Hey guys, and welcome to another episode of the Building Blocks for Tiny Tots podcast. Today I have another interview with Chandreyi who takes moms from the bump and beyond. She helps moms-to-be get ready for their babies and provides for them from the bump and beyond. Now she also helps them after having a baby. But her main focus is to start the journey the right way on the right foot, by helping you get everything together. The hospital bag, what you would need to do to get ready for labor and delivery, all kinds of good stuff. So, stay tuned because i know you are going to love this episode.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself, what you do, and your life as a momma.
A: So, I am a full time working mom. I work in medical publishing, so I am working full time and I have a two year old upstairs. A two year old little tornado and I found this journey of working one on one with moms and I stumbled upon it by chance. It wasn’t really something that I wanted to do, so I was kind of looking for what my next step would be in the corporate ladder and in the corporate industry and then I was somehow like hey what’s next for me. What’s my next chapter, what’s my next milestone. Then I started working with a coach which is why now I’m doing multiple hats on a balance beam as I always say. It’s that I’m working full time, raising a toddler, and also running a business. So full plate and definitely never a dull day.
Q: Your business is helping mommas-to-be get their nurseries ready and registries ready, and taking them from the bump to beyond, where did that idea come from?
A: So that idea evolved because naturally I’m a helper. I love helping so anytime I see someone whether they need help learning a new program or implementing a new system, or just getting ready for their big day, I’m always drawn to helping somebody and that just comes out from what was implemented to me in my childhood because that’s how my mother is and how my grandmother was. Their both teachers so naturally it was just something that was ingrained in my head, always wanting to help. Initially the business started out that I wanted to help moms especially those with toddlers and little ones just trying to declutter and organize their space and their mind and for me I said okay well I’ll help with the play room or I’ll help with the kitchen so we can get rid of the mess. Then it just evolved and I felt that by just targeting those small spaces that I wasn’t really able to achieve everything they wanted to accomplish. So, then I said I wanted to work with them more, from the bump and beyond. I wanted to give them more and serve women more and serve mommas and mommas-to-be more, so my idea and business evolved so I niched it down and recircled and tweaked it a little bit and so I said I want to start in the beginning phases before all of the clutter built up. You know just like you say for your podcast it’s a building block. It starts from the very, very beginning of the journey and that’s why I said let me start from when they first have the baby or before they even have the baby and then work with them as they grow. So I think it just really helps with both because I’m learning from them and their learning from me and we’re really just growing together rather than me just coming in a saying oh you have a two year old or your have a three year old let me work with you now when they already have the routines and systems and what they do already built into the family rather than having some strangers come in and just change around everything on them. That’s why I like working with them way before all of this, from the bump and beyond. So, we can put those systems and routines in place and we can work together as a team.
Q: What all do you help with?
A: For me it goes beyond having the perfect registry and hospital bag and it’s really just working with the momma-to-be in addressing those emotions and feelings before they go into becoming a mom. Becoming a mom is just another chapter in your book. I really believe that it shouldn’t be THE ONLY chapter in your book because we’re also women, we’re also bosses. We wear so many different hats and I think when we become moms we tend to shift those hats back in the closet. Like oh I’m a mom that’s all I can do. So I really do work on trying to find systems and routines that will work with them in place before the baby so that they understand let’s go about in a different way then just printing off a list. I do work with them in customizing their registry list as well as their hospital pack list, postpartum list. So, working with all of those and then just trying to figure out what space works for them because everyone’s space is different. Some people have an entire room for the nursery, a lot of mommas-to-be don’t really have that. So, they’re like right now I can only put them in my room so what do I do with that. Where do I start? What do I need? Some people have a three story townhome, so just like what do I need? Do I have to put something on every single floor? So just really making the space ready for the baby because the registry will happen but it’s just trying to make sure that you, yourself, become a confident and empowered momma and saying alright I got this. Stuff is in place, everything is ready, I got this mom thing down. Of course, it will change for every family but I think the biggest thing is that I tackle those emotions of being overwhelmed and stressed out and confuse and make them be confident and empowered before they take on this new journey of motherhood.
