My kids have been one of the greatest gifts of my life. I love seeing the world through their eyes. Stella is funny, a little mischievous, and so kind hearted. John Lane is the happiest baby I have ever seen and is content just being in the same room as everyone. I will forever be grateful for them and I am so happy that my husband and I brought them into this world. With that being said, my pregnancies were difficult and that's one of the reasons I wanted to provide as much support to moms as possible.
Don't get me wrong, I would go through pregnancy 100 times over for my kids. It was worth it. When I found out I was pregnant with Stella, it was August 2019. I had been having migraines and was nauseous more than normal. I assumed it was my normal PMS symptoms but decided to take a pregnancy test anyway. Long story short, it was positive.
The nausea continued and then one day I was feeling especially bad. I hadn't eaten so my husband was going through food we had in the kitchen. "What about Ritz Crackers? We also have applesauce". That did it. I ran to the bathroom and got sick. It was the first time I realized that just the thought of a certain food could make me sick. The next few weeks were rough. I was sick all the time. I couldn't keep food down, couldn't keep water down, and I was so tired and weak. The baby was healthy, but she was also taking every last nutrient that entered my body.
Around the sixteenth week of my pregnancy, I was admitted to the hospital for dehydration. At that point I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which is categorized as severe vomiting, nausea, and weight loss during pregnancy and is more severe than typical morning sickness. Also unlike morning sickness, it usually lasts the entire pregnancy. I stayed in the hospital overnight with an IV and was sent home with medication to help my condition. It helped a little, but most days I still didn't feel well.
When I got pregnant with John Lane, my pregnancy started off a little better and I had high hopes that I would not have HG this time. Unfortunately, around my tenth week of pregnancy, HG reared its ugly head and stayed until John Lane was born. I remember one night of feeling so weak that I couldn't hold my own cup of water. My husband held it for me, and then had to help me to the bathroom as I immediately threw the water back up.
Going through two difficult pregnancies helped me realize something when I started Stella Lane Boutique: I want to make sure mom is taken care of too. So many people focus on the baby, which is wonderful, but the mother is going through a lot. That's why we decided to carry a variety of maternity and postpartum apparel as well as self care items. We carry a variety of teas to help with ailments such as heartburn and nausea, as well as bath and body products to help with relaxation. We also carry some really wonderful books by Jessica Urlichs about motherhood, which I highly recommend to any new or seasoned mom.
Pregnancy can be both a wonderful and difficult time. I want to make sure moms are taken care of and I hope by providing a few items just for mom will help with that.