Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
I grew up in Merrick, and after a quick stint living in College Point, Queens, my husband and I moved to North Bellmore. We’ve been in our current home since 2014.
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
We have one son, who is 2.5 years old.
What is your favorite thing to do with Richie?
My little guy loves to just run – so any where with an open field is perfection for us.
Tell me one thing people would be surprised to know about you.
I have a Master’s Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which is the study of behavior and psychology of people in the workplace.
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
My son was born prematurely, at 26 weeks, weighing just 2lbs 2oz. Aside from our family and friends, we’ve had a team of medical professionals, service providers, and therapists working with us from the moment he was born. They’ve helped us navigate some of our most difficult days, and provide us with invaluable support and insight.
Where did the idea for The Everyday Mother come from?
After my son was born, I created The Everyday Mother, which is a baby tracking book and now a brand focused on making daily life caring for a child beautifully easy.
My son was 14 weeks premature, and his birth literally saved my life. I had developed HELLP Syndrome, a rare, potentially fatal pregnancy complication that can only be cured by delivery.
Our family spent 99 days in the NICU with our son, Richie, and it was there that The Everyday Mother was born.
When Richie was in the N
ICU, I kept meticulous notes while pumping, with poor internet service in the hospital, I needed a pen and paper solution that was easy to pop in my pumping bag. I couldn’t find anything on the market to help me, especially not something beautiful. This is when I decided to create somet
hing for myself and other NICU mothers.
At first, I created a simple pumping template and printed it at home. I shared the template with other NICU mothers, lactation consultants, and nurses. I knew the template was something special when I was sitting next to a mother using it and praising how much it helped her keep up with the pressure of exclusive pumping.
Once my son was home, I continued exclusively pumping, and struggled to keep track of absolutely everything. Even worse, when people asked me questions in an effort to help, it only made me more overwhelmed, because I couldn’t remember anything
Did I pump at least 7 times today? Is my supply going down? When did he last ea
t? How much? Is he tired? Could this be a sleep regression? How many days has he been on reflux medication now? When did I last shower?!
That’s when I expanded my original template and created the current Everyday Mother, as a way to keep track of all those things. It’s become a balm for my mom brain, allows me to easily accept help from others, better understand my growing son, and attempt to take better care of myself, too.
The Everyday Mother line has expanded, and we now offer the original Everyday Mother 6-month tracker, a Mini 3-month tracker, mugs, note pads, gifting experiences, and limited edition artist partnerships. You can visit theeverydaymother.com to shop.
From now until December 31, Jackie is offering 10% off these beautiful books with code: westnassaumom. Code is valid on all Everyday Mother items, excluding sale items and the Marigold & Grey gift boxes.
Family photos were taken by Max Grey – Photographer @MaxGreyArtist
The Everyday Mother product photography was taken by Marietta Leung Photography @MariettaLeungPhotography