Meet Adiyah Bell of Llama Momma Company in Kennesaw

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adiyah Bell.

Adiyah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As enjoyable as pregnancy is painted to be, I struggled! I felt blessed with the opportunity to carry a child, but felt lost and overwhelmed with all the information regarding pregnancy. I drowned myself in YouTube videos and Mommy Blogs to gain some kind of understanding of exactly what in the world was going in but was left with more questions than answers. My biggest and most detrimental issue was my hospital bag. I was severely sick my first two trimesters and exhausted by my 3rd. Some of the videos and blogs I read suggested to pack games and dvds. Then others were like just pack a t-shirt you’ll be fine. There was so much conflicting information that I just threw something together and let the chips fall where they may.

Once I was in labor and delivered Bailee, that’s when I realized how unprepared I was. My bag was a joke. I felt like I got hit by a bus and now had to figure out:
1. Why do I still look pregnant?
2. How do I keep this new human alive?

I tried to take a shower with the 9-in-1 shampoo, body wash, conditioner, lotion, exfoliatant, soap the hospital provides that left my skin feeling like sandpaper. The “outfits” for myself consisted of a pajama set (that got ruined) and what I wore when I arrived in the hospital. Bailee’s bag had an outfit that swallowed her up and trying to send my husband home to get the things I needed would’ve been equivalent to sending him to the grocery store to get cilantro. While I’m processing all these things imagine my surprise as a photographer comes in to take pictures of my bundle of joy, my handsome husband, and myself who indeed looked like a wet sewer rat. I was like, nobody mentioned any of these things in any blog or video that I ever watched.

This experience along with struggling trying to breastfeed and dealing with baby blues led me to start Llama Momma Company. I wanted to have something that would help moms, first timers, know the realities of what to expect and provide them with products that would help them along their journey.

Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth road!? I think I have hit 9,786 of the 13,000 potholes ATL is still trying to fix.

Financing was one of my biggest issues when trying to launch this business. Banks want you to show revenue for at least five months before they give you a loan, but I couldn’t have revenue until I had some financing for inventory. I heard the same song and dance to every bank I went to. I eventually figured out another way to get the funding to start my business which has made my process significantly easier.

Another struggle I had was trying to maintain my normal 9-5 job, care for my new baby, be a wife, and still maintain my commitment to full-time ministry. It has surely caused some sleepless nights and made me questions if this is something I still want to do. The fear of this failing has snuck up on me a couple of times, but I had a greater fear of working 9-5 for the rest of my life and not being able to enjoy my children like I want to.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Llama Momma Company – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Llama Momma Co. has high-end curated kits to help women on their journey into motherhood. Right now there are four main kits. The Ultimate Hospital Bag, Breastfeeding, Postpartum Recovery, and Baby Loss Kit. All the products included are organic, all-natural, cruelty-free and some vegan. I wanted to provide mothers with safe and effective products that will aid them in some of the hardest parts of entering motherhood.

Right now, I’m just an ordinary mom just doing my part to help other moms out. I graduated with a degree in Neuroscience from Tulane University. So I have researched, verified and inquired about many of the products that have been selected for the kits.

The thing I am most proud of is the genuine care this company has for all mothers. Not as a consumer, but as a person. As a mom who has been there before, I love the judgment-free zone we provide for moms to voice their frustrations. It can get become overwhelming not only as mom but as a women to carry all the roles we have. The other thing I love is that we talk about the hard issues. Such as baby loss and IVF, I truly belie every mother is a mother, whether you have a baby here physically, you’ve adopted, you’re a step-mom or you just mother other children. Being a mother isn’t physically birthing a child; it’s caring, nurturing, loving, others.

The love and care that this company has I believe set it apart. This is just the beginning but I desire for Llama Momma Co. to grow into something phenomenal that will provide moms options of not having to go back to work, finance daycares, have conferences, and promote their own businesses. Looking past moms as just consumers but as women trying to grow is what separates us from other companies.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love true Atl culture, the food, and events that take place in the city are a blast.

Least? T.R.A.F.F.I.C. I’m just going to leave that right there. I’m trying to keep my Jesus.

Pricing:

• Mommy bag:$129
• Hospital Bag $379

Contact Info:

• Website: www.llamamommacompany.co
• Phone: 404-908-3013
• Email: customerservice@llamamamacompany.com
• Instagram: llamamommacompany
• Facebook: llamamommacompany

Image Credit:
Aaron Michael Crute

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.