Meet Jess Rosenberg, founder of fertility health brand Moode. As a mother of three, Jess shares tips on balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship while advocating for better maternal health awareness.

 

Name: Jess Rosenberg

Pronouns: She/her

Day job: Moode

Location: Naarm, Melbourne

 

Describe your work in one sentence.

Moode provides nutritional, educational, and community support to women wanting to optimise their reproductive health.

 

What led to Moode?

After 10 years in the social work sector (and 2 kids later), I wanted to lean into the women’s health space and explore how I could create a nutritional offering unlike anything else available. I had a postpartum experience that was incredibly painful and was assured so many times it was normal. (It was not). So, I studied Nutrition and Naturopathy and began crafting our prenatal vitamins, hoping to start conversations around women’s health experiences while offering quality nutritional support.

 

How is Moode different from what’s in the market?

These are not your mum's prenatal vitamins. Times have changed and we know our nutritional support can be improved. We’re vegan. Australian-made. Clinically current, nutritionally relevant. We offer a subscription, so they’re easy. Plus, they’re tasteless and mini, so they’re always easy to swallow.

What’s your advice on balancing business and motherhood?

Lean into your community. We have friends, family, and cousins who share the kid load. We also do Sunday cook-ups. We’ll go to the market on Sunday morning and spend the afternoon cooking so we have meals ready to go during the week.
We exercise at odd hours before the kids are up. It’s essential ‘me time’ and helps keep me focused, grounded, and not grumpy!

I also make sure to have one-on-one time with the kids. With my husband. With a friend. Rather than looking at big chunks of time, we’ll aim for more achievable moments. A car ride home with just one of my boys. A pre-daycare coffee with my baby. A walk down the street between meetings with my husband. Half an hour can feel long enough when you’re short on time. :)

 

How did your motherhood journey influence your perspective on maternal health?

My postpartum was a wild ride. It was raw. Painful. Humiliating at times. Debilitating. I didn’t talk about it for long, fearing it was normal. This absolutely influenced Moode, because it was born at a time when I was frustrated at the women’s health care space and felt strongly that our health needs had been dismissed. I wanted to change all that, one conversation at a time.

 

Were there any products or resources that helped?

I took practitioner-grade prenatal vitamins. They were horse tablets! Tasted horrible! But my nutrient levels were amazingly high, and so was my energy. I knew I could bring this concept into the accessible mainstream and provide an alternative that’s more palatable and easier to digest. Beyond this, I did a Calm Birth course during my first pregnancy that changed my perspective on pregnancy, labour, and life.

What role do lifestyle factors play in fertility?

Lifestyle has a huge influence on our fertility. And while we can view this with frustration, we should feel empowered. A few things to consider:

• Diet plays a big role in fertility outcomes. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can help regulate hormones and increase the chance of conception.
• Take a quality prenatal vitamin to ensure you meet the basic requirements of certain nutrients for the healthy development of your baby. A quality vitamin should include high fertility nutrients like Choline, Vitamin D, Iodine, B Vitamins, and activated Folate. The Prenatal by Moode includes these vitamins and more.
• Reduce stress. Stress can hurt fertility by disrupting hormonal balance and reducing the chances of conception. Consider engaging in activities such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises. Spending time in nature, getting regular massages, and bonding with friends and family can also help reduce stress. 
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as these can impact fertility. Alcohol consumption can reduce sperm count and quality and can also disrupt hormones in women. Caffeine can interfere with the absorption of key nutrients needed for fertility and can also increase stress levels.
• Finally, getting enough sleep is essential for good health and optimising fertility, as it helps regulate hormones and reduces stress.

 

What is your advice on navigating pre- and postpartum challenges?

When it came to preconceptions, I engaged in a conscious conception plan. I have Coeliac disease, and I always presumed my fertility would be impacted. So, I spent a good year working towards optimal health, which undoubtedly influenced my conception journey.

Postpartum was a whole new world. I would say never stop asking for answers if something feels uncomfortable. We need to trust our intuition when it comes to our bodies. I had severe vaginismus and Vulvodynia, which took 18 months to diagnose. These are incredibly common conditions, which are easy to diagnose, and I should not have been in pain for as long as I was. Always ask questions and ask them again and again! 

Let’s talk about postpartum periods. How did things change for you?

I’ve never been on the pill and always had a regular period. Until kids. After giving birth to each child, my periods returned relatively quickly and returned with gusto! Each time was worse than the last. By my third postpartum, I was bleeding through everything and was incredibly hormonal, down, exhausted, depleted, and low. My pre-menstrual symptoms were so strong. It felt debilitating. I had to take action.

 

You now have the Mirena. Can you tell us about that experience?

Before the Mirena, my periods were unmanageable and were affecting my day-to-day. Despite the advancements in period products (hello period undies!), the hormonal impact of my postpartum period felt overwhelming. I decided to get the Mirena and had such a positive experience. I’d heard all the horror stories, but this did not happen to me. I had one mini-period on it. I’m almost one year on and have no regrets.

 

Is there a connection between menstrual health and reproductive health?

In my time, we were not taught enough about this intrinsic connection. We were taught how not to get pregnant, and that was it. Understanding our menstrual health is essential to understanding reproductive health. Knowing when we ovulate. The different phases of our cycle. How these affect us hormonally. The fertile window. Menstrual health is the absolute foundation of fertility.

 

How do we need to change the conversation around menstrual health?

I wish for a world for my daughter where menstrual health isn’t a secret. Taboo. Icky. It is part of knowing ourselves. Our bodies. Fertility. It should be a mainstream conversation. I want my boys to learn about menstrual health, too. I want to remove all shame here.

 

YOUR WISHLIST RIGHT NOW...

• TO HEAR… I love Billie Eilish, Birds of a Feather. Although I also love hearing my 8-year-old boy singing Lunch :)

• TO SEE… Euphoria Season 3. I have been a fan since season 1 and feel emotionally invested.

• TO HOLD… Any of my kids as newborn babies. It’s the hardest time, but it’s gone already. And I want it back for one (teeny tiny) moment.

•  TO VISIT…. Japan! I woke up one day a few months ago desperate to travel there, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.