The Ultimate Guide to Postpartum in the Farmington Valley
When I was newly postpartum, I lived in the Farmington Valley and I didn't know a single person.
I'd moved to Connecticut for a remote job I loved. I had community through work. And then I had Oliver, went on maternity leave, and suddenly found myself alone in a place where I knew no one, with a newborn, no idea what I was doing, and a persistent feeling that I was failing at something everyone else seemed to have figured out.
I looked for support. I really did. I Googled "postpartum support Farmington Valley," scrolled through Facebook groups, and found bits and pieces. But nothing felt like it was designed for me, like someone had actually thought about what a new mom in this specific area actually needs in those first weeks.
That experience is a big part of why I built KINN. And it's why I put together this guide. If you're newly postpartum in Avon, West Hartford, Farmington, Simsbury, or Canton, this is what I wish someone had handed me.
What Postpartum Actually Feels Like (And Why Support Matters)
There's a term for what happens to a woman when she becomes a mother: matrescence. It's the developmental, identity, and neurological shift of becoming a mom. It's real, it's significant, and almost no one talks about it.
The postpartum period, typically defined as the first year after birth, is when that shift hits hardest. Your body is recovering. Your sleep is nonexistent. Your identity is reorganizing. And if you're like most women I know, you're trying to hold all of that while also appearing to have it together.
Research consistently shows that social connection is one of the strongest protective factors against postpartum depression and anxiety. You don't just want community in those early months. You need it.
The Farmington Valley has resources. You just have to know where to find them.
A Week of Postpartum Support — Right Here in the Farmington Valley
Here's what I would put on my calendar if I were newly postpartum today. These aren't things I made up. These are real, recurring programs that are running every week in our community right now.
Tuesday at 1pm: KINN Postpartum Circle (Avon)
Every Tuesday at 1pm, a small group of moms with babies under 6 months gathers at KINN for a postpartum circle. This is where I want you to start. It's not a parenting class. It's not a support group in the clinical sense. It's a real conversation, about identity, about the hard parts, about what nobody warns you is coming, in a room with women who are in it with you right now.
Your first circle is complimentary. No strings. Just come, sit down, and let yourself be in a space of other women who are experiencing similar things.
We meet in the gazebo across from KINN when the weather allows, which, honestly, is its own kind of medicine. After your first circle, it's included in KINN's Social membership, which also gives you access to a community of 50+ local moms, our Slack channels, and every event we host. But you don't have to think about any of that on Day 1. Just come to the circle.
Where: KINN, 5 Ensign Drive, Avon, CT (gazebo across from KINN)
Who: Moms with babies under 6 months
Cost: First session complimentary; then included in KINN Social membership ($85/month)
Register: atkinn.com
Wednesday at 9:30am: Motherhood Walk in the Park (West Hartford)
Every Wednesday morning, there's a free walk for moms at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford. This one is co-hosted by Mindful Path Counseling & Wellness and Honeysuckle Lactation, which means it draws from two different professional networks, a mix of moms at every stage. Meet by the pond house. Bring the stroller. Babies and toddlers are absolutely encouraged.
The beauty of a walk-based group is that you don't have to sit across from anyone and make eye contact. You just walk and talk. It's lower-pressure in the best way, and getting outside with another adult in those early months can genuinely change the texture of a day.
Where: Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, meet by the pond house
Who: Mothers at any stage; babies and strollers welcome
Cost: Free
No registration needed: just show up
Thursday at 10am: Baby Steps Support Group (Location Rotates)
Baby Steps is a weekly support group for parents and caregivers with babies ages 0–12 months, hosted by Liz Weeks, a certified postpartum doula. Liz brings a scale so you can track baby's weight (which, if you've spent any time anxious about whether your baby is gaining enough, you know is not a small thing), and she takes real questions with real expertise.
Location rotates week to week, so check the current schedule. But if you have a baby under a year and you haven't been to Baby Steps, put it on your list.
Who: Parents and caregivers with babies 0–12 months
Cost: Free
Hosted by: Liz Weeks, certified postpartum doula
Thursday at 1pm — KINN Stroller Walk (Avon)
We leave from the front of KINN at 1pm and usually end up somewhere worth it — Dom's Coffee & Cheese, Whole Foods, somewhere you'd actually want to walk to. This one is informal and easy. You don't have to be a KINN member. You just show up, bring the stroller, and walk with us.
Where: Meet in front of KINN, 5 Ensign Drive, Avon, CT
Who: Any moms with babies or toddlers
Cost: Free
Why the Schedule Matters
Looking at those four things together, you've got:
A real conversation on Tuesday
Movement and fresh air on Wednesday
Professional support and community on Thursday morning
A casual, low-pressure walk Thursday afternoon
That's a week. A real week of structure built around a newborn's reality, no evening commitments, nothing that requires you to arrange childcare, nothing that asks you to be somewhere you can't bring your baby.
I didn't have any of this when Oliver was born. I really didn't. And I think about that a lot, because I think if I'd had even two of these things on my calendar, just two anchors a week, those early months would have looked different.
Not easier, necessarily. But less alone.
Other Postpartum Resources in the Farmington Valley
The four things above are what I'd put on my weekly schedule, but they're not the whole picture. Here are other resources worth knowing about if you're navigating postpartum in this area.
Postpartum Support International (PSI)
PSI maintains a directory of postpartum therapists and support groups across the country, including Connecticut. If you're experiencing postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, or psychosis, please reach out. Their helpline is available at postpartum.net or 1-800-944-4773.
Lactation Support
Breastfeeding is hard, and you don't have to figure it out alone. The Farmington Valley has several IBCLCs (International Board Certified Lactation Consultants) who do home visits. Ask your OB or midwife for a referral, or reach out to Honeysuckle Lactation, who co-hosts the Wednesday walk.
Postpartum Doulas
A postpartum doula is different from a birth doula, they come after the baby is born, help you recover, support feeding, and give you a few hours of actual rest. If this is something you're considering, Liz Weeks (who runs Baby Steps) is a great resource and can point you toward others in the area.
Your OB and Pediatrician
Neither your OB nor your baby's pediatrician is just there for the physical stuff. Tell them how you're actually doing, not just how you think you should be doing. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a standard screening tool they can walk you through. Be honest.
A Note on "Making Mom Friends"
One of the most common things I hear, from women considering KINN, from women I meet at events, from women who DM me on Instagram, is some version of: I don't know how to make mom friends. It feels weird and forced and I don't know how to do it as an adult.
I hear you. It does feel weird. It's also completely necessary.
The places on this list, the circle, the walk, the support group, are designed for exactly this. You don't have to arrive with a conversation opener or a plan. You just have to show up. The rest happens because you're all in the same season of life, and that's actually the most natural conversation starter there is.
Postpartum is one of the few times in adult life where proximity and shared experience can build real connection quickly. The women I know who came to KINN's Postpartum Circle once and came back did so because they found someone in that room who made them feel a little less alone. That's it. That's the whole thing.
About KINN
KINN is a membership-based coworking and community space for moms, located at 5 Ensign Drive in Avon, CT. We opened in January 2026 and have grown to 50 member, moms at every stage, from expecting through established working motherhood.
Our Social membership ($85/month) includes Postpartum Circles, all KINN community events, and access to our Slack community. If you want to try us before committing, your first Postpartum Circle is complimentary.
You can learn more and register at atkinn.com, or follow us on Instagram at @meetatkinn.
