Maternal mental health conditions are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth, yet most mothers who need support don’t get any at all. Less than 20% of expecting and new mothers are screened for mental health conditions, and stigma, shame, logistical challenges, and cost are additional barriers to care.
When a new mother does seek support, it can take months to get help from a specialist.
The issue is devastating for mothers and families, and costly to society: Unaddressed maternal mental health conditions cost employers at least $4.5B every year, primarily due to productivity losses and new mothers leaving the workforce.
While the maternal mental health crisis is dire, it is worsened by the current approach of too little, too late in the way of support.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. About half of maternal mental health conditions are preventable through early intervention.
Aeroflow, the leading provider of lactation supplies and services partnered with Canopie to prevent maternal mental health conditions through education, comprehensive screening for risk factors and mental health status, 24/7 customized care programs via mobile app, and additional virtual services.
Our innovative approach to identifying and engaging at-risk moms across the country early in their pregnancy, and offering proactive, compassionate, and evidence-based support is working. We engage mothers in virtual lactation classes, including our mental health and lactation class, and encourage eligible expecting mothers to download the Canopie App to get support early.
Our goal is to make sure support is in moms’ hands before she needs it, and we’ve found that the right time to reach moms is during pregnancy as they’re preparing for their feeding journey: Close to 50% of expectant mothers begin engaging in preventative mental health support through our partnership. And the vast majority continue to engage in learning and practicing clinically validated coping strategies to manage the challenges of the transition to motherhood.
New moms trust Aeroflow’s comprehensive, accessible lactation support. This, combined with Aeroflow’s national reach and Canopie’s population-level, evidence-based approach have allowed us to benefit tens of thousands of mothers every year.
We can expand this prevention-based support dramatically by partnering with employers, who play a critical role in supporting expecting and new moms. We recommend employers:
- Provide accessible and proactive support to your expecting families. The best time to help new families prepare for their journeys is well in advance of birth.
- Offer flexibility to the greatest extent possible to new parents returning from leave. The emotional toll of leaving a new baby at home for long stretches at a time can negatively impact a new parent’s mental health.
- Connect your families with supportive resources that will work with their busy schedules. Consider virtual resources in addition to in-person support to maximize uptake of care.
Jennifer Jordan
Jennifer Jordan is Vice President of Aeroflow Breastpumps.
Anne Wanlund
Anne Wanlund is co-founder/CEO of Canopie.
