As a mother of three and as a doula & breastfeeding counsellor, Jacquelyn has a special understanding and love for pregnancy, birth, babies and breastfeeding.  Her jewelry shop, Wild Mother Arts, is the result of over 12 years of passion for birth combined with a love of making jewelry.  One of The Leaky Boob’s early sponsors, Jacquelyn happily shares some inspiring thoughts about her business, her passion, and her personal breastfeeding journey, and she is offering a Holiday-inspired giveaway to The Leaky Boob community.  Read on to find out more!

TLB:  What should TLB readers know about you Wild Mother Arts?

Jacquelyn:  My name is Jacquelyn and I’m a mama of three, a doula & breastfeeding counselor, a jewelry artisan, and my life’s work is supporting, honoring & celebrating the sacred journey of motherhood. I make fertility and birth jewelry and nursing necklaces with semi-precious gemstones and I love what I do, especially as it allows me to be a WAHM.

TLB:  What is the significance of your company name?  What’s the story behind it?

Jacquelyn:  I’ve always loved the LLL book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, which is built on the idea that pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are all Wild Mother Arts! Eventually I plan on expanding my business to include other things, and I wanted a name that could be expressive of what I do now and beyond.

TLB:  Where do you find inspiration for your craft?

Jacquelyn:  I find inspiration every time I read a birth story, chat with a pregnant mama, see a mother nursing their child and even just talking to my girlfriends. I love to make meaningful (and many times – practical) jewelry that celebrates the different phases of women’s lives.

TLB:  How is your family involved in your business? How do you juggle it all?

Jacquelyn:  My whole family helps support me. My youngest often names new necklaces, my older two pick up more chores around the house during busier times and help take care of their little brother. My husband assists with shipping, and right now he’s making a lot of our meals and doing most of the laundry, too – this is our very busy season. I’m not sure if I juggle it all! I try and prioritize, figure out what absolutely needs to be done first, and work down the checklist. When I have a spare few minutes, I try and get to something on the list. As well, my crock pot gets almost daily use, and podcasts are a jewelry-maker’s best friend!

TLB:  I know you share regular birth and breastfeeding affirmations on your Facebook page, which 3 have the most significance for you personally and why?

Jacquelyn:  Affirmations are special to me – I’ve used them for as long as I can remember, and I believe that positive self-talk is really valuable. Write them down, put them where you see them everyday, and say them daily.

“I remember to enjoy this phase of motherhood.”

This is the one affirmation I use on a daily basis! Though my pregnancy and breastfeeding days are now behind me, and I still miss them, there is always another tidbit of mothering joy just a minute or two away.

“I trust my inner voice; she is a worthy ally.”

I believe that we need to embrace our intuition and trust our instincts more and more in an ever-increasing technological world. Some things just can’t be replicated – not breastmilk, nor our intuition.

“My milk has no expiry date.”

My children each nursed well past toddlerhood, and I fully support full-term breastfeeding and child-led weaning. But it was hard with my first when family and friends kept asking when I was going to wean. So I’d answer, “My milk has no expiry date.” By our third, no one asked anymore.

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Special Black Friday/Cyber Monday announcement

Jacquelyn will be having a 12 Days of Holiday Specials from November 23 – December 4th, and the first four days (Black Friday through Cyber Monday) will be buy any two items, and get a nursing necklace for free! For all the details, see the announcement in her shop.