Hidden Gems: Meet Saralyn Ward of Better After Baby mobile app

Today we’d like to introduce you to Saralyn Ward

Hi Saralyn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I talk to other entrepreneurs, I am always struck by the realization that there are two types of people who become founders: 1) people born with a natural business acumen, who are impactful by nature, that look for a problem to solve, or 2) people who experience a problem first-hand, then decide to make it their life’s work to ease that problem for others… even though they never could have imagined this path.

Me? I’m the latter. After studying kinesiology and dance at Penn State, I went to work as a Pilates instructor and freelance writer. I started teaching and training in physical therapy clinics and gyms, and worked with a lot of postpartum women.

I was always struck by how challenging it was for most of my postpartum clients to return to exercise. I began to understand the physical challenges of new motherhood extended far beyond just “getting your body back”… there was pelvic floor issues, ab separations and chronic back pain, just to name a few.

But it wasn’t until I became a new mom myself that I realized the profound impact these physical changes have on a new mother’s mental and emotional state. Sleep deprivation, hormonal shifts, breastfeeding challenges, professional changes and other lifestyle factors combined with the physical trauma of childbirth have a dramatic effect on a woman. the postpartum experience changes us at our very core, making us question everything.

Despite my experience training postpartum women, I, too, was completely blindsided by the sheer magnitude of all I didn’t know. It seemed that EVERYTHING changed, overnight. I didn’t recognize myself physically, I struggled to breastfeed, I had intrusive thoughts, I was learning the preferences of a tiny human who never slept, and I returned to a company that was pushing me out of the hunt for promotion. It was isolating, to say the least.

One night, at about 3 am, my daughter was inconsolable, and I was bleeding as I tried to feed her. I felt desperate – there was no one to call. My mom lived 2000 miles away, our doctor wouldn’t call back for at least 12 hours, and I couldn’t call my lactation lady’s cell at this hour. I remember looking at my phone and thinking, “I wish there was an app I could tap into right now to get advice from other moms, and expert answers I can trust.”

That night I made it my mission to find the answers that would help me feel GOOD in my new role as a mom. I didn’t want to be a martyr, and I didn’t want to resent my kid. I definitely did not want to be miserable. I wanted to be the happy, thriving mom that I had always pictured I would be. And that required finding the help I needed to get there.

When the fog of postpartum lifted, I started sharing the postpartum resources that made the biggest difference for me. I started a blog called The Mama Sagas, and a dear friend offered to film the first series of expert interviews, which we pitched to A&E Networks and showcased at the New York Television Festival. The blog evolved into an ebook of curated, evidence-based postpartum advice from experts in the field, which was Amazon’s #1 Release in Parenting: Babies and Toddlers the week it debuted.

But my vision for an app persisted. I wanted to give moms the solutions and support they needed without them having to search for it. So, in 2019, when I was 7 months pregnant with my 3rd child, I launched the first version of Better After Baby on licensed technology. It grew quickly with almost no marketing, and caught the eye of the team developing a postpartum app for the US Air Force. They hired me as a consultant, and I helped them create AI-driven content to help servicewomen return to the ranks after giving birth. It was an incredible opportunity to give back those who give us so much, and also helped me broaden my vision for what was possible.

In 2023, the platform that hosted the first version of Better After Baby was shut down overnight when the development company was acquired. Now, armed with more experience, a bigger vision, and an unshakable dedication to my mission, I’m fundraising to develop the next iteration of Better After Baby.

Links: https://www.ifundwomen.com/projects/better-after-baby

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Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course there have been struggles along the way! Nothing worth doing ever comes without a challenge, of some sort. And to do big things, you must take big risks. I’m a people-pleaser and a perfectionist by nature – traits that don’t always serve you when you’re trying to build a business. So this journey has been a big lesson for me in trusting myself and asking for help. A mentor once told me that his pitch received 385 NOs before he heard a single YES. By that math, it means you need to be prepared to hear NO, at least once a day, every day. The struggles I’ve faced have taught me to grow a thicker skin, take feedback, be agile and flexible, and think outside the box.

Of course, some struggles are more challenging that others, and some more perpetual. Balancing working motherhood is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Every day you feel like your falling short, and disappointing someone. But I’ve learned that community and collaboration are the antidote, both at home and professionally. And I always keep the end goal in mind, hoping that I leave the world a little better for my kids, and their kids too.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Better After Baby mobile app?
Better After Baby is a mobile app bridging the gap in postpartum care by connecting moms to a digital community of postpartum and pediatric experts. Our unique monthly subscription addresses the full spectrum of postpartum needs, from feeding and fitness, to sleep and sex, and everything in between. We’re meeting moms in the trenches of new motherhood with the evidence-based solutions and welcoming community they need to thrive.

Unlike other postpartum apps that focus on only one facet of wellness, Better After Baby offers a holistic approach to maternal health. Case in point: if mom isn’t sleeping or if breastfeeding is challenging, her risk of postpartum depression increases. Rather than addressing mental health in silo, Better After Baby addresses the comprehensive needs of both mom and baby with comprehensive support, helping reduce her risk of developing a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder. When the dyad thrives, mama thrives.

Through our content, community, and concierge service, Better After Baby will connect moms to the providers (both online and in their community) that have the answers they need, for the cost of a low monthly subscription. What’s more, our responsive platform will integrate AI to recognize the signs of PMADs early, making Better After Baby a trusted partner in postpartum recovery.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me? My family, full stop. But beyond that, what matters most is leaving the world a little better than I found it.

Mothers have so much potential to make this world better for our children. We are innovators, we are multi-taskers, we have superhuman intuition. We know how to make do with what we have. We are resilient and generous. We empathize deeply – when someone else’s child hurts, we feel that pain viscerally. Collectively, I truly believe mothers could move mountains. But so many of us struggle to find our footing in this new identity, right from the start. And we struggle alone, in silence, therefore never truly experiencing the depth of our innate power. I believe that if we give mothers the support they need, it will pay off in spades in the workplace, in the community, in our nation and in the world as a whole, impacting generation after generation.

Pricing:

• $5 – minimum crowdfund donation. If we get 10,000 women to donate $5 each, we will hit our target of $50K by May.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.postpartumapp.com and https://www.ifundwomen.com/projects/better-after-baby and https://www.themamasagas.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saralyn_ward/ and https://www.instagram.com/betterafterbabyapp
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saralyn.ward/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynward/
• Twitter: https://x.com/themamasagas?mx=2
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMamaSagas
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betterafterbabyapp

Image Credits
First image: D’Ann Boal, https://www.smittenandswoon.com/
Second image: Ginny Haupert, https://www.ginnyhaupert.com/