About Bumpdate

An idea born during an uncertain time

While my husband and I were on a year-long journey to conceive, so many of our friends were also trying for a baby. Between infertility, losses, IUI/IVF, adoption, single parenthood, surrogacy, and more, all of our roads to parenthood were not always smooth. And then, what are the chances… We all found ourselves pregnant around the same time — true serendipity.

This was during the loneliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when pregnancy brought a strange mixture of excitement, fear, and longing to be with friends and loved ones.

I built the tool
I needed

The idea for Bumpdate came to me when I was about 20 weeks pregnant and working full-time as a tech executive. I tried keeping track of my friends’ due dates, important appointments, baby names, birthdays, and registries, but it was hard — even with my color-coded calendar! I wanted to celebrate their milestones, provide support, check in, and let them know they weren’t alone. I wanted to be the friend who remembers.

I caught myself thinking about Bumpdate day in and day out. I asked my friends if it would be helpful to have a simple tool that would help them keep track of their friends’ pregnancies and growing families. The response was overwhelmingly positive: They wanted me to build it. With a clear goal and my husband’s unwavering support, I knew my tech background and devotion to family and friends had converged.

After giving birth to our incredible baby boy in December 2020, building Bumpdate became my maternity leave passion project and then quickly grew into my next ‘baby.’

Life is crazy —
It’s hard to remember it all

My sister-in-law, Tyler, was an early believer. As a fellow new mom, she became my sounding board and a source of confidence — and then, Bumpdate’s Creative Director. We both left our beloved full-time jobs and committed ourselves to launching Bumpdate, all while learning how to parent our newborns.

Life is crazy. It’s hard to remember it all. I hope you find Bumpdate to be all I dreamed it would be: A tool to help you “be the friend who remembers”.

Gabrielle Iorio Sylk

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GABRIELLE IORIO SYLK, FOUNDER OF BUMPDATE

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The Bumpdate blog is home to spotlight real, relatable stories. It’s our hope that by sharing your story, you’ll help someone out there feel a little less alone — that’s the ultimate goal of Bumpdate.

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