LilyPad Founder, Jen Koym, On Dealing With Babies With Health Issues

When your a momma, almost every mom can relate because we all understand there is no hood like motherhood. However, one things fewer moms are faced with is birthing a child with health issues and internal defects that effect their birth or them for a lifetime. Gabi talks with Jen koym, the founder of Lilypad, a non-profit organization created and named after her daughter Lily who was born with heart defects and needed to be moved to Boston for weeks at a time for a special set of surgeries. When they were sent there they were immediately connected with hospitality homes, an organization that connects you with home hosts willing to host you so that you do not have to afford weeks worth of hotel stays while your child receives the care they need. When Jen and her husband return home to Virginia, they found an organization like this did not exist, so they created it for those in need locally. Gabi was a recipient of these services when her son was born with heart defects and needed several surgeries.  They both open up about how different the journey is for parents who deal with babies with health issues. How it is difficult for your friends and family to support you through the unknown and one of the hardest things to adopt is that the future is constantly unknown for your baby and your family.  This episode will truly give you insight and empathy towards parents dealing with the unknown with their newborns and growing children. If you have a desire to help Lilypad Housing or want to get in contact with Jen, check out what they do here: Lilypads Housing