Made by a Mother and Doula
I started Skin to Skin in 2021 with a vision to support women entering the biggest transition of their lives- Motherhood. After a long and painful recovery from my first birth and a rushed postpartum with my second, I began to feel that childbirth and recovery lacked the essential components for a sustainable transition. Mothers seemed to be lacking connection to their pregnancies due to the conveyor belt care they receive from their providers. They were facing a multitude of interventions during labor without a support team or the wisdom to advocate for their bodies. We were bringing our babies home to an overwhelming guest list and a lack of neither prepared nutritious meals or the necessary self care products for recovery. It shouldn't take having one baby to adequately prepare for the next.
I took these concerns and turned them into a birth work career as a Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula. I made it my mission to help my clients connect to their pregnancies, to advocate for their bodies and babies and to believe in the powerful lineage of natural birth that came before them. I made them balms, salves, sprays, and blends to help them heal. And I brought them traditional teas, soups and broths meant to restore them back to health and to ease their transition into motherhood.
These are things we can all do to help a new generation of mothers who are facing a change in maternal care. Motherhood is a profound rite of passage and yet it has become an experience that most women fear due to a pathological approach to childbirth and the message to "bounce back" afterward. I want deeply for communities to again support their new mothers. You can do this easily by focusing on the mother before the baby. Get her the products she needs to heal for a baby shower gift. Bring her meals or set up a food chain. Do some chores before holding the baby. Or just make her a tea and sit with her as she tells you she's "fine."
With these simple gestures, motherhood may begin to transform into the powerful transition it already was-- but as one we now value,
respect and honor. Let's give mother's the care they need so that
they may re-enter society restored, both mentally and physically.
Let's rewild the modern mom!
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Skin to Skin and Motherhood
The goal and significance of "skin to skin" does not end at the 'golden hour' after birth or even at infancy.
Our two year old son still lifts my shirt to lay his head on my bare belly when he is sleepy and our four year old daughter still requests that I remove my sweater when putting her down at night so she can cuddle my bare arm. As mothers, our skin is sacred. It births and then feeds our babies whether from our breast or our warm embrace. As they grow it continues to keep them warm and safe. Our children never forget our smell or the sanctity of our embrace. It is my goal to maintain the nature of this love by using minimal, nature-based ingredients that are 100% organic, cruetly-free, and free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic preservatives, or perfumes.
~Ashley Murphy, 2021
Owner