9 Month Bump :: Kimberly Uy

The 9 Month Bump encourages you to “Rock Your Bump, Without Breaking Your Bank!”  The store features “gently stretched” maternity clothing, pregnancy/nursing accessories, Bella B skincare products and unique new baby gifts that are locally hand-crafted.

I’m so excited to introduce you to Kimberly Uy, founder of the 9 Month Bump.  Shop owner, and a momma to three adorable children {a 7YO, 4YO and newborn!}.  Her dream was “born” on October 1st, 2013 when her shop, the 9 Month Bump opened.  Kim is a “downriver” native who currently resides there with her family, and graduated with honors from the University of Michigan with a professional background in real estate, sales and marketing.  When her professional career came to an unexpected end, she found herself thinking about opening that store that she had been dreaming about.  

Kimberly, like many of us, LOVED being pregnant.  She envisioned opening a store with a wide selection of affordable (and fun) maternity items that also celebrated and catered to this special time in a woman’s life.  While Kim loved being pregnant, she was often disappointed with the high expense and lack of selection in maternity clothes that were locally available.  I can bet that many of us can relate to this!  Maintaining multiple wardrobes in a 9 month span can easily break the bank.  I had that professional career during pregnancy and as soon as I walked in the door, work clothes came off and comfy yoga pants went on.  Hence, the  reason for multiple wardrobes. What about the second pregnancy?! Unfortunately I found myself going through pregnancy stages during different seasons than my first! Summer + winter, fall + spring, what does that mean?! Even MORE maternity clothes, more shopping!

Luckily today, a local momma-to-be can find Kimberly’s maternity consignment shop in Trenton.  Where she offers an entire store dedicated to the mommy-to-be with varied styles, comfortable + professional, and styles for all of Michigan’s seasons, all at affordable price points.  Kim enjoys meeting with moms-to-be and helping them look and feel their best in a warm and inviting environment.

Kim also loves supporting + helping other local moms.  Her shop showcases some local talent by offering beautiful hand-made items and gifts for both mom and baby.  Let’s learn some more about this hard working momma and how she found herself on this journey of becoming a happy + successful Mompreneur!

Tell us a little bit about your business!

The 9 Month Bump is an upscale maternity consignment boutique that offers “smart” shopping for expectant moms in a unique environment that celebrates motherhood.   The store is dedicated to providing a large variety of quality maternity apparel in sizes ranging from XS-3X at affordable price points. The store offers specialty lotions, nursing products, support belts and many other items devoted to the comfort of the mom-to-be.  The 9 Month Bump also features trending baby items that are lovingly handcrafted by local moms. 

 Photography credit to Jamie Matzinger Photography

What inspired your passion?

The simple truth is that I loved being pregnant. I found tremendous joy in the overall experience of my first two pregnancies. Even the morning sickness, swollen “frankenfeet” and incessant heartburn couldn’t lessen my pregnancy glow.

While pregnant, I worked full time in a corporate setting and wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes or my favorite yoga pants was definitely not an option.  I began searching for clothes that made me look as good on the outside, as I felt on the inside.  Unfortunately, I found that I had only two local options; neither which made me feel very special (think white sterile walls) and both that were going to cost me a small fortune (forget saving for the baby)!  I began to envision a store that combined both the beauty of pregnancy and practicality of an affordable maternity wardrobe. 

My passion was inspired by my pregnancies and ultimately I would become passionate about helping other women look and feel their best during this special time. 

Tell us briefly about your family and your approach to balancing the roles of mother and business owner. 

We are a uniquely blended, busy (and very silly) family of five.  My husband is one of the hardest working and most generous people that I know and we have been blessed with three beautiful children now 7, 4 and almost 2 months old. 

Part of my balance comes from freedom in knowing that my children can visit me at “work” whenever they choose.  The store has a large playroom that accommodates visiting children (so mom can shop), but also doubles as a comfortable space for my little ones to play, do homework or to help mom with one of her many “special projects”. It is empowering and comforting to know that my children are a part of my business and that they will both grow together.     

Another part of achieving balance stems from my personal mindset.  I once read a quote that stated, “You can have it all, you just can’t have it all at the same time.” While initially this quote seemed discouraging (especially to a fellow supermom in training), I gradually found great comfort in these words. In each stage of my life there are phases, and I am learning that perfection will never be a reality.  My life is complicated, beautiful and very messy, and the only real guarantee is that things will change. I find balance in telling myself that I am doing the best that I can and that while I might not have it all, I truly have all that I need in that moment.     

