What resources or practices did you personally turn to as a new mother for well-being and to hold space for yourself?

A lot of the things I used then are still things I do now. Balanced self-care is so important for all mothers or those who are mothering, and it's a practice that stays with us for life.

Nutrition is top. Eating leafy greens for iron, zinc, and other nutrients every day. Baths are another favorite. I still take at least one every week complete with candles, a good book, and a satchel full of The Bath. Movement is also super important. I wake up long before my family to do pilates (I love Melissa Wood Health) and go on long walks. The pilates keeps me strong and centered. The walks give me a chance to check in with myself, listen to spiritual teachings or podcasts I like, and just have space to be.

Your advice to new mothers who are feeling selfish about or undeserving of taking time to themselves.

We have to mother ourselves well in order to mother others well. Caring for yourself as a mother is one of the most valuable things you can do for your family, your community, and your society. There's so much talk about self-care these days, it feels like we're drowning in it, but the thing about balanced self-care, the true purpose of self-care, is actually selfless. You're turning your focus and attention inward in order to properly turn your focus outward. This is the basis of real connection, being well connected to yourself first.

How to accept help as a new mother and make sure that self-care and reflection is not forgotten?

Start with acknowledging that to be vulnerable, especially during postpartum is utterly human. By acknowledging your own needs, you affirm that you indeed have needs, and that awareness makes it easier to voice what you need. If I need a day alone or a break, I voice that to my partner. It takes a lot of strength to acknowledge that you're not super-human. You're just human-human.

The Oil is so nourishing and healing. Can you tell us about the medicinal properties of the herbs that make up The Oil?

Yea, The Oil is really special, and it's benefits are many. I still use it daily on my hair, body, and face. It's anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory. This makes it ideal as a nipple salve, but also for C-section scars, and postpartum acne. Sesame oil, one of the main ingredients, is high in zinc making it ideal for treating postpartum hair loss, which has been linked to zinc deficiency post-birth. Sesamin, a compound in sesame oil, blocks the production of melanin, making it a great option for fading dark spots due to postpartum melasma. It also imparts the oil with some UVA/UVB protection.

How did your background in public health and integrative medicine play a part in the creation of Ebi?

I think Ebi is the perfect amalgamation of the two. Postpartum health is a very overlooked area of public health. One-third of maternal deaths happen after women leave the hospital. The medical-industrial complex basically drops off after birth. My public health training gave me an eye for looking forward, where we are going with health. We need a complete reworking of how we approach postpartum health in America.

Integrative medicine just allows you to look holistically at a person. What life stage could benefit more from a holistic point of view than postpartum? There are so many physical, emotional, and identity shifts in postpartum.

With Ebi, I aimed to give women the tools to help themselves have a holistic postpartum experience. Unfortunately, we don't have the infrastructure (or even the awareness) to give people access to holistic postpartum care services yet, but it's coming.