Moms need help after birth—but for 1 in 6, no one outside their partner showed up
And the moms who did get help? Forty-two percent say it wasn't enough.
For me, I was lucky to have family help when our first kids were born. But after our second? (We have five kids.) A lot fewer offers of help. Perhaps people didn't want to impose, or they thought, 'she's got this,' but when I was drowning, it didn't feel like anyone wanted to step up and offer to care for me in the way I needed. I felt alone. And in this experience—I am not alone.
The data highlights a deep disconnect between intentions and action. An overwhelming 90% of Americans say they're willing to help a new parent—but more than 6 in 10 moms, including 76% of Hispanic moms, say they struggle to ask for it. Especially when the need is emotional.
'The transition to parenthood is one of the most important and most challenging times in a person's life, yet many new moms face it without the support they need,' said Kelly Ernst, Chief Impact Officer at March of Dimes. 'Together with Philips Avent, we're calling on communities to turn their willingness to help into meaningful action.'
Related: The messy, hilarious truth about new motherhood—told in painfully funny comics
Why we're still not asking for help
The study paints a picture that many moms already know intimately: the early weeks postpartum are raw, exhausting, and often invisible to the broader community. Nearly two-thirds of parents say the first three months are when they need help the most. Yet our culture often glamorizes maternal martyrdom, reinforcing the message that needing help is a weakness.
This is especially true for moms of color. Hispanic moms are the most likely group to report difficulty asking for help—three in four say it's hard to voice their support needs. This is where both cultural expectations and systemic inequalities collide.
The result? A crushing solo act for too many mothers in a society that still pretends the nuclear family is enough.
Mental health and me-time are the most unmet needs
The top requests from moms were basic human needs:
Emotional and mental health support: coping with postpartum depression, isolation, decision fatigue.
Self-care and recovery: breaks, rest, light exercise, and therapy.
Even though 93% of moms say self-care is essential, 80% get less than an hour of personal time per day.
And unless their village is clued in on what postpartum really looks like, they may never offer help in the first place. The research found that only 31% of the general public is very familiar with postpartum health issues. But when people are informed, they're 2.5x more likely to step up.
So who is showing up?
The data also busts some myths about gender roles: Fathers of children under 18 are just as likely as moms to have supported another parent recently (72% vs. 75%), and dads are more likely to contribute financially. Among friends and extended family, support tends to flow more to immediate relatives than close friends—which may explain why many new moms feel socially abandoned just when they need the most care.
The Share the Care campaign from Philips and March of Dimes is trying to change that. Their goal? To arm the public with tools and reminders that supporting a new parent doesn't have to be complicated. Think: dropping off a meal, sending a 'you're doing amazing' text, or taking the baby for 20 minutes so mom can shower in peace.
In short: don't wait to be asked. Just show up.
Related: Why do women wake up feeling worse than men? The science (and inequity) of sleep and motherhood
A motherhood crisis hidden in plain sight
This report echoes what many experts and parents have been saying for years: the structure of modern American parenting is deeply out of sync with reality. Moms are expected to work like they don't have children and raise children like they don't work—while simultaneously pretending they don't need help.
If every mom feels alone, then we are all in this together. Ask for help. Step up for another mom. Be the village you needed. Because moms are the ultimate agents of change.
Want to be part of the solution? Explore the Share the Care campaign from Philips and March of Dimes here.
Sources:
Share the Care: How Americans Can Better Support New Parents. 2024. March of Dimes. Share the Care: How Americans Can Better Support New Parents.
