The Bump presents #MomBoss, a series dedicated to showing off all-star moms. We catch up with mompreneurs behind products we love, influencers who get real about motherhood and SAHMs who can multitask in their sleep.
The journey to parenthood looks different for every family—something Amy Twombly knows to be true. Some become pregnant after their first month of trying, others find success with fertility treatments and others still turn to surrogacy or adoption to grow their families. For Twombly, it was domestic adoption that led her to her baby girl.
After adopting her daughter Mary Claire in 2015, Twombly became passionate about domestic infant adoption. Wanting to help guide families looking to adopt through the complicated and emotional process, Twombly, who has a background in childhood education, founded Hello Baby, an adoption consulting group that specializes in domestic infant adoption, in 2018.
We talked to her about how her story shaped Hello Baby, what advice she has to offer new moms and how she balances work and spending time with her husband, four kids and two dogs.
How did your own adoption journey shape Hello Baby?
After my daughter’s adoption, I became passionate about promoting domestic infant adoption. Several families asked me to navigate them through the adoption process. The joy I felt from helping these families bring home their babies inspired me to continue guiding others through the complicated and emotional journey. From this, Hello Baby was born.
One can not truly understand the complexity of adoption and the emotional challenges that come with it unless they have been through the journey. When I adopted, we didn’t use an adoption consultant, because I didn’t know they existed. I wish I did! So when starting Hello Baby, I thought about all the ways I wish I had support during the process. Because I have been through many things my clients have—fertility treatments, loss, grief, joy, etc.—I’m able to offer an empathetic approach to my support. I don’t want my clients to ever feel like a number. I want them to always feel that they can trust me and that they will be supported (especially emotionally), educated, guided and understood.
What’s the number one thing you tell families who come to you for help with adoption?
If you don’t try, it will never happen. So many families come to me and are so afraid to start the process for one reason or another. A lot of the times, it’s because someone has told them that it wouldn’t happen or it would take years because they were too young, too old, single, same sex, too many children, etc. Here’s the thing with adoption: There is no rhyme or reason to it. I believe part of it is luck. Perhaps statistically those comments may be true, but you just never know unless you try.
How do you try to balance work and family?
I’m still trying to figure that out. The adoption business is not a 9 to 5 job. We don’t know when situations will arise or babies will be born. Sometimes I have to work until 11 p.m. on the weekend, but that’s alright because I love what I do. There are also days when I feel guilty—when I feel like I’m not giving enough to my family or I’m not giving enough to my clients—but in the end, it all seems to work out. I’ll have two kids away at college next year and my little one will start kindergarten, so I’ll continue to have more time to dedicate to my work. And that’s good, since Hello Baby continues to grow daily.
What’s something you wish someone told you before you became a mom?
How hard it is! Haha! I wish someone told me that you’ll worry every day for the rest of your life because of the amount of love you have for your children.
What advice do you have for new moms?
I know it’s cliche, but it honestly goes too fast. Slow down and enjoy every moment, especially while they’re young and still in your home. I have four children ages 19, 17, 15 and 4, and time has flown by.
What advice do you have for parents who may want to adopt?
If you’re thinking about adoption, I would get as much education as you can and align yourself with adoption professionals that you can trust and feel connected to. I always tell potential clients how important it is to feel comfortable with who you choose to work with.
