CEO of PUSH Mama Care argues pregnancy support is lacking in benefits
The CEO and founder of PUSH Mama Care, a digital health care provider, is hoping to address what she calls an unmet need in women’s health and in benefits offerings: perinatal support.
Rouba Haddad believes employers are missing a business case around offering more support around pregnancy. According to Haddad, the current lack of comprehensive support during pregnancy isn’t just a failure of empathy but one that’s a measurable drag on productivity.
“Eighty-nine percent of women will experience health issues ranging from significant discomforts to life-threatening conditions, which can affect not only their physical and mental health but also their productivity and career progression,” Haddad said. “These symptoms can range from significant discomforts to life-threatening conditions - and they have a huge impact on physical health, mental health, work outcomes, and career progression. I’m a woman, I’ve been an employee, I’ve been a mom. I know how ambitious women are, and I know how much pressure they’re under. Supporting them through this stage of life isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do.”
Haddad emphasized that pregnant employees lose an average of 8.1 days of productivity per month while sixty per cent of women need some form of workplace adjustment. Moreover, 18 per cent – or 1 in 5 - don’t return to work at all after their pregnancy.
According to Haddad, perinatal care remains an underexplored and often poorly understood area - even by the women going through it. She notes that many only become aware of what’s involved once they’re already in the experience. Despite that, she believes there’s a lot of benefits of increased education, adding that even something as simple as a prenatal course can significantly improve birth outcomes.
She underscored much of the stress and anxiety surrounding pregnancy to a lack of accessible information. Knowing what to expect, how to manage nutrition, physical activity, and what warning signs to look out for — even understanding something as basic as kick counts — can make a real difference. For Haddad, providing that kind of education virtually and affordably is “a high-value service.”
She underscored the workplace is undergoing a shift, with evolving expectations around how employers support women and families. She acknowledged that pregnancy still carries a stigma in many professional environments, particularly when it comes to maternity leave and career advancement, which stresses both the employer and the employee, she said.
Haddad elaborated that much of the stigma around pregnancy at work stems from the logistical and emotional stress it places on both sides. From the employee’s perspective, there’s anxiety about needing to be temporarily replaced or having to train someone new. On the employer’s side, there are concerns about continuity, added costs, and the disruption of projects.
Haddad believes that investing in perinatal care can lead to tangible health and business outcomes. She highlighted that support during and after pregnancy often contributes to “faster postpartum recovery, improved mental health, [and] better birth outcomes, such as lower rates of emergency interventions during childbirth… It is a reality that women are going to want to have children and families,” she said. “Dismissing that is not the way to go.”
Despite this, Haddad sees a clear upside for companies that choose to invest in support, with the data telling a different story when support is provided.
“Studies show that when you do support women in the workplace, that creates a lower turnover which results in a stronger sense of loyalty to the company,” she said, adding that many women are more inclined to return to their jobs post-pregnancy when they feel supported.
Haddad acknowledged the lack of perinatal support in many benefits plans is largely due to outdated models that have historically overlooked women’s health, noting that earlier offerings rarely addressed the specific needs of women.
But she sees momentum building as more employers recognize the gap along with a higher call to introduce these services, emphasizing that supporting women’s health requires a different approach than what’s typically provided under more generalized, often male-centered, health coverage.
Haddad envisions a future where more services are focused on supporting pregnant women, new mothers, and young families—especially during the critical stages of early parenthood. She emphasizes the emotional and psychological toll this period can bring, noting that “there’s a lot of anxiety, there’s a lot of mental health challenges that surround it.”
Haddad noted the most critical factor in modern healthcare delivery is accessibility and that’s where digital innovation plays a central role.
That’s part of the reason she launched PUSH Mama Care as a virtual service. She sees virtual care as a powerful tool for breaking down barriers to timely support, especially in high-stakes moments, noting that digital products and care can provide increased accessibility.
Additionally, with the rise of home-based medical devices and remote monitoring tools, she believes employers have more opportunity than ever to help employees take charge of their health without delay — a vital shift in a system where long wait times can be dangerous., adding that meaningful investment in this area would not only benefit individuals, but also contribute to healthier communities overall.
“There is an urgency that lies in addressing the insufficient support to women during pregnancy and the impact that it does have on our workforce,” said Haddad. “It was very important to me to be able to bring this in as a as a product and be offered to women and families in the workplace… A healthy mom leads to healthy families.”
