New motherhood is transformative. Recent scientific findings highlight the hormonal and brain-based changes that shape this process of becoming. Named ‘matrescence’ by medical anthropologists and reproductive psychiatrists, the physical and psychological changes accompanying childbirth call for empathy, care, and nourishment. These postnatal themes of sustenance and blooming sit at the center of Agni’s mission.
Agni is a food-healing company based in California. Pulling from shared findings of ancient knowledge and modern science, Agni elucidates the often-confusing findings about nutrition and healing and uses their knowledge to create foods that are both indulgent and replenishing. Working with a designated Medical Advisory Board, Agni sources organic, non-GMO ingredients to create seasonings, teas, and cookies in their support of people at various stages of the reproductive continuum.
For mother of three and Mama Glow Doula Nachelle Wilson, Agni is particularly supportive in enhancing sleep quality. She is four months postpartum and is done with family planning. She starts her morning with their Ginger Cardamom Tea, which stabilizes her mood before she starts her day. “I start every morning with it and truly take time to enjoy it. And just be,” she says. “Slowing down is more important than ever in pregnancy, and even harder to do if one already has children, like me.”
Nachelle wishes to function at her fullest capacity, which makes sleep critical. Before starting Agni’s Mama Box, she often experienced feelings of anxiety and fatigue, which is quite common for new mothers. “I felt at times defeated and just tired…—sometimes overwhelmed.” Agni enabled her to turn things around. Nachelle frames this process as reclaiming rest. “Agni gave me, this anxiety-prone person, the ability to see space for myself by nourishing my body from the inside-out and allowing me to fully rest at night—even with a toddler, an infant, and yes, a newborn.”
The nourishment and rest Agni facilitates contribute positively to Nachelle’s overall health. Despite being the primary caregiver in a home where her children and husband often get seasonal colds, Nachelle has not caught any of their illnesses. She attributes this to the immune-boosting effects of nutriment and sleep, which Agni’s products assist in providing.
Agni’s centering of the healing qualities of food continues to shape Nachelle’s relationship with nourishment in her reproductive journey. “I am more conscientious about taking a beat to notice my psychological responses to a certain piece of food. Am I tired or irritable? I love food, but eating with intention with regards to my whole or total health has become a priority. By doing so, I am better equipped to show up as a woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend.” Additionally, she is better equipped to show up as a doula, which both informed her experience with her most recent pregnancy and shapes her current journey.
For Nachelle, postnatal self-care is intentional, feasible, and rewarding with Agni. “Agni was a huge factor in not only ‘getting my mind right’ as we say, but also illuminating the importance of my relationship with food. It inspires my motherhood to be wildly bold and delicate in its gradual unfolding.”
