OVER the last few years, massage therapist Heidi Robinson has supported women through their pregnancy, and post-birth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could see that they would look after themselves well in pregnancy, but that would drop off once bub arrived and had their attention,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, I was studying to be a post-partum doula to get myself more educated, and was seeing this positive trend of businesses nourishing mothers in metro areas of Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, Ballarat mothers deserve this as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conscious that she could only treat one woman at a time though massage, but could help many at once by offering food, in August of 2020 Ms Robinson launched Mumma Eats.<\/p>\n
Her small business is seeing nutritious, tasty meals and snacks cooked up in a registered kitchen space before they\u2019re delivered to newly post-partum mothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen women contact me, I can create bespoke menus for them, figuring out what works for them and what they want, but I am also developing meal packs that people can order online without having to choose,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs of last year, I also started doing biscuits called galactabites.\u201d<\/p>\n
Full of galactagogues, these bickies have been developed to encourage the production of breast milk.<\/p>\n
Ms Robinson said parents are told to build a village to support them as they raise a child, but that can be difficult when families are apart, especially in the pandemic era.<\/p>\n
She hopes her small business can lend a helping hand in this space.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hear of a lot of mothers who planned to have their own mother stay with them, but lockdowns have impacted that, so it\u2019s not the new baby experience they were expecting to have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have a little one completely dependent on you, and are recovering from pregnancy and birth, your own nutrition is so important, as well as the quality of breast milk being produced,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMumma Eats is not only about convenience, but also supporting mothers by providing good quality food to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
All Mumma Eats meals are pre-ordered by customers. They are then put into compostable packaging, before Ms Robinson delivers them chilled on a set delivery date, not warm on-demand.<\/p>\n
Ms Robinson is grateful to other Ballarat women in business who have shown their support, especially during the COVID era.<\/p>\n