Posts Tagged ‘motherhood’

About style, love and how motherhood changed her

Saturday, October 21st, 2017

Romy Boomsma about style, love and how motherhood changed her

Artipoppe Story | By Romy Boomsma and Vogue

In Romy Houwer-Boomsma’s Instagram you can endlessly get lost. She posts many images of enchanting interior style that you want to instantly add to Pinterest, but also her daughter, Bobby Jo (1.5) with her husband, TV presenter, model and sports gym owner, Arie Boomsma. Saying Bobby has two very handsome parents is an understatement. Romy Boomsma (26), the face of both Amsterdam’s designer label Stieglitz and Artipoppe for luxury baby wraps and carriers, has a bohemian personal style that inspires. Think: lots of print, color, stacked jewelry, flares alternating with jeans and sweats. Romy shares how she experiences the pregnancy of her second child, style, love and more.

You are now pregnant with your second child. What would you have liked to know during your first pregnancy with Bobby Jo that you know now?

“That nothing will go wrong if you let go a little. The last time I was completely seized by being pregnant, which made me become more anxious. During this second pregnancy, thankfully I can better let go and I’m less busy with it. I continue to exercise throughout and feel fitter this time. Now, I also know better what I can expect, and that has a different mental affect. I’m enjoying this time fully, and so it seems to fly quickly by. ”

How has motherhood changed you, do you think?

“In everything, and especially in many ways that I never imagined or expected in advance. I’m totally there for Bobby, and I think that’s beautiful. Now, after more than a year and a half, I notice that I slowly create some more space for myself and that goes very naturally. I expected that I would have needed that much earlier, but I still prefer her to be as close as possible to me. ”

You are a full-time mother. Has this been a conscious choice?

‘Absolutely. I am very happy that we can allow myself to be a full-time mother, which means that, despite Arie’s busy schedule, we can still see each other as a family.”

Have you always wanted to become a young mother?

“The thought always seemed fun to me, but only when I met Arie, I thought,” Yes, you are my children’s father! “And he had the same feeling. Therefore, it did not have much to do with age. ”

In what has Bobby Jo surprised you the most?

“In a lot of ways actually, but especially in how I deal with motherhood. She’s really my mirror and in terms of character, is very much like me. This can sometimes be confrontational, but at the same time it’s very funny. ”

What do you wear most during your pregnancy?

Stieglitz Flared leggings, vintage Levi’s 501 jeans in a large size, Arie’s shirts, long dresses and everything combined with oversized knitwear by I love Mr Mittens. This time and during the previous pregnancy, I have not bought any special clothes, but actually wear what I usually like. That means everything oversized. In my pregnant period, those clothes are a little tighter. ”

You are the face of Stieglitz and Artipoppe. Why are these labels written on your body?

“I think the women behind these companies are fantastic. They are my friends and both are so incredible in what they think and do. The brands are outgoing and striking and yet they speak to so many people. I think that is exceptionally beautiful.”

Which accessories in your closet are of particular importance to you?

“My gold jewelry. It is a combination of family heirlooms and presents from Arie. He knows exactly what I like and chooses the most beautiful things. I always wear them. ”

What are your top 3 beauty tips for pregnant women?

“The Soap Treatment store for the finest treatments, and at the same time some time for yourself – even after your pregnancy. A good highlighter. I like to use Girl Meets Pearl or Watt’s Up from Benefits, and good creams and oils for your skin. The Beam Cream from Soap is very good and I also like to use Kiehl’s skin products.”

What are you the proudest of Arie as your husband and father of your children?

“He works incredibly hard, but is a very engaged and loving father and man. His head is never too full to spend time with Bobby and us. He is always very patient. We complement each other well as a couple, and that appears to be the case in parenthood also. ”

Originally featured in Vogue

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Tags: Artipoppe, motherhood, Romy Boomsma, Style
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Style and Inclusivity in Seoul

Monday, May 22nd, 2017

Style and Inclusivity in Seoul

Artipoppe Babywearing Story | By Sarah Kate Watson-Baik

I currently live in Seoul, South Korea. A city that never sleeps. Much like my daughter Luna when it comes to sleeping in a bed. With this as the starting point of my story, I realize mine must be similar to many! The reality of this situation is that babies know what’s good. They like to sleep on or near their caregiver and I resigned myself to that even before she was born. I always knew I would wear her. To what extent, I had no idea.

From birth she had no interest in reclining or being horizontal alone in all those things we are sold as new parents: Bouncy chairs, not having it. The highly recommended, must buy, automatic rocking cot, nope. A co-sleeper, never.

