The miracle of birth is a journey that many women expect to be beautiful and perfect. But Jess Mabis knows women are often unprepared for the discomfort and pain that occurs in the fourth trimester—the postpartum period. Mabis witnessed it first-hand two years ago, when one of her friends had a baby and felt totally unprepared coming home from the hospital.
“She called me crying, completely lost while trying to find all the things she didn’t even know she needed at Target,” Mabis says. Not wanting other women to feel this way, the beginnings of Mabis’s entrepreneurship were born. “It really upset me that at baby showers, moms were never given anything to take care of themselves,” she says.
Postpartum recovery is incredibly involved, from feminine hygiene to baby care, and everything in-between. Babies have their own aisle in the grocery store, but when it comes to postpartum recovery, many women lack the knowledge and resources to support themselves during the challenging time.
Mabis wanted to put all the postpartum essentials together in a package that would be convenient for new mothers. After consulting with doctors, midwives, nurses, and—of course—new moms, and doing extensive research on the products that new moms need most, the Postwell box was born.
At first, Mabis put together 20 boxes to be used as gifts for expecting mothers in her life. But word about the boxes spread quickly, and soon, she needed a website. With orders flooding in left and right, she wasn’t expecting the influx and had to shut the website down when she ran out of supplies. In the year that followed, Mabis devoted herself to perfecting the boxes by testing the products—many of which are organic and come from female-owned businesses—with new moms.
“The demand for orders showed me just how needed these boxes were,” Mabis says. Today, having sold a box in almost every state, Mabis is convinced new moms everywhere need to be informed, supported, and well-equipped for postpartum recovery.
In a picture-perfect society, talking about postpartum is oftentimes overlooked as a messy and not-so-glamorous topic. “My boxes open up the platform for conversation,” Mabis says. “I would love for this to be more openly discussed, since it is a time in a woman’s life when they need to be supported the most.”
Postwell offers two gift box options: “The Essentials” and “The Motherload.” Perfect to keep any new mom covered, “The Essentials” consists of pads (nursing, overnight, and hemorrhoid), numbing spray, a peri bottle, perineal spray, cold packs, and natural wipes. “The Motherload” consists of more of each item and includes pads (nursing, breast, overnight, and hemorrhoid), nipple cream, cold packs, a peri bottle, perineal spray, and natural wipes. Each box even comes with a scented candle with the new mom’s name on it, as well as a handwritten note.
Mabis’s journey creating Postwell has been a crazy yet exciting ride, and from mentorship and finding advertising help to tracking down a box manufacturer, she says has found the support in Cincinnati to be wonderful.
“My goal for Postwell is to support women having a child, as it is a beautiful experience,” Mabis says. “Postpartum is only a temporary part of the journey, and they do not have to go through it alone.”
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