Today we have Princess Estocia McKinney-Kirk . Princess is the owner and founder of Bellibind, a company deeply committed to motherhood and the postpartum experience. Read all about the inspiration behind her company, her best tips for the postpartum period and more below!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear a little bit about yourself, and your family.

Hello! I’m Princess Estocia McKinney-Kirk, owner and founder of Bellibind. I officially launched BelliBind in 2013 as a way to help mothers “get their body back.” Several years and two children later, I realized a deeper need for honoring the womb and the transition into motherhood as sacred—a recognition that continues to shape the work we do here at BelliBind.

Based on the traditional Malaysian bengkung belly bind, our BelliBind method is more than just a post-birth wrap, it’s a revolutionary postpartum experience.

I am passionate about guiding mothers forward to a place of STRENGTH + CONFIDENCE, and supporting them as they RECLAIM + RESTORE themselves after childbirth.

What inspired you to create this brand?

Well like with anything great, BelliBind was born after my own needs were not met during my postpartum recovery with my first baby. I was a doula offering this specialized postpartum care of traditional Bengkung belly binding coupled with body rubs, meditations & fitness guidance, but when I had my baby surgically, there was no one I could hire to provide such care for me (not without having to hire three separate people at least). All the elements I have included in our BelliBind Experience, evolved out of first hand experience. As a doula, I witnessed mothers pouring all their energy into making sure their baby(ies) thrived and yet they were barely getting by. I knew moms deserved more and so I created a service that would radically enhance the after birth experience. More than half of pregnancy-related deaths occur in the early postpartum period. We aim to reduce severe maternal mortality rates and the onset or exacerbation of mental health disorders in the "Fourth Trimester" by offering ongoing, custom wellness support in the first 3-6 weeks postpartum.

Photo credit: Marie Lafranque Photography

What are some tips/valuable info you can share about the early and often painful days postpartum?

The "Fourth Trimester" presents considerable challenges for women, including lack of sleep, fatigue, pain, extreme hormonal distress, breastfeeding difficulties, stress, lack of sexual desire, and even urinary incontinence, with only fragmented care available. After my surgical birth, I only saw my OBGYN twice. Once to check how my incision was healing at 3 weeks and again at 6 weeks to discuss contraception and a few generic mood assessment questions. I had a very traumatic birth experience and my postpartum care fell terribly short of what I truly needed in regards to support. This is the case for many women after childbirth, often navigating the postpartum transition independently. My biggest advice is to have a "postpartum plan" to line out support before baby arrives earth side and get bloodwork done to test your nutrient depletion levels!

What is something that makes your experience so memorable?

In reflecting on the value of our service, I will distill the benefits down to the wise woman connection we provide. The human-to-human connection each specialist cultivates with their client is paramount to postpartum recovery. I firmly believe that we, as specialists, serve to bear witness to each woman’s transition into motherhood. Our BelliBind experience does more than just help women get their "body back," we offer a bit of light with our wellness education, therapy rubs, and womb wrapping which helps illuminate the mothers new normal.

Describe motherhood in one sentence.

A Beautifully transformative mess! lol

Anything else you want to add?

As Belly Binding experts, our role is to primarily help heal the mothers physical vessel and to offer wise woman connection. The majority of our clients fall asleep in session and at the end mothers feel energized, standing tall in their postpartum wrap.The physical transformation is remarkable. Before and after photographs truly show the difference the bengkung wrap makes on postpartum recovery. Some clients experience pelvic floor or prolapse (peeing while laughing/ running) issues so we introduce pelvic floor exercises during our sessions and discuss extensively the importance of pelvic floor health and awareness, always sharing local resources for longterm care. Our packages truly are the dream-scenario for postpartum recovery.

And finally, where can we find you?
o Website: https://bellibind.com/
o Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellibind/