Approach

In 2021, I gave birth to my first baby, and during labor I unexpectedly developed a serious condition called preeclampsia, leading to an emergency c-section and an unexpectedly challenging postpartum recovery.

The postpartum phase is difficult in different ways for each person and family, but one constant is the complete invisibility of new mothers in the United States. No matter how thorough our pregnancy & labor care may be, postpartum care is nonexistent. And our country’s statistics prove it: the highest maternal mortality in the “developed” world, with numbers that are only rising while they fall everywhere else, and astounding racial disparities. For every one person that dies, 100 almost do. The wealthiest Black woman is more likely to die than her poorest White counterpart. Countless people suffer in ways big and small, without the infrastructure so many other countries and cultures have to provide support, care, and guidance.

Through my frustration, I decided that with my skills and experiences, both professional and personal, I must try to solve this problem. The postpartum phase should not be this hard, and definitely not this deadly.

Services

Founder: Maite Health

My efforts to improve maternal health began by founding Maite Health, a tech enabled venture providing proactive and comprehensive care via virtual postpartum home visits. Beyond improving outcomes for patients, I aimed to provide support to a medical system not designed for optimal postpartum care.

While my journey with Maite is currently on pause, it led me to other founders engaging in paradigm-changing work, where I continue to focus my efforts.

Advisor: Phia Health

Phia Health provides cutting edge postpartum services, combining an AI agent with real clinicians, allowing for fast triage without sacrificing quality of care.

As an advisor, I guide Phia’s maternal mental health program, utilizing my expertise with both clinical services and femtech startups.

Founder: Harbor Psychiatry & Mental Health’s Maternal Health Program

While working at Harbor Psychiatry & Mental Health in Newport Beach, CA, I founded Harbor’s Maternal Health Program, partnering with our perinatal psychiatric specialist and other providers committed to caring for this vulnerable population. I was the Lead Psychologist on the team, and treated numerous new mothers during my years working there.