The LOVELY ladies from Mum Bub Hub joined us on our shoot in September. They're doing brilliant things with their post natal self care range. Have a read below to find out more...
Tell us a little about yourselves and Mum Bub Hub?
I’m Anisah, Mum of two (my son and daughter are both under three) and Nyree is a mum of one – her son is almost three! As the founders of Mum Bub Hub CIC, our aim is to help women heal, rest and recover after childbirth. We are passionate about wellness and self-care, and it is a core principle in the community workshops we deliver. We are a social enterprise so all of our profits are re-invested back into the business and through the provision of free antenatal and postnatal workshops and support groups, which are delivered to women and families in vulnerable communities.
What sparked the idea behind Mum Bub Hub?
During our own pregnancies we both realised that we hadn’t been given a heads up on the realities of having a baby and giving birth – Anisah was 6 months behind me during her pregnancy so I educated her about some of the things to expect - like heavy bleeding. Of course, it was an exciting time and we were all so excited about the arrival of a lovely new baby! But nobody warned me what the first few weeks would really be like!
As beautiful and joyful having a baby is, the topic of becoming a mother is such an overwhelming and complex issue. We wanted to change the narrative surrounding childbirth and encourage open and honest conversation. With the MBH solution we want to make it easier for women to put the needs of themselves and their bodies first by being informed and by having access to quality products to make the recovery process a little bit easier.
What do you guys offer that can help Mum’s recover post birth?
We have developed a contemporary solution for pregnant women and new Mothers, offering hand-created natural products. For perineal care (the area which is most likely to be sore and swollen after pushing!) we offer a spray and balm to provide a soothing, cooling effect and to ease discomfort for those trips to the bathroom post-birth - haemorrhoids anyone? We also have self-care products for your bath-time regime to encourage blood flow and circulation. This promotes healing to the most affected areas. Indulgence and self-care tends to go out the window once you’ve had a baby, especially in those first few weeks, so our products are also a nudge to remind women to take a few minutes out to take care of themselves.
You use natural ingredients in your products. Can you tell us what benefits they offer to recovering mums?
Yes, we create our products with natural, plant-based ingredients - We try to keep things simple. If we don’t need it, we won’t use it. These traditionally homeopathic base ingredients are known to alleviate symptoms of swelling and discomfort.
For example, our Perineal Spray is made with a base of Witch Hazel which has natural antiseptic, astringent and soothing properties to alleviate symptoms of postpartum vaginal swelling and soreness, It’s also a great remedy for haemorrhoids.
We also love ingredients like Chamomile, which is ‘anti’ everything! It has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties – which can help to soothe and cleanse the vaginal area. We use the flowers in our Postpartum Bath Soak along with other healing herbs such as Comfrey, Yarrow and Plantain, which makes a perfect sitz bath to heal the perineum. Our Perineal Balm and Perineal Spray are also infused with Chamomile.
One of our favorite ingredients to use is Arnica. Arnica is brilliant as reduces bruising and minimizes strain on soft tissues. You can find this powerful agent infused in our Perineal Balm along with St. John’s Wort a commonly used in herbal medicine topically as an anti-inflammatory, wound healing herb. Particularly helps the pain associated with wounds, minor burns. It is believed to help reduce wound closure time, help regeneration of tissue, and increase tensile strength of wounds.
And of course there’s Himalayan Pink Salts – Detox anyone? Himalayan Salts is the perfect base for our Soaking Salts as it is detoxifying and mineral rich. It contains numerous minerals for your body to rebalance and absorb including Magnesium, Selenium, Zinc and Iron.
Being sent home with your baby for the first time can feel really daunting, what advice do you have for new mums in those early weeks?
Nothing can really prepare you for the sleep deprivation, the pain, soreness and bleeding (gosh the bleeding!) that follows. But focus on your recovery - you need to make sure that you are well-nourished and looked after too, so that you can put all of your attention towards baby. Make sure you have a good amount of cooked meals prepared, snacks if you are breastfeeding and drink plenty of fluids – you lose so much of it through blood, sweat, milk…
A key piece of advice - I would say limit your visitors for the first few days unless they are coming to help you out/cook for you/watch baby so that you can sleep, because hosting whilst looking after a newborn is super tiring! And be forgiving – don’t be so hard on yourself, this journey into motherhood is difficult at times but try to celebrate the small wins.
You can find all their products here
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