♡ Created with love by a Mumma who's been there before ♡

When your passion turns into purpose, and others just 'get it'

When I started Miracle Mumma, I had no idea how invested I would become. I mean, I knew I was passionate…this was a dream I had poured my heart and soul into for months and I was jumping out of my skin to share it with the world. But when I received my first order, I was suddenly emotionally invested in a way I never expected. My first customer was way more than just ‘my first customer’. I wanted to know her story and share her journey. I wanted to be there for her and let her know that she wasn’t alone. I wanted to make this time easier for her. Meanwhile, she was probably freaking out thinking ‘who IS this crazy stalker girl’!? And then my second order came, and my third, and I had started to grow a little network of people who were slowly becoming my second family. I would check in on them regularly, hoping that their little miracle was growing and thriving, praying that they weren’t alone and were coping ok. I was sharing their ups and downs, literally beaming from ear to ear when the news was good, and feeling sick to my stomach when the news was bad. I had become a part of their journey and each photo I received made my heart so full with pride and love. No joke, I would jump up every single time I got a new photo and run to show Scott. He would give me that ‘yes, dear’ look, but secretly I know he loves it too!

And then I started to develop a following on facebook of other people who were also emotionally invested because they had been there before. They began to interact with my posts and identify with my photos…and they wanted to help. These people were so generous, I had all the feels! You know it was all worth it when someone you have never even met completely just ‘gets’ where you’re coming from without saying a word. These beautiful souls started to help me spread the word so that other families were aware of my milestone cards – I didn’t ask for this, it just happened. They donated sets to the hospital where their own baby had spent the first few weeks or months of their lives, without even thinking twice. They donated sets to other families over Christmas to make that time a little bit easier, and didn’t ask for anything in return. I was thinking ‘who are these super lovely people and where did they come from!?’ And then I had one nurse purchase two sets of my cards out of her own pocket for families to use in the hospital she worked and I decided she was the most amazing human I had ever met. These people understood. And I quickly realised that I was a part of something pretty special.

I’ve heard people talk about the premmie community before, but I have only now started to truly understand what that means. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to describe it fairly, but I like to talk, so I’ll try! A friend of mine recently shared a video of her daughter who was learning to walk. She said “if having a baby has taught me anything, it’s that even if you fall over, you just get back up and keep going because eventually you’ll get where you want to be…it’s just part of the process to grow and get better”. Quickly copyright that shit Mel, because I may just steal it! But seriously, if only we all lived our lives this simply! Some of you already know that my journey to becoming a Mum has been full of ups and downs, and I strongly believe in finding the opportunity in every hardship. In other words, I don’t want sympathy (because honestly, what good does that do?) but instead, as corny as it sounds, I want to use my experiences to ultimately help others feel less alone. And I truly believe that this sense of empathy is what the premmie community is all about.

Premmie parents have had to embrace uncertainty and the unknown with open arms, and this vulnerability has made them authentic. Their compassion is powerful, because they have genuinely walked that road before. Last night one of my customers said to me ‘I think when you've been there, you understand all the highs and lows and really empathise. It's hard not to!’ And she was spot on, it’s hard NOT to. So I made a promise to myself right then that the moment this feeling goes away is the moment I stop doing what I’m doing. Because this newest adventure has given me more than I had ever hoped…it has united me with a family who just ‘get it’, who are selfless, who don’t take anything for granted, and who have the most amazing perspective on life because they have seen their own baby fight for it. I feel honoured to have the opportunity to make one of the toughest times in people lives that little bit easier. And I couldn’t be prouder to say that this is not ‘work’ for me…my passion has turned into a purpose, and I feel extremely blessed.

...and just because I can't help myself, here's one of the many photos that make me smile at my phone like an idiot <3

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