ABOUT

Hello, there! Whatever has happened to you to lead you to this point and wherever you may be along the journey of motherhood, I am grateful that you found my site. Welcome.

My name is Andrea Evinger (on-Dray-uh Ee-Ving-er). I am married to the love of my life, Benjamin. He is a North Dakota boy. We have the honor of parenting three sweet and spunky littles. They continue to grow us everyday while filling our lives with a boundless joy.

Some things I enjoy: a good crewneck sweater or hoodie, dark roast coffee (pour-over/ French press/percalator, if you please) with a splash of heavy cream, a cozy book that demands to be read in one sitting, camping, my corgi, gardening in my cut-flower beds, cooking, learning about child development and implementing Montessori into our home, watching either BBC-like historical dramas or crime shows, and listening to my favorite stand-up comics.

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 feel ever so slightly a bit more settled into motherhood now, emphasis on slightly, my journey into parenting did not start this way…

With my first, while I was blessed to be low-risk my entire pregnancy; however, pregnancy uncomfortable and painful for me. I found myself a regular visitor of pelvic floor physical therapy which helped to minimize the pain. I was devastatingly exhausted to the point that I decided to leave my full-time job for a part-time position elsewhere. Later I was to discover after giving birth that I had been functioning with severe anemia; post-birth, I chose to receive a transfusion and then take iron supplements. Despite this, I was told my levels would not come back up to normal range until three months postpartum. This affected my milk supply and took such a toll on my energy that walking around our teeny apartment exhausted me; I had to take breaks and lean against the wall and I was breathless after climbing one flight of stairs. To add to this, my first spent some time in NICU. I had no idea that postpartum could be so challenging! I also experienced breastfeeding struggles. I struggled to know who I was because I barely recognized myself. Everything was different and I felt that I had to relearn how to be a person. The days were long but that first year was longer. I did not even 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. These 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 worked with a personal trainer prior to conception so I felt and was stronger. I also implemented some pre-conception protocols. I maintained more activity. And while still a frequent enough visitor at a physical therapist’s clinic, I felt better. The birth was a wild ride and I would love to share it with you but it is too much to get into here. I had a better plan postpartum for this baby which mainly 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 it all looked good. 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 because I wondered if I could care for a baby who had managed to starve before my eyes.

When we found out we were expecting our third, I realized I was done trying to DIY my postpartum support plan. I had an excellent midwife, doula, and doctor. I had a birth plan. I had a favorite pt and chiropractor. Carefully curated Montessori infant materials and comfy maternity clothes. An excellent IBCLC who saved us during those dark days. 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 all beginning in pregnancy to birth and through 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 to not feel so alone and forgotten. 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. I did not want to carry unhealed experiences and a reactive attitude into my work. I also was done letting these skeletons steal my joy from the present. Though painful, the experience brought healing, confidence and peace. It also 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 observe, to provide in-home physical support, to give you breaks, to carry some of the daily burden of household tasks, to hold space for what you find most important, and to connect you with resources to find the professional support you deserve. I am not a stranger to the messy, exhausted, emotional, teary, tough days of postpartum. I am not afraid of the tough stuff.

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 most supported postpartum season for you and your family. I look forward to hearing from you, Friend.

xo,

Andrea