Building Safe Starts, Together with MILK Maternity Group

At The Nursery Atelier, community work matters deeply to us. That is why we are proud to partner with MILK Maternity Group, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, on Safe Start, an initiative rooted in the belief that every mom & baby needs to be supported and deserves the best.

Through Safe Start, families facing financial hardship can receive a complete nursery setup at no cost, along with lactation and postpartum support. As part of this partnership, The Nursery Atelier helps design nursery spaces using donated items for families who may otherwise be bringing their babies home without one.

For us, this collaboration reflects what we want our work to stand for: beauty with purpose, and support that extends beyond design alone. Because a nursery can be more than a beautiful space. It can be a beginning filled with care, dignity, and hope.

To share more about the heart behind this work, we asked LaVerne Reid, Programming Director and Instructor at MILK Maternity Group, to share more about the mission behind Safe Start, the challenges families face, and the impact this initiative hopes to create.

1. LaVerne, please tell us a little about yourself and the journey that led you to create MILK Maternity Group.

   Hello! I’m so excited that you are posting about this on your blog.

   My name is LaVerne, also known as Lavi, and I have been a postpartum Doula for nine years. I’ve supported hundreds of women from different backgrounds with different challenges, and have been able to help them find peace and rhythm in their homes.

   
   

2. What are some of the biggest challenges you see mothers and babies facing during the postpartum period, especially those in more vulnerable situations?

   One thing that I’ve noticed is that many mothers struggle with understanding some of the changes that their babies deal with, such as sleep regression and excessive crying. And when those challenges are compounded with financial struggles, it really is a foundation for generational trauma.

   
   

3. How does Safe Start aim to address these challenges?

   With Safe Start, we seek to give families a firm foundation, rooted in dignity, prioritizing mother and infant’s emotional and physical well-being.

   We aim to provide a crib and small nursery to every Safe Start mother, a lactation visit, and two in-home postpartum visits conducted by a Doula.

   
   

4. How important are community partnerships in making this kind of support possible, and what impact do you hope Safe Start will continue to have as it grows?

   Community partnerships are crucial for us achieving our goals as we repurpose gently used nursery furniture and volunteer hours.

   We hope to move from supporting one family at a time to providing a community maternal health centre that brings education and resources to women throughout the city of Houston.

We are so grateful to LaVerne for taking the time to share more about Safe Start, and we feel truly honored to be part of this initiative through our partnership with MILK Maternity Group.