where the idea began

Our initial founder Tessa Bitterman has been passionate about postpartum care and support since having her first child in 2019.

"Having a new baby is a big change in itself, without the added challenges of postpartum health. When I had my first child I lived 8 hours away from my family, and it made it hard to feel supported in this new adventure. Going through this experience made me think about all of the new parents going through this journey alone and unsupported. I also struggled with postpartum mental health, which added to this feeling of being alone and unsupported. They were not lying when they said it takes a village to raise a child, and this is what led to the beginning of this organization. In those darker times of being a new mom, I looked for ways to try and build up a support system of my own and different programs that would assist me in this new phase of life. I found nothing besides physical resources or visiting a clinic. This is what shaped my passion for creating a resource where women and parents could go to help them build their village and find the resources they need without feeling intimidated by the situation.

Fast forward to 2022 when I met Grace Brechtel. We became close friends and discussed this passion of mine, only to find out that she had also seen the huge need for this resource. This is where the planning began. We worked on the initial ideas and what exactly the community needed this to be. Once we looked into filing with the state and becoming a full nonprofit organization, we found out we were going to need some more passionate people to come along on this ride. We then talked with Jodi Reiners, who ran the community baby caring closet at the time, and were so excited to have her jump on board with us. Everything after seemed to fall into place, and I am so excited to see what this organization will become for our community."