Our Stick Of The Week! is Melissa Lutzke. Melissa is in the NOW as founder of RateMyBabyNurse.com, a doula and baby nurse review site where expecting moms can research hundreds of baby nurses and doulas and get real feedback from other moms. Parents rate and review professionals on important criteria like trustworthiness, infant care knowledge and reliability. RateMyBabyNurse.com adds greater transparency to the hiring process, so moms can make a more informed decision and find the help they need.
Melissa Lutzke
Melissa Lutzke is a new mom turned mamapreneur living in New York City with her husband Jason and 17 month old daughter.
"My days are split between running around with my toddler, going to her music and gym classes, play dates, the playground and running my business. For me, it’s the perfect mix and I’ve never been happier."
Melissa also has a secret love for interior design and do it your self home projects. She loves reading Elle Décor and trying out new things in their apartment and although they usually don’t turn out quite as professional looking as she envisions, Melissa has a lot of fun.
"My days are split between running around with my toddler, going to her music and gym classes, play dates, the playground and running my business. For me, it’s the perfect mix and I’ve never been happier."
Melissa also has a secret love for interior design and do it your self home projects. She loves reading Elle Décor and trying out new things in their apartment and although they usually don’t turn out quite as professional looking as she envisions, Melissa has a lot of fun.
Tell us about your NOW (Noodle On the Wall)
RateMyBabyNurse.com is a doula and baby nurse review site where moms can research professionals before they hire. While I was pregnant, I found that the process of searching for and finding support was really onerous. It took me a really long time to compile a list of potential baby nurses. When I started interviewing them, I would Google them but nothing came up. It felt like I was operating in a black box. I realized that before making any decision, whether it was what hotel to stay at or which printer to buy, I would pour over online reviews. It seemed natural to me that moms should have the same level of information before hiring a baby nurse or doula. So I launched RateMyBabyNurse.com as a destination for baby nurse reviews and doula reviews.
Is your NOW simmering, al dente or fully cooked and why?
Somewhere between simmering and al dente. RateMyBabyNurse.com has real parent reviews and the content continues to grow every day, making it an even better resource for moms.
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
There is something about motherhood that unleashes the creative and entrepreneurial drive. So my recipe would be to....
1) Embrace it
2) Share your ideas with other moms to see what the response is
3) When you’ve found “the noodle," throw it at the wall as hard as you can
4) Expect that some days you’ll feel discouraged
5) Push on!
What motivated you to throw your noodle?
I’ve come up with LOTS of noodles over the years, but RateMyBabyNurse.com was the first one that really addressed and solved a problem in that there was nowhere to go to research a baby nurse or doula. So, I decided to run with it. Plus, I knew starting the site would let me tap into all of the things I love to do like graphic design, website design, partnership development and marketing. So, it was a really good fit for me.
What inspires you as a Mom and as a creative person?
The balance of doing both. I love being a mom and I love running my website, and doing both concurrently has made me one happy and inspired mama!
RateMyBabyNurse.com is a doula and baby nurse review site where moms can research professionals before they hire. While I was pregnant, I found that the process of searching for and finding support was really onerous. It took me a really long time to compile a list of potential baby nurses. When I started interviewing them, I would Google them but nothing came up. It felt like I was operating in a black box. I realized that before making any decision, whether it was what hotel to stay at or which printer to buy, I would pour over online reviews. It seemed natural to me that moms should have the same level of information before hiring a baby nurse or doula. So I launched RateMyBabyNurse.com as a destination for baby nurse reviews and doula reviews.
Is your NOW simmering, al dente or fully cooked and why?
Somewhere between simmering and al dente. RateMyBabyNurse.com has real parent reviews and the content continues to grow every day, making it an even better resource for moms.
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
There is something about motherhood that unleashes the creative and entrepreneurial drive. So my recipe would be to....
1) Embrace it
2) Share your ideas with other moms to see what the response is
3) When you’ve found “the noodle," throw it at the wall as hard as you can
4) Expect that some days you’ll feel discouraged
5) Push on!
What motivated you to throw your noodle?
I’ve come up with LOTS of noodles over the years, but RateMyBabyNurse.com was the first one that really addressed and solved a problem in that there was nowhere to go to research a baby nurse or doula. So, I decided to run with it. Plus, I knew starting the site would let me tap into all of the things I love to do like graphic design, website design, partnership development and marketing. So, it was a really good fit for me.
What inspires you as a Mom and as a creative person?
The balance of doing both. I love being a mom and I love running my website, and doing both concurrently has made me one happy and inspired mama!
How do you juggle Mamahood and your NOW?
I juggle it with a lot of understanding from my husband who accepts that I spend most evenings working, along with a really great support system of family and babysitters to help me with my daughter. I have also learned to prioritize my to do list and accept that some things no longer make the list (like working out unfortunately).
What is your ultimate pasta dish?
As a first time expecting mom, I was completely overwhelmed by all of the decisions I needed to make for my baby and felt like I didn’t know what to ask, where to begin, or what my choices even were. My ultimate pasta dish is a site where moms can go to research and learn about all of the support they need from baby nurses and doulas, to midwives, doctors, hospitals, etc.
RateMyBabyNurse.com can also be found on TWITTER and FACEBOOK
I juggle it with a lot of understanding from my husband who accepts that I spend most evenings working, along with a really great support system of family and babysitters to help me with my daughter. I have also learned to prioritize my to do list and accept that some things no longer make the list (like working out unfortunately).
What is your ultimate pasta dish?
As a first time expecting mom, I was completely overwhelmed by all of the decisions I needed to make for my baby and felt like I didn’t know what to ask, where to begin, or what my choices even were. My ultimate pasta dish is a site where moms can go to research and learn about all of the support they need from baby nurses and doulas, to midwives, doctors, hospitals, etc.
RateMyBabyNurse.com can also be found on TWITTER and FACEBOOK