- Chelsea Hirschhorn is the CEO of Frida, which creates and sells baby and postpartum products.
- She's also a mom of four kids, ranging from 6 months to 9 years old.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chelsea Hirschhorn. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When my oldest son was 9 months old, he had an ear infection. Giving him antibiotics required three people: one to hold him, one to hold his mouth open, and one to push the medicine into his cheek. Even so, half the medicine ended up covering me and my son.
It was absurd, and I knew that other parents must be struggling with similar issues. So my company, Frida, developed the MediFrida, a pacifier-style medicine dispenser that puts medicine past a baby's taste buds. It was the product I wish I had then, and that I'm glad to have with my youngest, who is now 6 months old.
Frida is now a household name, but the company has grown alongside my development as a mom. I started it shortly after my oldest was born. I realized that there were so many pain points in the postpartum and infant space, but major companies had decided that this was too small a space to disrupt.
I was committed to improving this area because of how palpable the need was. I know that this is about more than just products: When you have the right tools at hand, you feel confident. And a confident parent is a better parent.
It's time to improve the postpartum experience
Baby products are important but short-lived. For a while, it's essential that you have our flagship item, the NoseFrida. But eventually, your kid learns how to blow their nose.
As my kids grew, I realized there was a bigger need. When my second child was born, friends were still telling me to snatch as many pairs of mesh underwear as I could from the hospital. I was still up late, ordering maxi pads overnight to deal with postpartum bleeding, and fumbling with a peri bottle between my legs.
That inspired the Frida Mom brand, which provides postpartum supplies. Now we're launching a care line for pregnancy loss — both miscarriages and abortions. After losing two pregnancies during the pandemic, I realized that I needed many of the same products as I did postpartum, but without the sentimental marketing that's usually attached to these items. Pregnancy loss is an emotionally delicate time, and until now there have been no products designed for it.
This is all part of Frida's mission to show the raw realities of motherhood and reproductive health. We want to arm parents and soon-to-be-parents to navigate this tumultuous, fragile time.
I think of balance in chapters
Talking about being a mom of four and a CEO is my favorite and least-favorite topic. I prefer to think about my personal life in chapters, rather than by days or minutes. When my children and company were both young, that chapter was focused on growing the brand. That was a conscious choice.
Now that my oldest sons are entering their preteen years, their needs are more dimensional. The Frida team is bigger, which means I can transition to the family chapter. Being here for them now makes me more confident in the decision I made to focus on work when they were younger.
These are real decisions that can't be glossed over by women who say we can have it all. We can — just not at the same time.