12 weeks of postpartum care vs. 48 hours

WHAT’S ON DECK

• Tell Me More: What the U.S. Can Learn About Postpartum Care

• Troublemaker Spotlight: Christine Chang and Sarah Lee, Co-founders of Glow Recipe

• Dear FQ: My Coworker Isn’t Pulling Their Weight

• Poll the Pack: The Power of Happiness at Work

TELL ME MORE

Postpartum care around the world offers a look at how women’s healthcare in the U.S. can improve

In the United States, moms are usually sent home from the hospital within 48 hours after giving birth. After one of the most monumental and taxing moments of a woman’s life (not to mention the previous 9+ months), she’s given less than two days to find her bearings and find the exit.

Around the world, this express service is not the norm.

In South Korea, "Sanhujori" is a practice focused on maternal rest and recovery for both the mom's and baby’s sake. Postpartum care centers, resembling peaceful hotels for women and their newborns, offer rest, proper nutrition, and nurses to care for babies so mothers can focus on healing. These “Sanhujori” care centers have evolved quite a bit in the past decade, both in terms of services and pricing.

In South Korea, the full cost of the typical 21-day stay isn’t covered by insurance, but is subsidized by government initiatives aimed at supporting new parents in a nation struggling with low birth rates. Moms who received such care reported feeling supported and ready to handle motherhood compared to those who didn’t.

Germany has a different approach to postpartum care, lasting for over 80 days, compared to South Korea’s 21 (and America’s 2, in case you’re counting). Every new mom in Germany is entitled to midwife visits for their first 12 weeks postpartum. Fully covered by insurance, the midwives in Germany weigh the baby, check in on breastfeeding progress, and support the overall healing of the mother and health of the baby.

The approach to postpartum care differs by country and continent, but the focus in most developed countries remains on helping mothers heal so they can raise healthy and happy babies. As one mother in South Korea put it, postpartum recovery is believed to have lifelong benefits in South Korean culture.

And the science supports it. Studies of postpartum women found that:

• Postpartum medical care is associated with better future health for moms.

• 40 million women each year will experience long-term health problems caused by childbirth.

According to the World Health Organization, maternal care is typically centered around pregnancy bumps, not what happens afterward. Broadening the scope would have positive health effects on women and families across the globe.

What does the future of postpartum care in America look like? Femtech startups might offer a few clues. From apps specializing in pelvic floor therapy to C-section recovery services, a new crop of companies focusing on comprehensive maternal care is steadily growing in the U.S.

Beyond the startup world, some companies are expanding their corporate wellness programs to include more robust postpartum care in partnership with companies like Kindbody.

That’s a step in the right direction–we’ll take progress over perfection.

TROUBLEMAKER SPOTLIGHT

Christine Chang and Sarah Lee, co-founders of Glow Recipe

Christine Chang and Sarah Lee were both new employees at L’Oréal Korea when they first met. Fast forward a few years later, and the two friends moved to L’Oréal’s New York office. Stateside, it didn’t take long for Christine and Sarah to realize they had a unique advantage. As Korean Americans, the duo were fully immersed in the technology and innovation of Korean beauty, and the U.S. market was still catching up. So, in 2014, Glow Recipe turned two friends into business partners, and the rest is history. Rooted in fruit-forward ingredients honoring its founders’ Korean culture, Glow Recipe burst onto the beauty scene and quickly gained a following of superfans. Now? The global beauty brand is valued at upwards of $400 million. 

FQ: What’s the worst career advice you’ve gotten?

Sarah: “Focus on just one thing at a time.”

As a new mom, this became an even bigger learning experience for me, but it’s been a fun challenge to prioritize what’s important, while managing to complete various projects and tasks every day. At the end of the day, it comes down to how you choose to allocate your time and energy, and I truly believe everyone has the capability to multitask and maximize their potential.

Christine: “Become a specialist.”

Gaining depth and experience in your field of expertise is important, but I think the lines are becoming increasingly blurred. The most effective people I’ve seen not only are good at their own function, but also have greater understanding of cross functional needs that drive the business.

