
Meet Ebi Founder and Boston Mama Breighl Robbins
Written by Erin Feher
Photography by Victoria Gloria
After reading today’s profile, any brand-new mama will want to give Breighl Robbins a great big hug. The Boston-based mother of one founded Ebi, a line of nuturing, plant-based postpartum care products, from all-over oil to soothing tisane tea to right-after-baby undies that are a million times more lovely than those hospital-issued mesh numbers. For Breighl, who has long worked in the health and wellness space, the paltry offerings for new mothers became glaringly apparent after the birth of her daughter (sweet little just-turned-three Phyllis!). She started her own company shortly after, with the aim not only to support healthy postpartum experiences for all, but to advocate for modern society to prioritize mothers far more than it currently does. She shows us around her beautiful Boston abode and talks everything from why parenting books aren’t her thing, to what she thinks the COVID-19 crisis should teach us as a species. Check out the full tour and interview below!
- "We love our home. We’ve been here for a while now. I love the walkable neighborhood and all of the amenities available to us near where we live. I’d be very happy if we stayed here forever."
- "Balanced. It’s warm but modern. Classic but contemporary. A mix of high and low so that it’s comfortable but you still get a really good feeling from the space."
- "It was renovated before we bought it. We’re currently re-doing our bathroom."
- "Again I’d have to say ‘balance.’ Find a good place between high and low so it doesn’t feel too precious. Try to fill your space with things you love looking at every day, and that also give you the flexibility to change things up or add special touches with vases, flowers, or artwork."
- "I wanted the space to be beautiful but easily modified. Our table expands to seat up to 10, the couch can seat two or eight comfortably. The wedge backs are easily adjusted or taken away, so that it’s basically a very wide bench. We needed to have a dedicated space for Phyllis and room for her things, since it doubles as her playroom. So, she has a nice area that belongs to her only and a dedicated cabinet space for all of her toys. We can host play dates, a small dinner, or birthday parties all in one space!"
- Breighl wears an Ilka Pilka dress. Phyllis wears a Papu dress.
- Best seat in the house.
- "I love the antique cabinet we sourced from Brimfield, a large antiques show that happens a few times a year. The upstairs sconces are Workstead. We got them from The Future Perfect. Our dining room table is Danish. There is an amazing dealer of antique Scandinavian pieces on Charles Street in Beacon. I love how simple it is."
- "Yes, every room is a playroom and I’m constantly editing to keep her and our stuff from overwhelming our space."
- "As someone who hasn’t had the most positive relationship with my own mother, I relish the chance to bring healing to myself and my maternal lineage through my journey. Motherhood has been a rebirth for me in so many ways. I feel like I’m healing my own early childhood while bearing witness to Phyllis’. I have the chance to change our collective story, our legacy. To make it a good one."
- "Though I know I likely am, I wonder if I’m doing enough, if I’m present enough, and if I’m making Phyllis feel how grateful I am for her every day. I feel like a low level of anxiety is normal and helpful, it propels us forward. It means you care. As long as we don’t let it affect us negatively, we should have gratitude for some anxiety."
- "Nurturing her to grow into someone who appreciates herself, who shows kindness and compassion to herself first, so that it’s second nature to extend that to others. My husband and I say affirmations with Phyllis every night before bed. I don’t want her to ever question the truth about herself: that she is good, smart, kind, and beautiful. I’m very excited about sending that person out into the world as my legacy."
- "She is Phyllis Mae. Phyllis is a family name. She’s named after her great aunt on my husband’s side. My dad’s wife also has a sister named Phyllis, who passed away as a teen. Both Phyllis’ are family favorites. Mae is my grandmother’s middle name, another family favorite. We didn’t realize that Ben’s Aunt Phyllis also had the middle name ‘Mae’ when we chose it, so it was very much meant to be."
- "Phyllis is almost 3. She’s really into her babydolls and pretending to cook. She loves throwing imaginary birthday parties. She’s also really into playing doctor and giving us our shots. There’s not much she isn’t into—she’s an enthusiastic little lady."
- "Yes, I did."
- "I had preeclampsia. Fortunately, I had a very attentive OB who knew something was off right away. I’m relatively healthy so I wasn’t presenting with most of the usual symptoms. Having attentive caregivers is so important, especially for mothers of color, as we’re more at risk for complications. Phyllis was born moderately premature at 33 weeks. She had to stay in the special care nursery to grow and learn to feed by mouth for about a month. I hated being away from her at all so early on. I feel like it was traumatic for her, too, even though she received really great care. It was a hard time, but we made it through."
- "I guess it’s no surprise that my focus was on Phyllis to such an extent that it took a toll on me. My hair was falling out, my skin was a mess, and I felt super depleted. I realized there wasn’t a one stop option for taking care of me, and that’s how Ebi started. I wanted to create something comprehensive, holistic, and totally focused on mom."
