Nature and Nurture

12/22/2023

Now that’s a prepared postpartum. Congee for days. Mom is well fed + well loved. Hats off to this dad whose love language is warm healing good.
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As we get closer to the end of this calendar year I am reveling in gratitude for all of you- my clients, anyone that’s come to a workshop I’ve shared, any fellow business owners that have offered a collab or a referral, my teachers along the way, all my friends and family that love my child and allow me to do this work that I love so much while knowing she’s happily with her people when I’m away, and anyone that’s made me laugh this year - it all means so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have learned slowly over time that I am not someone that can functionally operate on the surface level of life, that I am at my best when I go to the depths, when I examine the roots, and all of the ways that each of you has trusted me or invited me in to witness the love that drives you has supported me in doing so. I hope I can keep supporting you in being who you came here to be, and right now I am so lucky that that looks and feels like the immeasurable unknown waters of birth and of getting my hands dirty with medicine from the earth. Thank you!

I have a holiday card and a draft of a newsletter written for each of you and I am truly impressed at every last one of you that gets those out “on time.” But for now, it’s happening right here! Thank you! I love you!

12/21/2023

snuggled, cozy, cute as hell, loved ferociously.
welcome to the world m^3

in the middle of the night, we got to meet the new guy. second time I’ve been lucky enough to see and navigate the depths together and bring one of the greats here. Melissa you are a force for love and we are all better for it. you really got the shot(s), again!

12/07/2023

CATNIP FOR WHEN YOURE BEING A JERK

man I’ve been so hard on myself for my parenting this week and I didn’t know just how much I was allowing my brain to be an inhospitable environment for an Imperfect Person Who Makes Mistakes™️ until I reached a tipping point of sleepiness and let myself truly weep. So I went outside and got elbow deep in the dirt in my lil containers (would’ve gone face first but the neighbors were out) and I saw how my catnip’s doing and felt quite instantly relieved. *big exhale* helloooooo. The plants have been here with the answers the whole time. Classic move on their part

Catnip! (Nepeta cataria, lamiaceae, mint family) it is absolutely addictive to cats but it’s so good for humans too. My teacher considers it a favorite herb for highly sensitive people because it’s so calming for both kids and adults. For kids it’s supportive as a bedtime tea, for fevers and for upset stomach, and for adults it’s super helpful when your mind is on fire and excitable in a million directions (like mine! There’s pros and cons to this). There’s a compound in the leaves called nepetalactone which is what makes the cats go wild for it but it also has a mild sedative effect on humans and helps with a racing mind and insomnia. It can be found in a lot of teas that are intended to promote relaxation and general herbal protocols for anxiety.

My lil guys don’t look as healthy as I’d like them to because I tend to try and care for too many beings at one time, so these guys have been munched on by some outdoor friends. But I’m learning. And I’m drinking my catnip tea today so I’m not too stressed about it.

Highly , highly recommend trying this herb in a container or garden for the anxious parent (or the anxious kid).

Love ya, this isn’t medical advice, it’s just for fun and for solidarity in parenting / being a person who feels
🤍🌱

12/04/2023

I’m also excited to have a lot more fun in business. And share some more of my sometimes vulgar / inappropriate personality with you. Starting December 13th the sitz bath blend will be renamed to “Soak that Puss*” or whatever you like to call it. I’m imagining you tending to your wounds in your postpartum underwear in the middle of the night and catching a glimpse of this label and it makes you laugh. Which hopefully helps bring some levity to the recovery process. You can order this one today, but the new labels won’t be in til next week. Buy this for your silliest friend.

12/04/2023

Thanks everyone for coming out to the holiday market at last night! Sharing a table with pushed me to put together some herbie blends that are not related to the postpartum experience and I had a lot of fun. I’d like to continue the holiday market digitally so I’ve added these products to my site and you can swipe through for some photos. I’d like to teach my child that this season can always be one of giving so from now until December 31, when you buy an Herbie product from me, 10% of purchases will go to and 10% will go to . Accountants everywhere will be mad??? That’s cool. A lot is possible in business when we focus on purchasing and redistributing hyper-locally!!!

I need you to know that I KNOW these product photos are not luxurious or gorgeous. They’re just filling the space.

If you want to coordinate a free local pickup, don’t order on my site, DM me here and we’ll figure it out on Venmo.

First photo by from the herb walk a few weeks ago. I was hesitant to repost because it made me look cool and I didn’t want it to go to my head. But here we are! Gotta make a sale, baby!

