As you welcome a child into your life, it can be difficult to balance providing them comfort and connection with continuing to explore places and face new experiences. For us, part of the solution to this new challenge has been babywearing because of how it can allow you to hold your little one while still being able to accomplish other things. With this core value in mind, we are delighted to introduce ‘Soul Surfer’ made in collaboration with professional surfer, Bethany Hamilton. We celebrate the passion, determination, and loving spirit that Bethany’s story embodies and hope that ‘Soul Surfer’ will help Bethany and other families keep doing what they love.
Bethany Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination, faith and hope. At the age of thirteen, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to end her career as a rising surf star. One month after the attack, Bethany returned to the water and within 2 years had won her first National title. In 2007, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and since then her story has been told in a New York Times best selling autobiography and in the 2011 film, SOUL SURFER.
When Bethany became a mother, she knew that she wanted to keep her baby close. She looked at his first 3 months as the ‘4th trimester’. This was a beautiful time where she bonded with her child, allowing closeness to help build trust and a sense of safety in their new environment. She also felt that carrying her baby, Tobias, helped with colic by keeping him upright. Bethany’s husband, Adam, also wore baby Tobias often.
As her son grew older, she found that her son still had a desire to be close to her. He would often need her attention in the evenings or when she had many things to do. She found that she could strap on her Tula Baby Carrier and be able to continue doing what she needed to do. With Bethany having one arm, wearing her baby allowed to have her hand free to do more. Using her Tula Baby Carrier has become an essential part of her parenting and we decided to collaborate to create a carrier that spoke to her personally.
With Soul Surfer we wanted to work with Bethany to design a pattern that expressed her biggest passion and never ending strength. Being an ocean lover, Bethany wanted her carrier to be water inspired. She also loves the color blue. Soul Surfer has a modern abstract pattern of blue ocean waves and navy blue canvas to create a carrier that has a cool beach vibe. Accent embroidery appears on the waistband that includes Bethany’s signature, a flower, and the Baby Tula motto that embodies Bethany’s story ‘Keep Doing What You Love’. The repeating wave pattern speaks to the various journeys that Bethany partakes. Be it professional surfing, motherhood, and life as an amputee, Bethany jumps and navigates each experience with strength and grace.
When we asked Bethany what ‘Keep doing what you love’ means to her, she responded with, “When tough times come our way, it’s a beautiful thing to keep doing what you love. I think its a way to heal and overcome.”