What has been your greatest success so far in your business, or

what are you most proud of? 

My first year was spent wearing many hats as the proud owner and only employee of the 9 Month Bump.  It was a rush of adrenaline, excitement and pure exhaustion. Throughout this same year, I also endured a complicated pregnancy with my third child.  All things considered, simply completing a successful and productive first year in a new business was one of my greatest personal achievements.

Although the store has reached certain milestones and received some exciting recognition this past year, I’ve experienced the most pride in our customer interactions.  I have met over a thousand expectant moms and our maternity clothes have graced baby showers, maternity photos and family gatherings. Also, each week customers send pictures of our baby gifts being used in newborn photos, baptisms and other special events.  I am most proud of our store’s presence in these meaningful moments. 

What are you most proud of as a MOMpreneur?

Just shortly after we opened the store, I overheard my then 6 year old daughter playing “store” with a friend.  She was making polite conversation, showing her the fitting room and ringing her up.  The next day on our drive to the store my daughter said to me, “Mom, aren’t you so happy that your dream came true? Do you think that maybe I can have my own store when I grow up.”  This was my proudest moment.  I had shown my daughter that through hard work and determination she could make her own dream come true. 

I am also proud that we have welcomed over 15 local moms to showcase their talents within the store.  These women make beautiful handmade baby items that both benefit our customers and also allow them to contribute financially to their own families. There are many talented women within our community and I am proud to provide a place where they can come together for the benefit of many.

What encouragement can you give to other women and mothers?  

Simple and basic – you can do it, if you push through it! It’s not easy and it isn’t always pretty, but it is possible.  Perseverance through the hard times is the key to getting to the next success.

The same week that I signed our store lease and began running full speed ahead, I found out some very exciting news; I was pregnant.  It was a blessing and although I felt a bit overwhelmed, I also felt that it must be part of a bigger plan.  I thought to myself, “Well, what better person to open a maternity store than a pregnant person…right?”  Ten weeks later and less than a month before opening the store, I experienced a miscarriage.  After having two relatively easy and positive previous pregnancies, I was confused and devastated. 

My desire and passion for the store originated from my love of being pregnant.  After experiencing my miscarriage, I wondered if I should even open the store.  How would I feel interacting with pregnant women so soon after losing a baby?  Would I ever be able to view pregnancy in the same positive light? How would I even be able to make it to the grand opening feeling the way that I felt?

Looking back at that time (now over a year ago) with my new baby in my arms (born November 19^th), I realize it was indeed part of a bigger plan. I still love the beauty of pregnancy, but I now better understand the complexity and challenges that some women face.  I am able to relate to a broader range of expecting moms and this understanding has helped tremendously in my daily interactions. 

This experience showed me that I could push through and achieve my goal.  I proved to myself that I had the ability to achieve more than I could imagine, by persevering even through the toughest time.

On a final note, be sure to reach out and find support and a strong source of encouragement from someone whose opinion you value. There is always a point where the mountain seems too high and you need someone who will give you a small boost (or a hard shove) when you think you can’t make it to the top. 

For more information please visit Kimberly online at www.9MonthBump.com and on Facebook

Email her at [email protected]

Call her at (734) 3077491

The 9 Month Bump Shop is located at 

2671 West Jefferson Ave.

Trenton, MI 48183

Shop Hours: Tuesday – Friday 11:00am – 6:00pm / Saturday 10:00am – 4:00pm

(Closed Sunday / Monday)

Bubble Club :: Ella Wish and Lindsay Mall

“Having teaching backgrounds, our mission is to provide support and education for families throughout the community targeting specifically zero to three years of age. At the Bubble Club your child will learn new skills and develop first friendships in a safe, nurturing and educational environment.” ~Ella + Lindsay

I am so excited to introduce this long time friendship and Mompreneurial duo, Lindsay {momma of two, 2.5 YO + newborn} + Ella {momma of 2.5 YO}.  Their dream became reality back in 2012 when the The Bubble Club was founded.  They truly believe in helping local families grow together by providing an educational environment and a place to go for support as new parents.  

I am mom raising a growing family today and have gone through those first “times” every developing child goes through.  I remember feeling alone, friends either weren’t there yet having kids or they had already been through the first “times” and been-there, done-that! I had SO much to learn, always seeking information off the internet + in books.  But I was lacking a few things, like connecting with local experts and other moms going through the same thing.  I had so many questions about breast feeding, sleeping, bathing, weening, motor skills, behavior issues, milestones, and everything else that happens those first 3 years of a child’s life!   

