- Motherhood Melbourne
Interview with Bouncing Back From Birth – Helping Mums thrive postpartum.
Brooke felt completely in the dark about how to care for her body when she returned home from hospital after the birth of her son. The tearing, swelling and overwhelming discomfort set Brooke on a mission. One that would solve the burning (excuse the pun) problem that many women face. She was determined to find a way to provide better options for mothers to recover and heal after birth. When Brooke’s workplace went down in flames, this unfortunate situation presented the perfect opportunity for her to GO FOR IT! And she did. Brooke created Bouncing Back From Birth. It’s an online store that helps mums thrive postpartum. But she’s doing it in her unique way – with 90’s Hip Hop playing in the background and getting a bit happy-sweary when women find her store. In this interview with Brooke, you’ll discover more about this rad chic and how her biz came to be.
HOOD MAMA SPECIAL: 10% off store-wide with Bouncing Back From Birth. Valid until 3rd May 2017. Join the hood to grab the discount code.
1.Why did you create Bouncing Back From Birth?
The birth of my son and personal postpartum recovery ignited a whole new passion for me. Like many women I had some tearing and swelling, those first days were a blur, we came home from hospital and I could barely walk. I had no idea how to manage the stitches and bleeding and grew frustrated; I had read the books, taken the classes, spent hours online on every major retailers website and yet here I was totally in the dark. I decided that women deserved better and that the options for recovery and healing should be WAY MORE accessible.
2. How did Bouncing Back From Birth begin?
On the Easter Monday of 2015 my workplace burned down. Yep. Gone. Along with my job. I was devastated – at the time my one-day a week was my lifeline. I began looking for a replacement part-time job but nothing had the flexibility I wanted. I decided to start Bouncing Back From Birth, and spent a year researching post partum recovery and surveying mums about their experiences and what got them through. I established my initial range by selecting products on the criteria that it was recommended by health professionals and had good results in trials and studies. I built the website myself while my son slept, it’s been a long labour of love, but I’m so proud of my range and the places BBFB can take me.
3. How does Bouncing Back From Birth make mother’s lives better or brighter?
Bouncing Back From Birth is focused solely on increasing women’s comfort and healing after birth. My business was built to be there for mums in their time of need, to be a safe place where they can access everything they need to thrive too.
4. How does it make you feel when someone buys from Bouncing Back From Birth?
I actually do a little happy dance wherever I am, one of the only down sides of being online is that I can’t high five my customers and followers! It’s honestly a privilege to be a part of a woman’s post-partum journey it fires up my heart and well that’s the upside of being online because when I get fired up I get all sweary and want to say “Fuck yeah Mama, YOU’RE AH_MAZING!!”, and that’s probably frowned upon in the customer service world . . .
5. What is your most popular product?
At the moment the BodyICE Woman range is flying out the door! And so it should – BodyICE is an Australian owned company and their perineum and breast pads can be used as a warm or cool compress, which means the number of ways you can use each product are through the roof!
6. What’s the most common frequently-asked-question about Bouncing Back From Birth?
The most common thing I hear when I tell people I specialise in products for postpartum recovery is “ . . . like what?” The answer is, SO MUCH! Compression wear, balms, oils, heat and cold therapy pads, bath soaks and so much more. Hear me Mama’s – you don’t need to push through it, or make do! There’s so much to help you feel comfortable, relaxed, supported and confident.
7. Describe one thing mamas would be surprised about from behind-the-scenes of Bouncing Back From Birth.
That I listen to a dope 90’s hip hop playlist I made on Spotify when I work . . . maybe this is why I get sweary when I’m excited!
8. What aspect about Bouncing Back From Birth do you love the most?
I love that I get to connect with women who are passionate and fierce, I love the sense of camaraderie knowing that we have each other’s back.
9. When you’re not in business mode, what do you love to do?
I love trotting down to my local café for some good old-fashioned people watching, my heart is firmly ensconced in Melbourne’s independent theatre scene and always will be. Spending time with our family and incredible network of friends is always number one on the list.
10. Any exciting plans for 2017?
Where do I start? BBFB is only 6 months old! The big one is a bit of a secret, but I’ve connected with some new brands to curate something totally awesome. My blog ‘The Bounce Back’ is going to go off this year, I’m hoping to transform it into a place where we can have some really robust, respectful discussions about our challenges as mother’s and how we can best support each other.
ABOUT BOUNCING BACK FROM BIRTH
Online retailer dedicated to helping Mum thrive postpartum.
Biz owner: Brooke
Favourite café: The Galleon in St Kilda, it became my home away from home when I moved to Melbourne in 2004.
Coffee order: Cappuccino, when I was young my Nan ordered cappuccino’s, she hated the foam but knew I loved it as well as the choccie dusting.
facebook.com/bouncingbackfrombirth
instagram.com/bouncingbackfrombirth
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MOTHERHOOD MELBOURNE
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