Q: Do you do everything virtually or have you done in person too?
A: So, right now I have been working with mommas one-on-one all virtually. So, we talk all week on an app and we communicate throughout the week as questions come up. But then we also have dedicated one-on-one coaching calls all via Zoom. So, that’s where we really get down and say I emailed you a copy of the hospital bag checklist, let’s go through it and see if it’s everything that you need, let’s talk about what you think this means or what that means and just talk about every single thing. That’s really their time to ask the questions and really work on it to make sure that we’re on the same page. My biggest thing is at the end of the day, their the momma-to-be, their the parent-to-be, I’m there to help guide and coach them. I’m not there to pick out the items, I’m there to guide them to what they feel is best for their family and for their baby. I’ve done in person before but that was more for the organizational standpoint. But, most mommas prefer virtually.
Q: What do you think is the biggest struggle for mommas-to-be? What do they come to you for the most?
A: I think the biggest struggle that they come to me is just trying to get ahold of the information overload and all of the noise. A lot of moms they don’t know when to ask for help. We as women think that we can take on the world. We got this! We can do it ourselves. Asking for help is hard, very very hard because you don’t ever want to admit that you need help or you want help so I think that’s the biggest thing. Mom’s don’t say I need help! I need someone to help me with this registry, I need help with knowing what to put in my hospital bag or what I need for the baby as soon as they come home. So the biggest thing is just asking for help and asking for that support. Then as we work together, it’s really like I have no clue what I’m doing with the registry now because it’s so overwhelming out there in social media because there are so many mom groups, there’s so much on Pinterest, and so much on Google. Then you also have your families input, which is very overwhelming. I’m really there from bump and beyond to quiet the noise and quiet the information overload and make sure that they know they are the mom. They make the decision. That’s the biggest hurdle, who do I trust, where do I go.
Q: What is one thing moms-to-be forget about?
A: They forget about themselves. They get so focused and caught up in getting everything perfect, that they forget about other things. They don’t realize that they are missing out on the journey. The journey of having a baby, part of it is the pregnancy and of course everyone’s journey is different. Some have a very, very rough pregnancy, and they don’t enjoy it. Some of us love it. The biggest thing is that they tend to forget to take for themselves and their self care routine. Really pregnancy, you should be resting. That’s the biggest thing that once you get through the first trimester you’re in the golden period. The last trimester though you feel like a penguin and just want to lay around. But, you can’t because your mind is racing. Mom’s tend to forget about themselves because they are trying to get everything done. More than the list and objects, it’s more about focusing on the mom from the bump and beyond.
Q: Is there something that you recommend moms doing for their self care?
A: Self care looks different for every momma. Some people love blasting music and dancing, some people love spas. Self care looks very different but it is so important to find your self care before you have the baby. Then, once you hav the baby and are in that baby fog, you can remember that this is my outlet so any time I do need a breather I could just go and maybe go downstairs and run. Whatever version of your self care, that makes you take time for yourself to recenter. It doesn’t need to be an hour or a whole weekend, even if its just a few minutes to decompress and reset. Whatever works for you, it is so important to find that before hand. And I know it gets hard, it gets very, very, hard between everything that we are going through right now, but it is still important that we take a few minutes to ourselves. Even if it is closing the door and eating a whole bag of Oreos. Whatever it is for you make sure to continue it from the bump and beyond.
Q: Well, Chandreyi I have enjoyed talking to you today. Tell everyone where they can find you.
A: Perfect! Thank you so much! This was so much fun! You can find me on Facebook my community is Mom Talk: Bump and Beyond. I would love to have you, if you are a momma-to-be or if you are a veteran mom or aspiring momma. I would love to have you and welcome you into the group with open arms.
I hope you had a lot of fun listening today and I hope that you if you are a mom-to-be maybe reach out to Chandreyi and see her services that she offers and if they would be of any help to you from the bump and beyond. I know for a fact that going through my first pregnancy, I did not have all t’s crossed and i’s dotted. So, be sure to check Chandreyi out and I will see you on the next episode.
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