Postpartum
Jul 9, 2025
The first 120 days: What the system forgot, and why we’re starting here
Why the first four months after birth deserve more than silence—and what happens when we finally pay attention.
Ilana Shein, MD
Walk out of the hospital with a newborn and you’ll quickly realize something jarring: There is no real system waiting for you.
No safety net. No daily check-in. No guaranteed support if you start to bleed, stop eating, or can’t get your baby to latch. You might have a six-week follow-up scheduled. You might not. Maybe a number to call. Maybe someone picks up.
This is the standard of postpartum care in the U.S. today. And it’s not enough.
Not even close.
At Phia, we believe the first 120 days after birth—not pregnancy—are the true epicenter of maternal health risk. This isn’t a hunch. It’s actuarial, clinical, and deeply human. The first four months after delivery are when:
Blood pressure spikes trigger strokes.
Postpartum hemorrhage can still occur.
Breastfeeding struggles lead to weight loss, hospital readmissions, and early weaning.
Postpartum depression most often appears—not in the first week, but in week 4, 6, 9.
Parents quit trying to get help because “they’re probably just tired.”
This is not when most health systems intervene. It’s when they go silent.
Why “120” matters
We picked 120 days for a reason. It matches the science. It matches the data. And it matches what families actually live through.
Newborns are seen constantly—weight checks, vaccinations, milestones. But mothers?
One appointment. Maybe two. And if something goes wrong in between, the ER is your best shot.
We think that’s backwards. Moms and babies are not separate cases. They are a single clinical unit with connected needs.
If mom’s mental health crashes, baby’s development does too.
If baby isn’t feeding well, mom’s body starts failing from stress and shutdown.
If nobody notices a BP spike, both lives can be lost.
The math is simple: 120 days of attention prevents 10 years of downstream damage.
What if postpartum care worked like it mattered?
Imagine if, from the moment you left the hospital, you could:
Text a nurse when you weren’t sure what that bleeding meant.
Have a lactation consultant actually watch your feed, not just send PDFs.
Get a therapist when your mind won’t shut off at 2am.
Get flagged—automatically—for help when your blood pressure creeps up.
That’s what we built. And it’s not concierge medicine. It’s smarter, simpler, lower-cost care that puts time and data where it actually saves lives.
Our system doesn’t wait for emergencies. It sees patterns, flags risk, and sends help before things spiral. Not because we guessed—but because we watched, listened, and designed for the chaos of early motherhood.
A postpartum model built on timing, not just access
The mistake most systems make is assuming availability = care. That a phone number, an insurance benefit, or an “optional visit” means the work is done.
But new moms don’t have time to navigate complex systems or guess what they’re eligible for. They need care to come to them when it’s needed—no forms, no chasing, no extra bills.
That’s why the First 120 model offers:
Four telehealth visits built into one flat rate
Unlimited AI-augmented chat with nurses, lactation consultants, mental health experts
Smart escalation for mood, bleeding, feeding, and BP issues
No out-of-pocket costs. No copays. No surprises.
It’s not about “doing more.” It’s about doing what matters, when it matters most.
We’re starting here because no one else did
Other platforms start with fertility, IVF, or general “women’s health.”
We’re starting with the hardest part. The one nobody wants to own.
Because until this window is protected—until the First 120 days are held, supported, and respected—everything else is built on sand.
We’ve seen what happens when this care exists. Emergency visits drop. Moms feel seen. Babies grow stronger. Entire families heal faster.
And once payors, OB offices, and parents see the impact, it becomes obvious:
This is what postpartum care should have been all along.
What Happens After Day 120?
We don’t stop caring when the 120 days end. We just change focus.
The first four months are about safety: bleeding, blood pressure, depression, feeding.
But months five through twelve are about stability—and no one hands you a map for that either.
This is when:
Sleep deprivation finally breaks your spirit
Relationships shift under invisible weight
Food insecurity and body image collide
Occupational therapy or speech delays emerge
You feel like you should be “better” but you're still raw
Most benefits disappear by then. Most providers stop asking. But the need? It deepens.
That’s why our care doesn’t vanish at day 121.
We offer continued support for:
Mental health
Nutrition
Pelvic floor and body recovery
Parenting skills and development questions
Coordination for pediatric care or specialist referrals
Because the truth is, motherhood isn’t a phase—it’s a continuum. And the care model has to evolve with it.
Now accepting
payor and provider partners
Now accepting
payor and provider partners
For the OB still scribbling notes between patients. For the payor tired of reactive care models. Phia blends intelligent triage, clinical escalation, and real human touch—so your members and patients stay seen, safe, and supported
Mom's the word
From day one, we’ve designed our platform with the highest security standards and rigorous privacy practices, guided by engineers with deep expertise from leading digital health companies. Their knowledge of building securely in regulated industries is woven into everything we create.
Mom's the word
From day one, we’ve designed our platform with the highest security standards and rigorous privacy practices, guided by engineers with deep expertise from leading digital health companies. Their knowledge of building securely in regulated industries is woven into everything we create.
