ABOUT

Hello, there and welcome! Wherever you are on your journey of motherhood, I am honored that it has led you here.

My name is Andrea Evinger (on-Dray-uh ee-Ving-er). I married a North Dakota boy and we now have three sweet and spunky littles. I enjoy dark roast coffee with a splash of cream, only want to wear comfy clothes (hello sensory needs!), camping, and cozying up with a good book. I hold a bachelor’s in English from University of Mary, along with a graduate teaching certificate in early childhood education from The Guided Center for Montessori Studies.

While I had always hoped to have my own family, my ideals did not match my reality.

With my first, I was fortunate to be low-risk throughout my pregnancy; however, pregnancy was uncomfortable, painful, and extremely fatiguing. My baby was admitted to NICU for a week shortly following birth while I was diagnosed with critical anemia. Despite treatments, it took several months before my anemia resolved. I was so exhausted that I felt I could barely care for my baby and myself. Breastfeeding was a struggle. I had intrusive thoughts. My entire identity shifted. The days were long but that first year was longer. I did not know what I needed, let alone how to ask for it. So many people, instead of offering encouraging words or support, liked to inform me that it would only get worse and that I would never sleep again. Those words crushed me.

I learned a lot the first couple years of motherhood…just in time to get pregnant with our second. I was much more prepared this time for pregnancy. I had a better plan postpartum for this baby which included me prioritizing rest.

However, the element that escaped my planning was my actual baby. Something was off with her latch, and I knew enough to know that something wasn’t right. Despite asking several professionals, I was told that everything was fine. I kept asking and was told anything from: it is colic, the baby is high-needs, suggestions that it was really my mental health, and that it was just body tension. No one was really listening to me or believing me. So I shut down my motherly intuition and did my best. We finally discovered that we were dealing with an extreme case of oral dysfunction in the form of tongue and lip ties. We worked with the best providers in the area and after months of dedicated work, my baby made leaps and bounds. All of this left me feeling angry and dismissed, burnt out and under supported, in a state of extreme sleep debt, not to mention the crushing financial strain which was a natural result of paying for therapies upfront and out-of-pocket. Up until this point, I thought that our time in NICU had been the darkest season of my life. This season made that one pale in comparison. My confidence in myself was rocked.

When we found out we were expecting our third, I realized I was done trying to DIY my postpartum support plan. I had a supportive team in place. However, I was still missing on the ground in-home support for the postpartum season. The nature of my husband’s job does not include paid leave (hey there farming and ranching families! I see you!). I had two other young children who needed me. I valued breastfeeding, but I knew that we would probably need professional support to ensure our success. I knew I needed robust, consistent, compassionate, AND professional help. Finally, in my mothering journey, I was ready to acknowledge that I did not have to do this part alone and I knew who I could call in. We hired a postpartum doula and it was one of the best investments we made.

While many say the transition to three children is the hardest and while I can agree on some fronts, the support I had beginning in pregnancy up until my birth and into early postpartum changed everything. It was the missing link for me. I felt seen, supported, loved, held, and cared for. My recovery was faster and easier. I actually enjoyed the first few months. I still felt tired, my body had to heal and still is, frankly. However, I look back on those first few months postpartum and have good, sweet memories. It was so healing and redemptive and affirming. I didn’t feel stretched too thin. I still had hard days and moments. But I had the support I needed to thrive.

From these three vastly different experiences was born a desire to help mamas and their families have a supported postpartum, instead of an isolated one. I had experienced what postpartum could be while also experiencing the typical postpartum story. I pursued postpartum doula training with BEST in February 2023. I devoured the content which further spurred me on my own healing journey to seek EMDR treatment from a local perinatal mental health professional because I found myself having terrible PTSD-like flashbacks to those horrific times. That healing journey made me realize how dark those days were, but another truth came to life: I was strong, too.

Through Nestled in Postpartum, I hope to help families change the narrative. While I cannot be there to support you through every challenging moment in your fourth trimester, my promise is this: to listen and hold space, to provide in-home physical support, to give you breaks, to carry some of the daily burden of household tasks, to prioritize what you find most important, and to connect you with resources to find the professional support you deserve. I am not a stranger to nor afraid of the messy, exhausted, emotional, teary, tough days of postpartum. I also believe that early postpartum can be a time of bonding, deep joy, healing, and moments of beauty when the family is supported well.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for challenging the cultural narrative that early motherhood can only be a dark place and a sick hazing ritual which every mother worth her salt must undergo.

I would welcome the opportunity to hear your story and to be apart of creating a more supported postpartum season for you and your family. I look forward to hearing from you, Friend.

xo,

Andrea