Farida Azizova-Such inside the nursery rocking her son to sleep. "He was 5 weeks when we started coming. It's just my husband and I taking care of him, so I was alone at home.
I wanted to find new moms to connect with and a safe space to be able to come and learn about how to take care of a baby, and also my identity shifted when you become a mother." Ali Lapetina for NPR hide caption Farida Azizova-Such inside the nursery rocking her son to sleep. "He was 5 weeks when we started coming.
It's just my husband and I taking care of him, so I was alone at home. I wanted to find new moms to connect with and a safe space to be able to come and learn about how to take care of a baby, and also my identity shifted when you become a mother." Today, I am the mother of twin 5-year-olds, but back during my postpartum period, also known as the "fourth trimester," I was incredibly overwhelmed and felt so alone.
The transition into motherhood brings with it not just joy, but also numerous challenges — mental health struggles, nutritional needs, pelvic floor recovery, and the overarching need for self-care and community. During such a demanding time, when your baby — or in my case, babies — needs so much, who's there to take care of you? Postpartum care in America is presented as fragmented support services with high costs, leaving most mothers and parents to face this in isolation. During a recent brunch, Sara Hutchins, a mother to a 2-month-old and a 3-year-old, shared her experience .
