Nessle Origin Story

     I remember going to my 6-week postpartum visit. I had my daughter Rose with me. She was just a tiny little thing—never sleeping, constantly crying. She had a lip tie, a tongue tie, a heart concern... I was trying to nurse, I was completely overwhelmed, and my friends and family were all hundreds of miles away. I left my visit with a printout about postpartum depression, a list of practitioners in the area, and a suggestion: "I think you should find someone on this list to talk to." But as I looked at the printout, with all of those far-away addresses…I couldn't face 50 extra minutes in the car with a screaming baby. So I threw the sheet away and soldiered on, on my own.

     Like so many new parents, I was left to figure out how to care for my daughter in the moment of my overwhelm. When I should have been sleeping and enjoying my baby, I was reading book after book, and online forum after online forum, about breastfeeding, daycare options, sleep, infant soothing, and infant health. Week after week as my maternity leave wore on, I focused all of my energy on learning how to "fix" my baby. I created schedules and treated her sleep and feeding like science experiments. I spent hours on my phone trolling motherhood blogs. I scoured the internet for answers, but instead of achieving clarity about how to be the mother I wanted to be, I found that I was just increasing my anxiety, frustration, and feelings of isolation.

It shouldn’t be like this. Not for me, not for any new parent.

     I took the next step that made sense to me: I certified as a postpartum doula and lactation counselor. And it is through this transition, as I grew more confident as a mother and more empowered to improve the experience of early motherhood for others, that my business (Nessle) took shape.

     As parents, we need a village to raise our children, but we no longer live in villages. So many new parents are a plane ride away from family members, trusted advisers, and dear friends. And now the ongoing shadow of a pandemic keeps us isolated even further. But we cannot face pregnancy and early parenthood in that isolation. We need the ability to cut through all of the noise out there--all of that unneeded and misguided advice, all of that anxiety-producing content--to help us decide a path forward that feels right to us, so that we can be the best parents we can be. This is precisely the support that Nessle provides. We are on a mission to make parenthood a more supported experience by connecting new and expectant parents to trained experts who provide tailored guidance—both online and in person—on the topics that matter most during pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood.

     What kind of early parenthood do you want for yourself? For your sister? For your best friend? If you feel that Nessle might be an answer that helps you cut through the noise and be the parent you want to be, learn more about our services at www.nessle.com. We are always standing by, ready and eager to get to know you, support you, and to be a part of your village.

Since penning this “Nessle Origin Story,” Carly has added a second child to her family–a son born in early April 2020 (and that’s a story of its own, but for another time).