Mom's the word
From day one, we’ve designed our platform with the highest security standards and rigorous privacy practices, guided by engineers with deep expertise from leading digital health companies. Their knowledge of building securely in regulated industries is woven into everything we create.
How designers estimate the impact of UX?
The first 120 days: What the system forgot, and why we’re starting here
The first 120 days: What the system forgot, and why we’re starting here
Why the first four months after birth deserve more than silence—and what happens when we finally pay attention.
Why the first four months after birth deserve more than silence—and what happens when we finally pay attention.
Why the first four months after birth deserve more than silence—and what happens when we finally pay attention.
Ilana Shein, MD
Published in Fintech
Postpartum
Image credit by Yum Yum
Walk out of the hospital with a newborn and you’ll quickly realize something jarring: There is no real system waiting for you.
No safety net. No daily check-in. No guaranteed support if you start to bleed, stop eating, or can’t get your baby to latch. You might have a six-week follow-up scheduled. You might not. Maybe a number to call. Maybe someone picks up.
This is the standard of postpartum care in the U.S. today. And it’s not enough.
Not even close.
At Phia, we believe the first 120 days after birth—not pregnancy—are the true epicenter of maternal health risk. This isn’t a hunch. It’s actuarial, clinical, and deeply human. The first four months after delivery are when:
Blood pressure spikes trigger strokes.
Postpartum hemorrhage can still occur.
Breastfeeding struggles lead to weight loss, hospital readmissions, and early weaning.
Postpartum depression most often appears—not in the first week, but in week 4, 6, 9.
Parents quit trying to get help because “they’re probably just tired.”
This is not when most health systems intervene. It’s when they go silent.
Why “120” matters
We picked 120 days for a reason. It matches the science. It matches the data. And it matches what families actually live through.
Newborns are seen constantly—weight checks, vaccinations, milestones. But mothers?
One appointment. Maybe two. And if something goes wrong in between, the ER is your best shot.
We think that’s backwards. Moms and babies are not separate cases. They are a single clinical unit with connected needs.
If mom’s mental health crashes, baby’s development does too.
If baby isn’t feeding well, mom’s body starts failing from stress and shutdown.
If nobody notices a BP spike, both lives can be lost.
The math is simple: 120 days of attention prevents 10 years of downstream damage.
What if postpartum care worked like it mattered?
Imagine if, from the moment you left the hospital, you could:
Text a nurse when you weren’t sure what that bleeding meant.
Have a lactation consultant actually watch your feed, not just send PDFs.
Get a therapist when your mind won’t shut off at 2am.
Get flagged—automatically—for help when your blood pressure creeps up.
That’s what we built. And it’s not concierge medicine. It’s smarter, simpler, lower-cost care that puts time and data where it actually saves lives.
Our system doesn’t wait for emergencies. It sees patterns, flags risk, and sends help before things spiral. Not because we guessed—but because we watched, listened, and designed for the chaos of early motherhood.
A postpartum model built on timing, not just access
The mistake most systems make is assuming availability = care. That a phone number, an insurance benefit, or an “optional visit” means the work is done.
But new moms don’t have time to navigate complex systems or guess what they’re eligible for. They need care to come to them when it’s needed—no forms, no chasing, no extra bills.
That’s why the First 120 model offers:
Four telehealth visits built into one flat rate
Unlimited AI-augmented chat with nurses, lactation consultants, mental health experts
Smart escalation for mood, bleeding, feeding, and BP issues
No out-of-pocket costs. No copays. No surprises.
It’s not about “doing more.” It’s about doing what matters, when it matters most.
We’re starting here because no one else did
Other platforms start with fertility, IVF, or general “women’s health.”
We’re starting with the hardest part. The one nobody wants to own.
Because until this window is protected—until the First 120 days are held, supported, and respected—everything else is built on sand.
We’ve seen what happens when this care exists. Emergency visits drop. Moms feel seen. Babies grow stronger. Entire families heal faster.
And once payors, OB offices, and parents see the impact, it becomes obvious:
This is what postpartum care should have been all along.
What Happens After Day 120?
We don’t stop caring when the 120 days end. We just change focus.
The first four months are about safety: bleeding, blood pressure, depression, feeding.
But months five through twelve are about stability—and no one hands you a map for that either.
This is when:
Sleep deprivation finally breaks your spirit
Relationships shift under invisible weight
Food insecurity and body image collide
Occupational therapy or speech delays emerge
You feel like you should be “better” but you're still raw
Most benefits disappear by then. Most providers stop asking. But the need? It deepens.
That’s why our care doesn’t vanish at day 121.
We offer continued support for:
Mental health
Nutrition
Pelvic floor and body recovery
Parenting skills and development questions
Coordination for pediatric care or specialist referrals
Because the truth is, motherhood isn’t a phase—it’s a continuum. And the care model has to evolve with it.