BEHIND THE BOOK
the village for mama birth story
This book has been an absolute labour of love and it would not exist without the collaborative effort of incredibly talented, inspiring and hard working women.
The idea sprung to mind one morning whilst I was driving to the gym. I was listening to an interview with Dr Oscar Serrallach and I had a light bulb moment. From that point onward, the idea grew and there was no stopping me,
I reached out to Maddy a local freelance recipe developer and mutual friend (now a dear friend). She excitedly agreed to work along side me to bring the book to life. With the help of Brooke Lee, a local Naturopath and recent mama to beautiful daughter Jetta, the collection of nourishing postpartum recipes were lovingly created.
Village for Mama: Nourishment for the fourth trimester is a unique and deeply loved postpartum recipe book. Each book includes 30 recipe gift cards with a pre-written letter explaining the importance of the postpartum period and the essential role loved ones play through providing nourishing food and shaping a new mother’s experience.
Following the success of the book, I have gone on to update the content and will be releasing a second edition in August 2022.
BEHIND THE BUSINESS
Mama, Author, Postpartum Doula, Nutrition Consultant & Cook
Four years ago I had a grand vision to trade my Mexican cantina for a boat and set sail for a few years. I didn’t expect to find motherhood on the horizon.
The day I sold my Mexican restaurant, I found out I was pregnant and my vision for the foreseeable future suddenly changed course. With little to no understanding of pregnancy, birth or motherhood, I dedicated my pregnancy to study, exploration and research.
While I found an abundance of resources helping mothers through pregnancy and birth and countless books dedicated to raising children, there was very little dialogue around what follows birth for the mother.
With only a handful of voices championing the importance of the postpartum period and the essential role loved ones play in shaping a new mother’s experience, I felt it was time to re-write our cultural narrative and begin educating those around expectant and new mothers.
After writing the first edition of the book, I went on to study holistic pregnancy and postpartum nutrition through Oh Baby and now work as a Nutrition Consultant and Postpartum Doula. I am deeply passionate about normalising the gathering of a village to support new mums, about educating friends and family around the importance of support and nourishment during the early weeks of motherhood, and the impact this has on recovery, breastfeeding, maternal wellbeing and mental health.
LEILA ARMOUR