She liked one thing: For her back to be vertical and be high up, able to see the world. Her choice, not mine.

Along with that, like most newborns, my baby would only fall asleep nursing on me, next to me, or being worn. I could never get her to sleep in my rocking arms. She would muscle away from me in a way I’m uncertain how a young baby could do. Regardless, somehow being vertical in a sling or carrier was magic! It was the only thing that would allow her to relax her body enough to sleep. Once my husband and I discovered this surefire way to get Luna to rest from then on out we took the road of least resistance even if it meant wearing her for every nap and bed time. (As I write this she is eight months old and we still wear her down or nurse or a combination of the two for each and every sleep time. I have no other tricks up my sleeve. If it was not for babywearing I’m not sure where we would be.)

After she was about a month old I also discovered that she would sleep longer if I wore her and walked outside. I would take advantage of her extended afternoon naps to get out and visit Korean markets, department stores, and galleries. The market stall ladies would peek their head in and gasp in shock that I was taking such a young baby around with me. Despite Korea being a babywearing culture with traditional podaegis and trendy hip seats, it’s also tradition to stay home the first 100 days of a baby’s life to both keep it safe from illness and for the mother to recover from birth by eating iron-rich seaweed soup everyday. Let’s just say those early days we garnered a lot of attention that might have been a little negative as we set about our city adventures. But I do highly recommend the seaweed soup!

Getting around Seoul is very easy but not terribly so if you are pushing wheels. I found babywearing gave me the freedom of mobility and a sense of security in the hustle and bustle. I could take the bus or metro with ease, maneuver the small back alleys, and enter the many shops that included steep steps. With so many people around, and sometimes overly friendly stray hands, I also had full awareness and the ability to protect my baby. We were one.

Besides mobility, it gave my daughter a view to take in the world. I could see curiosity in those little eyes from the beginning and I’m sure Seoul was a dazzle of lights to her with all it’s neon and shiny things stacked on top of each other in the streets and markets. As she got older her curiosity only grew, even to hyperactivity. Wearing made it possible for me to calm her flurry of flaying arms and shifting gaze. Another thing I found wonderful about wearing Luna was it allowed her to be included in every conversation.

After the 100 days, I started wearing Luna to fashion events and even to Seoul Fashion Week where she was immediately acknowledged and greeted by others. Koreans love babies and despite it being a little weird to see a baby at a fashion event, people engaged her in cute conversation, wave or shook her hand, and wanted to take her photo. Calm and content in the commotion, her face would light up with the recognition and she enjoyed the attention. What I loved about this is that the greeting in Korea is very important. Parents teach their children to bow to elders from a very young age and the quality of your greeting skills will always mark you as a person. Not only did she learn to greet others, she has been fully included in the conversation. This perspective is more equal on so many levels. Her world included fashion shows, people’s faces, hand gestures, hugs, pretty interiors, lovely catering… whatever I could possibly be enjoying at an event, she did too. Her world was not simply people’s knees and ankles as if she were sat in a stroller. Or even just of our home if I attended events without her.

So that’s my babywearing story. As you can see everything about babywearing is for the benefit of my baby… Oh wait I almost forgot!

I love fashion. I’ve been working in fashion in Korea as a lecturer, consultant, stylist, influencer, and sometime TV host so I just love fashion and it has become so much of who I am.

Babywearing allowed me to achieve two things: Be the mother I felt I needed to be, fulfilling this deep instinct to care for my daughter in a particular way that many think of as being inconvenienced. I certainly fall into the label of Attachment Parent or “crunchy mom” as the American slang goes as I not only babywear but co-sleep, cloth diaper, breastfeed and so on. Babywearing also allowed me to feel more myself, or maybe, my best self. There is no compromise.

Babywearing with wraps, and particularly Artipoppe wraps, allowed me to continue to find joy in dressing and feel beautiful and chic. Fashion and motherhood can be one. I find it so odd that many seem to see pregnancy and motherhood a time to become dowdy and matronly. I loved dressing my pregnant body and I got many raised eyebrows here in Korea for my bright bodycon dresses and kimono combinations. Indeed, it’s not easy and we have very little time as mothers but there are shortcuts and hacks to style! Simply styling a stunning wrap with a classic nursing t-shirt and wide trousers or jeans and sneakers is an easy mom outfit but actually very cool, fun, and fashionable. I’m a great lover of millinery hats and scarves, so wraps are equally as fun and simple to style. My collection of Artipoppe wraps is growing and I strategically buy them based on how I think they could be styled with clothes. The outfit can be a blank canvas, the wrap a splash of artistic paint, the exclamation mark in the sentence. Wraps are the little bit of luxury you feel you can indulge in when everything else is covered with food and your hair has not been washed. Luckily, I always rocked the mom ponytail before baby came so no one really noticed a difference in the hair department!

