Natural Cycles, Postpartum Support International, and Prominent Mothers (Halle Bailey, Ashley Tisdale, Tess Holliday, Stephanie Beatriz, and Elaine Welteroth) Launch "Is Mommy Okay?" PSA Campaign

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May 07, 2024, 08:00 ET

In honor of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month (May 2024), "Is Mommy Okay?" leverages star power to bring real-life postpartum struggles to light while raising awareness for necessary postpartum resources, including Natural Cycles' new in-app experience featuring Postpartum Support International

NEW YORK, May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Cycles, a leading women's digital health company and maker of the world's first FDA Cleared birth control app, is proud to announce a celebrity PSA campaign in partnership with Postpartum Support International (PSI). This collaborative effort aims to shine a spotlight on the maternal mental health crisis, spark meaningful conversations, and introduce necessary support provided by Natural Cycles and PSI.

Is Mommy Okay? Natural Cycles has partnered with Postpartum Support International (PSI) and an incredible group of mothers to destigmatize maternal mental health by sharing real-life postpartum experiences.

The campaign asks the all too important and often forgotten question – "Is Mommy Okay?" – in an unconventionally glamorous PSA video that premiered on YouTube. Viewers are transported to a 1950s sitcom-esque world, where they are met with a satirical yet meaningful message about the postpartum experience. The vivid, vintage aesthetic is a stark contrast to the often dark postpartum reality that generations of mothers have faced. The audience is reminded of how far society has come and how far it still has to go when it comes to supporting women's postpartum care.

Through this bold campaign, Natural Cycles, PSI, and their cast of high-profile mothers, including Halle Bailey (Actress / Star of Little Mermaid / Singer), Ashley Tisdale (Actress / Entrepreneur / Mental Health Advocate), Tess Holliday (Plus Size Supermodel / Diversity and Inclusion Director of H&M and Pinterest), Stephanie Beatriz (Star of Disney's Encanto & Brooklyn 99 / Out's 100 / Bisexual Activist), and Elaine Welteroth (Author / Former Teen Vogue EIC / Activist / Founder of BirthFUND), make a powerful effort to charmingly destigmatize maternal mental health by sharing their own postpartum experiences.

"There is so much information about how to care for a new baby, but what about the mom?," said PSA mom Tess Holliday. "Society needs to do a better job of attending to her needs, especially during those early months when the transition is so mentally and physically tough. That's why I gravitated towards this campaign. It so beautifully paints the picture of what I was feeling. I'm proud to be a part of a campaign like this with Natural Cycles and Postpartum Support International, who fearlessly drive postpartum care forward."

The campaign coincides with the launch of NC° Postpartum, an innovative experience within the Natural Cycles app specifically tailored to help guide new moms recovering physically and mentally from childbirth. NC° Postpartum builds on the other three modes already available within the app – NC° Birth Control, NC° Plan Pregnancy, and NC° Follow Pregnancy – providing users with support throughout their fertility journey.

"While most people associate Natural Cycles with preventing pregnancy as the world's first birth control app, we are deeply committed to going beyond birth control and providing solutions for other unmet needs within women's health," said Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, CEO and Co-Founder of Natural Cycles. "Our goal with NC° Postpartum is to provide every mother with a supportive resource that I and many others lacked during this crucial time. And while we aim to raise awareness using star power, the real stars are all the moms out there who often put their own needs aside. It's time we give them the support they deserve."

Natural Cycles and Postpartum Support International joined forces to support new mothers, working towards the shared goal of improving mental and physical maternal health. The partnership gives NC° Postpartum users easy access to PSI's wealth of resources via the Natural Cycles app, including direct access to PSI's mental health hotline.

"We are excited to partner with Natural Cycles on this groundbreaking campaign, as it presents a unique opportunity to shine a greater light on perinatal mental health," said Wendy Davis, executive director of Postpartum Support International. "At least one in five women experience depression or anxiety during the perinatal period, so our hope is this campaign will raise greater awareness about the prevalence of perinatal mental health disorders and empower individuals with knowledge, support, and resources, ensuring that no one faces these challenges alone. To all mothers suffering, we see you. You are not alone. This is temporary. With help, you will feel like yourself again."

Follow the campaign on social media using the hashtag #IsMommyOkay and #NaturalCycles. For more information, visit n aturalc ycles.com/postpartum.

About Natural Cycles:
Founded in 2013 by Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl and Dr. Raoul Scherwitzl, Natural Cycles is a leading women's digital health company that developed the world's first birth control app. As a medical device, the NC° app is cleared by the FDA in the United States and certified to be used as a contraceptive in the UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and South Korea. The NC° app is powered by an algorithm that uses body temperature to determine each user's daily fertility status. Users can manually take their body temperature with a thermometer or sync overnight temperature trend data from an Oura Ring or Apple Watch when they wake up. Natural Cycles now offers NC° Postpartum, an experience within the app that gives users an accessible resource tailored directly to them to help promote their overall health and well-being during a crucial transitional period. The company is committed to helping guide users through every step of their fertility journey. For more information, visit naturalcycles.com.

About Postpartum Support International:
Founded by a new mother in 1987 to increase awareness among public and professional communities about the emotional difficulties women can experience during and after pregnancy, Postpartum Support International (PSI) offers a wealth of resources to give families the strongest and healthiest start possible through support and community. PSI facilitates more than 50 free virtual support groups including those for military families, women of color, LGBTQIA+ families, and more. PSI also has an online Perinatal Mental Health Provider Directory that lists trained providers and support groups and operates a Perinatal Psychiatric Consultation line, through which any medical provider can consult with an expert perinatal psychiatrist at no charge. PSI offers comfort and peer support, helping people find the appropriate resources online and in their own communities. Parents can reach out to the Helpline for support and resources at 1-800-944-4773 (English and Spanish), text "help" to 1-800-944-4773 (English) or 971-203-7773 (Spanish) or visit postpartum.net. New this year is Connect by PSI, a free app that provides easy access to resources and support.

SOURCE Natural Cycles