Hannah Gregory always knew she wanted to be a mother. But after having her son a few years ago, the reality of motherhood brought about challenges that she never expected. “Nothing could have prepared me for how challenging the newborn stage really is,” she shares. “There is so much noise out there on social media, parenting books, conflicting advice and initially I stopped trusting my own instincts because of it.” The avalanche of information and isolation that Hannah felt because of it was eventually what led her to found her company Amae. “I felt like the village mentality had disappeared, and what we were left with were endless opinions scattered across the internet. It was overwhelming,” she explains.
Amae is a gifting platform that allows loved ones to offer new families the support they need when they’re deep in the trenches: babysitters, sleep consultants, postpartum massages, and personal home organisers are just some of the vetted services that new parents can receive through the Amae portal. “Amae is a Japanese concept describing the feeling of being able to lean on someone else’s love, goodwill, and care—a kind of safe, comfortable dependence on another person. I felt this term really summed up what my business was trying to achieve: To offer families the support and care they need to thrive, post birth, not just survive,” says Hannah.
Postpartum survival was something Hannah herself had to deal with, especially when she found out she was pregnant with her second just months before her son’s first birthday. After handing in her notice while on maternity leave due to a company restructure, she decided to take her decade of experience running brand partnerships for global companies—notably one that allowed her to work closely with female founders—she realised it was time to follow her gut and start the business she always wanted to launch. “As a parent, you make countless decisions every single day with no rulebook, no manager, no one to tell you what to do. That builds a quiet autonomy and a real sense of responsibility,” explains Hannah. “I think it puts you in a genuinely powerful position, whether that’s taking the leap to start a business, going for that promotion, or simply backing yourself in a way you didn’t before.”
Ina Yulo Stuve chats with Hannah Gregory about the postnatal services that got her through the newborn phase, her favourite baby brands, and the advice she’d give other mumpreneurs.
What was one of the most surprising things you’ve learned since having your son?
It has completely transformed how I think about work and my career. I have a newfound confidence, and I genuinely care less about failure and judgement than I ever did before. Having a year of maternity leave, as challenging as it can be, turned out to be an unexpected gift. Yes, there are so many structures in society and the workplace that still fail women, and that needs to change. But that space away from my previous role gave me enormous clarity.
What has been the hardest part about being a working mum?
I find myself on my phone or laptop far more than I’d like, which I really try to manage as my 18-month-old is already obsessed with trying to grab my phone, which says it all. The hardest moments are when he’s ill and I get that call from nursery—everything stops and I have no choice but to drop work, and because I work from home, there’s a quiet assumption that my time is flexible, that I can absorb those disruptions in a way a partner who commutes to an office wouldn’t be expected to. A lot still falls on women, and I think we need to be honest about that rather than pretend we’ve cracked it.
Could you talk us through the word “Amae” and why you chose it?
Other cultures have brilliant post-natal support, and we have a lot to take from them. Japanese postpartum culture centres on a practice called ansei, meaning “peace and quiet,” where new mothers are relieved of all duties for 21 to 30 days to rest, heal, and bond with their baby. Family take over everything, cooking, cleaning, and caregiving, often with the mother returning to her own parents’ home, reflecting a deep cultural belief that a woman must be properly nurtured before she can nurture others.
Are there any key skills you learned from your corporate career that helped you build Amae?
Absolutely. Ten years in large organisations teaches you more than you realise until you’re out on your own. Process and organisation have been everything, knowing how to structure a project, set timelines, and keep things moving without a team around you. Being genuinely detail-oriented has also mattered more than I expected and something that I’m always trying to improve on. In a startup, there’s no one catching your mistakes. You have to care about the details because everything represents you and your brand.
You launched your company right before giving birth to your second — how important was it to build a village to support you?
At 8 months pregnant, with a toddler and a business to run, I had to get honest with myself about what I could and couldn’t do alone. My husband’s been amazing with nursery drop-offs and weekend support whilst I get a few hours of work done here and there; my mum’s kindly gifted us a night off with a night nanny, she’s also coming down to help one weekend; I’ve had a friend drop around some frozen meals. What struck me was how much easier it became once I let go of the guilt around asking for help. Ironically, building Amae taught me to actually practise what I was preaching: You cannot pour from an empty cup, and accepting support is not a weakness, and it actually makes you a better person and mother. I’ve learnt this time round to have that village in place.
Could you share some of your favourite baby brands?
Peachies nappies are genuinely worth every penny — hands down the best nappies I’ve tried. They don’t leak, they’re super soft and the neutral branding is spot on.
Bibado for weaning — an absolute game changer for messy mealtimes, their bibs and cutlery are great.
Mori sleep bags are so easy to use and incredibly soft, no one’s got the time and patience for a proper swaddle.
Bugaboo Donkey Pram – I’ve just upgraded to the double stroller for baby #2, and although it feels like you are taking up most of the pavement, it’s so easy to put up and down, and it converts into a single pram as well.
Claude & Co – I find cute boys clothes hard to find, but these guys have some really fun outfits. I love their dungarees.
Artipoppe baby carrier – A chic way to carry your baby around!
Oat and Marl – They’ve just launched and I’m yet to buy them, but they look very cute for newborn clothes. I’m a sucker for anything knitted.
Which postnatal services could you not have survived without?
A night nanny was transformative for us. My husband and I got an evening to ourselves, actual adult conversation over dinner and the nanny’s reassurance that I was doing a great job meant more than she probably knew. She also showed me how to wind the baby properly, which sounds small but felt enormous at 3am.
The four-month sleep regression nearly broke us both and going from a baby who woke once or twice to one waking every half hour was a whole other level of exhaustion. Our sleep coach gave us our sanity back and my son now genuinely loves his sleep and waves me goodbye at bedtime. Sleep is such a personal topic and every family is different, but if you’re struggling, even a one-hour SOS call with a sleep coach is worth it. We love The Mindful Sleep Coach and The Stellar Sleep School, which are also on our platform.
If there’s one piece of advice you could give another mum-entrepreneur, what would it be?
Take confidence from the fact that you have already raised a child—that in itself is the steepest learning curve there is. The skills you’ve built as a mother—decision-making under pressure, resilience, long-term thinking, operating on no sleep with high stakes—are exactly the skills that make a great founder. Running a business and raising a child have more in common than people think: both start completely dependent on you, both require you to play the long game, and both will teach you more about yourself than anything else ever has. You are more ready than you realise.
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