In conclusion, overall I guess I feel like people have low expectations for babies. Like babies don’t quite take in as much of the world as adults do. I want to share my life with my children not by accident. I never had the desire to leave my baby at home with a babysitter. Even I’m sure she would be bored by that as when we leave the house, Luna kicks her legs in excitement to see something different. For me the point is experience. Experience in all facets of life is the best education. It makes us better thinkers and practitioners. Babies develop so quickly that one minute they are laying on their back and then next flipping over and crawling, that it makes me think if they missed viewing the world or experience in the first year what more could have developed in their mind?

So yes: Experience and engagement. Inclusiveness. The ultimate assurance and feeling of safety. That’s some pretty awesome things to be able to offer another human.

Babywearing has allowed me to calm my baby and get her overactive personality to sleep. It has allowed me to read her better, to attend to every need so that she knows she can trust me. It has allowed her and my husband to be totally bonded as he will wear her for every nap and other chance he can get. It has allowed her to join me everywhere I go in total ease. It has allowed her to be dazzled by city lights & sounds and perhaps develop her own style and taste. It has encouraged her to be social and adopt the social manner of her surroundings. It has allowed me to continue to have fun with fashion and share that joy with my daughter. In everything I do, I want it to be a fun adventure so being a mother has been no different thanks to babywearing. Most of all, it has allowed us to share a very amazing connection and I’m certain she know she is loved. Who would have thought a long piece of cloth, albeit a very beautiful, luxurious, and well designed one, could be so many things?

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Tags: attachment parenting, babywearing, fashion, motherhood, seoul
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Love for Babywearing Knows No Borders

Wednesday, March 15th, 2017

Love for Babywearing Knows no Borders

Artipoppe Babywearing Story | By Daiva Petkeviciute

My journey into motherhood started seven years ago with what I thought was a perfect pregnancy and birth. Despite being a workaholic at heart, still rushing to finish a project as contractions were progressing, I was thrilled to become a mother and thrived in my new role from day one. Although dark and short days in December and icy pavements in January kept me trapped at home with a newborn for days on end, I was truly enjoying the perfectly imperfect days and nights with my son. He was a baby who let me know loud and clear that he needed to be close to me pretty much all the time. And I gladly carried him day and night, mostly in my arms.

As weeks went on, I was getting increasingly tired of never being able to put my son down. For a short period I discovered that if I put him to sleep in my arms while wearing a cozy zip-up fleece jumper, I could sometimes lay him down and sneak out by taking the jumper off, while still leaving the arm wrapped around him. A very clever trick that worked only for so long as Lukas called my bluff. I needed a solution and after a failed attempt to make a stretchy wrap work, I stumbled upon a buckle carrier that seemed to be a solution that worked for us. I loved carrying my son and took him with me everywhere I went: from boats to hiking trips, he was happily observing the world close to me.

A couple of years later my first daughter was born and just like my son, she spent a lot of time snuggled up on me in a carrier. We both enjoyed being able to carry on with our days chasing an active toddler without any obstacles. Although I didn’t find the carrier comfortable for my back, it was a solution that worked and so I followed my instinct to put my kids first. My babywearing story might have ended here had I not developed severe lower back and hip pains. People around me were quick to blame my discomfort on babywearing and after excluding a variety of possible reasons I also came to the conclusion that it was wrongly distributed weight of my kids that was causing it. It was such a difficult realization to swallow and at that time, pregnant with my third baby and unaware of any other alternatives, I decided not to carry my youngest daughter. We greeted her into this world well equipped with a number of strollers.

Fast forward 10 months later, one conversation with a friend changed it all. She introduced me to Artipoppe and something just clicked. At first it was the aesthetic appeal that captured my attention. I was drawn to the idea that satisfying a basic need of keeping your child close can be so much more than that. The different blends to meet the personal preferences of each mother and child, as well as pattern-color combinations to make as big a fashion statement as one´s heart desires kept me fascinated. I tried my very first Artipoppe wrap with my chubby 10-month old and a sensitive back and it was perfect: cotton-cashmere blend provided enough support and cushiness to distribute the weight of my daughter equally throughout my body so that the pressure on my hips and lower back that I was so used to feeling was gone. I was ecstatic! For me, it meant going back to being the easy-going parent that I love to be, without needing to schedule the family days around the nap times of my youngest. It meant saying “yes” to my older kids when they wanted to go explore the world, instead of slowing them down because of the needs of the baby. Gradually I was experimenting with different blends and patterns, testing the wrapping qualities of the wraps with my not so small kids and once in a while surprising myself by my attraction to colors that I would never considered for my clothing. It didn’t take long for Artipoppe wraps to not only become a necessity with 3 kids under the age of 4, but also my number one accessory of choice.

