Taking back the fourth trimester together.
Why didn’t anyone tell me? Is this normal? Is this OK?
We hear this. A lot. Because after 9 months of care, support, and services, it all comes to a screeching halt once you’ve had the baby. Families are left to figure everything out alone. And guess what? We’re the only developed country doing that. It’s a big part of why America has the worst postpartum outcomes of all developed countries. (Source: UNFPA, et al, 2019)
Our Solution
Continuous Remote Postpartum Care
Becoming a parent is major. And unfortunately, there are few supports out there for brand new parents. As postpartum doulas, we’re here to change that.
We’re Major Care. We’re a doula-led, doula-focused company on a mission to remake postpartum care in the United States. Continuous remote care is our specialty and we believe it can change the face of maternal health in this country.
It’s our goal to mainstream postpartum doula care and make it as affordable and accessible as possible.
Mandy Major
Founder and CEO
Mandy (she/her) is a mother on a mission to change how America handles the fourth trimester. After learning first-hand how little we support and inform new parents during postpartum, she left her 10-year+ career in digital media to dedicate herself to birth work and closing the gap in postpartum care. Today, she is a certified postpartum doula PCD(DONA) and the founder and CEO of Major Care™. Mandy is also the postpartum content advisor for BabyCenter’s medical advisory board, a postpartum instructor at Motherly, and an active member of PSI. Mandy holds a MA from Columbia Journalism School and has been a contributing perinatal expert for HuffPost, Healthline.com and more, writing on postpartum best practices and addressing postpartum inequities.
Carrie Murphy
Head of Community & Doula Services
Carrie (she/her) is a writer, full-spectrum doula, poet, mother, organizer, activist, herbalist, and lover of community. She is the author of two books of poetry and her freelance writing on reproductive health has appeared in/on ELLE, Glamour, Women’s Health, Healthline, and more. She has an MFA in Creative Writing, a certificate in Public Health (Maternal Child Health) and is a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist. Carrie has been a doula since 2012 and is active in birth, midwifery, and doula advocacy. Body literacy, body autonomy, and reproductive justice inform all of her work in the world.
Nikki Greenaway
Director of Clinical Services
Nikki (she/her) is an FNP and IBCLC who has spent the past 11 years providing equitable and patient-centered care to hundreds of families. Her mission is to improve maternal health outcomes and decrease disparities especially for Black women and parents through evidence-based, patient-centered pregnancy, postpartum and lactation care via house calls and telehealth. Nikki is the co-founder of the New Orleans Breastfeeding Center, as well as the founder of non-profit Bloom Community Health, which provides concierge perinatal services to homeless and under-resourced families free of charge.
Tasha Cofer
Operations Manager
Tasha (she/her) is a mother, wife, extreme reader, and a DONA-trained postpartum doula based in Evans, GA. After experiencing postpartum depression with little support, she decided to turn her pain into purpose. She has experience in Early Childhood education including owning and operating a daycare. She loves supporting, educating, and loving clients through the postpartum period and has been a postpartum doula for almost two years. She holds an MBA Master of Management degree. Tasha is currently studying to become a board-certified lactation consultant and working toward her Master of Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology (MSIOP).
Our Care Team & Advisors
Lana Mihaiyu
Postpartum Doula
Lana Mihaiyu (she/her) is DONA-trained postpartum doula based in San Diego, CA. She is also studying lactation at UCSD and working towards becoming a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). Her journey to motherhood affected her deeply and inspired her passion for maternal health and wellness. Realizing increased perinatal support can greatly impact parents’ confidence, breast/chest-feeding success, and parent-child bonding, she decided she had an opportunity to improve outcomes and make a difference.
Credentials: DONA postpartum trained (certification in progress), CLC lactation consultant (ALPP)
Lexi Tabor
Postpartum Doula
Lexi Tabor (she/her) specializes in supporting the entire family unit, partnering with parents in order to help families feel as rested and confident as possible. Her naturally-nurturing personality and a degree in early childhood development led to a 10-year career as a nanny. She then expanded her expertise by becoming a Certified Postpartum Doula with Birth Arts International and a Certified Lactation Support Counselor with Birth Day Presence. Outside of snuggling babies, she enjoys baking, exploring parks around Cleveland, and visiting her sister’s chickens.
Credentials: Certified Postpartum Doula (Birth Arts International), CLSC (Birth Day Presence), CBWS in training (certified babywearing educator), infant sleep training (Bebo Mia, Durham University Infancy & Sleep Centre, Newborn Care Training Academy)
Brya Johnson
Postpartum Doula
Brya Johnson (she/her) specializes in BIPOC-focused care, cesarean support and NICU parents. She is deeply passionate about reproductive justice and empowered birthing for all! Following her own birth, she gained a deeper appreciation for filling in the gaps in postpartum care and support. While working with clients, she strives towards reproductive justice, vitality and empowerment through helping them care for their mind, body and spirit. She holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. Currently, she is taking an additional doula course and a childbirth education course.
Credentials: Jamaa Birth Village Doula Training, Centering Pregnancy, Mama Aïcha Abortion Companionship Training, WCPS Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist
Jessica McGilvray
Postpartum & Loss Doula
Jessica McGilvray (she/her) is a certified birth, postpartum, and bereavement doula and a certified lactation counselor (CLC) with more than 6 years of experience as a doula. She is also a student midwife pursuing the Certified Professional Midwife credential. She loves supporting clients through the postpartum period with emphasis on lactation, babywearing, nutrition, normal newborn behavior/sleep, and self-care. Families who have experienced loss or who have preterm babies/babies needing NICU time hold an extra special place in her heart. Jessica is a homeschooling mom of 4 children and 2 spoiled cats. In her spare time, she can be found knitting and sipping a good cup of tea.