New Philips Avent Survey Reveals Stark Gap Between Support for New Moms and Intentions to Help. 2024. Philips. New Philips Avent Survey Reveals Stark Gap Between Support for New Moms and Intentions to Help.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
21, including children, fall ill in Florida after consuming raw milk
Florida health officials are issuing a warning about the dangers of consuming raw milk after 21 people in the northeast and central parts of the state drank raw milk from the same farm and fell ill. The Florida Department of Health issued the warning on Monday, Aug. 4, noting that due to sanitation practices and raw milk consumption, 21 people became sick, including six children under the age of 10. Among the patients, at least two have suffered "severe complications," the announcement read. The illnesses were linked to one farm. "Sanitation practices in this farm are of particular concern due to the number of cases," the department wrote. In Florida, raw milk is only sold for non-human consumption as pet or animal food, which limits regulation efforts of sanitary practices. Containers are supposed to be labeled so buyers know they contain raw milk for animal consumption only. "Floridians should be aware of potential risks associated with consumption, which may vary depending on the source of milk," the health department wrote. "The producer's handling of raw milk and milking procedures are vital in prevention of contamination. Many people consume raw milk safely." Here's what we know so far. What is raw milk? Raw milk includes milk from cows, sheep, goats, or other animals that has not been pasteurized or heat-treated to destroy bacteria, the Florida Department of Health said in the announcement. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), raw milk can be a source of foodborne illness, and while while contamination can be reduced, there is no guaranteed protection from harmful germs in raw milk. "Pasteurized milk offers the same nutritional benefits without the risks of raw milk consumption," the CDC said on its website, adding that since the early 1900s, pasteurization has led to a drop in milk-borne illnesses. According to the Florida Department of Health, raw milk can contain disease-causing bacteria such as Campylobacter, Escherichia coli (E. coli), Listeria, Salmonella and others. The bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. In California, state health officials warned the public after detecting the bird flu virus in raw milk from a central California dairy farm in November of last year. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously been quoted as saying he only drinks raw milk. Details on infections linked to Florida farm The most recent cases involved both Campylobacter and STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) infections, and were linked to one particular farm, the department said. STEC bacteria at its most severe can lead to kidney failure, the department said. Other people at high-risk for severe illness include infants and young children, pregnant women, elderly individuals and individuals with weakened immune systems. "Floridians are encouraged to use this information to make informed decisions about their health and sources of raw milk should they choose to consume it," the department said. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Raw milk from Florida farm linked to 21 illnesses Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What to know about Legionnaires' disease, which has sickened dozens in New York City
An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in New York City has killed two people and sickened 58 since late July. City health officials link the Central Harlem outbreak to cooling towers, structures containing water and a fan that are used to cool buildings. They said 11 of these towers initially tested positive for a type of bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease, but the problem has been remedied. They urged people in the area with flu-like symptoms to contact a health care provider as soon as possible, especially if they are 50 or older, smoke or have chronic lung conditions. Here's what to know. What is Legionnaires' disease? It's a type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and spread in building water systems. They can be found in places such as showerheads, hot tubs and cooling towers. People often get the disease by inhaling aerosols from contaminated water. Hospital patients can also contract it through contaminated water or ice, and babies can be exposed during water births, health officials said. People don't get it from each other. Symptoms usually develop two days to two weeks after exposure and include cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches and shortness of breath, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How does Legionnaires' disease hurt you and how can you treat it? It's important to be diagnosed quickly and treated with the appropriate antibiotics, health officials said. If untreated, the disease usually worsens during the first week, the World Health Organization said. Complications can include respiratory failure, shock and kidney or multi-organ failure. How can Legionnaires' disease be prevented? People responsible for the safety of buildings and water systems can reduce the threat by taking steps to minimize the growth of the bacteria, the WHO said. For example, they should regularly clean and disinfect cooling towers, maintain an adequate level of chlorine in spa pools and flush unused taps in buildings weekly. There are also steps people can take to reduce the risk of Legionnaires' disease at home. New York state health officials suggest draining garden hoses; following manufacturers' instructions for cleaning and replacing water filters; checking chlorine levels in pools and hot tubs regularly and flushing hot water heaters twice a year. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Merging deep tech and biomedical science expertise, ChronicleBio aims to accelerate breakthroughs for millions living with complex chronic conditions
