Check Out April Fors Johnson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to April Fors Johnson.

Hi April, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I felt like something was missing with the birth of my first child. My husband and I had the typical celebrations during my pregnancy, from the baby shower and gender reveal to family visiting from out of town to meet the baby right after his birth. My husband and family were supportive, but I felt emotionally dropped after giving birth and alone in my new role as a mother.

It wasn’t until I started Ayurvedic postpartum doula training that I was able to figure out what I was craving during my first birth and postpartum experience. I was yearning for a sense of recognition and sacredness during my transition into motherhood. A sense of scared ceremony was missing from my whole experience. With the birth of my second child, I set up my postpartum support systems with additional support, including booking Bellibind, a company specializing in the Bengkung belly wrapping style.

During my sessions with Princess McKinney, the owner, and founder of Bellibind, I felt so nurtured and supported by her and the service she provides that I became a specialist myself. I helped postpartum moms in Phoenix with Bellibind services for about six months before moving to Denver. I’m excited and honored to bring this service to Colorado and to support new and new moms.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Getting ready to provide this fantastic service to moms in the Denver area has been a struggle because moving here was physically and emotionally challenging. Two months before moving, we had a surprise pregnancy, and it was draining watching two kids while packing up our house and saying goodbye to the life we created in Phoenix.

Even though we were excited about the move and the change, I didn’t realize how much of a support system we had. Two days before beginning the drive to Denver, I started bleeding and thought I was having a miscarriage. We went to our midwife and received confirmation the baby was fine after several ultrasounds. It was one of my life’s scariest moments, and I was terrified to move out of fear of losing the baby. Once in Denver, we did a heartbeat check and received confirmation that the baby was still doing okay.

I hoped things would settle once we arrived, but I was sick for almost two months as my body adjusted to the elevation while pregnant. Once I finally felt better, I discovered a blood clot was sitting on top of the cervix during an ultrasound, making it unlikely that I could have the natural water birth I was planning. There was nothing I could do directly to move or decrease the clot size but wait and see if my body could absorb it. Likely the blood clot did move, and I delivered my son, Stellan, at the Birth Center of Boulder in the water like I hoped.

Even though the past year has been one of the most challenging times of my life, and I felt so powerless at times, the experience will help me while supporting postpartum moms. Every pregnancy and birth is different, with its challenges. My experiences will allow me to show up for every mom with more grace, understanding, and desire to help them transition into their new motherhood role.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Bellibind, created by Princess Mckinney, is a team of postpartum doulas who practice the finest belly-wrapping techniques and provide recovery wellness coaching.

Our signature experience helps mothers reset their minds, reclaim their bodies, and revive their sense of self after the baby. Bellibind’s healing modalities can help mothers return to their pre-pregnancy size faster, shorten postpartum bleeding, and improve posture and core muscle strength.

The wraps are 100% gauze cotton, and our belly binding process is 100% custom to a mother’s body whenever they wear it. Depending on the package, I will visit a postpartum mom in their home every two to three days. In our wrap sessions, I will immerse them in mindful meditation with soothing aromatherapy and rejuvenate them with a womb and body therapy rub.

Then I custom fit each mom into a Bellibind wrap, which provides their ribs, abdomen, and hips with 360 degrees of support and relieves the joint discomfort of “Nursing Slouch” and “Empty Womb Syndrome.” I love providing this service to postpartum moms because I know from personal experience how nurturing, healing, and relaxing the sessions are.

I’m passionate about helping women through seasons of change and transformation, so along with being a Bellibind specialist, I’m also an EFT Tapping practitioner. Tapping is a mind-body method of tapping acupuncture points on the hands, face, and body with your fingertips while focusing on an issue or feeling you hope to resolve. This method reduces stress and anxiety, lessens cravings, and helps resolve fears.

I specialize in assisting women to release and clear emotions during their journey to becoming a mother and during motherhood. I’m honored to help women release traumas and bothersome memories so they can experience more joy in motherhood.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’ve taught sensual pole dancing for over twelve years and have helped thousands of women connect with their bodies through movement. Pole dancing remains one of my favorite ways to process and express emotions and reconnect with my body.

I competed in a pole dancing competition when I was seven months pregnant with my second child. It was during covid lockdown, so it was a virtual performance. It was a fun experience, and I plan to compete in more pole dancing competitions in the future.

You can see videos of me pole dancing while I was pregnant with Viggo and Stellan on my Instagram page @aprilforsjohnson.

Pricing:

• Bellibind: Tri-wrap package with three sessions for $999.99
• Bellibind: Premium package with five sessions for $1499.99
• Bellibind: Ultimate package with ten-session for $3598.99
• EFT Tapping: Three one-hour virtual sessions for $360
• EFT Tapping: Six one-hour virtual sessions for $630

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bellibind.com
• Instagram: @aprilforsjohnson
• Other: @bellibind