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This taboo-breaking new company finally gives new mothers what they REALLY need after childbirth. Moms are loving it.

This taboo-breaking new company finally gives new mothers what they REALLY need after childbirth. Moms are loving it.

People have an overly-romantic idea of what it's like to bring a newborn into the world, but it makes sense.

The human species has to propagate itself and if we were open about what it's really like to birth a baby, we'd probably be extinct.

After a woman gives birth, all of the attention shifts from her health to the beautiful baby in the blanket. Everyone asks baby's name, birth weight, and what time the beautiful bundle of joy arrived — while mom gets put in the corner.


Meanwhile, mom may be over the moon with her new child, but she's probably in pretty bad shape.

After giving birth, a woman can have any combination of the following postpartum issues: leg, feet, and ankle swelling, stitches in the perineum (the area between the vagina and the anus), lacerations in the vaginal canal, C-section scars, stretch marks, incontinence, vaginal bleeding, post-birth discharge, sore nipples from breastfeeding, hemorrhoids, constipation, and weakened ab muscles.

Culturally, we're pretty uncomfortable discussing women's health issues, so nobody hears about why mom has to keep running up the stairs to use the bathroom or is crying in the shower.

A poll taken by Orlando Health found that 26% of women who had recently given birth didn't have a plan for their health over the period known as the “fourth trimester," and 41% of those respondents indicated that they felt anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed after giving birth.

“All the attention becomes focused on the baby," Megan Gray, an obstetrician and gynecologist with Orlando Health, told Fox News. “We totally forget about mom."

via Amelia Makin

New mothers Kiki Burger and Amelia Makin decided that if nobody was thinking about mom, then they should.

In January, the pair launched Mor for Moms, a company that sells kits filled with what moms really need after childbirth.

“After our babies were born we were frantically texting each other trying to figure out which products to get to help with the immediate pain and care and we both kept saying, 'Why didn't anyone tell us we would feel like this?'" Makin told Forbes.

“But unlike with everything else for the baby that was usually solved with a single click on Amazon or a stop at a local CVS, we couldn't find the products in one place, or available without buying in large bulk amount," Makin continued.

“Given that 4,000 women give birth a day, it seemed crazy to us that these products just weren't readily available," Makin said.

via Mor for Moms

Mor for Moms sells postpartum self-care kits featuring maternity pads, mesh underwear, cooling pads, ice packs, a cleansing bottle, overnight pads, nipple pads, and nipple cream.

“All of the new moms kept telling us how helpful the kits were and how they felt less alone as they sat in the bathroom trying to figure things out," Makin said. “Pretty soon, people started requesting to purchase them for their friends."

The duo also set up a partnership with Mary's Center, a Washington D.C.-based community resource center. For every kit sold, Mor for Moms donates one to new moms in its Centering Pregnancy Program.

Upworthy got the chance to talk with Mor for Mom's co-founder Kiki Burger about her company and the taboos surrounding childbirth.

Why do you think these products haven't been packaged together before?

From the experience of my co-founder Amelia Makin and me, and what we've heard from many other new moms, it seems like no one has really talked about this before — until the nurse is taking you aside in your hospital bathroom when you can hardly stand up and telling you how your personal hygiene will work for the next week or three. Since there's been so little dialogue around it, we're just not seeing it reflected in the marketplace.

Why is it still taboo to discuss what happens to a woman's body after giving birth?

When you're pregnant, it's all about the mom, but the minute the baby is born, the mom is cast aside and the focus is all on the sweet baby. It's totally understandable, after all newborn babies are super cute and super vulnerable, but there needs to consideration too around the mom's health. How does she recover physically following a major medical procedure is a bit dissonant with the innocent beauty of a newborn.

What's the most difficult thing for women to discuss after giving birth?

How they are really feeling. Physically, it's a messy and hard time. Your body has changed. You have trouble walking. But you tend to never let on to people, trying to match how you think you should look after a baby. I mean, women frequently still look pregnant for awhile after giving birth. That's normal. And then there's the emotional side. Your life has completely changed. Your relationship with your partner has changed. You might experience postpartum depression. Let's just say it's a lot. And it's hard to talk about, especially with someone that didn't just go through it or hasn't before.

What do you know after giving birth that you wish you knew beforehand?

I wish I had known about the greatness that is mesh underwear. But seriously, I wish I had known about the recovery process I was going to experience. I had everything ready for the baby and took all the classes, but had no idea about my own self-care needs. I wish I had supplies ready for me at home. I'll never forget leaving my three-day-old at home to drive to CVS to try and find oversized pads and another squirt bottle. I wandered down the aisles in my diaper looking for these things, and they just don't sell them.

You've identified a huge hole in the market that exists because of the taboos surrounding women and birth. Do you see the same type of holes in the market when it comes to other women's health issues?

Absolutely. Your period, menopause, sex after baby, postpartum depression, women's viagra, the list goes one. With so little talked about, our goal is to at least get the discussion going around post-birth realities and its effects on a woman's body. And fill these gaps with products to make life just a little easier for women, give them one less thing to think and worry about.
Along our personal journey, we were fortunate to be well provided for and had supportive partners. That's why we've also built into our company a nonprofit partnership with Mary's Center, a community-based health center in Washington D.C. With a portion of our sales, we supply a kit to new moms in their Centering Pregnancy Program.
All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
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