The Whole-Person Care Experience New Moms Don’t Get
Let’s build a care system that truly cares for new moms | 5 min read
Introduction.
Becoming a mom should feel empowering.
From the moment you learn you’re pregnant to your baby’s first birthday, this journey should be filled with support. Not stress and exhaustion.
So, why isn’t it?
Why I care.
Before I became a mom, I thought I understood healthcare. I spent over a decade designing solutions to improve patient care. As a marathon runner, I was also invested in my own health and well-being.
Then I got pregnant.
In one year, I had 17 doctor’s appointments, dozens of calls with nurses, and more ‘surprise’ medical bills than I could count. For all that interaction, I was stunned by what was missing: real support for moms.
And when I talked to other moms, I realized I was one of the lucky ones.
It opened my eyes to how much our system is failing moms–and it stuck with me.
Whole-Person Care: A missing piece in maternity care.
Today, maternity care in the U.S. is almost entirely about the baby. Our system isn’t designed to support moms. It’s designed to monitor pregnancies.
And pregnancy is one of the few times women are consistently interacting with the healthcare system. We’re wasting one of the biggest opportunities to build lifelong healthy habits and support long-term well-being.
Yes, physical recovery matters. But so does emotional support for the guilt and complete identity shift. For balancing work, relationships, and a newborn. It all needs attention.
Whole-person care means addressing every part of mom’s health–physical, emotional, and mental.
A single six-week postpartum checkup isn’t enough. Moms deserve care that makes her feel whole again.
How I built my own support system.
I had a vision for motherhood: a healthy pregnancy (and feeling healthy), strong bond with my baby, and space to care for myself.
But the reality hit much harder.
Sleep and exercise–two things that always grounded me–took a major hit. I struggled to keep up with work and parenting. I felt burnt out and overwhelmed.
The only way to be fully present for my family and myself was to step away from my career. So I did.
It allowed me to reflect and rebuild. I pieced together a care system that made me feel like myself again:
A life coach who helped me make sense of my new role and reconnect with my values.
Therapy to manage my anxiety and strengthen my relationship with my partner.
A support group to connect with other moms who ‘got it’.
My SNOO and sleep tips to help my baby sleep (so I could too).
Resources like Good Inside, ParentData, Motherly, books, and podcasts that showed the ‘real’ version of motherhood and empowered me to make decisions that were right for me.
Communities like Moms First, Chamber of Mothers, and facebook groups to remind me I wasn’t alone.
And so much more.
They turned my struggle into clarity: we need a radical shift in how we care for new moms.
The system is failing new moms.
Every mom’s experience is different. We each have our own challenges, needs, and access to resources. But one thing is clear: the system isn’t setting moms up for success.
I had privilege. I had a supportive husband, health insurance, childcare, and the financial stability to take a career break. I understood insurance jargon (wait, what’s a deductible, again?).
And it was still hard.
I spent hours researching support that was right for me. I paid thousands to connect with them. And I can’t stop thinking: How much harder is this for moms with fewer resources and less time? Especially women of color who have to fight just to be taken seriously.
For the mom with no paid leave, and no family nearby to help.
For the mom burning through her PTO days for an unexpected NICU stay.
For the Spanish-speaking mom trying to understand her pre-eclampsia diagnosis and dietary plan that won’t fit her lifestyle.
For the mom on Medicaid waiting for months to see a therapist for postpartum depression.
For the Black mom who keeps complaining about pain—and is told it’s normal.
We’re asking moms to do the impossible. We’re telling moms how they feel. And it’s not okay.
Redefining maternity care.
After two pregnancies, I’ve talked to hundreds of moms–through my own circle, as a coordinator for Postpartum Support International, and Chamber of Mothers MN Chapter Board Member for Chamber of Mothers.
There’s no one-size fits all model for maternity care, but here’s my vision for whole-person care:
Postpartum planning: Proactive planning before birth that preps for the realities of life with baby–covering mental health, support networks, and rights and benefits.
Ongoing recovery support: Real postpartum care, not just a six-week check-in, and support to build healthy habits that last.
Mental and emotional support: Prenatal and postpartum risk screening, with actual follow-up and connecting to resources to navigate stressors and build long-term resilience.
Empowered parenting: Guidance and education that builds confidence, not skills.
This isn’t a ‘nice to have.’ It’s the foundation for healthier families, starting with moms. When moms are supported through one of life’s biggest transitions, everything else improves too.
What needs to change.
Redefining maternity care isn’t just a ‘mom’ problem. It’s an everyone problem:
Moms: You know where the gaps are. Share your lived experience and demand better from your employer, health provider, and policymakers. Free tools like Paidleave.Ai and Parentaly can help maximize your benefits. Join movements like Moms First and Chamber of Mothers to turn your mom rage into real change for the next mom.
Partners & loved ones: Ask how mom is really doing. If she’s not acting herself, encourage her to seek help. Postpartum Support International’s free helpline (1-800-944-4773) is a great place to start.
Employers & health systems: Offer benefits that support the whole mom, not just return to work. Examples include paid leave, child care subsidies, sleep solutions, coaching support, and other wellness benefits that make mom feel whole again.
Payers: Fund solutions that prioritize whole person care–community health workers, care coordinators, doulas, midwives, nutritionists, therapists, and feeding specialists. Prove that investing in better patient experiences can prevent downstream crises and costly care with maternal health tech solutions like Delfina.
Policymakers: Make paid leave, affordable childcare, and maternal health support the norm, not a privilege. We need proactive solutions that actually help new moms.
Let’s build a system that truly cares.
I’m done accepting the status quo, because it’s not working for new moms.
It’s time to build an experience shaped around her—not the system’s limits.
We need systems that reduce unnecessary suffering and mistrust for moms during one of their biggest life changes. So they can focus on what actually matters–bonding with their babies and feeling like themselves again.
Let’s build a care system that truly cares for new moms.
Read more about ACOG’s position on raising the standard of prenatal care here.
