Becoming a mom changes EVERYTHING. Not only are our physical, emotional, and mental limits stretched beyond comprehension, but our priorities can shift and refocus as well. At least, that’s exactly what happened to me when I had my daughter. 

Only two years earlier, I had earned my Master’s Degree in International Education. I was working for non-profit organizations in Washington, DC and NYC when my daughter Ellie was born. I took a standard 16-week maternity leave and went back to my office job, pumping every three hours, and then raced home to see her every day.

I quickly realized I did not have the same tolerance for office politics and other 9-5 frustrations that I did before I became a mom. I decided that if I was going to work (and I was definitely going to work), it had to be on MY terms. So I quit, only four months after returning from maternity leave, and I went to work at a cute boutique bakery in Washington, DC.

It wasn’t exactly an easy transition. I convinced the owner to hire me after a grueling 10-hour unpaid trial shift, and they were shocked when I returned the next day, ready to fill the 4:30am Morning Baker role for little more than minimum wage. I was in it for the long run, though, and vowed to soak up as much learning as I could from the experience so that I could eventually open my own home bakery.

One year later, settled in our new home in the suburbs of Philadelphia and with my 6-month old son now in tow as well, I passed my Limited Food Establishment inspection by the PA Department of Agriculture which meant I could legally sell my baked goods from home.

“Dream come true” is an understatement. I’ve always loved to bake and often chose to spend my free time and money baking for friends and family. Now with my own business, I was going to be PAID to bake?! I couldn’t believe it!

Yet that is exactly what happened – and is still going strong five years later – pinch me! I am so blessed to bake custom cakes of all occasions for neighbors and community members year after year. A few years ago, I added workshops to my offerings and absolutely love working with private and public organizations to run cupcake decorating workshops for kids and moms nights out – they are a blast!

Of course there is a LOT more that goes into running your own successful business than just doing the work. I’ve had to navigate: 

• Accounting
• Social media & website maintenance
• Inventory
• Client communication
• Pickups/Deliveries 
• Cleanup & dishwashing
• And so much more!

But let me be very clear: having your own business that you love is always worth the hard parts.

Five years into running my own licensed home bakery, I’m ready for a new challenge. I partnered with a local shipping organization and worked with a certified nutrition consultant (also moms!) to offer nationwide shipping of my original recipe of lactation cookies.

This project has been several months in the making and I cannot begin to tell you how excited (or should I say pumped) I am about this new venture. Lactation cookies are not only delicious and baked with love in my home kitchen, they can also be extremely helpful for a segment of our population who is oven overworked, overtired, and overlooked: breastfeeding moms. This is a total win-win for me as a mom & business owner.

Did you know that moms who exclusively breastfeed should take in an extra 500-600 calories per day?! That’s almost twice as much as a woman in her last trimester of pregnancy needs. This explains that new mom hunger! 

But it’s not just the calories – Our lactation cookies are specially crafted for nursing moms craving a delicious AND wholesome snack. Each cookie is hand-crafted in small batches and packed with milk-boosting ingredients like organic oats, brewer’s yeast and organic flaxseed to help naturally support milk production—plus a delicious dose of chocolate chips for an energy-boosting treat. 

We make our lactation cookies in small batches and ship them out every Wednesday. Order HERE by Sunday at 11:59pm for Wednesday shipping. Use code BUMPDATE for $5 off your first order. 

For another story about a mom starting her own business read, “Real Food As Medicine for Postpartum Mamala’s.”