Made to Make You Smile!

I started Baby Belly Laughs as a fundraiser for my sister who, after struggling with infertility for years, was trying to raise funds to adopt a baby. I was pregnant at the time and came up with a silly shirt to make my belly look like a baseball. So many people approached me and said, “You should sell these!” I thought I could use my creativity and ironically, my baby bump to help my sister who wanted so badly to be a mommy and is now one of the best moms I know. Seven weeks before my due date, Ruby Lou came into our lives through a beautiful open adoption. We can’t imagine being without the joy she brings to our family and I love that she’s part of the story of my company. It’s so fun to share the journey of motherhood with my sister.

Growing a business feels a little like growing a baby. There are so many decisions and things to figure out but you feel so proud and love it like crazy even though you’re exhausted. Sometimes I still can’t believe it when I see people wearing our shirts, when we get to be part of Mommycon or when we get captured on ESPN! It feels like a big deal to have something that makes me happy, make others happy too.

Every Baby Belly Laughs shirt is screen printed by hand using eco-friendly, water based inks. I’ve taught myself to transfer my own designs to silk screens and print them myself rather than outsourcing to a larger screen printing shop where they might use inks and other chemicals that are not so great for the environment and not so great for you. I love that I’m able to keep this part of my business sustainable and healthy and feel that there’s something special about products crafted by hand. Bonus: water based inks are super soft and stretch easily with your growing bump.

The best part of my job is seeing how happy our products make our customers and their families. Since we recently began selling at in person events and conventions, I’ve almost been drunk off of all the smiles. I usually put on a fake belly and wear one of the shirts at my booth. It’s like that guy that stands on the street corner giving out free hugs. People from all walks of life just can’t walk by without smiling.

Moms often send me messages telling me how great they felt wearing our products and how many compliments they received. Something versatile is the best part of your wardrobe. Our shirts are worn for Halloween, baby showers, maternity photo shoots, game days, working out and basically anywhere you go. The custom designed shirt fits in all the right places and grows with your bump all 9 months without getting stretched out. Friends love giving them as shower gifts and congratulations gifts for mamas to be. We can even personalize them with names and numbers on the back. There’s nothing better than feeling beautiful during pregnancy and I never get tired of hearing about how we helped make that happen.