Dear friends & family,

A few years ago, I adventured into the most amazing and demanding transformation of my life: becoming a single mother. I gave birth to my daughter Stella, who is now 19 months. Nothing makes me happier in the world than being a mother. Now I am 8 months pregnant with my second baby, and I need your help. I was in a relationship that ended and I'm not receiving any financial support whatsoever. I am completely alone to prepare for my baby boy's birth. I have no support lined up for this last intense month of pregnancy or the postpartum, also known as the fourth trimester. To be completely honest, it's been a really rough few months emotionally as I'm facing these challenges. I'm hoping to shift into a place of security and preparedness so that Stella and I can feel safe to focus on our excitement for this new soul to join our family.

Due to the pandemic, I haven't been able to do the same kind of work I did previously; producing events and teaching classes. Instead, I focused on my cake business which brings in a lot less income but has allowed me to pay my basic expenses. As a result, I don't have savings to cover the cost of my birth and postpartum period.

Here's what I need financial support with:

My birth:

I plan to give birth in a safe and nourishing environment surrounded by a supportive and trusted birth team. For me, that means bringing my baby earthside in my own home with a skilled birth team, including a midwife, a doula and a sibling doula for Stella. I need to raise $4k for the midwife, $2k for a doula and any additional amount I will use for childcare or a "sibling doula" for Stella so she can be taken care of during my birth process.

My postpartum period:

Right after birth, I will need to focus on the 24/7 care of my newborn in addition to my toddler. This will prevent me from working until things are settled after a few months. As a single mom without other adults in my home, I also do not have any planned help with housework. At a minimum, I will need 3k to cover my basic expenses during this time.

Other ways to support our family:

1. If you prefer to send donations via venmo, send to @mikkaminx. For offline donations, text 5419796373 for the address.

2. Sign up for a couple of hours of postpartum help; this looks like choosing a date and time that you can come by and help with dishes and laundry etc.

3. Sign up for our meal train (link coming soon)

4. Sign up for a play date with Stella; this looks like choosing a date and time to pick up Stella from our home and take her to the playground for a couple of hours.

5. Offer some days and times you could run an errand for us if needed since I won't be leaving the house for about 2 months (walking is very painful after birth)

6. Purchase an item from our registry: https://www.babylist.com/baby-minx-2

7. Order a cake :) Here's my cake gallery & reviews:

https://yelp.to/qTKq/gWpKE0SjZ5 and here's the form to order: Www.mikkaminx.com/minx-cakes

A final note:

Friends and family, you mean the world to me! Thank you so much for sharing your love and generosity with us. Any contribution will make a huge difference as we navigate this big life transition. I want nothing more than to bring this new baby boy into our world peacefully, surrounded by the love of our family and greater community. Your presence in our life is the biggest gift of all. We look forward to celebrating together with you soon! -XOXO Mikka, Stella and Baby Minx #2