Welcome to my shop, Love, Lila Ann. I'm Jess, a wife, mother, NICU Nurse, and preemie advocate. I live in Sacramento, California with my husband, two daughters (Lila and Ann), and our dog, Fran.
I have been a NICU nurse for 12 years, and have worked with hundreds of families. In a world where the little things mean so much, being able to pick out your baby's clothes and bedding for the day is such a HUGE accomplishment! I was tired of using ill-fitting blankets to try to make a bed look less sterile, and I could tell the parents longed for something better.
I remember decorating my daughters' nurseries... picking a color scheme, searching for fabrics that would eventually be handmade quilts, hanging pictures I searched endlessly for on Etsy, spending hours on Pinterest looking at photo after photo of inspirational rooms. When their rooms were complete, I felt as though I had surrounded my babies with love because I had handpicked everything!
Life in the NICU is so very different. Huge plain white t-shirts, blue lights, and the irritating beeps and chimes of alarms replace flower headbands and cozy fleece pjs. There is no cute bedding, there is only bunny blankets... oh how I loathe the bunny blankets, and I know the parents do too.
The NICU is a place where we celebrate everything... and I do mean everything!! Every poop, every smile, every percentage drop in oxygen, and every ounce of weight gain. As a parent, our primary job is to care for our children, but when your baby is in the NICU you feel as though that job has been taken away. You can't hold them when you want, breastfeed them when you want, and they are surrounded by wires and tubes, instead of the linens and clothing you hoped they would wear.
Love, Lila Ann was created because we believe every baby, whether they are in or out of the hospital, deserves to be surrounded by things chosen especially for them by their loved ones. Their bedding should be soft, colorful, and actually fit the bed where they lay their head, either in a NICU isolette or their crib at home. Our dream is that our bedding will transform any space into THEIR space.