tl;dr: We make it easy for patients to log, track and receive tailored insights to avoid adverse outcomes related to diabetes in pregnancy. For providers, we eliminate manual data entry, enable remote patient monitoring and reduce administrative burden. Check out our app on GooglePlay/iOS!

Hi everyone, we’re Mika, Orlando, Shalmali and Daniela aka the team behind Malama.

from left to right:

🎯 Orlando keeps us on target: 10+ years as an engineer, 4+ years at Airbnb. Chat with me about #food #ruby-on-rails

👀 Mika acts as our eyes towards the future: 10+ years in healthcare, mom of a 21 month-old tyrant, previously Director of Clinical Product Innovation at Optum. Chat with me about #GDM #interoperability #digitalhealth #parenting

💖 Daniela carries our creative heart: 10+ years designing beautiful products for women, previously founder of Maison Alma, ex-L’Oreal and LVMH. Chat with me about #branding #design #community

🧠 Shalmali tends our inquisitive mind: 7+ years in research, currently all but the dissertation at Stanford Medical school getting a PhD in Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology. Chat with me about #pregnancyresearch #studyinclusivity #trialdesign #bias

What is diabetes in pregnancy and why does it matter? 🧐

Roughly 1 in 6 births are affected by some sort of hyperglycemia - or high blood sugar - in pregnancy, with the average annual economic burden around $6k per case. Further, 50% of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) will go on to develop type II diabetes, which costs 1 in 7 U.S. healthcare dollars today.

We started working on this after our cofounder, Mika, developed GDM in pregnancy and was told her son was in the 99th percentile growth range and would likely need a C-section to be delivered. Luckily, she was able to manage her GDM through diligent tracking, trigger identification and diet changes, and now we are bringing this knowledge to help millions of other women who experience the same anxiety, panic and isolation each year.

Short-term risks of GDM include a 1.5x greater likelihood of requiring an emergency C-section, and a 1.4x greater likelihood of preterm birth. For babies of mothers with GDM, there is an increased risk of cardiac defects, and lifelong metabolic abnormalities.

Diabetes during pregnancy has also increased significantly in recent years. Recent studies found that from 2000 to 2010, the percentage of pregnant women with gestational diabetes increased 56% while the percentage of women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes before pregnancy increased 37%. Experts are alarmed by the continued increase and disproportionate effect on racial and ethnic minorities.

Our ask 🙏

• Download our app (bonus: share your feedback with us at founders@heymalama.com)

• Share this post! Please help spread the word, as you never know who it may help (many women are not open about a sensitive diagnosis and are suffering in silence)

• Connect us with Providers (OBs and MFMs, Nutritionists, Certified Diabetes Experts), Patients, and Payers (particularly innovative Medicaid payers)*

  * quick blurb to copy & paste: A team of Stanford students and researchers recently released an app to reduce administrative burden and improve management of diabetes during pregnancy. Check them out and contact founders@heymalama.com for more.