New baby, now what? Benefits to support postpartum moms

When Shari Stamps, the founder and CEO of educational platform Navigating Parenthood, was preparing to deliver her first child, she did her research and thought she knew exactly what to expect out of the birthing process. But she was left unprepared once her labor was over. 

"[Giving birth] happened extremely fast, but I ended up in the ER due to 'normal' postpartum pain after a fast delivery," Stamps says. "[It's why] I later trained as a postpartum doula and created a postpartum prep course to save other mothers from experiencing unknowns."

Sixty-five percent of surveyed moms feel they receive adequate support during labor and delivery, according to data from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, but that number drops to 41% once they're home. This statistic is especially concerning when, according to a CDC study, 23% of maternal deaths occur between seven and 42 days postpartum, increasing to 30% between 43-365 days postpartum. These sobering statistics are often due to health complications and in some cases, worsening mental health that led to suicide. 

Receiving care between those time frames is critical for working moms' health and safety, Stamps says. She began Navigating Parenthood to provide women with the resources they need to gain access to the right care. While benefit leaders are often on top of benefits that cover family planning and parental leave policies, more investment needs to be made in the postpartum period. 

Read more: Benefit managers: Get with the postpartum program

"Postpartum care in the U.S. is a bit like a newborn mom's brain right now — foggy and sometimes forgetful as we work on learning new information," Stamps says. "Benefits are failing new moms because they are focused on helping apply a bandage after an injury rather than giving the preventative wellness care that would be more beneficial." 

Addressing the postpartum care gap

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, approximately 42% of U.S. employers offer fertility benefits including in-vitro fertilization, egg freezing and adoption benefits. In addition, more organizations have also begun offering generous paid parental leaves in an effort to better support both mothers and fathers. 

While all of these advancements have played a large role in creating awareness around the family building process and the support needed during and after childbirth, addressing postpartum challenges while moms are still pregnant is the key to making sure those family building resources are effective. 

"There is a lot we can do now — long before there is change in leave policies — with postpartum prep," she says. "New moms need job security, flexibility, time for appointments and options, which are all things that would benefit everyone at any job." 

Read more: How benefit leaders can support the post-partum return to work

Through Navigating Parenthood, Stamps offers prep courses, free webinars and support for breastfeeding, pumping and sleep. Moms can even book a session to  help them choose registry products that would be most beneficial to their family. Stamps urges leaders to incorporate postpartum mental health resources, physical therapy and massage in their benefits, as well as back-to-work transition assistance and at-work pumping policies in their family building and fertility strategies. 

"Offering free resources on how to prepare their home, the care team they may need, or [starting a] meal train could be helpful," Stamps says. "One thing that helped me was being allowed flexible on-site hours. Back then, I had an hour train commute and was able to work while on my way into the office and on my way back to pick up my baby from daycare."

As  organizations continue to find new ways to better support their workforce through all stages of life, the conversation around postpartum care and benefits will need to progress and become top of mind for leaders as they consider where to invest their time and resources.

"How a new parent connects with their child and allows themselves to heal sets the tone for their health the next 40 years of their life," Stamps says. "If you want a happy and healthy employee who doesn't need frequent sick days for health issues that come up later because they didn't take care of their healing postpartum body, this is crucial."