The Guest Curator: Samantha Diamond, Founder + CEO, Bird&Be
In our new Guest Curator Series, we are asking some of our favorite creators, entrepreneurs, and tastemakers to share their motherhood stories and tell us what they would put in a Nurtured 9 Gift Box to celebrate and support other women who are starting their motherhood journeys. Our September feature is Samantha Diamond, Founder + CEO, Bird&Be. As a mother of three and business owner of a company that’s doing amazing work in the pregnancy and postpartum health space, we are excited to see her must-have gift items for expectant and new Moms.
Meet The Curator
“I’m a Mom of three, and the journey to building my family wasn’t easy or linear. Now, I help others grow their families while optimizing reproductive health outcomes through Bird&Be. We accompany our customers on their path to and through pregnancy and postpartum.”
The Curation: #1
in her gift box (for a friend or family member)
First up, what would Samantha give to a close friend or family member who is pregnant or in the early stages of new motherhood? Let’s see what’s in her first Nurtured 9 Gift Box Curation:
Why Samantha Chose These Items:
Hand Lotion: “How many times do you wash your hands with a newborn a day? Those hands get mighty dry.”
Nipple Butter: “If you’ve ever breastfed, you know the drill. It can be super painful and your nipples may need some salvation.”
Herbal Sitz Bath: “Delivery is tough on our bodies, and we need to soak and heal!”
Face & Belly Oil: “Take one minute (and that’s all you may have during those first few weeks!) to make sure you’re treating your skin with love.”
Cozy Maternity Robe: “We just want to be cozy in those first postpartum weeks, and if you’re nursing, easy access for baby is helpful.”
Hatch Brief: “I lived in maternity underwear postpartum and - TMI?! - still find it to be my most comfy pair for bedtime!!”
Huskee Travel Coffee Mug: “Portable caffeine is life.”
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Mini Cookies: “I craved sweets in the early days of breastfeeding all of my kids, and having some baked goods to reach for was such a helpful treat.”
The Curation: #2
in her gift box (for a co-worker or client)
Our next deep dive into the thought process behind Samantha’s Curations is to look inside the Nurtured 9 Gift Box that she’d give to a co-worker or client who’s pregnant or just had a baby.
“Since this is a little less personal than, say, a best friend, you can stick with apparel and sweets for these types of thoughtful gifts. I love the idea of packaging it all in a hospital bag and including some items for baby.”
The Curation: #3
in her gift box (for herself!)
Last on our list is to take a peek at what Samantha would gift to herself in her current phase of motherhood. (Her kids are 10, 8, and 5 for reference.) …After all, it’s important for us Mamas to treat ourselves to a quiet moment full of self-care (when we can get it!) so that we feel energized and ready to care for our families, which is a never-ending job!
“I am all about body and hair care, so lotions and oils are my forever picks. We get so dehydrated postpartum and our skin feels it. And then as we age, our skin notices (and shows!) pretty quickly when aren’t hydrated enough.”
Huskee Travel Mug:
“Coffee coffee coffee - keep it warm and portable. Need I say more?”
Lip Balm: “The hospital bag, diaper bag, and every bag must have - you can never have too many lip balms. Suddenly you are forever parched.”
Face Roller: “Pop this baby in the fridge and roll on those sleepless night -> super puffy mornings. Try adding a washcloth soaked in ice water to the depuffing routine by laying it over your eyes for a few minutes.”
Hair Oil: “After all that hair falls out … then you age a little bit… hair oil to bring life back to those dry locks is a must.”
the Stories
Samantha’s self-reflections & tips for other Mamas
Nurtured 9: What was a helpful piece of advice you received while you were pregnant or during early motherhood?
Everything is a phase (I think this applies to life in general, too!). It helped me to know that even in the depths of the worst exhaustion, or weeks of sick kids on rotation, or stages of food aversions and potty training and tantrums, that this too shall pass.
Nurtured 9: If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to a younger you (during pregnancy or postpartum)?
I would be gentler with myself and my expectations, and I would encourage less rigidity. With my first baby, I was tied to a nap schedule, I was uptight about food preparation, and tried to control too much. I think that’s a common response for first-time moms, and I’ve learned to be–and was required to be–a lot more flexible. Once you add more kids to the mix, sticking to anything rigid, and holding really high expectations, is a recipe for frustration.
Nurtured 9: What's your favorite way to support a new Mom in your community? Was there something that you found particularly helpful and supportive during early motherhood?
Sending food is always a winner. It’s so hard to stay nourished postpartum (the energy output is extreme!), and there’s not a lot of time in the beginning to make food. If the parent has other kids, offering to help with carpool or hosting playdates is incredibly helpful; the adjustment of juggling another child/children plus a newborn takes some getting used to.
Nurtured 9: What’s your favorite part of motherhood now? Or what are your favorite ways to spend summer and early fall (our current season at the time of this interview) with your children?
Now my kids are a bit older and travel easier. We’re heading out of our first family canoe trip this month, I’m excited to spend some time with them in nature and completely disconnect for a couple of days. I love taking them to the lake, on hikes, water skiing, canoeing and sometimes–yes, it’s finally happening for me!!!–watching them play while I enjoy a coffee or a glass of wine with other moms at a safe distance. Having really young children is physically exhausting, and now I have a little bit more freedom to relax while they run around. Some peace and space on occasion is good for the soul!
Nurtured 9: What’s one way you take time for yourself as a break from the day-to-day ups and downs of motherhood and work life?
I try to walk every day alone for at least 30 minutes to an hour. I take one meeting on audio while I walk, and try to spend 20-30 minutes walking with a podcast or audiobook so I can get as close to my 10,000 steps as possible. This gives me a mental break from everything while I move my body. In addition, trying to exercise for at least 30 minutes most days is critical for my energy levels. If I don’t get some higher intensity exercise in the mornings, I find I’m very tired in the afternoons, and I need full energy support to manage the business and the after school leg of my day.
Nurtured 9: What do you love about your career/job/business?
I spend every day working with doctors to make products that help all folks on their path to and through pregnancy, and we make that journey a little bit easier. Even when we’re facing a challenge, I am reminded through the emails to our Customer Care team or our DMs why we’re on this mission. We get daily messages with anecdotes about how we’ve eased a customer’s pregnancy nausea with our Gentle Prenatal Gummies or supported their milk supply or helped them along the road to a positive pregnancy test. These are moments filled with intense emotion and we’re there to support them and cheer them on.
A huge thank you to Samantha Diamond, Founder + CEO of Bird&Be (https://birdandbe.com). We just loved getting to know you!
Stay tuned for more Guest Curator articles from Nurtured 9 as we tap more women to share their Curations and Stories. If you’d like to nominate a creator, entrepreneur or tastemaker who’s interested in sharing, drop us a note!