Introducing The Joyful Leap–Gifts for the Expectant Mother
I’m delighted to share this new ministry and gift box with you! Katie and I “met” through an online business course for Catholic moms, and it’s been my pleasure to collaborate with her on a litany exclusive to this new box. Yesterday was the launch day, and today I have some words from her to share all about the new Peaceful Birthbox.
The Joyful Leap recently launched their Etsy shop with their first product The Peaceful Birthbox. This is the perfect gift for a Catholic Expectant Momma. Each item within the box is meant to surround the recipient with prayer, peace, and encouragement. They are launching with a limited time intro price of only $35+shipping. Get yours before the price goes up! (Note from Gina: this is such a great deal! Even at regular price, this box is such a thoughtful and loving gift. New and new-again moms will truly be blessed to receive this gift box.)
Hey Other Side of the Fencers! Thank you, Gina, for letting us take over for a day. We are so excited to share our new business with everyone.
We (Katie and Elizabeth) are The Joyful Leap. We are two Catholic Mommas in Virginia who love anything involving chocolate, coffee, ice cream, or yarn. TJL sprung from a common fascination with pregnancy and labor and a strong desire to encourage all mommas-to-be to believe the Birth Experience they want is possible. Facing labor is scary, especially for the first time, mostly because it is a big BIG unknown and the call to surrender and Just Be is difficult. It is our hope that the contents of The Peaceful Birthbox will help bring about peace in that surrender. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified… for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Like 1 in 7 couples in America, parenthood didn’t happen for me and my husband, Brian, without some heartache and hard waiting. During that time, I often reflected on the First Joyful Mystery and begged Our Lady’s intercession for the gift of motherhood. After 6 months of negative pregnancy tests and each new cycle’s beginning feeling more and more like a funeral, we sought care from a NAPRO doctor. After one cycle of charting with the Creighton Method coupled with a review of our Sympto Thermal Charts, I was diagnosed with PCOS and a Luteal Phase Defect. After 4 cycles of NAPRO treatment, my luteal phases were stable and my PMS symptoms were greatly lessened. By the sixth cycle of working with our NAPRO doctor, I was pregnant. In March 2016, I gave birth to a (2 week ‘late’) 10lb 5oz baby boy.
The weeks following the birth of my son were a complete and exhausting blur. One thing I do vividly remember, though, was the generosity of friends and family who came to visit with arms full of food and hands ready to hold the baby or wash some dishes. During that time, I came to greatly appreciate the Second Joyful Mystery, The Visitation. I imagine that Elizabeth felt the same joy and relief at her cousin’s visit as I did those early weeks.
As soon as I was able, I began to do the same for other new moms, when Mark’s nap schedule and our budget allowed. Visiting new moms and ‘paying forward’ the love and generosity I had experienced filled me with joy and I hope in some way ‘brought Mary’ to those mothers.
Elizabeth, mom of 4 here on Earth and a Saint in heaven, is a fellow parishioner at St. Joseph’s in Petersburg and after months of various people telling me “you gotta meet this lady,” we finally met via a knitting club I started up. I could tell right away we were ‘kindred spirits.’ We became fast friends due to our various common interests (CHOCOLATE… COFFEE… NFP) and through our conversations about our vocation as wives and mothers.
Through these momma play dates, I learned that Elizabeth also loved reading birth stories and that she too had thought of seeking training as a midwife or doula ‘some day.’ Happily busy with little ones at home, we knew that an on-call career would have to wait. We began to discuss other ways of encouraging mommas on a large scale to trust their bodies and Our God while facing the dreaded 3rd trimester (which, as everyone knows, feels as long or longer than the first two) and their labor. It is out of this desire to encourage that our business was born. As we knot the rosaries and crochet their pouches, we pray for you, mommas. We also blog at http://thejoyfulleap.weebly.com/ with weekly posts on Birth, NAPRO, NFP, and various Momma Musings. We hope that our blog becomes a resource to all Catholic Mommas, new and not so new.
Thank you all for your interest and support.
In the Peaceful Birthbox, you’ll find:
- – A 5×7 print of a custom Saint Litany for Mothers, suitable for framing (as designed by Gina)
- – A hand-cast lead-free pewter medal of St. Gerard, patron of Mothers and Mothers-to-be with a jump ring and keyring to allow for use as a pendant or keychain
- – Hand-knotted O.R. Safe 5 decade rosary
- – Hand-crocheted rosary pouch
- – A 24 page biography and prayer book of St. Gerard
- – A bottle for Holy Water to be used during pregnancy and labor
- – A hand-stamped journal
- – A certificate stating a donation was made in Momma’s honor to Embracing Grace VA
- – A Printed Litany of Trust prayer card (gift from the Sisters for Life)
This is the perfect gift for a Catholic Momma’s baby shower, a gift for your soon-to-be Godchild’s mother, your daughter as she prepares for birth, or something even for yourself as you prepare to take the Joyful Leap into motherhood.
