Mission

The Mission of Whaley’s Baby is to assist independent pharmacies in creating a niche market in their stores that will attract a younger demographic, create brand loyalty, serve families in their communities and increase store profits.

Our Journey

The
Journey to Mommy & Me

I cannot think of anything in life that has been more precious than my experience as a mother.  It hasn’t always been easy, being a full-time working mom has its challenges, but my life would not be complete without my two beautiful children.  Giving them the best in life is what I live and work for, and that passion spills over into Mommy & Me.

Whaley’s Mommy & Me – Before, During & After is my “labor of love” that was created after the birth of my first child, Shelby Alaina, almost fourteen years ago.  Prior to her birth, my husband and I had decided that breastfeeding was the best option for our daughter.  We wanted to give Shelby the best and knew that breastfeeding would lead to a healthier lifestyle for both her and me.  I struggled through the first several weeks of breastfeeding with little to no education or support on the subject.  I thought I could just figure it out:  women have been breastfeeding for centuries!  Jefferson City had no resources at the time for breastfeeding moms and purchasing pumps and supplies consisted of depending on the stock boy in a big box store to direct you to the department and then run away in terror!  I was in pain, was trying to figure out if she was getting enough milk, and was exhausted and emotional about the entire experience.  By the grace of God, Shelby and I managed to figure things out with some support from a friend, a lot of books, and a lot of patience and determination.  The end result of that was a healthy, happy, precious child with whom I had developed the most incredible bond a mother could have.

I realized through my experiences with Shelby that there are a lot of smart women out there failing miserably at breastfeeding because they don’t have someone to help them through it.  For all those successful centuries of breastfeeding, women have helped women through this process; our community had no outlets for the kind of support and encouragement necessary to a new-to-breastfeeding mom.  I wanted to change that and be able to give a very precious gift to women who were focused on taking great care of themselves and their babies before, during, and after their pregnancies - just like I had been with Shelby.  Women, who through the emotions of motherhood, were giving up because they thought they were failures and that there was no help or hope.

In September of 2008, our tiny breastfeeding section at our West Side Pharmacy was catching some attention.  I became a Certified Breastfeeding Educator so that I could increase my education beyond my personal experience and help women with their breastfeeding struggles.  The services that we provided were free to
anyone; but I was starting to think that my brilliant idea wasn’t so great after all when within the first year, we had only done 12 consultations.  Still, I remained convinced that for every woman I could assists, one more family would be able to reach their breastfeeding goals.  That knowledge was enough to keep me going.

In 2009, I gave birth to my second child, Cooper John.  Our breastfeeding journey was amazing! It was easy,
I was educated, I was relaxed, there was no stress, this is how it was supposed to be for everyone!  Through my pregnancy and breastfeeding experience I got to enjoy the fruits of my own labor: enjoying and using the
products we were selling at Mommy & Me.  That same year (2009), the Mommy & Me department really took flight and our focus continued to grow and develop to suit the needs and requests of the women in our community.   I started to have a lot of fun with the section and began to incorporate more and more specialty
products: organic lines, skin care lines, diaper bags, and so much more.   In 2010, we started a breastfeeding support group and the community was abuzz with talk of Mommy & Me.  My schedule was completely filled up the second Wednesday of every month when 13-15 moms and babies crowded into our office to learn about the tricks to success.  They were so grateful and I felt very blessed to be a part of their journey.  I looked
forward each month to seeing their faces and kissing their babies.  I am so proud of all of those women for
seeking out support and being a part of the rebirth of breastfeeding.  I am proud of being able to provide that
support, that reassurance, that determination necessary for their success.  I am not a pharmacist; providing this medical service to our patients allowed me to contribute to the success of our pharmacies in a whole new way.

Four years into the process of Mommy & Me, I received flowers from a mother I had communicated intermittently with through her 10 month journey of breastfeeding with her son Turner.  She was such an inspiration to me and - despite many phone calls of desperation and tears - she endured and wound up having a completely fulfilling breastfeeding experience.  She was determined to provide the very best natural gift for her child for as long as he needed.  Her flowers arrived around Thanksgiving time with a card attached saying -

“This Thanksgiving, I’m Thankful for YOU!”

Love, Kristy and Turner.

Tears streamed down my face that day as I suddenly realized the impact that Mommy & Me had on many families’ lives.  We were making a difference.  We were changing their lives and the experiences they were having.  We would be in the memory books of their mind forever.  Very few things in life have felt as good as knowing that Mommy & Me was actually impacting lives for the better

In June of 2020, we will celebrate the 14th birthday of my little diva.  In January of 2021, we celebrated 14 years of Mommy & Me!  This department, which I would like to share with you, is everything about my experiences of motherhood, simply bundled neat and tidy on a shelf.  I am blessed to be able to do something that I love while providing something that other people love.   The impact this department has had on our pharmacy is amazing. 
To watch our prescription sales grow, community relationships develop, and front-end profits explode is truly the icing on the cake!

Whaley’s Pharmacy, Inc. is excited to share Whaley’s Baby with independent pharmacies across the country so that, together, we can better serve the families in our communities, all while experiencing the
internal benefits that we have experienced thus far!  We look forward to making your pharmacy a
Whaley’s Baby participant soon!

Best Wishes ~ Stacy