We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Libby Skolnik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Libby below.

Libby, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I would say it was several small moments that culminated together. The First: I was in the hospital with my 2 day old newborn daughter after a beautiful but traumatic birth experience. Every single person that came in the room was so focused on baby and baby’s needs-I felt completely overlooked and overwhelmed; like I was drowning and no one could hear me and I was expected to save myself with no tools or help. The Second: I had to fill out a depression screen at my pediatrician office when I took my daughter to her first follow-up appointment and it was generic, impersonal and didn’t address the Postpartum anxiety I was experiencing at all. The Third: I showed up for my 6 week OBGYN check up with my newborn in tow. She screamed the entire time I was being examined. I had to ask my OB to pause so I could try and calm her down before the exam continued any further. Not one medical professional offered to help me with her (there were three office staff typing right outside the door). My role as an Occupational Therapist is to support an individual with meaningfully engaging in their daily life and provide modifications and adjustments that consider the individuality and context of that person and environment. There wasn’t a single provider who was able to take on that role for me during this really transformative time (also called Matrescence.) I couldn’t believe this gap in care for mothers was so prevalent and remained unaddressed and knew I wanted to be part of the solution.

Libby, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an Occupational Therapist and Certified Educator of Infant Massage in Memphis, TN. I have worked in several different acute hospital settings for nearly 8 years treating the entire lifespan from 0-100+yo-most recently in inpatient pediatrics. But my expertise and heart is in the Neonatal ICU working with premature and medically complex babies and their families. In 2020, I found out we were expecting our incredible daughter in the midst of a very tumultuous time period and experienced firsthand the shortcomings of our current Maternal Healthcare Model. I quickly realized Occupational Therapy was uniquely qualified to address many of these discrepancies in care for both moms and babies. I founded Born to Bloom: Maternal and Infant OT in May 2023 to address the unique occupation of Mothering, empower parents with the tools to support their baby’s individual development and foster a supportive, positive and connected motherhood community.

Just a little background info: An Occupational Therapist is a health professional who helps individuals participate in their everyday life to their fullest ability, providing modifications and adjustments throughout every life stage to maximize overall function and meet clients where they are. A Maternal Health OT focuses on Matrescense, the process of becoming a mother, the perinatal period and beyond. This time period is transformative from an emotional, physical and practical standpoint and affects the mother’s every day functions and activities. A Maternal Health OT can evaluate, assess and intervene to optimize functioning in the mother-baby dyad.

Born to Bloom is a Maternal Health OT private practice and our goal and purpose is this: ”Empower Mothers. Nurture Futures. Foster Community.” We do this by providing: individualized Maternal Health support, proactive infant development support and fostering a vibrant and positive motherhood community-all through the lens of Occupational Therapy.

Maternal Health Support with an Occupational Therapist might look like:
-Proactive education on proper body mechanics for all the different tasks involved with mothering a new baby to prevent pain and injury
-Ergonomic support when it comes to how to set up your room to best fit your families needs and physical abilities
-Mental Health Support for PPD + PPA with referral to appropriate services as needed
-Equipment recommendations for mom based on individual needs
-Birth preparation with set up for home environment, support system engagement, practicing parenting skills/”co-occupations”
-Sleep support and assistance with recommendations for age appropriate schedules/sleep routine, set-up and equipment
-Help with Baby registry selection assessing what is needed and developmentally supportive for your specific family and home set up
-A home exercise program tailored to meet your individual postpartum rehabilitation needs

Infant Development Support might look like:
-Education on what development should like through each age and stage
-Hands on training with parents and/or caregivers to promote parent self efficacy and transfer of skills
-Education on and recommendations for developmentally supportive equipment
-Individualized home programs that work in your own environment
-Feeding support via appropriate positioning, equipment recommendations and body work

Motherhood Community can look like:
-Providing class to create maternal camaraderie and support parent-infant attachment
-Currently providing Infant Massage Classes for babies 1-12mo.
-Partnering with local health and wellness businesses in the Memphis area to bring more awareness of offerings and opportunities to the Memphis motherhood community
-Connecting mothers to outside resources that will further support their motherhood experience and journey
-Postpartum support groups to allow a safe space to process through the spectrum of birth experiences

I also provide other services within Born to Bloom :
-I consult for daycare programs providing deliverables and hands on staff trainings that focus on development and family engagement.
-I specialize in supporting families in the NICU environment and upon d/c home to ensure proper support for these families and at-risk babies

At Born to Bloom, we believe by setting the mother up for success, we not only support the baby, but also the family unit, community and world as a whole. Moms need and deserve quality and holistic maternal healthcare. Babies deserve a well-supported, healthy mama. Our world deserves an engaged and healthy community.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That I had to know it all, have it all, do it all before starting. And to use imposter syndrome as fuel .

There’s a quote I love and often share with fellow entrepreneurs when they ask for advice.
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great”-Zig Ziglar

I held onto the idea of “Born to Bloom” for over a year before I finally filed for my LLC. I remember hitting the button to finalize it, getting the confirmation email and thinking to myself-“What was I waiting for?” There is no education happening in the Occupational Therapy programs to teach us about business and the ins/outs of owning a private practice (I am hoping this changes soon). As entrepreneurs within a helping profession like Occupational Therapy, we ALL experience imposter syndrome. And as someone who struggles with anxiety-I’ve really struggled with my fair share of it. But, I’ve come to the realization that imposter syndrome keeps me humble and keeps me learning. It’s the thing that makes me a better therapist, better person and better mom because it drives me to want to do better and be better. I don’t let it stop me because the majority of the times I pushed through it, I was rewarded with a positive outcome on the other side; a lesson, a connection, a referral etc.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth and authenticity.

Moms love to talk- especially to other moms. I have received many referrals from other mom’s who were previous clients. Posting in moms groups on facebook, reaching out to motherhood adjacent health providers have all helped grow my client base.

Now more than ever, we are craving authenticity in a world that constantly makes us question what is real and true. I strive to be genuine both in-person and on social media. It doesn’t help anyone to “put on a happy face” and make your home look completely spotless or say quotes like “Live. Laugh. Love” when the clientele watching and engaging with you aren’t about any of those things. I truly believe what we water will grow. I want to ensure I am watering authenticity, honesty, relatability and curiosity in all of the people I interact with and the ventures I embark on. The people I’ve engaged with both in-person and social media can feel this and I think it helps draw them and others like them in as clients and followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.borntobloomtherapy.com
• Instagram: @borntobloomtherapy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Born-to-Bloom-Maternal-and-Infant-Occupational-Therapy-100093086637166/

Image Credits
Kelly Ginn Photography