“I was sewing and blogging back in 2010 when I made my first wrap while I was pregnant with our second baby, Solomon. Having never used another stretchy wrap, I didn’t know I’d done anything differently until other friends started telling me that it was so lightweight and comfortable, that they wanted me to make one for them, as well. I thought maybe I was onto something. When Solomon was born and I started using the wrap, I fell in love with the experience. I started tweaking the design and the fabrics until I found something that was perfect. I couldn’t wait to share it with other parents.”

 

“I’m now pregnant with baby number four – yes, four! My husband Jared and I also have Lucy, 7, Solomon, 5 and Frances, 2.  You’d think I’d know everything about pregnancy by now, but considering I thought I had mono until I was over 8 weeks along, clearly, I still have a few things to learn! I am just getting into the good part, though, where the nausea has subsided and I feel so good. So good, in fact, that I feel too guilty to tell my friends who are sick their entire pregnancies how good I feel. I’ve decided this is okay, though, because, really, you don’t want anyone to think you feel too good, right? Then you can’t take advantage of pregnancy being an excuse to get out of things you don’t feel like doing, which is one of the most beautiful gifts a pregnant woman is given. Four pregnancies and that’s my best advice. Ha!”

“I always try to exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet when I’m trying to get pregnant. Try is the key word here! I also make sure I get a ton of work done because I know how tired I always am in the first trimester.”

“Every birth is different, and I’ve had a really different experience each time. I’ve had un-medicated and medicated births, had a doula, midwives, and traditional obstetricians. I’ve loved each birth experience for totally different reasons and disliked certain parts of each as well. To me, at the end of the day, it’s about being deliberate and informed in the decisions you make. Listen to the advice you’re getting, but don’t let anybody else make those decisions for you. I put a lot of pressure on myself to have un-medicated births, but the second time around I was dilated to a 5.5 (laboring a 9 pound 11 ounce man-child!), and I turned to Jared and I was like, “Do I have to do this? I am just so tired.” And he, of course, said no, that I should do whatever felt like the best thing to me, but to make sure I could own that decision without regrets. So I opted for an epidural and haven’t regretted it for a minute. It was equally as beautiful and amazing as my first birth experience, but just different.”

“In the past three years, we’ve moved five times, had our third baby, worked nonstop growing Solly Baby, traveled overseas, bought an Oregon farmhouse (complete with goats, chickens, two cats, and a Great Dane) that we remodeled and are turning into an AirBnB, started a children’s clothing line with my sister-in-law, got pregnant (again), and then just closed on a home back in San Diego last week to be closer to our suppliers again. Clearly, we are gluttons for punishment and have too much energy for our own good.”

“There aren’t many ‘typical days’ in our world, but that being said, the mornings are generally mine. I work out most days and then go to work for the first half of the day while Jared gets kids and animals fed and ready. If we don’t have a photo shoot or meetings or an event, I’ll work, either at our office in Carlsbad or at home. I’ll stop around lunchtime, when Jared and I swap. I go home to the kids – playing, reading, playing house, whatever we want to do that day. Then it’s on to dinner and bedtime. I try to keep work and phone calls to a minimum in the afternoon and then I’ll jump back into it once kids are in bed at night.”

“My advice to parents who want to be entrepreneurs is ‘don’t try to do everything’. I think that women who start businesses and are determined to prove to themselves and think that they don’t have to sacrifice anything in their lives are headed for a breakdown. I say that because I’ve been there. Figure out the things that mean the least to you, the things that give you the least satisfaction, and outsource them. For me, it’s stuff like cleaning and food prep a few nights a week. I happily outsource both!”

“One of the things I’m most proud of at Solly Baby is our commitment to charity. As soon as the business started making money, I knew I wanted to bring on a charity component, one that aligned with our brand. I loved the idea of a mother’s purchase also helping other mothers. I Googled something about maternal health and charity and Christy Turlington Burns’ documentary No Woman, No Cry popped up. It’s about maternal health in the third world, where, every two minutes, a woman dies due to a childbirth-related cause. 99 percent of these are preventable. That statistic is so horrific to me. As soon as I watched the clip, I was in tears and shaking. I knew that this was Solly Baby’s charity – whatever success Solly Baby had, it was in part so we could support Every Mother Counts. Every time it’s been financially difficult as a growing company to write that check, I remember that statistic.”

Elle’s maternity style

“I’ve got this thing when I’m around six months pregnant where I think I’m a legit supermodel – not an exaggeration! Let me be clear – I always gain somewhere between 35 and 60 pounds, so it’s not like I am a maternity model! I don’t realize how deluded I am until after I have the baby and look back at the photos, but I feel so grateful that I feel so good while I’m pregnant. I wish I felt that good about myself all the time!”

“As far as maternity clothing goes, I’m all about black, a few fun and trendy pieces, very few things with a waistband and comfort is always key. Storq, Hatch, and Topshop are my favorite places to find maternity pieces (and my husband’s closet for everything else).”

 

Follow Elle on Instagram: @sollybabywrap