- "I quit my job a week before I delivered. Totally by chance. Unfortunately, many employers still aren’t supportive of mothers. I really hope my company can help change that. I’m writing this as much of the world is practicing social distancing because of the coronavirus. I really hope that the introspection we’re being pushed into results in a collective shift in what we prioritize. Mothers aren’t seen as valuable. The work we do is nowhere near economic output in terms of what is seen as valuable. This is reflected in punitive employer practices, the inaccessibility of childcare, and even the way we talk about ourselves, like saying 'I’m just a mom.' As the trappings of 'normal' life are slowly stripped away, we’re left with the only things that truly matter. Family. Nurturing. Mother."
- "Our home was originally a two bedroom, but had been changed to one bedroom shortly before we moved in. We got pregnant pretty quickly after moving in and decided to create a nursery nook instead of a full-sized room. It’s worked out perfectly and we have the option of enlarging my daughter’s space so that our home is a two bedroom again."
- "No. The ability to nurture well is within all of us. We tap into it by learning to nurture ourselves first. I don’t knock someone’s desire for knowledge and leaning on multiple sources to figure out what works for you, but you don’t need a book to mother."
- "Beyoncé for the way she let pregnancy loss teach her to mother herself first. Oprah for the way she shows us all that we can be a mother to many things; a company, an idea, to children we didn’t birth ourselves. My mother-in-law for the way she gives her all to family. My mom friends who are all very different, but teach me something about myself and mothering every day."
- "I was raised by my father. My relationship with my own mother has been fraught with struggles, but in her way, she’s taught me the importance of empathy, connection, relationship, and nurturing yourself. So I’m very grateful to her for those lessons."
- "Intuitive."
- "Birth plainly illustrates how connected we all are. Having my daughter helped me really internalize that. When that happens, the distinctions we insist on drawing between ourselves and others very quickly start to resemble willful ignorance. So that is the work I’ve committed myself to. Leveraging this knowledge to increase our capacity for empathy. Empathy for ourselves and others. That’s the message of Ebi."
- "It’s made me grateful for my journey in motherhood. It’s pushed me to fully accept myself and walk in my truth and align with what I believe is my purpose here. Now more than ever it’s so important to move in the world with compassion and truth, and to be brave. One of the bravest things you can do is love and accept yourself. Every other good thing flows from that."
- "Mother you."
- "I’d love to have more children."
- "From a public health perspective, there were many, many mistakes made early on. The public trust in the presidency and federal institutions has regrettably been eroded due to the withholding of information, the spreading of misinformation—i.e. face masks—, and public servants who have thoroughly abused their positions for personal gain. I think we all, myself included, have a much deeper understanding of the value of public health. It was still relatively unheard of when I graduated with a degree in the subject, but now as the connectedness of the world will only increase, it's something that should be ingrained into the everyday knowledge of the general public. This is, rightly so, scary for so many people who don't really understand what's going on. Clear, coordinated communication and public health efforts between state and federal governments are essential. I hope when we all go to the polls in November we remember that."
- "Philosophically, I feel like what this pandemic is teaching us is so on-the-nose it's almost farcical. We're all 'isolated' and only in control of ourselves. Our mental, physical, and emotional states of being are literally all we have control over. Yet, my actions directly impact you, and your actions impact me. We're connected. We're connected in this pandemic, but we also see how each of us plays a needed role in this economy, our social institutions, and every other aspect of life. We're all independent beings but inextricably dependent on one another. I mean you couldn't illustrate a plainer metaphor for life. We need each other. Not in an abstract way, but in a very real way. We need each other, and how we show up for each other starts with how we show up for ourselves."
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"It oscillates. When I look outside myself and my immediate environment—scouring the news, checking emails for constant updates—I feel intense anxiety and grief. Anxiety for those who are working on the front lines, and what it could mean for my family if my husband, who is a resident, is needed in the hospital. Grief for those we've lost, and what we've lost—celebrations, a sense of stability—, for those who are all alone in their fight against this illness, and those on the margins of society without any sort of safety net to protect them."
"When I'm present, I feel immense gratitude. I've very quickly realized that the things that bring me the most joy—my faith, doing life with my husband, and connecting with our daughter in new ways—are the things that I spend way too much time pretending I'm too busy to do. We're two weeks into this and I've realized how grateful I am for this time. For my family. Everyone is itching for things to just go back to the way they were, but I think that'd be a big mistake. If you come out of this time without any revelations about what you truly prioritize, what success looks like for you, and what you value in life, then all of this pain and suffering has been in vain. I feel like that's the best way to honor the memory of those lost—to truly live."
