Beyond maternity leave: Reimagining postpartum support for today’s workforce

May 4, 2026

By Christynne Helfrich, PT, DPT, OCS

When I talk with my fellow physical therapists at Hinge Health about caring for postpartum members, the stories are deeply personal and often painful: new parents who feel trapped in bodies that no longer feel like their own; people anxious about a grocery run because of urinary leaking or urgency; couples struggling with intimacy due to pelvic pain after childbirth. These experiences are heartbreaking — and in most cases, preventable with timely, evidence-based care.

That’s why, when we meet postpartum members, we feel relief and gratitude. As clinicians we know that with accessible pelvic floor and musculoskeletal (MSK) physical therapy, practical lifestyle support, and compassionate guidance, people can feel better and regain confidence.

The problem is access. Far too many postpartum employees can’t get the right support, at the right time — and that gap has consequences for families and for employers.

The toll on talent

Approximately 43% of women leave their careers within one year of having a baby,¹ and 45% consider reducing their hours upon returning.² Recent analysis from KPMG shows women with young children have been leaving the labor force at elevated rates since late 2023, driven in part by childcare costs and stricter return-to-office policies.³

But we can't ignore another significant issue facing postpartum employees: Going back to work while enduring an extended physical and emotional recovery.

Many new mothers experience persistent back and joint pain, pelvic floor dysfunction (including urinary issues and pelvic pain), fatigue, disrupted sleep, and breastfeeding challenges. Mental health changes — including postpartum depression and anxiety — are common and affect daily functioning. Layer in childcare logistics and financial pressures, and you have a clear pathway to reduced hours, attrition, and stalled advancement.

For employers, providing adequate support for postpartum employees is not just compassionate policy: It’s a proven lever for retention, productivity, equity, and culture.

Why standard policies fall short

Traditional maternity leave policies are limited in duration and scope. Recovery does not end on a leave end date. In fact, many employees return well before they’re ready: More than 25% of U.S. mothers are back within two months, and roughly 10% return within four weeks — often during the “fifth trimester,” the first months back when healing is still underway, according to Harvard Business Review.⁴

Without continued support — physical, psychological, and logistical — unresolved issues drive higher medical claims, more absences, and preventable attrition. Gaps in workplace infrastructure compound the problem, including inadequate lactation support, rigid scheduling, limited flexibility for medical appointments, and a lack of resources for managing postpartum conditions.¹

Research shows that postpartum allyship from managers and colleagues measurably reduces intent to quit and mental health struggles, by increasing confidence in balancing work and family.⁵

The takeaway for employers: Turn that allyship into structure. Translate empathy into benefits, workflows, and manager practices that new parents can actually use.

What leading employers are doing

Forward-thinking organizations are adopting integrated, accessible support that meets postpartum employees where they are:

Personalized digital MSK and pelvic floor care to address persistent back and joint pain, pelvic floor dysfunction (urinary symptoms, pelvic pain), breastfeeding challenges, and fatigue — improving recovery and preventing injury.
Mental health resources, including easy access to coaching/therapy for depression, anxiety, stress, and role transition.
Return-to-work programs that phase hours and offer transitional support tailored to individual needs.
Practical resources for lactation, sleep, and nutrition that fit into real-world schedules at home and on the job.

Integrated support is linked with better health outcomes, higher retention, and stronger career advancement opportunities.⁶ But even the best benefits underperform if they’re hard to find or use.

Close the access and awareness gap

Half of postpartum women have a pelvic floor issue after giving birth⁷ and would benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy. Yet care is hard to find — and harder to continue. Time off for appointments, childcare coverage, transportation, and inconsistent local access make traditional care unrealistic for many.

Digital programs change the equation. Virtual pelvic health and MSK physical therapy, plus telehealth lactation and mental health visits, compress wait times and build continuity of care into daily routines. While it can take an average of 93 days to see a pelvic floor physical therapist,⁸ Hinge Health members wait about a week for a virtual visit. Many members start improving while others are still waiting for a first appointment, with an average 60% symptom reduction after 12 weeks, according to an internal Hinge Health analysis.⁹

Speed and simplicity matter. When support is available within days, and can be done from home in minutes, engagement rises and outcomes follow.

Maternal health as a predictor of long-term outcomes

Pregnancy and postpartum are more than a life stage — they’re the body’s ultimate stress test. Complications such as gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related hypertension predict future risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease for mothers, and are linked to chronic conditions in children.