I think I can safely say that as parents we ALL want what is best for our families and we will search for the solution that fits us best.  The Bubble Club offers everything you need to build that foundation for you and your baby.  A safe, nurturing environment built around supporting each other, building friendships, learning new skills, exercising, connecting with local experts and it is entirely built around an educational environment.  A perfect combination for growing a healthy family and a happy you.  Please be sure to give these ladies some love, they are two hard-working mommas helping other mommas in our community and love to give back to the community!

Photography Credit to Marla Michele – www.EnchantedByMarlaMichele.com

Photography Credit to Marla Michele – www.EnchantedByMarlaMichele.com

 Photography Credit to Lindsay Jaye – www.lindsayjayephotography.comPhotography Credit to Lindsay Jaye – www.lindsayjayephotography.com

Tell us about your business and the product/service you provide. 

Hi! We are Ella Wish and Lindsay Mall, co-founders of The Bubble Club. We always knew we wanted to work with kids: we used to pretend with our dolls, playing mommy and teacher, and then went into real life experiences as babysitters to our nieces and nephews. Throughout high school we babysat for local families, and became counselors at a local camp, where we met back in the late 90’s. We both graduated from college with backgrounds in early childhood development and teaching, and worked as teachers, teaching Kindergarten and Pre-K. We both married our childhood sweethearts, and went on to the ultimate job as Mommies, our oldest kids being born only 4 days apart!  We decided to stop working for the time being, and be “stay-at home” moms.

As many new moms do, we struggled with our transition into mommy-hood: the isolation, the strangeness, the love. We decided to sign our kids up for a local gym class to get out of the house and meet new mommy friends. Here, we finally had a place to talk about the spit up, poop, breastfeeding, mommy guilt, and a myriad of other topics only new moms could understand. At the time, we only knew of a few programs that welcomed babies ages birth-12 months that were also developmentally appropriate for our babies. We craved more opportunities to spend time with them and socialize with other moms. Thus, The Bubble Club was born. 

Our mission, then and now, is to provide support and education to families throughout the community, focusing on the newest babies, birth-2 years old. We have built a supportive community, one that includes activities to do with our children, that not only help our babies develop cognitive, motor and social skills, but also help us navigate this crazy new life as moms. The Bubble Club has given us an opportunity to continue our work as teachers in early childhood, while also affording us the opportunity to have a flexible schedule.

What has been your greatest success so far in your business, or what are you most proud of?

By partnering up with other local businesses in the past two years we have been able to run classes and parenting workshops throughout the Metro Detroit area.  Our most popular class is our Baby Play and Grow which teaches fine and gross motor skills, language and body movement development, and social skills broken up into age groups, Birth-7 months and 8 months- 14 months. In this class we sing familiar songs, interact with our babies through play, introduce simple sign language, and read stories. 

Through our partnering we are able to find the best teachers in the best suited environment to run interactive parent/infant classes. We offer Mom and Tot dance at Studio A in Birmingham and Walled Lake locations, Mommy and Baby workout classes: Bubbles and Booty camp and Daily Baby Barre at The Dailey Method Birmingham. We also have specialist in infant sign language and infant sleep training offering seasonal workshops in both. We have provided infant CPR courses, and speak at Henry Ford Hospital’s birthing classes about parenting in those early days!We are always looking for new classes, and new educational opportunities to provide for local families.

What are you most proud of as a MOMpreneur?

The Bubble Club has successfully fulfilled the need for new families in our community, being featured in local newspapers and magazines, and appearing on several local Newscasts, as experts in childhood development. Recently we were recognized as one of the year’s top 25 entrepreneurs of 2014, by Idea Cafe.

Through The Bubble Club, we have also been able to help out our community and those families in need by collecting donations such as diapers, pajamas, toiletries and holiday gifts for those in need. This has been a dream come true to both of us, working hard to grow our business, while growing our families. We are proud of what we are doing for our community families, but we are most proud of the “Moms” we are to our children.

For more information please visit Ella + Lindsay online at www.thebubbleclubmi.com and on Facebook

Email them at [email protected]

Call them at (248) 702-6358

They are all around Oakland County, visit them and see where you can find them near you! 

Special Offer for Detroit Moms Blog Readers

The Bubble Club is offering YOU one free introductory class, to any of their class offerings

when you mention Detroit Mommy Blog!

Are you a mommy with a zero -3 YO ??? Check them out, this is great resource for YOU!!!

