SimpliFed Founder Highlights Link Between Mom’s Mental Health And Baby’s Feeding Ahead Of Mental Health Awareness Month

April marks Mental Health Awareness Month, and Andrea Ippolito, CEO and founder of baby feeding platform SimpliFed, is calling attention to the critical link between mothers’ mental health and infant feeding.

Nearly 20% of women are diagnosed with some type of perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD), but screening is inconsistent across populations. Just 17% of women in underserved communities receive consistent screening, so the number of women experiencing PMAD could be much higher.

Even among those diagnosed, only about half receive treatment, says Ippolito, herself a mother of three girls. She previously served as the Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Innovators Network within the VA Center for Innovation, and co-founded Smart Scheduling, an app that improves access to care, which was acquired by Athenahealth in 2016.

Early detection can be critical, as Ippolito notes the potential for untreated PMAD to lead to serious consequences for families, potentially affecting parental bonding, the ability to breastfeed, and infant developmental delays.

“Postpartum Support International recently listed suicide as one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. This alone is reason to find ways to increase early detection,” Ippolito says.

The impact of untreated PMAD extends beyond individual families, contributing to a significant financial strain on healthcare systems, with higher insurer-paid expenditures for each untreated woman and more emergency department visits by children under 5.

Ippolito’s platform, SimpliFed, is uniquely positioned to address these challenges, screening patients before every appointment. By integrating comprehensive mental health screenings into routine baby feeding appointments that begin during pregnancy and continue for several months after birth, the company aims to improve maternal health outcomes.

“Because baby feeding is a ‘no days off or no nights off activity,’ it represents a wedge to tackle broader maternal health outcomes,” Ippolito says. “We have a very sticky trusted relationship which allows us to screen longitudinal and better ‘catch’ and identify early signs of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.”

SimpliFeds approach results in a maternal mental health screening rate almost four times the national average. The platform also leverages artificial intelligence to better triage and support families in need, demonstrating the potential for digital tools in healthcare. The platform’s healthcare providers can connect patients with additional services if necessary, and its care navigators work closely with providers or practices, as well as with insurance companies, to ensure coverage or eligibility.

“Our providers are able to use readings to lead in-the-moment conversations with our patients, while the consistency of screening captures the change and fluctuation in our patients’ moods and mental health throughout their journey,” Ippolito says. “Helping us predict, support, treat and escalate much more quickly and efficiently.”