I gained 60 pounds when I was pregnant with my first baby. I went through an existential crisis as well as a financial and physical one.

I’d worked as a model from the time I was 16 until I was 29, when I got pregnant. I was a Ford model and did a lot of catalog work. Modeling can be glamorous, and you can earn. My catalog day rate was $2,500. Sometimes an hour of lingerie work for Bloomingdale’s would pay $1,250.

I’d go to the gym, not eat very much and not be annoying on jobs. But modeling can get myopic. It becomes about the last job and the next job. And there were fewer jobs as I approached 30. I was hungry to work. I knew I was having a daughter, and I wanted her to see me working.

I had a diverse skill set but not anything that seemed immediately employable or applicable. I knew a lot about clothing. I was really interested in babies. And I saw Earth’s Best baby food selling well even though it cost twice as much.

I started talking to people involved in green parenting. Then I read about Texas cotton farmers abandoning pesticides because they felt a responsibility to the land and future generations.

I learned that cotton is one of the most pesticide-laden of all crops in America. So I thought I should make something out of pesticide-free cotton. Less poison means less cancer. So I contacted those farmers.

I came up with Green Babies in 1993 when I was very much under an estrogen veil. I was feeling very utopian about the world I wanted my daughter to grow up in.

When we each make healthier choices for our children, they’re better for everyone’s children. I’m in the green movement because of my kids. I want the world to be a better place for them.

I invested $200,000 from modeling. I made samples that cost more than I could sell them for. I was very naive and made a lot of mistakes.

I wasn’t making money even though we were selling to lots of stores. I had to cut costs. We did fewer trade shows. I learned how to cut a pattern. I was sewing and screen-printing the first Green Babies during Layla’s naps.

Soon we had more orders than my old Singer could keep up with. We hired a family-owned and -operated factory to sew for us.

The business is still very grassroots. My husband runs it with me, and when times are tough, we don’t lay people off. Production is here in the States. We employ eight to 30 people at any given time.

I’m doing something I love and thriving. over these 16 years, some years have been very profitable, others slim pickings. Some years we had $3.5 million in net sales. This year we’re launching a baby body line that will be available in Whole Foods. We’re a multiplatform brand beyond clothes.

I didn’t make cookies for every school bake sale, and I wasn’t at every assembly. My kids’ socks didn’t always match. But my girls understand why I work. I always thought it was an honor that I can work.

I did feel criticism from the moms who didn’t work. I’d hear their negative comments from my kids. I told them that I’m working to keep a roof over our heads and for people who can’t work. We have sisters all over the world who are restricted in the jobs they can have.

I think women should choose to do whatever floats their boat. If you enjoy working, you set a positive example. I’m very proud of my three daughters.

Our kids do what they see. If they see a mother who works and feels good about working, they’ll feel good. Being dependent on someone else doesn’t make for a sustainable world. Then you’re forced to make decisions based only on price.

I remind people that what we bring into our homes was touched and made by someone else—that there are socially responsible choices to be made.

Lynda’s favorite healthy eating tips

Breakfast shake
here’s a good start for three school-age kids and their parents: blend two bananas, a handful of berries and three cups of low-fat organic milk.

Homemade “junk” food
For healthy sweet-and-salty on the go: make popcorn; add nuts and raisins; and fill zip-lock bags.

Fresh fruit
Always having fresh fruit around can get more difficult in the winter months. consider investing in a fruit dehydrator.

Family dinner night
At least once a week this eyeball-to-eyeball time can be fun and low fuss. Toss a big salad to go with that large pizza!

Make it fun
Enjoy the company of your family, rather than using this time to vent or complain about the day’s events. Take turns around the table giving thanks.

Lynda Fassa, 47, is the founder of Green Babies. She and her husband Hossein have three children: Layla, 17, Mina, 14, and Nadia, 11.