Wondering why to choose The Nest for postpartum and newborn support? Read on to see what we believe.

• Newborn physiology has some constants, including a need for human contact, rest, nourishment, and caring attention from caregivers.
• Early literacy development begins with early language exposure- and the best way to do that is to talk to newborns about the things around them, narrate what is happening, and let them listen to music and conversations.
  • Equally important is the need for quiet, restful moments, both for newborns and for their often overstimulated caregivers!
• Newborns benefit from the mindful care and support of everyone in their family unit, including parents, siblings, even grandparents, family friends, and pets.
• Caregiver tension or anxiety transfers to babies, which means that caregiver mental health in paramount in parenting and has a significant impact on a newborn’s ability to settle and rest.
  • Sleep begets sleep!! For infants, allowing them to sleep when they are tired means that everyone is getting better rest and typically supports better nighttime sleep. The Nest is firmly against waking up infants unless absolutely necessary.
• Including newborns in the activities that adults love, whether that is hiking, music, reading, fiber arts, swimming, or something else, helps them to see their parents as their own people and begins to introduce them to the wider world.

• No one will love a newborn the way their family will, but we strive to be a close second!
• There is no way to generalize support because that assumes that every family has the same circumstances, experiences, needs, and desires. You can read below for some examples of what support might look like, but we believe that there are very few things that are unreasonable to ask for help with. Dream big about what feels helpful for you and don’t hesitate to tell us what you need.

Who might The Nest be the right fit for? Read on to see our specialties.

• Are you hoping for total family support? The Nest postpartum care includes basic cooking, dishes, laundry, and other chores for the whole family, not just for baby or birthing parent.
  • Pets are a major part of the family as well, so don’t shy away for asking for help walking the dog(s), cleaning litter boxes, feeding animals, or just giving some love and care to pets who may be feeling forgotten in the rush of a huge life change. We love animals of all sorts and are not squeemish! In fact, you will be hard-pressed to convince us to NOT love on your animals in between tasks.
• Questions? Worries? Let’s sit down and talk about it. The Nest does not offer unsolicited advice (you’re getting more than enough of that from everyone else around you!) but comes with many many years of experience with newborns and infants in a variety of settings, plus extensive training and knowledge that we are happy to share if asked.
• Occasional care for siblings or for all the children in a family? No problem. The Nest doesn’t schedule regular care for older children, but is happy to jump in to assist if needed and has experience working with children up to the age of 12.

• Are you single parenting, either by choice or circumstance? We have quite the soft spot for you. You are on duty as a parent all the time- let us come in and support you in getting a minute to take a shower, a breath, a walk, or even a rare full night’s sleep. Solo parent references available on request.

• Are you a queer family? As a trans/nonbinary and queer individual, Aidn (owner and operator of The Nest) works intentionally with queer families, trans parents, etc. as they often have different experiences of fertility, carrying a baby, parenting, adoption, and many other pieces of the perinatal time.
• Looking to transition baby into a daycare or other childcare setting, or trying to hire a nanny? With 10 years of experience in infant care in the Pioneer Valley area, The Nest has a list of daycares to use or avoid, nannies with infant experience, and advice on what to look for while finding childcare for your little one.
• Experiencing developmental delays, infant health complications, or higher support needs? It can be hard to find someone prepared to help with a situation like that. The Nest not only has years of experience referring and supporting families in the hospital and with specialist visits from Early Intervention, but is run by a neurodiverse and disabled caregiver who has personal experience with the social and societal side of chronic or long-term illness and delays. References for specific families available on request.
• Want someone who has moderate experience with many infant feeding strategies? The Nest owner and operator, Aidn, is midway through a Lactation Educator training and has many years of supporting families through nursing, pumping, bottle feeding, spoon feeding, syringe feeding, cup feeding, introducing solids, and almost any other method you could imagine.

• There is no single piece of advice or parenting strategy that works for every family. There is no “right” way to parent or to be postpartum. There’s only what is right for your family.
• Most importantly- you deserve a caregiver who won’t judge. Is your house cluttered or messy? Have you not showered or put on deodorant in three days? Are you co-sleeping because it’s the only way you get some sleep at night? Is your older child spending the summer playing video games and watching TV while you’re directly postpartum? Do you need to carve some time out to go to couple’s therapy, individual therapy, the chiropractor, the acupuncturist, the hair or nail salon, or to just walk into the woods and disappear for an hour or two? Let us help you.