Meet Amelie, the founder of Bare Mum and a new mother to her baby girl. After being diagnosed with endometrial polyps and a breast hamartoma, Amelie realised that her journey to motherhood might not be as straightforward as she had imagined. To feel best prepared, Amelie delved into the sea of information surrounding preconception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum. She noticed a definite shift in focus from the carrying mum to the newborn baby in the fourth trimester – postpartum care felt overlooked and new mothers were seemingly left to figure it out on their own during such a transformative and turbulent time of their lives.
This realisation inspired Amelie with a purpose to demystify and destigmatise the experience of postpartum and empower mamas with evidence-based knowledge and practical solutions to support their unique journey. This became the foundation of Bare Mum, an Australian brand changing the narrative of new motherhood by offering innovative postpartum care designed to support birth recovery and the breastfeeding journey.
We can’t wait to dive into this special conversation with Amelie to learn more about her inspiring business journey and to see how she is navigating the postpartum period with her bundle of joy.
Tell us a little about you and who is in your beautiful family?
I was born and raised in the hustle and bustle of Paris. At age 21 and with a craving for something new and different, I moved to Tasmania to study English and hopefully learn more about myself in the process. What I didn’t expect to find along the way, was a life partner in my now husband, Steve; a fateful encounter that would forever turn my world upside-down. Steve and I moved to Sydney near the ocean, where we have loved spending the last few years together. Our little family and our hearts grew bigger as we finally welcomed our baby girl, Gabrielle, two months ago.
“Becoming her parents has brought us a new kind of joy and love we didn’t know existed”
Can you share more about your background before starting Bare Mum and how your journey evolved into the creation of this revolutionary business?
Before Bare Mum, I lived a busy corporate life that left me feeling rather unfulfilled, my heart and mind at odds. My health struggles made me realise that I needed to slow down and reconnect with my inner self. It made me question every preconceived notion I had around women’s fertility, birth, and postpartum. In my world, these things happened naturally and easily. But I struggled through my own recovery pre-pregnancy, desperately craved the support one needs during such vulnerable seasons of life, and didn’t want to go through the same hardship post-birth. It all started with an old pair of knickers, an ice pack, and the desire to do better for myself and for women out there.
Can you outline Bare Mum’s approach to postpartum care and breastfeeding support?
I believe that knowledge is power and being aware of your options and able to advocate for yourself throughout preconception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is the key to a positive experience. Our mission is to provide women with practical tools and evidence-based information so that they feel better equipped to navigate this transformative period with confidence. Our unique range of birth recovery and breastfeeding essentials were developed in consultation with Midwives, OB-GYNs, Women's Health Physios and Naturopaths to provide new mums with safe, naturally effective, and trusted postpartum solutions. Created for women by women, our postpartum essentials combine thoughtful design and the best that nature has to offer, always with the environment in mind.
A big congratulations on the birth of your gorgeous baby girl Gabrielle! We would love to know your own experience of pregnancy and birth and in addition, how you prepared for the postpartum period?
Thank you! She is my greatest achievement. This is such a tough question to answer in just a few words, but I approached this pregnancy with conscious optimism, celebrating each milestone that brought us closer to our baby girl. The more time went on, the more I loved being pregnant. I was lucky to have a reasonably ‘easy’ pregnancy aside from the occasional sickness. I had hoped for a beautiful, physiological birth at home, but around the 20 week mark I developed placenta previa and a marginal cord insertion and was told to mentally prepare myself for a planned c-section birth. At 37 weeks, my placenta had moved just enough to aim for a vaginal birth, and so our plans changed once again. Gabrielle’s birth was calm, powerful, and beautiful. She was born after 17.5 hours of labour, first at home and then at the Birth Centre closest to our home, surrounded by our wonderful midwife, my loving husband, and I. We were home that same night, blissfully a family of three. I am very grateful for how well supported I felt during the fourth trimester.
“Preparation for me meant educating myself around how to avoid postpartum depletion, equipping myself with the right tools and support team to recover, ensuring that I always have nourishing meals on hand, having open conversations with loved ones to manage expectations, prioritising rest and bonding with my baby."
How have you navigated the fourth trimester, alongside running a successful business? Do you have any advice that you would like to share with us mamas juggling all the things?
I feel very fortunate to have had a smooth recovery and a magical fourth trimester so far, thanks to the beautiful community surrounding me. But I would be lying if I didn’t say that this is also the hardest thing I have ever done. Preparing for the fourth trimester ahead of time is what has allowed me to focus on rest, nourishment, nurturing, and bonding. Yet, most days I feel like there just aren’t enough hours in a day to do all the things, so I try to give myself grace. I am doing my best and this has to be enough during this beautiful but challenging season. Now is the time to lean on my village and soak in these fleeting moments.
What is your top piece of wisdom you would give to an expecting mother?
It’s hard not to fall into cliches, but in my mind preparing for this new season is as much of a physical game as it is a mental one. Not everyone has the same desires, so what may have worked for one may not be right for you. You want to be clear on what that looks like for you, your bub, and your family. In saying that, motherhood is full of unknowns you can’t plan for, so rather than being about ‘planning’, I believe it’s about knowing your options and being prepared for the unexpected so when things don’t go to plan (and they rarely do), you feel confident in advocating for yourself.
“My best piece of advice would be to do your own research, check in with yourself, and consider how you envision your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period”
Can you share what’s next for Bare Mum? What does the future hold? We know anything you put your hand to will be amazing!
We have so many exciting projects on the horizon! We recently worked with incredibly inspiring, creative, and passionate women on a few upcoming campaigns. I am hoping these will resonate as much as they were healing for us to take part in and put together. With new partnerships forming, Bare Mum will also be expanding into new territories, which is very exciting for us as we prepare to support women of different backgrounds and life experiences. We may also have a few new game-changing products in the works – some highly requested – but I can’t say much more at this stage so keep your eyes peeled!
And lastly, a very important question, what are your top 3 favourite biglittlethings?
For mum: Village for Mama. A book full of incredible postpartum recipes that you can share with loved ones to stock up your freezer ahead of time. My favourite 3am snack is the delicious lactation brownie that my wonderful husband makes regularly.
For baby: Snuggle Me Lounger. So practical to take baby around the house, especially when you need your two hands (or a shower)! Our little one loves it.
For us: Notes to my Future Daughter
You can follow Amelie’s beautiful brand at @baremum or shop here for all the revolutionary products that Bare Mum offers.
