The Golden Hour and S&G
The golden hour in birth refers to the first hour after a baby is born and the skin-to-skin contact that we share as parents to start physically bonding with our little heartbeat outside of the womb. No matter how baby heartbeat came into this world, the skin to skin moment is a precious reminder that you are the start of this little ones entire existence; the golden hour is the softest moment of vital regulation, a gentle relief after waiting so many months, and true breath release after all is said and done.
Unfortunately, we don’t all experience that golden hour, because life and birth are not without its obstacles for us. It was actually pretty short lived for me to be transparent. My baby girl and I had only a few moments before the doctor and nurses went to work on me; Bleeding out after you give birth is no fun. Handing her over to her Dad was truly heartbreaking because I felt like if this was all the time I had with her, what would I remember about this moment? Her little skin on my skin for the first time broke me into a million pieces and put me back together all at once. It was the warmest, purest, and most beautiful I had ever felt in the 30 years of life on earth I had been living; and the reality that my 30 seconds of holding her was all I was allowed to get wrecked me. In those moments of trying to stop the blood flow, I was out of body, and my family and my amazing doula had to be an echo to my whispers. Two blood transfusions later, and a little nap, I got to hold my baby girl to my chest. She had been examined, wiped off, and ready to latch for her feeding. I was a whole mother and never felt more beautiful in my entire life; and it hasn’t stopped since…
Now I have had moments like that before I became a mother, self care being something I loved and made time for in my life, but the explosion of satisfaction was at a molecular level and I keep thinking “how do I recreate that feeling moving forward?”. The answer is that I can’t, because that was so unique, that only God himself could have designed it. So I am settling for what I can do, and so Sienna & Grace Essentials was born. I have always been passionate about skincare, because flawless skin is healthy and through my own experiences, I have had to try and find routines, products, and moments that work for who I am. As a mother, I have to think that way times two, because my little one deserves a product that keeps her as soft and healthy as the day she was born. I am her guide during these early years, so let me also do the leg work for you too.
Sienna & Grace is not for everyone, but it is here for someone and that's enough for me. At this moment I am not perfect at it, but I am in love with making sure everyone knows this feeling on some level.
The blog portion of this site is more than just me talking to you guys about skincare and soap. I am hoping that it is a constant reminder to take care of yourself; even if it's only for that one golden hour you have, make it count.
Love,
Grace
