Meet the Bloom Girl: Katie Prochaska
We asked, they shared. Get to know the Bloom Girls that help our business grow.
If you frequent Babies in Bloom, you are probably pretty familiar with the lovely ladies that make up our retail team. From the moment you walk in, you’re bound to meet one or more of our Bloom Girls. They are always on hand to offer recommendations about classes, supplies, and goodies from our boutique. They can also provide information about everything to meet your needs, from baby-wearing to car seat installation.
With the wealth of knowledge they have to share on the daily, it’s hard to get to know know more about them while you’re interacting in the boutique! That’s why we asked each of our Bloom Girls to share a little about their lives outside babies, birth, and Babies in Bloom – but it’s still very likely all three of these things will come up. What can we say? There’s a reason they are Bloom Girls, after all.
We can’t wait for you to learn more about these fantastic women. By the end of this interview, we just know you’ll feel inspired by, relate to, and want to be BFF’s with each of them.
Meet Katie Prochaska, Bloom Girl since 2013!
Katie, what’s your story? Tell us a little about what makes you, you.
I am the oldest of seven kids! My husband and I are high school sweethearts; we have been together since I was fifteen and he was seventeen. We got married at 20 and 22, and we brought our first child home from the hospital two days before our one-year wedding anniversary.
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a mom. Thinking about career choices was hard for me. Picking a college major was a nightmare I stressed and stressed over. Ultimately, in my senior year of college, pregnant with my son, I realized that it was perfectly okay that being a mom was my priority and my CALLING.
I started coming to Babies in Bloom when my son was about eight weeks old, first for lactation help, then because not many of my friends even had babies yet (hello young mamas!) and I was CRAVING a village that I lacked.
Fast forward a few years, it’s now 2016, and I’ve just given birth to my second child; my beautiful daughter Quinn. She had a pretty fierce start to her life, and she kept it going from that moment on. She was born with rare genetic condition that neither my husband nor I knew that we are BOTH carriers for and there are no real prenatal markers for. My pregnancy was healthy and we had no indication that anything was wrong until my water broke at 32 weeks. It took months in the NICU to get a diagnosis, which was not a good one, and then she spent months in an out of intensive care. Quinn was a light and joy in our lives, even among the stress and fear that we felt. She managed to change the vibe in every room she was in, even her doctors would comment on just how peaceful she made everyone feel. She passed away at home, surrounded by family and friends who dropped everything to come spend her final days with her, in April of 2017.
My family has taught me EVERYTHING. My husband and I have done all of our growing up together. Through high school and college, he has always helped and encouraged me to empower MYSELF to be the woman I wanted to be. Our children taught me everything else: joy, patience, selflessness. How to be an advocate. How to tell people what we need and expect. And, how to GET. STUFF. DONE. My family is everything.
What’s your current mantra?
You have been assigned this mountain to show others that it can be moved.
What are some small things that make your day better?
Coffee, a clean kitchen, clean sheets, hugs and kisses from my son, reading, and sitting and talking with my husband. That man can make me laugh like nobody’s business.
What topic could you give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?
Car seats. All the car seats. Car seat safety, types of car seats, different issues in different cars, statistics on misuse . . . you get it. Car Seats. 😉
What Babies in Bloom product would you be and why?
I would be a ring sling. I often describe slings to people as being like a third arm because its job is to help you keep your baby close, give baby extra comfort, and support whoever is wearing it. That’s what I try to do every day at Babies in Bloom.
What is the best compliment you’ve received?
One time, like 4 years ago, a dad at Babies in Bloom told me I reminded him of Emily Blunt. I cling to that still, to this day!
What irrational fear do you have?
Truly irrational fears? Clowns, open water, drowning. What actually gives me anxiety to think about but is statistically unlikely? My son getting kidnapped, someone breaking into my home.
When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?
I have been told, on more than one occasion, by more than one person, that I should be a therapist. I am a pretty good listener, and am pretty good at helping people process emotions and work through stressful situations.
What shows are you into, or would recommend to a new mom looking for some me time?
I have some serious opinions on this. I have been a committed Friend‘s fan for like my whole life. If I make an obscure comment, it’s definitely a Friend‘s quote. Parks and Rec and The Office are also ways of life. If you don’t answer a call from your boss with “Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam…” are you even living? Superstore is also AMAZING. As is The Good Place. For more serious shows, This is Us and Parenthood are just so real, they get me every time. And you know I am also a die-hard Grey’s Anatomy fan!
What would you like other people to know about Babies in Bloom?
We only carry products/brands that at least one of us has tried and we believe in. We are family-owned and family-oriented, so if we sell it, 1. It’s good and 2. We can offer tips, tricks, and guidance on it!
