As I approach the end of my second pregnancy, I’ve been thinking A LOT about community. What my community looks like, how it has evolved since my son was born three years ago (today!) and how many are struggling without more supportive communities around pregnancy, birthing, and parenthood. It’s important for me to recognize that I come from a place of huge privilege. That said, I still find so much of pregnancy, birthing and parenthood to be extremely challenging and nearly impossible without my support system. Over the years I’ve learned:

I thrive in community, I need to know that there are people, whether physically close or just emotionally close that I can count on.
I am highly inspired by this NYT’s article about the Mommune (I’m not single or divorced, but love the idea of coming together with other families to support one another all the time). My “mom” group and I have been joking about a commune for over two years now, and I truly hope it can inspire the next generation of families who are further and further from their own villages.
There is SO much misinformation in the TTC, Pregnancy, Postpartum and parenting space that many of us (myself included) rely on our communities to help us sift through the noise. Even if it’s just learning how to better advocate for ourselves and our healthcare.
I would be absolutely 10000% lost without my moms. My son was born in July of 2020, at the height of the pandemic. I was isolated, alone and had no one to turn to. I literally fell into a Zoom mom group of local moms all with pandemic babies, and now these women are my lifeline to everything. From potty training to birthday presents, pelvic floor physical therapy and my mental health, these women have supported me in ways I didn’t even know I needed.
I’ve learned an immense amount from affinity groups or offshoots of larger mom/parenting communities. I’m part of more peloton related mom groups than I care to admit, but recently someone posted in one of the groups asking who was currently expecting and if folks would be interested in being part of subset group. I jumped at the opportunity and honestly it’s been a very small, but good outlet. There are about 20 women all in similar stages of pregnancy experiencing the same symptoms, fears, concerns etc and having a few folks to bounce ideas off of is incredibly comforting.

I know I’m not alone in these feelings. I talk to women all the time who are creating, building, and joining communities both in person and virtually to help them navigate their lack of “village” during this incredibly transformative time.

As Evergreen grows, I hope we can be a resource for pregnancy, postpartum and parenthood across the globe. My goal is to support women through every phase of life and as I think about my second pregnancy coming to an end in the next few weeks (since I’m due in three!), I know this is just the beginning of our chance to ensure we’re providing tools and opportunities through every phase of life. I’m thrilled to be part of your village.