Late one night last week, I should have been asleep, but I started scrolling through Instagram and stumbled on one of Mia Carr’s posts. It was a sweet photo of a mom snuggling her just born baby with tears streaming down her face and the brightest smile, and it read….
It was this moment I knew… You were safe.
The relief spilled in, flooded my eyes and released the anxiety.
My breath let out and I was free from the heaviness and worry.
My sweet baby lifted to me, gently.
There in my arms he rested, and I thanked God quietly.
Because baby you were safe with me… Finally.
Suddenly, I couldn’t stop the tears. I was transported back to the delivery room. The memory of my OB – urging me to keep pushing and telling me I couldn’t stop because Brooks’ heartrate had dropped. Remembering how he was on my chest and the nurses were massaging his slightly blue legs and arms while saying come on baby come on baby trying to get him to breathe. The umbilical cord had been wrapped around his neck 3 times. After what seemed like forever, his beautiful cry pierced the air and there he was….crying and slimy and squirming and absolutely perfect.
Watch + Listen to the whole conversation:
The Snuggle Me Organic was born when Mia Carr struggled to juggle twin newborns and a 2 year old. Desperately needing an extra pair of arms, Mia and her mother in law started sewing prototypes of a pillow that would simulate the touch of a parent. The idea exploded into an extremely successful family run business. Yet what continues to make Mia so successful is her authenticity and her deep connection with her brand’s amazing community of moms. As a mom of 7, Mia gets it, she’s been through it, and her gift of words to convey that connection on social media propelled the brand to its success.
One of the first things that I learned about you, is that you have seven children. Did you always know that you wanted a big family?
When I was younger, I wanted to grow up and be a mother, so I definitely was able to do accomplish that goal. I love being home with my kids. I think that’s my first and most important role and I just happen to also run a big business. But my kids are definitely my biggest priority.
How would you say your parenting has changed over 17 years?
I would say every day is an evolution. My oldest son had a totally different mother than my youngest. I definitely was a by-the-book mom to begin with and then I kind of learned my voice and my heart and my instincts as I went through it each time. By the seventh kid it was- no, I know exactly who I am and what me and this baby are going to are going to do. So I think with every child it just gets more and more fine-tuned.
What are some of those components of parenting that you’ve learned along the way?
Ignore all of the advice that you get from others, and tune into what your individual baby needs. Don’t worry about what other people are doing. Every baby is so different that you really there’s no book for it. Also, tune into what you need as a mother too. And that goes for the teenagers and all the kids in the middle too.
How did Snuggle Me Organic fit into this picture of your family journey?
When our twins and I came home from the hospital, I also had a toddler at home. My husband was a truck driver. He was always gone six days a week. He was home at night but still it was me and these babies most of the time. I was trying to figure out how to juggle the needs of all of them. When you’re going through postpartum, you’re having all these emotions and you’re just exhausted on top of everything else.
I remember my mother-in-law came over and asked me- what do you need? I responded- If you just sat here and held a baby for me, that would be all I need. It’s just such a basic human thing, but I just didn’t have enough hands. And so we came up with the idea of a lounger that would imitate the feeling of being held or touched that you could cart around the entire house so there was a set of arms for you if you needed to put the baby down.
How did you find your voice on social media?
I took over our social media account for the business in 2017. I studied a lot of influencers. I didn’t study other brands because I didn’t want to do what they were doing. The main thing I found was how they were able to connect with their audience. I would see these motherhood images and I would almost go into that emotion because I know that feeling that those mothers were experiencing. Once I connected emotionally, the posts just flowed out of me. People just connected so deeply with those moments.
What advice would you give to your pre-mom self?
Trust your instincts. You’re going to mess up and you’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to get really good at falling and failing, but the only way to succeed is just to get back up. Be brave. Keep going, don’t stop.
Bridget Garsh
Co-founder & COO
Bridget is mom to two little boys, Hudson and Brooks, and a champion of working moms everywhere. NeighborSchools itself was borne out of Bridget’s challenge to find high-quality yet affordable child care, and the realization that so many parents struggle with these same issues every day.
Read more from Bridget, follow her on IG, and check out her new series, Work Like a Mother.
