Personal Founder Story

Late 2022 until early 2024 was a particularly challenging time for me. After months of fatigue, depression and ‘morning’ sickness, 4 failed IVF rounds, 3 surgeries, multiple procedures, 10 weeks in hospital, and the daily uncertainty… the toughest challenge was still to come.

November 3rd, at 26 weeks, I had an antepartum haemorrhage and from a football field in a small beach side town, I was heli’d to Auckland hospital in the middle of the night. They were the scariest moments of my life. I never knew you could bleed so much and the baby could still be ok. In those first moments I thought I had lost our precious baby girl….. Its hard to write about it now………

Diagnosed with a major placenta previa, the expectation is that it would happen multiple times and each would be worse, until it endangered my life and bubba would need to be delivered. So I remained at Auckland hospital close to emergency care. Each and every day was important for her development. 

December 8th late night was the 4th haemorrhage. It was a strange, surreal and terrifying few hours, and on December 9th, at 6am the decision was made to deliver bubba. She was 32 weeks and there was great confidence that she would be born healthy and strong. This gave me great comfort, however nothing could dispel the fear, unease and deep anxiety as they wheeled me into surgery.

Unfortunately, an additional life threatening pregnancy condition increased the risk and challenges of the delivery, and a 5th haemorrhage after bubba was delivered, led to a hysterectomy.

I remember waking around 3:30 in the afternoon. I was relieved that our beautiful Ruby was born healthy and strong, and was doing well in NICU. I also remember feeling anxious to see her as I was completely exhausted and felt like I didn’t have much to offer. The mind, body and spritit was exhausted.

There’s all types of thoughts and feelings when you see your vulnerable baby girl in an incubator hooked up to machines.…. and there’s so much to learn.

However, in those first moments I felt like I’d reached the top of a mountain of challenges and felt a sense of relief… unaware that the hardest part was yet to come.

The next phase was the hardest because I was in pain alot, the body was struggling with all types of disfunctions and aches, my mind and body was worn thin, I was away from home, and yet I had the most important and demanding job in front of me; a hungry baby to nuture.

On Christmas eve at the last minute we got the all clear to fly to Whangarei SCBU and be closer to home.

On Christmas day I got to go home for a few hours. I cried alot of the time - I cried because I was home, because the sun was out, because I was in pain, because I was exhausted, because Ruby was safe, because the christmas tree looked amazing, but mostly I think because I didn’t cry many other times during the many months previous.

Recovery.

January 9th, we got to go home, however shortly after, my partners Gran passed away in Scotland and he needed to go back for 2 weeks.

I desperately needed to get back to me. Not to just single handedly cope with an 8 week premature new born, a newly turned 5 year old starting school, a grieving partner and a dying beloved dog (Nacho was given 2 weeks in my last days in hospital due to Lymphoma), but to make the absolute most of such precious moments and give them everything they needed and deserved.

I needed my mind, body and spirit to be in harmony, so that I could recover as fast as possible.

I needed quality sleep. I needed mental & physical energy to be able to manage all the things that needed to happen in a day, so that every 2 hours when Ruby woke, or Odeyah sort my attention, I was turning up with a smile and plentiful energy.

I wanted to shed the baby weight, fit my clothes and start feeling more like myself. Pregnancy changes always felt foreign to me.. I wasn’t someone who glowed or suited pregnancy.

So I doubled down on the things that worked, the things that experts recommended across time, disciplines and boundaries (even though it felt uncomfortable at times). Journalling, talking, getting quality sleep, eating clean, minimizing sugar & alchohol, exercise (walking was all I could manage), getting out in the fresh air, being mindful, keeping things simple, focusing on being positive, being around good people, taking small steps.. and at all times I had to be aware of the trade-offs for mind, body and soul and heal holistically.

I needed to hydrate constantly, and I found a water bottle packed with ice and Green Tea to be exactly what I needed; super refreshing, energy without interfering with my sleep, a boost for my metabolism, mental calm so I could focus, no negative side effects, and the benefits for skin were an absolute bonus.

At 8 weeks I was back to 53kgs and feeling close to 100%. Without a doubt my decision to level up my drinking habits with Green Tea has been a big part of my recovery. 

I've always been a tea drinker but my desperation pushed me to really delve into the details, and Green Tea really holds up.

Iced Green Tea helped get me through my toughest summer ever and bounce back to life. Refreshing, rejuvenating, holistically and authentically healing, without harming. It’s natural. It’s mindful. It’s soothing.

And it's set me on a mission to share the amazing wealth of healthfulness that nature can offer in one humble cup... or gigantic water bottle filled with ice and green tea... :) 

If you're on a mission to feel good and look great, my recommendation is to level up your beverage habits with Green Tea.

** May 18th, 2024 - Rest in peace my beautiful Nacho. My best and dearest friend. You changed my life and you are missed dearly every day.