Local/regional farms/gardens/apothecaries/business are always prioritized. These batches leaned heavily on 🤍

I love you!

10/04/2022

There’s a whole lot at play in our culture making it harder for mothers and parents to get practical, meaningful support. Some of us don’t feel the gaps in our community networks until we have a baby- then we really FEEL those fractures, when we’re up for the 5th time in the middle of the night, with another appointment in the morning, wondering when we’re supposed to find the time to feed ourselves a healthy meal during the day— there comes a deep knowing that it’s supposed to be different. There are a lot of gaps - and I think every parent feels them- but there are also so many gems. I see a lot of new parents cross this threshold, feel the bliss and the fractures, and turn around and do whatever they can to support other parents the way they wish they were supported. It’s a trivial example, but I always think about it - One time a mom who was walking with her 3 kids saw me struggling to tie my shoe with my babe in my arms and she bent down and did it for me. Every mom I know is the first person to say “do you need anything?” I see so many examples of us having each others backs - mom-led orgs like + , offering free classes for the community, creating workshops for parents of all ages, clients making the shift to move into the field of maternal mental health, and the list goes on. Ann and I are excited we’ll get to join forces and keep offering meals for the whole family that take a small step in helping more moms and parents feel cared for, especially in the early days after childbirth. If we can be just one small example of what it means to create a culture where mothers and parents are lifted up (and make it easier for your friends and family to show up for you), then we’re doing good work. More to come this week!!

06/07/2022

I reached out to Peachey peachey | one wild acre] when I first moved here and wanted to offer flowers to new families. I loved her push for slow flowers and prioritizing natives, AND she makes the most beautiful bouquets. As a mom herself she was down to help right away, and she’s gathered gorgeous bouquets for clients and deliveries ever since! You can order the most perfect bouquet from Peachey for delivery to your house with the welcome to the world postpartum package at the link in my bio or at harvestedfoods.com ☺️♥️ they are always the happiest flowers and I am sure they love celebrating new babies and new parents too! And follow peachey | one wild acre] to learn more about slow flowers 🌸

05/19/2022

Rescheduled!! Thanks for making it work☺️

Come join April of - herbalist, botanist, plant friend and more - and I to learn how the plants around us can support you during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond! SUNDAY June 5th 2-4 PM. There are so many incredible medicinal plants in our gardens, backyards, and all around us in the Lowcountry- how can we invite them in to support our transition to parenthood?

This workshop is for pregnant and newly postpartum individuals, friends and family who have someone in their lives they’d love to support, birthworkers, and plant enthusiasts of all kinds. You’ll get digital handouts, an herbal blend to take home, and we’ll walk through preparing an herbal pad for postpartum recovery.

Registration is live on April’s site (link in bio) and is limited to 15! Sign up if you know you’d love to join!

PS - when I first moved here and found April’s school, I was soooooo excited to learn from her. And now we get to teach together- I am so beyond grateful for this!!!

12/01/2021

02/06/2021

RED DANDELION !

from via

Supports your pregnancy with its magic:
🍃high in Vitamin C, which collabs with amino acids to maintain collagen production—> important for baby’s growth and the growth of your tissues (including your uterus)
🍃high in Vitamin K, which supports normal blood clotting - something that can lower risk of postpartum hemorrhage

Supports your postpartum with more magic:
🍃high in iron, which is highly important postpartum after your body transferred lots of its iron to baby and lost blood during birth
🍃high in omega 3s and omega 6s - transfers to breast milk and supports baby’s brain and eye development (this is also important in utero!)

I like to sauté my dandys with butter and lemon pepper but you can also eat em raw with salads and sammies 🥪🥙

Eat these with some FAT to better absorb the goods 😎 Butter, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, whatever you’re into

Thanks for the delicious local and seasonal medicine! (But dandy’s are available year round so seasonal for this guy means annual 😁)

01/17/2021

How do you (plan to) teach children to love and honor themselves and the planet and the people on this planet?

Today we went to the beach and listened to songs by and and read the words of and out loud and talked about what we did this week that we’re not proud of, what we’re proud of, what we’re grateful for and what our intentions are for this week. We got sand in our clothes and hair and nails and pockets and when we finished a family of four puppies came running over to us to play (not even kidding!!!)

When the stories we hear make us feel hopeless, I want to create hope in the belief that the world we create within our families and chosen families and selves is powerful ✨

What else do you think kids (and adults (and everyone in between)) need to feel connected to themselves and the earth and their spirit?