Sassy Bambino + Heal-A-Boo-Boo-Project :: Amanda Holdsworth

I encourage you to watch Amanda’s video, she takes you into her world with a heartfelt peek into the inspiration behind Peek-A-Boo-Boo Hospital Shirts. 

I am so thrilled to introduce you to Amanda {momma of a 3 YO + expecting!}.  Her story will tug at your heart and you will quickly see that this Mompreneur is full of passion + heart.  When her now 3 YO was only 19 months old, the Holdsworth family was delivered devastating news that their beautiful daughter had a congenital heart defect that required her to immediately undergo open heart surgery.  Certainly not the news any parent wants to receive.  Ever.  

Her crafty side led her to finding a way to release the stress she was enduring during this difficult time with her daughter.  She began making fashionable hospital clothes that her daughter could wear after her surgeries and to all of her follow-up visits. Looking at a child in a hospital gown can make you feel sad.  There is nothing cute or fashionable, or normal about them!  Hospital gowns are typically itchy, loose, not very movement friendly and well, just kinda blah.  They are especially uncomfortable for active little children!  

“I’ve been told that the Peek-A-Boo-Boo shirts help moms feel more comfortable in the hospital setting with their children. The kids aren’t in the standard hospital gowns…the t-shirts I make help moms see their child as being “okay”, as told by Amanda. 

Doctors and nurses LOVED them, she was being asked where did you find something like that!  And that is when the magic began to happen.  She now makes and donates customized hospital shirts, legwarmers and hair bows to children facing upcoming surgeries or medical procedures. To-date, she has sent out more than 220 worldwide. What is more amazing is that she does not charge for her service, her costs are covered by grants and private sponsorship’s, and well, as a business owner, she pays for some costs too!  

She felt so grateful for the heart community while her daughter was recovering from her battle and wants to give back to the heart community.  This is her small way of doing something good to help others that she is passionate about. Read on, as I am sure you are about to fall in love with this adorable Mompreneur and her adorable daughter. 

What inspired your passion?

Like many MOMpreneurs, my business was inspired by the lack of products needed for my daughter. In her case, I couldn’t stand the starchy, open-back hospital gowns, so I created hospital shirts that open in the front out of soft cotton t-shirts.

 

Tell us about your business and the product/service you provide.

The Peek-A-Boo-Boo hospital shirts through the Heal-A-Boo-Boo Project are made for babies and toddlers who are facing upcoming medical procedures or surgeries. The shirts open in the front, giving quick and easy access to nurses and doctors, while keeping children warm. I do not charge for the shirts; instead, I raise money to sponsor shirt and legwarmer packages (and for girls, a matching hair bow). Approximately $10 will cover the cost of all of my materials as well as shipping. I do not charge for my time.

 

Is there a story or an encounter that you can share to give us some background on the development of your business?

In April 2013, we received the devastating diagnosis that our little girl had atrial septal defect, a congenital heart defect that required open heart surgery as soon as possible due to the pressures on her tiny heart. To de-stress, I began making her some custom hospital gowns to wear while recovering from surgery since I thought that the hospital-provided gowns weren’t very cozy, warm or cute. The doctors and nurses went crazy over them because they enabled quick and easy access to check her incision and her pulse…plus, she looked adorable! Other moms asked me where I purchased such cute gowns and a light bulb went off: what a great way to give back to the heart community after they had been so supportive of our family. I started making and donating the hospital shirts (called Peek-A-Boo-Boo) in August 2013 and have sent off more than 220 around the world at no charge to patients since then.

 

Tell us briefly about your family and your approach to balancing the roles of mother and business owner.

I have been married to my wonderful husband, Doug, for four-and-a-half years. Our oldest daughter is three and we’re expecting another baby girl in February 2015. In addition to the humans in our household, we have a one-year-old pekingese, Georgie.

 

I work full-time at the University of Michigan, so finding time to run the Heal-A-Boo-Boo project while not taking quality hours away from my family can be a challenge. When my daughter was younger, she would sit in the craft room with me while I cranked out the shirts. Now that she’s an energetic toddler, I usually work on the shirts after she has gone to bed and I’ve spent an hour or so alone with my husband. I don’t get a lot of sleep!

 

What are you most proud of as a MOMpreneur?

I am the most proud of the fact that my family supports me and that my daughter comprehends that mommy is working on care packages for children who are sick in the hospital. She is extremely compassionate and empathetic, which is how I always wanted my children to be.

 

What encouragement can you give to other women and mothers?

If you’re passionate about it, it’s not work.  Yes, there are only so many hours in a day and yes, it can be difficult and stressful, but when you find something you truly love, things just seem to fall into place.