What took me by surprise though, is that beyond wraps, Artipoppe brought into my life a community of women, a support system that I did not have and was longing for. Being a mother in a foreign country, with no family around, can be a lonely and isolating experience. As a Lithuanian in Norway, I was grateful to the health system in Norway that arranged meetings for mothers with babies close in age living in the same area so they get connected and not feel alone. During the meetings that I attended, different perspectives and takes on motherhood were enthusiastically shared in the group by mothers of different walks: from various countries, brand new moms and moms to child number two or three. Those to whom the new role came naturally and those who were notably struggling. I remember how these meetings sometimes left me questioning my own choices when it came to raising my kids. As my confidence in myself and my parenting choices I was making grew, the mother-baby meetings started in some weird way to resemble high school reunions: you meet people who you should have so much in common with, yet being in the same class or, as I discovered, having a child is not necessarily a common denominator strong enough to create lasting bonds. Very unexpectedly, to me, Artipoppe became that common denominator bringing together mothers from across the globe that share love for babywearing and beauty. Because of Artipoppe, I have met the most amazing women – from different continents, speaking different languages and raising their families in various countries – with whom I share my views on motherhood, raising children, rediscovering yourself as a woman after becoming a mother. To me, Artipoppe has opened doors to my support system, to my village that makes me a better parent for my kids.

As our babywearing journey is drawing to an end, I am grateful for what it has brought to me and my family. My kids associate wraps, or “hearts” as they call them, with a special time with me. My daughters still ask to be carried when their legs get tired on long walks, or when they need to reconnect and get undivided attention. I admire their ability to recognize and voice their needs – something I hope they will carry through life. And while the kids are growing and these special wrapping moments are becoming few and far between, friendships that I have made through my babywearing journey keep getting only stronger. Love for babywearing knows no borders, and for that I am grateful.

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Tags: Artipoppe, babywearing, motherhood, ring sling, woven wraps
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Metamorphosis into motherhood

Friday, August 5th, 2016

METAMORPHOSIS INTO MOTHERHOOD

Artipoppe Babywearing Story | By Julia Samokhvalova

Your baby is born, and he’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Those tiny little fingers, the fluffy hair, the angelic face… You can’t stop looking at him. You buy him these cute little outfits, the softest little blankets… You scuttle past the mirror, not noticing that you’re still in your washed out maternity pants, and that someone obviously spit up on your t-shirt. This happened to me – and more than once. A lot of mothers don’t bother much about their looks after they have a baby, and this is in no way a bad thing. But a lot of times, we really miss it. Caring for ourselves, feeling beautiful. It’s not only about looks, it’s also about confidence, control, empowerment. Yet we often choose to deny ourselves these things.

Why do we do that? Because we are tired. Because we experience baby blues. Because we’ve gained weight and got stretch marks and dislike our new bodies. Because the baby gets all of our attention and our energy. Because sometimes it’s almost considered shameful to care about our looks – we have a baby! – and so, we feel guilty for caring. Your baby deserves the most beautiful things. So when you pick out that amazing wrap, which looks so nice on you both, you’re making a step in the right direction. You feel prettier. Maybe later, you will find clothes that fit you better, and that look good with the wrap. Maybe you’ll pick up a nice matching lipstick. Or maybe you won’t – you’ll just light up and smile when the lady in the store compliments you on your wrap.

When my youngest was a few weeks old, I cried looking at myself in the mirror. I thought I was the ugliest thing ever. I had a stressful pregnancy, I had gained a lot of weight, I was exhausted. But my baby looked great, and we looked great together, especially wrapped up. We did a few photoshoots for Artipoppe a few weeks later. I washed my hair, chose some nice clothes that still fit me (very little from my wardrobe did), and wrapped my baby in these wonderful pieces of fabric. And suddenly, it wasn’t so bad.

