After an exciting career in the world of car racing, the Nice native returns to her hometown to create Néesens, an innovative company dedicated to supporting expectant mothers.
Laura Aimé-Lewis is originally from Nice. She recently decided to return to the charming town of Le Broc after spending several enriching years in England for her studies and career. Her professional journey, notably in Formula 1, was recently highlighted in an article in the Est Républicain.
Since the birth of her first child, she has embarked on a new path by creating Néesens. It is a company dedicated to supporting pregnant women and their partners to fully and calmly experience childbirth. Equipped with a Ph.D. in engineering, Laura brings an in-depth scientific approach to this mission. She is also the host of the podcast “Positive and Enlightened Birth.” Currently, she focuses on launching practical childbirth cards. A tool developed to help expectant mothers prepare in an informed and serene way for the arrival of their child.
What are the goals of your campaign?
“In short, the product we created with my husband is a sequence of practical cards that summarize all the studies and important topics around childbirth. One needs to know a lot to properly prepare for childbirth, and we have synthesized this information into these cards. There is one card per topic so that future parents can best anticipate. We went through a crowdfunding campaign to raise the necessary funds for production. For now, the pre-sale runs until March 31, and deliveries will be made by early March.”
Have you already tested this product on women in this situation?
“Yes, indeed, some women or even midwives have already experienced it. There are tests at the Cannes hospital at the moment. For the anecdote, I had a friend who knew nothing and wanted to have an epidural birth. By reading the cards, it allowed her to open her mind, now she has a much more concrete physiological project, without an epidural. And that’s really the goal of the cards we offer. It’s quite fun to do with your partner, really getting informed on all topics to have all the elements and envisage the best. My biggest advice is to not go into childbirth blindly. We’re quite governed by protocols in maternity, and we’re no longer really free to make decisions if we haven’t learned about all the options.”
What role can the partner have in this program?
“When you want to give birth without an epidural, hormones take over, and we are no longer ourselves (laugh). We are in an altered consciousness, where it is difficult to make rational decisions. The partner’s support is therefore crucial! First, emotionally, to hold out until the end of our projects, but also to be able to communicate with the medical team fully informed. Personally, without my partner, I would not have completed my project without an epidural at the maternity. They are super important! I know that sometimes they don’t want to read long books, but here, no excuse, everything is summarized,” she jokes.
To parallel this activity with your former profession, do you have tips to best combine a stable professional activity and stress-free childbirth?
“It’s true, often at work, the pressure is quite high. For my part in Formula 1, I had to demonstrate extreme precision. Sometimes it can be difficult to combine the two. It’s all about organization and overall knowledge on the subject. Our cards aim to allow future parents to educate themselves as best as possible on childbirth and what’s around it.”
Do you think it’s i mportant to distribute these cards to young people, in high schools, for example?
“Yes, it’s a great question, and I admit, I hadn’t thought of it. Because when I’m asked when to prepare for childbirth, I always say as early as possible! Being parents is the beginning of a new life. You really shouldn’t take this topic lightly. Depending on how childbirth goes, it can so affect the future. So, you have to prepare as soon as possible for that day, decondition yourself from a young age. It’s a very good idea that has to be implemented!”
