A new way to get your digital postpartum support
Female Founder - Kendall Moriarty of Sofia
It’s been a while, but I’ve got a few founder features coming up that I am thrilled to share with you.
Let’s start with something personal.
For most people, pregnancy and postpartum seem wonderful or at least that’s what I assumed based on the endless stream of sugar-coated portrayals in media over the years. But my reality? It was brutal.
I threw up nonstop for 15+ weeks. I had sciatica, lightning crotch (yes, that’s a real thing, look it up), and somehow gained weight even when I couldn’t keep food down. I had third and a half degree tearing. And that was just the pregnancy and delivery.
Then came postpartum.
It started off okay. Then the 4–6 PM sob sessions hit every single day, for no reason at all. (And to be clear, I’m talking about me, not the baby.)
After that came the chaos. Fair warning: this might get a little TMI, so feel free to skip ahead if you’re squeamish. You’ve been warned.
Hemorrhoids. Stitches that ripped but somehow weren’t “serious enough” to warrant care, despite the pain. Severe plugged ducts that needed therapeutic ultrasound and left me screaming in the car from the post-massage pain. Vasospasms caused by nursing. A baby who refused every single bottle after I spent over $500 testing and importing every nipple shape and brand I could find.
Every time one thing got resolved, something else showed up to take its place.
My body didn’t bounce back (still hasn’t). I lost my sense of self (still working on that too). Postpartum left me raw, broken, and lonely. I spent hours googling symptoms, reading random advice from strangers with zero credentials. And some of which ended up making my situation worse. My IG feed also turned into a never-ending scroll of ads for products I didn’t need but somehow still felt tempted to buy because of all the false promises.
What I wish I had back then was something like Sofia.
I met Kendall recently at an event, and I was genuinely inspired by what she’s building with Sofia. Sofia is a personalized app that supports you through the postpartum journey by answering your questions with evidence-based information. Having worked as a doula, this work is personal for Kendall and it shows. She’s designed Sofia with privacy and real emotional support in mind, for those moments when you’re searching for answers at your most vulnerable.
To try out the Beta version, sign up here, but I checked with Kendall and she confirmed she will be out of beta soon - which is very exciting!
Wherever you are in your pregnancy or postpartum journey, I truly hope you find all the mental, physical, and emotional support you need. As incredible as the experience is, it can also be tremendously hard and isolating. It does get better with the right support. I can’t put into words how grateful I am for the mom friends I’ve made along the way, and I hope you find your own village. And not just to help raise your child, but to help you grow to new depths that this process called motherhood takes you on.
Now more from Kendall about Sofia.
Can you share a little bit about your background?
Although I will forever identify as a New Yorker, I live in the Bay Area. I went to school for international relations and always thought I would work for the U.N. After college I joined the Peace Corps as beekeeper but during my service, I quickly recognized the emphasis in international development I was most passionate about was health. So when I returned I started exploring Masters in Public Health programs.
I completed my MPH with an emphasis on global maternal health in 2015 and during my first year, a fellow student introduced me to the role of a doula and I was so curious. I knew what a midwife was but hadn’t heard the word doula before. I found a local training and signed up simply because I wanted to know more about it with no intention of ever being a doula. As the training went on, I and I learned more about the positive impact a doula can have on someone’s birth, I knew I had to do this one day. And after I supported my first birth and was present for this baby’s first breath, I was hooked. It was such a spiritual experience for me and I was so honored that this mother invited me into such a sacred space.
What made you want to launch Sofia?
Sofia is something that has been kicking around in my brain for years. I’ve worked as a doula in a variety of settings and I highly recommend everyone has one but also know cost is an issue. To try to solve accessibility issues I thought an app can help be a bridge to care and provide safe, evidence based answers people deserve without having to sift through the entire internet.
A fire was lit under me after the challenging birth of my own daughter 4 years ago. Even though I had the knowledge and experience supporting births, postpartum rocked me. And because it was still COVID times, my access to care/questions/support was extremely limited. My searches for reliable information or reaching out to my medical team over the antiquated chat, while trying to focus on both my healing and my baby, revealed a critical gap in support for new mothers.
What do you feel makes Sofia unique?
Sofia is also unique in the pregnancy and postpartum space because we have a heavy emphasis on privacy. This was something super important to me as we were building it because I believe that every new parent deserves a safe space to track their recovery, ask questions, and find support—without worrying about where their personal information might end up or what might happen to it.
What is something you wish your consumers knew or understood about your industry?
There is a ton of greenspace for innovation in the pregnancy and postpartum space and the fellow founders are some of the kindest, most helpful humans I have ever met. Everyone I’ve met has been willing to connect me to other founders, potential investors, and anyone they think would help me build the best product I can build. It’s been so refreshing.
Can you share a little about any exciting launches coming up for Sofia?
We officially launched a few months ago (yay!) and have been tweaking things so if there is anyone who wants to help test/give feedback let me know :) We also will be hosting some focus groups to see how it’s working and what to improve and what other features folks think would be helpful.
Where can consumers learn more about you/Sofia?
Sofia’s website is www.sofiasays.com and the IG is @sofiasayshey. I’m not there as much as I should be but I’m working on how to connect authentically with postpartum folks on a platform I’m not sure I fully buy into! It is something I think about a lot– maybe too much.
A fun one: what is something unexpected someone might find in your bag?
Bobby pins. I use them for my hair, kids hair, if you need to fix clothing items in a pinch. It’s my Macgyver tool.
