
• Clinic finder backend logic
• Community stories system (in early development)

Seeing these pieces start to connect made this week feel like the moment the project really began to come alive.

Team Shoutouts

Building Bloom After is a team effort, and I want to recognize the people making it happen.

• Grace Olabode (Engineering Lead) – collaborated closely while wiring the backend to the resources and clinic pages she built; reviewed and merged several pull requests.
• Nanji Lakan (Product Lead) – for continuing to guide the direction of the platform.
• Agugua Genevieve (Design Lead) – for designing an interface that makes the platform feel supportive and easy to use.
• Prisca Onyemaechi (Lead Maintainer) – for maintaining a smooth GitHub workflow.
• Backend contributors Prospect and Sophia – for their great work this week.

Looking Ahead

Week 2 was where Bloom After moved from planning to actual development.

With the backend architecture now in place and our first APIs running, the next step is expanding the system so the platform can fully support the resources, clinics, and stories that mothers will rely on.

There’s still a lot to build — but now the engine is running.