Credentials: Certified Birth and Bereavement Doula (StillBirthday), Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula (Childbirth International), Newborn Care Specialist (NCTA), Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC through ALPP), Trauma-Informed Birth Professional
Dr. Aparna Iyer
Curriculum Advisor
Dr. Iyer (she/her) is a board-certified psychiatrist with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Dr. Iyer approaches mental health treatment from a holistic viewpoint, taking care to fully understand the complexity of each individual from a bio-psycho-social standpoint and integrating lifestyle changes and psychotherapy into her treatment. She has previously held academic faculty positions at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Albany Medical Center, where she worked clinically and in training future physicians. Dr. Iyer has been published in academic journals as well as in several popular media outlets such as The Bump and MindBodyGreen. She practices in Dallas, Texas, where she also lives with her family. Connect with her on Instagram @aparnaiyermd
Kayla Bitten
Curriculum Advisor
Kayla Bitten (she/her), owner of The Southern Midwife, is a doula, birth educator, lactation counselor, and midwife apprentice. She is the continuing education coordinator for Evidence Based Birth, a reproductive and birth equity writer, and the owner of The Postpartum Clinic, an Alabama-based practice offering comprehensive, inclusive, and culturally competent care for families.
Johanna Macaulay
Curriculum Advisor
Johanna Macaulay (she/her) is a neonatal intensive care nurse and board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). Before becoming a nurse, she worked as a massage therapist and labor doula and earned a degree in women and gender studies with a concentration in women’s health. She brings her doula background into caring for families in the NICU, supporting parents in welcoming their new baby, educating and empowering parents to become their child’s advocates and holding space for the emotions that come with a NICU stay.
Rebecca Anne Whitehead (Munn)
Advisor
Rebecca Anne Whitehead (Munn) is a respected and versatile healthcare industry thought leader who has served in healthcare executive roles for several global companies, including UnitedHealthcare and Healthways. She has served in management consulting roles for several consulting companies, including North Highland. In Rebecca’s 25+ years of leadership experience, she has achieved success with leading innovation of new business and clinical models, prototyping emergent community-based delivery businesses, and driving integrated care delivery models, yielding growth and client satisfaction. Rebecca is a lifelong learner and became a Nashville Healthcare Council Fellow in 2017, a certified End-of-Life Doula in 2018, and in 2019, became certified in the Foundations of Positive Psychology. She is happiest when outdoors, practicing yoga, finding great Mexican food, giving back to her community, and being a mom.
Julia Polk
Advisor
A celebrated business influencer, Julia Polk has spent decades pioneering innovative solutions to complex issues as a founder, board member, startup advisor and chief financial officer. The co-founder of Decode Health, an AI company accelerating precision medicine, Julia has been a C-suite leader for national life sciences, healthcare, child care and venture capital companies including IQuity Labs (predecessor to Decode Health), Change Healthcare, Solidus Company, and Corporate Family Solutions, now known as BrightHorizons. In addition to her professional work, she has served as a long-time executive committee and board member for Launch Tennessee, a public-private entrepreneurial organization, and has been a master mentor and chief program officer for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, spearheading its programming and alumni efforts for startups. When out-of-office, Julia can be found traveling with her two beloved daughters, or enjoying lakeside sunsets with her labradoodle, Lulu.
Stephanie Rose-Belcher
Advisor
Stephanie Rose-Belcher is senior strategic and operations leader in the healthcare sector. She has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience, managing production operations, product development, market planning, customer relationships, administrative operations, compliance, and technology teams. Her results-charged career spans major health insurers and healthcare IT organizations, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Horizon BCBSNJ, Cigna Healthcare, LexisNexis, and Change Healthcare.
What parents are saying...
- "I loved going into the app in the middle of the night during feedings because it made me feel less alone. It was way better than scrolling on social and made me feel supported. It also gave me great advice and suggestions for approaching the postpartum journey." —Jane
- "Thank you for working on creating an app specifically for the fourth trimester. It’s such a challenging time where moms rarely reach out for help or may not even realize that they need additional resources unless they’ve been tracking their well-being as much as tracking their newborn's." —Jase
- "So glad this exists. Thank you!" —Carolyn
- "I am close with a few doulas who stress the importance of the need for information for mothers in this 4th trimester. Everything in this app is invaluable and instrumental in aiding postpartum recovery and making birthing parents feel supported." —Meghan
- "Things I loved already: the user-friendliness, from little things like font size to the approachable tone and voice in the content already there. Sounds like a friend who cares not a medical resource as you are getting logged in. The app is easy to navigate and find what you need. Love that. Many others are convoluted and send you in circles." —Alex
- "I love this. The Resource Library was great, and I appreciated how short the daily updates were since there's so little time to read." —Dr. Sarah Simmons
- "This app is amazing! It's like the Wonder Weeks for postpartum." —Jen C.
- "I liked the short videos. The tone was friendly and informative. I often used app while nursing, and plan to check out the Resource Library more thoroughly." —Sydney B.
- "I've really enjoyed using the app. The videos are short and engaging enough that they don't feel like a chore to watch and I don't feel my attention wandering. I liked the additional tips below the videos. I like that the content has a non-judgmental, inclusive, modern sensibility." —Nora B.