- "I've found sources of comfort. Comfort is different from numbing. I pray and am listening to spiritual teachings that touch my heart. I've been doing breathwork. It can be as simple as giving thanks for the ability to breathe, but I've found breathwork to be extremely helpful right now. I make sure to move my body with yoga or dancing. I've danced for hours at Club Quarantine. I turn off my phone periodically and allow myself to just be. I nurture my body with healthy food, but also allow myself to indulge. I'm listening to myself and asking for what I need from my partner, whether that's time alone or whatever else."
- "We communicate, and we communicate well because we know we don't have any other option right now. It's amazing. We're constantly adjusting to each other's needs and orienting around meeting them if we can. It's like a beautiful dance. He's also expressed more appreciation for all of the unpaid labor that comes with motherhood, and is understanding it's value in a way he couldn't before this. I've never seen him so willing to help around the home. It's been a fruitful time for our marriage, and I'm grateful for that."
- "She's extremely smart and aware, so I've been honest with her about everything. She understands that germs are making people ill so all of the restaurants and stores and schools are closed right now. She's taking it seriously. She misses her friends and our routine, but is enjoying all the time together and the mini-lessons we've been doing at home. We celebrated her 3rd birthday a few days ago. We decorated the whole house, ordered a cake through a delivery service, and celebrated with family and friends online. We danced, we played, and it brightened everyone's days. Her school friends made birthday cards to share over Zoom, and our family joined to sing happy birthday and watch her blow out her candles. She loved it, and we did, too. I'm always thankful for her, but I have so much appreciation for the life of my little Aries right now. She gave us all something to celebrate, and we really needed it."
- "Not taking anything for granted in my own life. Hugging my family members who live in different states. How the collective truths that have been revealed during this time will shape our world going forward. To living."
- "I’m the founder of Ebi, a plant-based postpartum care company. Ebi supports holistic postpartum experiences for all by making it easy to nurture yourself during postpartum and beyond."
- "Postpartum care being essential to mom and baby’s well-being is accepted as a simple truth in many countries around the world. Here, when you talk about postpartum, a lot of people still assume you’re referring to postpartum depression—it’s just not a part of our culture. What we’re currently doing for postpartum just isn’t working. Maternal mortality and morbidity rates, punitive employer practices, lack of public support for childcare—it all communicates how little we value mothers. Everything starts with self. Ebi is about shifting the way we as mothers think about what we do. Once we start to value ourselves and find balance by nurturing ourselves first, the way society sees us and values us must also shift."
- "I’m definitely aware of our collective issues around consumption and the ways capitalism encourages us to solve all of our problems with more stuff. As someone who is actively trying to reduce how much I consume and how much waste I personally create, I definitely felt a little funny about starting a consumer goods company. However, Ebi serves a very overlooked population and need. It also does it in a way that meets those needs by using production practices—like sourcing and producing locally—that reduce our carbon footprint. Our products are all multi-use and multi-purpose. So, a few things provide a bevy of benefits, in this case, a comprehensive postpartum experience. The Underwear and Nipple Pads were consciously made not to be disposable. Our packaging uses virtually no plastic. We only source organic ingredients from local, responsible producers, who are largely women. I think we need to shift the way we think about what we create, how and what we buy, and what we use. I think as much as we can we should create and consume things that are meant to last and positively impact the environment."
- "I grew up right outside of Houston, Texas. I studied at UT Austin before moving to Boston to study public health. In grad school, I ran an integrative wellness center at one of the major hospitals in Boston, after that I worked for a large health system on the west coast, and briefly worked for a midsize startup when we moved back to Boston. I was always interested in health but from a holistic standpoint, and always with an eye towards moving us forward as a collective. I’ve been plant-based for years, so bringing that into my work was a natural fit. Motherhood just brought all of my experiences full circle, and I’m so happy with where I ended up."
- "Motherhood has been endlessly inspiring. It allowed me to reframe how I saw myself and figure out what really matters. I began to see all of the things that I was discouraged from leaning into in my upbringing—my sensitivity, my vulnerability—as great strengths. The ability to nurture well is the ultimate power, and it all starts with how you nurture you. I thought I wanted to climb the corporate ladder and run a company. Turns out I do, but I feel so grateful to have created and be able to run a company that is all about the value of motherhood and shifting the frame within which we see ourselves. Society would quickly cease to exist without mothers, so why are we dying in childbirth? Why are we so unsupported on a societal level? How have we collectively internalized these messages? These are all questions my company asks and tries to answer. I’m very grateful to Phyllis for making me a mother and the gift of the rebirth of myself."
- "Yes. My family doesn’t live nearby but is very involved in our lives. My mother-in-law is amazing and has been there and been so supportive from the beginning. We are extremely blessed to have her in our lives. I have great mom friends and women who aren’t mothers from all walks of life who are endlessly encouraging and inspiring. We have a great network of childcare help, especially our part-time nanny, who has become a part of our family, and who I am grateful for every day."
