What does recovery look like for YOU?

Hi, I am Uma Sekar, the founder of Parenting Partners. In this letter I am sharing my personal experience that led me to start this company and how we can help!

Fall ‘15 I moved from Seattle to Washington DC to study international development policy. Week 1 was full of orientation parties. That weekend I found out I was pregnant. The first thing I did? Called my sister and cried that I’m going to have an alcoholic baby! That’s how much I knew about pregnancy at the time.

A very understanding professor gifted me the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Between assignments and nausea, this book helped me understand a lot about my changing body. The economist side of me wanted more and Emily Oster came to the rescue. Was I glad to read about the alcohol and pregnancy chapter, phew, my baby was going to be fine.

As the due date was getting closer, my partner and I started researching what I’d need to get started. We got some basics down- a place for the baby to sleep, play, change, some clothes and layers, diapers, car seat and stroller. We weren’t sure where we were going to live, so we kept it simple. Figuring out each of these pieces took hours and hours of product research, questioning our values, priorities, needs and affordability. Let’s take an example- diapering. I had no idea there were so many options! Disposable diapering vs. cloth diapering. Yes, they are verbs. Disposable could be regular or sensitive or for the environmentally conscious, compostable. Cloth could be done yourself or you could use a service. I was so exhausted thinking through the options that I went to Target and got the ones available in NB size.

After our baby girl was born, I had challenges breastfeeding. I had to feed, pump and give her formula to get her weight back up. Lactation consultants, bottles, pumps, storage bags, and the list goes on. I wish I knew a bunch of these were covered by insurance or were FSA/HSA eligible. It would have reduced the financial stress that comes many times after the emotional stress. (thank you credit cards)

This list of things for parents to figure out doesn’t end. There’s sleep, childcare, illnesses, learning and engagement, and more. All while working full-time.

Fast forward 3.5 years, my son was born. I did this before, I was prepared now. Or so I thought. 3 months after he was born came COVID. That’s when I realized there was a huge dependency around figuring a lot of this out on neighbors, friends and family.

These learnings led to the birth of Parenting Partners with the mission to personalize finance for parents in their unique journey. At times when childcare bills are higher than mortgage, financial planning and time budgeting can help reduce the overwhelm and emotional stress associated with parenting. We’re here to break it down for you one topic at a time.

Your journey through pregnancy and postpartum is very unique. A lot is driven by your family unit, culture, job, support system and more. Let’s accept and lean into that. Save hours of research, overwhelm and dollars as you build your plan! Take this financial prep postpartum quiz to learn about recovery and prepare financially. Once you complete you will receive:

1. A resource from experts in the field to help understand the topic

2. Typical $ cost range per unit

3. Average monthly $ cost

4. Insurance coverage - yes/no

5. FSA/HSA eligibility - yes/no

6. Average monthly $ cost with insurance

7. Average monthly time cost/saving

Does any of this resonate with your experience? Is there something specific you’re budgeting for? Hit reply, I’m here to learn.

— Uma Sekar