Looking back to these pictures, I think I look good. I realize that this was the moment that changed it for me in terms on confidence. In these pictures, I see a woman. A mother. Someone who really enjoys being close to her child. The beauty of a mother is sometimes very different from the beauty of a girl, but it’s in no way less stunning. It’s even more dignified. The way I see it, wraps help us emphasize that beauty. Which is why I’ll keep on babywearing – you can’t have too much beauty in your life.

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Tags: baby wraps, babywearing, motherhood
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Babywearing – an extension of love

Monday, July 11th, 2016

Babywearing – an extension of love

Artipoppe Babywearing Story | By Francesca Orlando

I always knew I wanted to carry my baby, even before I got pregnant. When my son was born, I had quite an impressive collection of carriers already…

It all began a few years ago. I was attending a conference in the Bay Area, and a colleague and acquaintance of mine had just had a baby. She came to this 4-day conference with her 6-month old daughter, whom she carried everywhere in an Ergo. The last day I ran into her in the morning, she was outside one of the conference rooms, rocking her fussy baby to sleep. She looked tired and sad; she looked out of place. Call it sisterhood, call it intuition, but I looked at this mother and her baby and I felt that she needed a break. When I approached her and asked her if she wanted to attend any lectures, she nodded. I offered to take her baby for a couple of hours so she could get a break and go to the lecture. I had seen her wearing the baby around the convention center, so I asked for a carrier instead of the stroller. I wore that baby for 3 hours. She fell asleep within minutes and we snuggled for a long time. I loved it so much that when my colleague was done with the lecture I told her to go enjoy some lunch. I told her that I did not want to wake her baby up… but really, I was soaking in every moment.

It wasn’t until 3 years later that my little one was born. The first time I wore Liam, he was 6 hours old. We had a very long, traumatic birth experience. After 2 days of labor, the last thing I wanted was to put my baby in the basinet to catch some sleep. The ring sling I took with us to the birthing center (we were sent to hospital after the first day of labor) was just perfect to hold him close and safe. When I was asked to write my babywearing story, I asked my husband Steve what he thought my BW experience was like, he said “Your baby wearing story is about how wearing Liam is an extension of your love for him, another way to care for him and cherish him”. I could not have said it better. Keeping my baby close has helped me overcome fears that I started to experience during labor and after my son was born. I am sure that to some extent all new mothers go through this. I was petrified; I literally was unable to put my baby down. If I did put him down, I was unable to leave his side. Leaving his side would leave me unable to catch my breath.

While trauma has been a part of my birth story, wearing Liam has helped me care for my beautiful boy while trying to carry on with my life.

This is one part of my story.

The other part has to do with my relationship with my body. Creating a life and birthing a baby has completely changed my body. I have not been the nicest person to myself, and I have struggled for months to come to terms with the fact that I was not going to get my old body back. Of course not. I am not my old self. Why should my body be? Wearing my son has allowed me to adorn my body and his with amazing works of art. It has made me feel beautiful and learn how to love this new body of mine. My stash is not as big as it used to be. I have less than 20 wraps right now. Most of them are Artipoppe. “Why Artipoppe?” Many ask. I admire the woman behind the brand. I admire Anna as an entrepreneur, a woman and a mother. Her knowledge and use of rare and exotic fibers is insuperable. I have tried over 50 Artipoppe wraps in my 26 months of baby wearing. Artipoppe has yet to release a wrap that does not make me swoon. Artipoppe has also been involved in fundraising and charity work. I feel blessed to have been able to support some of their charity work by bidding and winning the auction for the Syrian refugees. The wraps that Anna donated raised funds to support The Urban Babywearer. The auction wraps will never leave. They are our legacy wraps and hopefully one day I will wrap my grandchildren in them.

While there are many great wraps out there, Artipoppe wraps marry my love for babywearing to my love for textile. My mother was a tailor and growing up I spent countless hours in her workshop. I would intently look at her as she drew models, cut fabric, sew parts together. I remember the brides coming in for fittings. My favorite things were the coats she made. I played with fabric scraps throughout my childhood, the best silks, the taffetas, the camel… Beautiful memories. My favorite part was when my mom had scraps for me to play with. As I grew older, I started using those scraps to make clothes for my dolls. I never followed my mother’s footsteps. I am not as artistic, nor as talented. But the love for luxury fibers has remained. My wrap collection is a testimony of that. As my babywearing days wind down, and there is not another baby in sight yet, I know that my love for wraps will stay forever, and some of these amazing woven wraps will stay with us forever too.

Nowadays wrap cuddles may be far and few. I wish I could stop these moments and make them last forever.

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Tags: baby wraps, babywearing, benefits of babywearing, motherhood
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