When my husband and I arrived in Canada—in the heart of the winter—with our then three-month-old son, I turned to YummyMummyClub.ca for help. I was a first-time mom, new to Canada, and VERY nervous about experiencing my first winter in Toronto and learning to push a stroller through lots of snow. YummyMummy was a great guide—a “friend” I could count on when I was still getting to know my new city, and, ultimately, an inspiration to my young company with big dreams, MommiesFirst. MommiesFirst aims to be a trusted resource for new moms during their pregnancies and into their baby's first year.
I think back to those early days as a mom, and what inspired a really nervous mom into a momprenuer. Truthfully, the MommiesFirst story begins three years ago, when I traded my high heels for flats, business suits for nursing tanks, and fashion magazines for What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I was a new mom, and I was scared, overwhelmed, and confused. And, to be perfectly honest, I was upset no one had warned me about how it would really feel to be a new mom. I was supposed to be prepared, and I thought I had a great resume from a decade of work experience, but I was failing after just one week in my new “job.” I have never forgotten those feelings of despair and loneliness during not only the early days and weeks of my son’s life, but throughout his first year. All of those struggles and emotions came flooding back to me this past December, when my second son was born. But this time, I had a bit more confidence, so I resolved to do something about it—to create something that would help make a difference for all the other new moms out there. And that’s how MommiesFirst was born.
Fast forward to Mother’s Day 2012, when we launched the MommiesFirst website with two babies on my lap (literally). I shared my story as honestly as possible with other moms, and asked them to join me in my quest to help make lives for new moms a little bit easier and a lot less stressful. How do we do this? We’ve created a MommiesFirst Council, comprised of moms, dads, and baby experts, to find, test, and review the huge amount of baby- and mom-focused products out there. Based on their feedback, we send expectant and new moms monthly care packages designed to help them navigate through the journey of motherhood. By sending beautiful packages to moms that are also super helpful, we help moms discover the best products for them and their babies.
As the year comes to a close and another winter begins to set in to mark our third anniversary in Canada, I’m really proud of the work we’ve begun at MommiesFirst. I am inspired by the amazing support we’ve received from mom bloggers who share our story with their readers and are helping get the word out, and from the moms who have either signed up for our service or have been gifted a subscription by a loving friend or partner. Thanks to their kind words, we KNOW we are making a difference. I’m honoured to be working with other great mompreneurs (and dadpreneurs), and helping introduce their amazing products and companies to our moms. I’m so grateful to all of the folks—from bloggers, to old friends and new friends, and even strangers I’ve met on the street—who have generously supported this mom’s dreams of making a difference. Mostly, I’m thankful to my children (my two baby boys) and my family, who have allowed me to pursue this adventure and inspire me to continue this amazing journey.
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