Just as any new mum will tell you the road to parenthood is usually not without a few roadblocks and challenges along the way and for our founder Keira Rumble it was no different. A journey that began with a series of personal struggles, from infertility and multiple pregnancy losses,  through to IVF, her path was not linear but eventually led to what she now considers the most profoundly transformative journey into motherhood.

Despite so many setbacks, including extreme sickness and a Hyperemesis Gravidarum diagnosis during her pregnancy with son Hunter and soon to arrive baby girl, it also led her to discovering a deep desire to want to support new parents throughout all stages of their journey.

Through being constantly nauseous and spending way too much time on the bathroom floor, Keira went searching for a hydration supplement that would sustain her through the rough patches and it was only then did she realise how little was available for supporting mums and bubs in a way that served hydration needs, was easy-to-digest and contained clean ingredients, and most importantly, tasted good going down and coming up.

And just like that… Mini + Me was born. A holistic brand that supports parents on their journey from conception, to pregnancy, postpartum and beyond, Mini + Me provides products that are carefully curated to see you through all stages; while also providing clinically science backed results, high quality natural ingredients and speedy results (because we get that being time poor comes with the territory).

As founder to Krumbled Foods and Habitual Beauty already, Mini + Me feels like a natural progression for Keira, who as a trailblazing entrepreneur and soon-to-be mum of two has the ability to turn any unmet need into a high quality wellness product that is clinically proven, clean and feels good on the inside and out.

Discover more about Keira’s personal story including: the highs and lows of pregnancy, her own juggling act as a parent and how the birth of new biz baby mini + me came about by reading our interview below.

Q. Who is Keira and how would you describe her journey to parenthood?

 I am a mum, an entrepreneur and founder to now three thriving businesses, Krumbled Foods, Habitual Beauty and Mini + Me. But I will also say the journey has been far from easy! 

My path has been anything but linear, along the way there have been moments of utter devastation, loss and heartbreak but also deep joy, transformation and a coming home to myself now as a mother. Before the birth of my son, I experienced so much on the journey to a healthy pregnancy: multiple miscarriages, a traumatic heterotopic pregnancy (and subsequent PTSD diagnosis), a stage 4 endometriosis diagnosis and a rare blood clotting disorder, then went through one round of IVF before I received the news of my pregnancy with Hunter.

When I finally had him in my arms, it was the most surreal feeling. I can only really describe it as “enlightening,” I sobbed and thought to myself, “this is what it’s meant to feel like.”

Q. What has your experience of pregnancy been like?

Pregnancy doesn’t come easy to me! After years of pregnancy losses, I naively thought I would have a very easy pregnancy…Boy was I wrong! Within the first few weeks of our IVF transfer and pregnancy of my son I was overcome with extreme vomiting and nausea. I kept quiet with how bad I was feeling for approximately 25 weeks, I was stuck in this mentally challenging place of being so grateful for my pregnancy, but just feeling so rubbish all the time. It wasn’t until I finally stressed to my OB that I was still vomiting a lot throughout the day. I eventually was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (also known as HG).

Second time around, with the pregnancy of my daughter I have been much more equipped to prep myself for a HG pregnancy and went on medication straight away as soon as I got a positive pregnancy test after another round of IVF. This pregnancy has been significantly worse than it was with my son Hunter. To date, I have been admitted into hospital,  now have hospital in-home-care for regular IV fluids and my work capacity has dropped down dramatically. As a mum and entrepreneur, some weeks I truly have felt so defeated during this pregnancy.

The fatigue associated with HG is like no other fatigue I have ever experienced. While I am eternally grateful to carry my beautiful children, and it is so worth the hard 10 months for each of them, I have learnt to accept that pregnancy for me is quite a mentally and physically challenging time along with being a very very dark place for me mentally.

But that said, with it has also come the birth of a new brand baby, Mini + Me, that without the opportunity to experience pregnancy (the highs and lows!), I would have never realised just how much I want to support other mama’s on their journey. Now with Hydramama® it’s the direct result of fulfilling something I needed (to keep my electrolytes and vitamins up throughout ongoing sickness) and I can’t wait to share the love and help fill other mum’s cups.

Q. They say modern parenting takes a village. What does your village look like?

Daycare is literally impossible to get into where I live. We made the decision early on we would go back to work quite quickly after the birth of Hunter (the joys of running your own business). With this in mind, we opted to hire a nanny, and let me tell you, this has been such an amazing thing to do as a family.

Our nanny Sam has become part of our family. Hunter adores her and it gave me the flexibility to work while still breastfeeding Hunter (up until 17-18 months) and alternate between working from home some days and the office on other days.

It really is a juggling act! It took me a while to accept that I wasn’t able to enjoy a long maternity leave, but knowing he was in good care (while I was working at  home upstairs for the first 9 months) gave me the flexibility and confidence to juggle work / life and mum / life balance. With our family 1.5 hours away we lean on them when we can, but I certainly don’t have it all perfected, so throwing another bubby into the mix I am sure I will struggle with the balance even more so!

I have joined a mums group and let me tell you having those women to vent to, message, ask advice has been so important! While I went back to work pretty quickly, I haven’t been able to physically go to many catch ups, but the friendships formed have been so crucial to my sanity raising a baby and a toddler!
 

Q. As a busy working mama, how do you practise self care?

In between busy morning and evening routines with Hunter and soon-to-be baby girl, it can be a challenge to find any time, but I like to think of my shower and skincare routine as a bit of self (essential) care just for me.

In the shower of a morning, I like to take a deep breath in while cleansing (with Habitual Beauty Hydrating Cleanser) and focus on what I have to do for the day ahead, or simply be present in that moment. In the evening I try to take at least 5 minutes to do my skincare routine, oil my belly and then aim for a dry body brush at least a few times a week.

I also love to take a micro moment out of my day for mindfulness. I quite literally schedule reminders in my phone at 10am and 2pm to take a second to stop, look up and focus on something in front of me. It can be as simple as a leaf on the tree outside, a whisker on my dog, a glance at my toddler (who is probably drawing on the walls), anything to stop and smile. By taking a split second out of my day to stop, focus and recalibrate it really helps my mental health!

Q. What Is Your Favourite Hydramama® Flavour?

The Blackcurrant for sure! It started out as Watermelon + Lime but it has definitely changed to Blackcurrant in my second and third trimester of this pregnancy. It tastes like a yummy non-sugary version of the childhood favourite Ribena!

Q. What Is Your #1 Parenthood Tip?

Trust your intuition. If something doesn’t feel right, lean in and trust that feeling.