- "Get a good circle of helpers around you. You’re going to need it. Things won’t move as fast as you’d like, but as long as they’re moving in the right direction, you’re good."
- "I’m learning to live with things not being perfect. Life is dynamic and seeking balance is a process and a practice. I’m trying, and that’s what matters."
- "I like Boston because it’s a major city but still feels manageable. Our neighborhood is super walkable. There’s tons of beautiful public space. Our work, school, and friends are all a short walk away. I’m from Texas but I’ve grown to love something—truly!—about each season. New England is a special place. We love exploring all over when the weather is nice, or just enjoying our favorite places in the city."
- "I always thought I’d end up in California. It’s not too late, so we’ll see."
- "The Table at Season to Taste is my favorite dinner spot. For lunch, I love Mamaleh’s, a Jewish deli across the river. Shore Leave is a really cool tiki-ish bar in the South End. There’s a hidden sushi restaurant inside—it’s delicious. It’s a really fun date spot. The Boston Public Library has an expansive children’s space, a great tea service, and a beautiful courtyard where they have concerts and other types of programming during the summer. Commonwealth Avenue and the Public Garden are great for nature walks, outdoor play dates, and visitors. The Esplanade is a wonderful public space with playgrounds, concerts in the summer, and small decks to catch some sun. It runs along the Charles River. We love to take long walks on it or have a picnic dinner there in the summer."
- "Feminine and easy with a touch of classic."
- "No, save for more emphasis on the easy part."
- "I love good knits, good boots, and versatile outerwear. I love Ulla Johnson, Caron Callahan, Batsheva, and indie designers like Ilka Pilka."
- Breighl wears a Ilka Pilka jacket, Rejina Pyo pants, and Penelope Chilvers boots. Phyllis wears Boden pants, Misha & Puff sweater and hat, and a Ralph Lauren jacket.
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"I use The Oil day and night. You can use it head to toe. I even use it on my and Phyllis’ hair. I originally created it as a cruelty-free alternative to lanolin nipple salve that’s sourced from the sebaceous glands of sheep. It’s naturally cleansing—anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory—, treats blemishes and melasma, and provides some UV protection. My skin was a wreck after the baby, and The Oil really helped me. Now my skin just doesn’t look healthy, it is healthy. Even my husband took note and is always asking if I’m wearing make-up. I rarely do anymore!"
"Other than that, I use plant-based products like Evan Healy, the Josh Rosebrook cacao mask, and May Lindstrom Problem Solver. All of these products, including The Oil, are solely plant-based. I think it’s important for all people, but especially mothers, to use products that are gentle, effective, and safe. My whole beauty philosophy really changed after baby. I nurture my skin, love on it with really good, whole plant ingredients that work. Everything I use on my skin is gentle enough to use on Phyllis’ too. I also like the multi-purpose nature of all my skincare products. I think overtime, those crowded medicine cabinets, chock full of products, will become less and less appealing. You’re going to see people asking for more from a simple assortment of products. The world is moving fast. Who really has time for a 12-step skin routine? Moms definitely don’t. I keep it simple by cleansing and using The Oil after. I’ll use a mask 1-2 times a week."
- "I try to move my body regularly and eat a plant-based diet. The Tisane is great for any time in a woman’s life. It tones the reproductive organs, is high in vitamins—B, C, A, and E—as well as zinc, copper, and iron. It also supports healthy sleep, mood, and milk production in lactating women. I drink it regularly even though I’m not breastfeeding anymore. I bathe as much as possible. Bathing is a simple and accessible way to self-nurture. The Bath is so healing, so I use it even though I’m nearly 36 months postpartum. It’s high in magnesium, which is more easily absorbed through the skin. We source our sea salt in The Bath from a saltern off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, so it’s much higher in trace minerals than what you’d normally find. It’s soothing, toning, and balancing. I also pray, journal, and listen to spiritual teachings to keep me grounded."
- "I ask for it. I think that’s most important; knowing what you need first and being comfortable asking for it. It looks different from day to day. Sometimes it’s the ability to slip out to get a workout in, other days it’s 30 minutes to have a cup of The Tisane and read. A bath at the end of the day is usually always an option."
- Hide-and-go-seek amongst the statues.
- "Constantly. I want to always be a source of comfort, truth, and support for Phyllis. I want to model what walking in your truth and being a light in this world looks like. I’ll never totally get it right, but I hope I model self-compassion and forgiveness well, too."
- "Nurture Ebi and watch it grow. It’s like a baby to me, too. Postpartum care in this country is so fractured. My goal is to shift the conversation, encourage mothers to see that things could and should be different. We deserve and need them to be."
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