How did you first hear about Rockin' Baby Slings?
I used Rockin' Baby Slings for all my kids. When I was pregnant with my first child, I began thinking about what kind of parent I wanted to me. I'm not a really granola person, but I knew I wanted to wear my child. When I adopted my son, he was nine months old, and it turned out that the slings were a really great tool for attachment. There was no question about who he belonged to. I had a second child biologically, and I used it then, too. For me, it became such a natural way of life.

When did you become involved?
In August of 2010, I heard that Rockin' Baby Slings was for sale. I contacted them immediately. I wanted to buy the company because I believed in it. But I also knew I wanted to take it in a slightly more philanthropic direction. I wanted to get these slings in the hands of women who couldn't afford them, or who wouldn't think to buy them… I thought "wouldn't it be wonderful if we could find a way for mothers to help mothers?" That's when I came up with the one-to-one model.

What obstacles did you face bringing the slings to Haiti?
At first, I wondered why the mothers weren't carrying their babies. I'm a mother from Richmond, Virginia and I thought how could they not do it? I've been to Haiti five times now, and after I visited, I understood. In Haiti, everything is about survival. There's no fluff anywhere. You eat, you drink, and you survive. For many people, that's it. Clothes are all donated from people. They don't have the spare textiles to make into slings, but I knew if they could keep their babies with them all day long, it would make it much easier for them to breastfeed. If the children can stay with their mothers while they work, that can help take care of the basics of life.

Was the response immediate?
It was. When I went to visit in August of 2010, I brought 400 slings. They told me they needed thousands more—that it could be a cultural shift. One midwife stopped me and said "You do understand that this is going to change lives, right? This will be huge."

What do you see as the future of Rockin' Baby Slings?
I want to bring thousands more to Haiti, and to do that we need to sell here. Because the need is so great in Haiti, I have to focus on that right now. But once the movement gets going, I want to have artists design a fabric, and all the proceeds from that would go to an organization. I have so many visions of what we could do! I think it will be huge.