New venture harnesses multi-omic data and AI to develop the largest platform on complex chronic illnesses to drive breakthroughs in POTS, ME/CFS, Long COVID, and other neuroimmune disorders SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ChronicleBio, a techbio startup focused on radically accelerating insights on neuroimmune disorders, officially launched Tuesday with a bold mission: to build the world's richest, AI-ready data platform for historically overlooked conditions like POTS, ME/CFS, Long COVID, and other complex chronic conditions. ChronicleBio is uniquely led by a founding team that unites elite tech, healthcare, and life sciences: Fidji Simo (Co-founder), current CEO of Instacart and the incoming CEO of OpenAI's applications division, brings deep expertise in consumer-scale technology, product innovation, and health systems transformation. Rohit Gupta (Co-founder & CEO), a biobanking and precision medicine leader who previously oversaw centers at Stanford and UCSF, is the leading scientific and strategic force behind ChronicleBio. Rishi Reddy (Co-founder & Executive Chairman), of Tarsadia Investments, brings an entrepreneurial and venture-backed perspective and a track record in health and life sciences investing. Together, they are tackling a critical gap in biomedical research. ChronicleBio is creating a scalable, ethically driven data ecosystem, integrating clinical, molecular, biospecimen, and patient-reported insights to drive biomarker discovery, patient stratification, and precision therapeutic development. "Entire communities of patients have been ignored for too long, not because their conditions aren't debilitating and prevalent, but because the systems weren't built to understand them," said Fidji Simo, co-founder of ChronicleBio. "ChronicleBio is developing a future where patients can enlist in research, and where the data we collect from them goes directly towards better diagnostics and therapeutics. By building these critical missing datasets and leveraging the massive advances in AI, we aim to accelerate the path to cures." These complex chronic conditions impact nearly 300 million people worldwide, but remain woefully understudied, leaving patients hopeless and without meaningful treatments. It's a disease space desperate for data, and ChronicleBio is offering the scalable solutions to provide it. "Neuroimmune disorders remain some of the most poorly understood in medicine and not for lack of interest, but because the underlying data simply doesn't exist at the scale or structure required for serious breakthroughs," said Rohit Gupta, co-founder and CEO of ChronicleBio. "We're empowering patients and clinicians to get involved in this effort to grow our research-grade biobank and AI-ready data platform so we can close that gap and provide the tools to finally interrogate these diseases with scientific rigor and precision, bringing an end to complex chronic conditions." ChronicleBio partners directly with patients, clinics, and research collaborators to generate longitudinal, multi-modal datasets, including genomics, immune profiling, and real-world outcomes designed for exploration and clinical trial readiness. Its platform is already being used in multiple high-integrity clinics in the U.S. and India, as well as through research collaborations with thousands of patients contributing data and biosamples. "We're creating an ecosystem with global reach, designed not just to generate data, but to fundamentally shift how we discover, develop, and deliver treatments at scale. The opportunity for impact—scientifically, medically, and societally—is enormous," said Rishi Reddy, co-founder and Executive Chairman of ChronicleBio. "We're building the foundational infrastructure for a massive medical need that has been hiding in plain sight." ChronicleBio's founding vision isn't just ambitious. It's personal. Both Simo and Reddy have been diagnosed with at least one of the very conditions the company is focused on researching. Gupta's family also suffers from neuroimmune disorders. The group's world-class expertise is outshined only by its heartfelt determination to rewrite the scientific narrative for the millions of patients overlooked by traditional research and transform lived experience into actionable discovery. ChronicleBio's approach includes: A global biobank platform collecting and connecting data on neuroimmune illnesses A proprietary, AI-ready data engine designed to integrate multi-omic, clinical, and real-world evidence Strategic partnerships with clinics, research consortia, and biotech sponsors looking to unlock hard-to-crack therapeutic areas A decentralized clinical trial network accelerating drug development through real-world access to patients and clinicians For more information, visit or follow ChronicleBio on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook. Media Contact:media@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE ChronicleBio Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
