Where do I even begin? Mommi has been such a long journey that started about a year ago, when I was 3-months pregnant with my first child, the little love of my life, Jordyn Nicole. My husband Seth and I call her JoJo for short. We found out we were pregnant with her 3 months after we got married – and we were thrilled about it. I was 32 when we said ‘I do’ and I didn’t want to hesitate to start a family. I know most women don’t worry about infertility until their late-30s to early 40s, but for the last few years I had received one too many lectures about how I needed to start thinking about freezing my eggs, and how my biological clock was certainly ticking and I needed to act now! So it was a very exciting night when the 22nd pregnancy test I had taken was actually positive:). We started laughing hysterically because I think neither one of us really knew what was in store or how to prepare for parenthood – but we were definitely up for the challenge.
The next month was full of excitement as we planned how to tell our families, and I started reading everything I could on what to expect during my pregnancy. I had already been taking pre-natal vitamins for about a year in preparation for the day I could try for children, and now that I was actually pregnant I started paying very close attention to what I was eating and how I treated my body. I didn’t want to jeopardize anything about my baby’s development and I had heard enough horror stories to keep me on my tiptoes when it came to health.
It was easy at first to eat healthy. I have been vegetarian since I was 8 years old so I knew how to eat my veggies, and I always enjoyed healthier versions of popular meals. But then one day I felt absolutely sick to my stomach – and it didn’t go away for the next several months. The only thing that made me feel better was potatoes, pasta, and white bread and butter. It was the only thing I could keep down or think about without wanting to throw up. I couldn’t swallow the giant pre-natal horse pills I had been taking, and my normal sources of protein were completely unappetizing and made me even more nauseous. So I started looking into protein shakes – I didn’t want to take any chances by not getting the proper nutrition I needed to grow a healthy baby.
What I found surprised and discouraged me. Most of them had labels that warned against taking if you are pregnant/nursing, so I wasn’t getting any protein at all and the days and weeks kept rolling on with no sign of relief. It was at that time that I developed the idea for a protein powder that included pre-natals and DHA, and called my dear friend, Dr. Yvonne Bohn, to help with the formulation. With her help we developed Mommi – a company dedicated to the health and wellness of expectant mothers and their unborn children. TwinLab loved the idea and partnered with us and we were off and running toward finalyzing our first product of a vanilla and chocolate protein powder, safe for pregnant women, and making it more convenient to get all the essential pre-natal vitamins and protein needed each day during pregnancy.
Especially now that I get to hold my sweet daughter in my arms every day, I realize more than ever how important it is to have a healthy start to a healthy life for our unborn children. It’s with this excitement that Mommi hits the shelves in March. We hope this is the start of something very special for moms and babies everywhere.
As with any venture I would love your feedback and can answer any questions you might have. I can be reached at [email protected]. Here’s to health and new beginnings!