Early detection, prevention, and ongoing support benefit families and their employers. Lifestyle-focused, data-driven maternal health programs can flag higher-risk members early and connect them to targeted services that support physical activity, cardiometabolic health, and recovery. This is population health in action.

How to evaluate your current benefits

Many employers offer parental leave and a lactation room, yet still fall short because support isn’t accessible, integrated, or easy to use at the moment postpartum needs peak. Use these questions to evaluate your offering:

Access and speed: How quickly can a returning mother get help for pelvic floor/MSK issues, lactation, or mental health?
Timing and continuity: Are supports activated before the return date and sustained for at least 6-12 months postpartum, with warm handoffs from leave to care?
Usability and awareness: Is there clear communication so parents know exactly what resources they can use?
Manager enablement: Are managers trained on postpartum allyship behaviors and how to co-create reentry plans?
Physical and temporal accommodations: Are pumping breaks truly protected? Are lactation spaces consistently high quality across sites and shifts?
Equity and inclusion: Do hourly and shift workers get equivalent flexibility and access? Are non-birthing parents included? Are out-of-pocket costs low enough to avoid deterring use?

What to consider adding

Digital pelvic floor and MSK physical therapy and more to address back/pelvic pain, urinary symptoms, and return to activity.
Perinatal mental health support with easy access to therapy/coaching; lactation consults and supplies support.
Phased return-to-work and protected pumping time built into schedules.
Flexible scheduling or RTO leeway during the reentry window.
A benefits navigator to guide each returning parent for the first 8–12 weeks back.
Manager training on postpartum allyship and a simple reentry-plan toolkit.
Childcare supports (e.g., backup care or stipends) and a parent ERG or peer mentor program.

The bottom line

As a physical therapist — and as a mom who once returned to work with a pump bag and a still-healing body — I know how much the right support, delivered at the right time, matters. No one should have to choose between recovery and their career.

At Hinge Health, my clinical colleagues and I have guided thousands of patients through postpartum recovery. We get to see firsthand that when organizations pair empathy with evidence-based, easy-to-use benefits, it changes lives. Accessible care shouldn’t be a privilege: It should be standard.

Ready to learn more?

If you’re designing benefits, start here: make evidence-based postpartum support easy to find, simple to use, and readily available. Hinge Health offers digital programs for postpartum employees, supporting organizations in improving retention, wellness, and employee satisfaction. Learn more.

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"Four Proven Strategies to Retain Women in the Workforce." Maven Clinic, 8 Dec. 2020. https://www.mavenclinic.com/post/women-moms-in-workforce-retention-covid-four-proven-strategies#:~:text=Published:,through%20this%20crisis%2C%20and%20beyond.
Hilmantel, Robin. "82% of Moms Bear the Brunt of Childcare Logistics, Facing Career Setbacks and Mounting Costs." BabyCenter, 2023. https://www.babycenter.com/family/working-or-staying-home/moms-childcare-logistics-report_41001460
"The Great Exit." KPMG, Oct. 2025, kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2025/october-2025-the-great-exit.html.
Chawla, Nitya, et al. "4 Ways to Meaningfully Support New Mothers Returning to Work." Harvard Business Review, 25 July 2024, hbr.org/2024/07/4-ways-to-meaningfully-support-new-mothers-returning-to-work.
"Allyship Is Essential to New Mothers Returning to Work." University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 15 May 2024, twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/allyship-essential-new-mothers-returning-work.
"Anthem Study Finds More Employers Are Integrating Health Care Benefits Due to Better Health Outcomes, Lower Costs and More Satisfied Employees." Elevance Health, 20 Feb. 2019. https://www.elevancehealth.com/newsroom/anthem-study-finds-more-employers-are-integrating-health-care-benefits-due-to-better-health-outcomes-lower-costs-and-more-satisfied-employees?utm_source
Suemitsu, Tokumasa, et al. "Prevalence and Risk Factors of Pelvic Floor Disorders After Delivery in Japanese Women Using the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory: A Retrospective Cohort Study." Cureus, vol. 15, no. 6, 8 June 2023, e40152. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10250108/?utm_source
Novin A, Tavakoli A, Ferzandi T, Coehlo D, Muffly TM. Medicare Patient Referral Networks to Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Across the United States. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg.2022;28(3):e93-e97. doi:10.1097/SPV.0000000000001152.
HH internal analysis: Hinge health Book of Business analysis of 14,783 engaged members over 12 weeks, from March 28th 2023 to August 20th 2024.