I'm Melanie, mom of two girls, ages 3.5 and 1.5 and I am based in Los Angeles, CA. I'm the founder of oPPal. oPPal is a peer support platform that intentionally matches new and expecting moms (Little oPPals) with experienced moms (Big oPPals) who have walked the path of early motherhood before them. Earlier in my career, I spent 15 years as a publicist working across talent, events, lifestyle and nonprofits. Now I spend my days building oPPal, matching moms, chasing after my 2 girls and also caring for my own mental health.

I always wanted to be a mom. I thought I would be the best at it. I thought I did everything “right” before my first daughter was born. I thought I would be the mom who thrived in the newborn stage. I read a bunch of books, had a loving family, had all the resources I thought mattered. And four months after my first daughter, Sienna, was born, none of it actually mattered.

After a month of having bad panic attacks and feeling off, I woke up one morning and told my husband, Brent, that I needed a break, that I had to leave for the day. What I thought would be a day trip to the beach to take some deep breaths and ground myself, turned into me being gone for multiple nights. I could not stop crying, anytime he called to check when I would be back, I burst into even more tears. I felt like I was failing at the one thing I was supposed to be good at, the thing I longed the most for in life.

What pulled me through that time was other moms. Moms who were just a little bit ahead of me, who had experienced the massive shift of becoming a mother and were coming out of the early newborn days. They didn't try to fix me or tell me what to do— they carried me until I could carry myself. I didn't have a name for them then. Now I do: Big oPPals.

When my second daughter, Jade, was born two years later, in early 2025, I shared my postpartum story with Sienna on Instagram without thinking too much into it, I just truly believe in the power of sharing to make others feel less alone. The response was overwhelming. Moms - friends and women I had met 10 years or more ago - echoed their own stories: me too, they said. I thought I was alone. 

I realized my story wasn’t unique. It was extremely common. From that morning on, I knew I was meant to build something in the postpartum space.

Don’t be intimidated. Just go! Be curious and find people around you who support you and have the expertise that you don't have in your business. Start before you’re ready, but start small enough that you can actually listen and ideate. I ran a beta last year rather than a full launch — I made over 40 matches, I had constant feedback, kept learning from it, changing how I matched people together, figuring out how this would work in reality— and almost everything we now believe about matching, our training, and community came out of that, not out of a plan. 

Don’t expect yourself to do it all perfectly. As someone once told me about balancing two kids, “It is all do-able, but it isn’t always pretty” And the same thing applies to this. Some days are a lot smoother than others, but they all happen and then it starts again the next day. I also don’t love using the word balance for this topic. I once heard on a podcast that using the word balance it implies you are having to pick one over the other and visa versa. I am choosing to take my girls along on the ride with me and include them when I can in my work. My oldest daughter came to our launch event in LA and a few other events we have hosted and she still talks about them and asks when she can do it again with me. And anytime she opens my computer she says “I am working on oPPal”.

That I didn’t thrive in the newborn phase. I thought I was going to love it, but I really didn’t. And I struggled with that realization and felt like something was wrong with me because I wasn’t “in heaven”. I also have learned I am a lot stronger than I realized, coming out of postpartum depression and anxiety was not easy, and as someone who has battled those things before motherhood, this round was the most challenging. But I also had never been more inspired to take care of myself because I knew I needed to in order to be the best mom I could and can be. 

We just launched in May, so everything is still very new and exciting. We have a newsletter coming soon, new product features within our portal, and we will be going to a few cities in the Fall to host community events. 

The striped pair is so soft and so comfortable. I never feel constricted or uncomfortable while running around in them. It is also really hot in LA this Summer and their lightweight fabric is a big plus. I love the ripped design at the bottom and the flare and the stripes make them super stylish and fun. I also love barrel jeans and so I was really excited to put them on, they are a classic color and style that can be dressed up or down.