Meet Cynthia

Welcome to Tender Roots

A gathering place where mamas (and mamas to be) can come to seek prenatal resources on birthing naturally, postpartum support on how to recover and heal from birth and pregnancy naturally as well as gentle tips on supporting you and your family on your parenting journey. It is also an outlet for herbal remedies you can count on to help you along the way.

The journey into motherhood and beyond can sometimes feel lonely and overwhelming. May this space allow you to feel held. Let it be a place of solace.

Weaving together the tender beginnings of a new baby, of a new mother and of a sprouting plant.

My vision is to leave you feeling inspired, empowered and deeply rooted in the tender knowings of your heart.

Meet Cynthia

Mother~Domestic Goddess~Home Herbalist

When I first conceived, I was overjoyed. I knew I was about to embark on the most meaningful journey of my life and I was very excited! I had no idea how little I actually knew about pregnancy and motherhood, even though at the time I had several close girlfriends who had become mothers, I'd always been very close to my mother, my aunt as well as my grandmother, and I had worked with children my entire adult life. Still, somehow, between the woven fabric of all the mothers I knew, so many details were never talked about. Turns out I knew very little about conception, pregnancy, birthing, nursing and motherhood. All I knew and felt committed to was that I wanted to breastfeed my baby. I knew my parenting style would be attachment/gentle parenting and I was also aware that my dream birth would be an all natural water birth at home. I was also pretty certain I would homeschool.

All the things I discovered along my journey into motherhood I cherish very much. As soon as it all began I felt deeply inspired to share all that I was discovering with the hope that another's journey into motherhood and beyond can feel a little more supported.

Currently, I am home with my 4 year old son. We play outside every single day, most of the day. My deepest passion is growing medicinal herbs and making herbal remedies. My son has been helping me with this for 3 years now. He knows which plants take the stings away as well as which ones help stop bleeding and clean out wounds. He loves harvesting & helping chop roots as well as dividing perennials!

Living this way is a dream come true for me. My husband and I are strong believers in child led learning which allows him to learn through life experiences themselves, completely led by his interests and passions. I get to stay home with my son and support his interests. At the moment he's learning food preservation, carving, wood working, gardening, herbal medicine, archery, animal care, art, plant and tree identification as well as storytelling. I feel blessed and grateful every single day that our simple and minimalist lifestyle allows me to stay home with our son in this way.

Prenatal resources

When I first conceived, we lived in a very rural little surf town. Births were not allowed there as the hospital staff wasn't equipped for deliveries and the closest midwife was 3 hrs away. I wasn't comfortable with the concept of "free birth" as my first birthing experience so we decided to move to a little island community we had explored in the past and loved. There I registered with a midwife with the intention of birthing at home . My vision was to have an all natural home water birth. I felt deeply committed to making that happen. I was acutely aware however, that complications could arise that would land me in the local hospital so I did everything I could to prepare myself and my body as best as I could. I wanted to know everything there was to know about birthing naturally to feel confident. I knew I would need to feel really empowered and fully trust my body's wisdom. I wanted to try all the things I could to prepare my body and baby for the optimal birthing scenario. Here is what I found along the way.