What’s the best piece of non-obvious career advice you’ve gotten?

Christine: One of my favorite bosses from my time at L’Oréal always told me that I need to “make my own role,” meaning whatever role that I had, I should try to shape and make it more than it originally was. I’ve taken that to heart at every step of my career. When I was at L’Oréal in Korea, I asked to take on the PR and education function in addition to marketing, as I knew it would provide a foundational experience for the marketing team lead role I later wanted. I think there’s potential to shape any role to more than the job description.

Sarah: “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” This is standard life advice, but especially applies in a work setting.

What was a “heartbeat moment” for you in your career?

Christine: When we first decided to leave our executive careers at L’Oréal, our families were concerned about us taking the risk of being entrepreneurs.

Sarah: Now in our 10th year of business, Glow Recipe is a top skincare brand at Sephora globally with holy grail products beloved by our community of millions, which we are so grateful for. We wouldn’t be here today if we didn’t truly believe in ourselves and take that risk 10 years ago.

Where have you caused trouble?

Sarah: In 2023, we introduced the beauty industry’s first-ever anonymous casting campaign by casting 10 models completely anonymously from our community based on written responses to a questionnaire. From thousands of applicants, we were able to narrow down the selection through camera-off Zoom interviews, and landed on 10 diverse campaign stars from all walks of life to star in the brand campaign. We wanted to show the beauty industry that any consumer can see themselves reflected in a major beauty campaign and that beauty truly comes from within.

Christine: We recently activated an immersive pop-up experience in LA and NYC to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, and really disrupted the industry by creating the beauty industry’s first-ever Korean night market in the U.S. It was meaningful to us to be able to celebrate our Korean heritage this way with our community, and we even had merch with Korean lettering.

DEAR FQ

Your burning career questions answered

Fleming Longino of The Female Quotient weighs in:  

We’ve all been there, and it’s not a comfortable position for anyone. Good for you for trying to find a solution. When approaching your boss, make sure to emphasize that your goal is for the team to be successful, not just any one person—you are looking out for the collective group and its goals.

Here are a few things you can try:

• Let your boss know that you've noticed some behaviors in your co-worker that aren't aligning with your team's responsibilities.

• Share that as someone who is committed to the success of the team, you want to make her/him aware of what you are noticing.

• Offer solutions, not just complaints. Come prepared with suggestions.

• Remember, it's not about what you do vs. what your co-worker doesn't do, it's about the performance of the team overall.

Focus on finding solutions and you have the power to turn an uncomfortable conversation into a productive step forward for everyone.

P.S. Got a burning career question? Serve it up here to Dear FQ to score advice from a powerhouse leader in our network.

POLL THE PACK

When employees are happy at work, everyone wins

Here’s something we can’t ignore: 65% of employees say they’re happy at work. That’s great news for everyone involved—including shareholders and employers. Research shows that companies with happy employees benefit from a 13% boost in productivity. Companies that made the list of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” saw stock prices increase 14% as well, further proving that investing in your employees is always good for business.

Companies that don’t prioritize employee happiness, on the other hand, cost the world $8.8 trillion in lost productivity. That’s 9% of the global GDP, and reason enough to start valuing employee happiness and satisfaction.

A few contributing factors that promote employee happiness:

• Flexible Work Arrangements: From hybrid work to staggered work hours, flexibility can go a long way.

• Recognition and Appreciation: Regularly acknowledging employees' hard work and accomplishments, whether through formal recognition programs or simple thank-yous, fosters a positive work culture.

• Competitive Compensation and Benefits: Offering competitive salaries, bonuses, health benefits, and other perks like wellness programs or paid time off. 

• Opportunities for Growth and Development: Providing training, skill development programs, and clear career advancement opportunities.

• Positive Work Environment: A supportive, inclusive, and collaborative workplace where employees feel valued, respected, and comfortable being themselves. 

When we create environments where people feel valued, included, and fulfilled, everyone wins.

TLDR: Do what you love and never lose sight of the big picture—your happiness is a powerful KPI.

Xo,

The FQ