In 2009, Amy Upchurch and her husband Thomas, both St. Augustine natives, were overjoyed to discover they were expecting a baby. Just weeks into her pregnancy, however, Amy began to experience what she refers to as a “morning sickness on steroids,” that prompted several hospital stays for dehydration.
She was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a rare and debilitating type of morning sickness affecting less than one percent of pregnant women. Despite her diagnosis, doctors offered little to no relief of the horrendous symptoms that left her feeling mentally, physically, and emotionally drained for her next two pregnancies. During this time, Thomas was serving as an Infantry Officer in the Marine Corps and his overseas deployments made her condition even more difficult to endure.
Years later, after Amy discovered she was pregnant with baby number four, she resolved to find a new way to treat her symptoms. Tireless research led her to develop a new pregnancy protocol that included natural vitamins and supplements from around the world. This discovery of natural and organic healing elements for pregnant women is what ultimately birthed the Pink Stork company. “Going through something as challenging and as hard as I had been through with my first three pregnancies,” says Amy, “instilled my passion to be able to help women who are suffering.”
Amy made it her mission to help fellow military spouses on the installation and anyone she came into contact with that was struggling with pregnancy-related issues. Now Pink Stork provides relief for women dealing with pre and postnatal issues – from infertility to decreased milk production – on a global scale.
Pink Stork is now sold by several big-name retailers including Target, CVS, Walmart, Amazon, and at over 6,000 stores nationwide. In 2019, the product will be available in 30 international countries. As Pink Stork continues to grow, Amy knew she needed to share this success with her hometown and, this past year, brought her company back to St. Augustine.
“It was really important to me to come back to St. Augustine. It’s such a cool, unique place … I really wanted to grow and headquarter out of St. Augustine,” says Amy who often seeks new talent from her alma mater, Flagler College, and has found a great customer feedback tool in the very active mom groups in St. Augustine. “There’s so much talent here. It’s really important to us to continue to grow Pink Stork in this community.”
Fortunately, Amy’s success has allowed Thomas to leave the Marine Corps and join in the Pink Stork mission, which means more family time for their family of seven. “[He went] from leading Marines to helping lead the company we started together,” says Amy.
While she calls herself blessed by the success of her company, she isn’t at all surprised by it. “I have no doubt in my mind that we will continue to grow,” says Amy. “I was given this great opportunity by God to help other women and I am just blessed to be surrounded by such a talented team.”
Learn more about Pink Stork by visiting www.pinkstork.com. Photography by Brian Miller.