Maternie launches to leverage DMV data for new moms

D.C. mom-to-be startup Maternie held a launch party last week in WeWork Wonder Bread Factory. Founder and former journalist Meghan McCarthy shared the story of the company’s conception, and how she plans to help parents get the data they need.

Maternie primarily offers “guides,” or databases of information McCarthy has researched and vetted. Currently, the startup has guides with info on pregnancy symptoms, on picking the right doctor and maternity leave entitlements. The website also features a directory of all registered daycare providers in D.C. and Virginia.

As more people arrived to the party Thursday night, McCarthy explained she compiled the searchable directory from the state agency where all daycares register. This helps parents find daycares when previously some only advertised by word of mouth or on neighborhood listservs, McCarthy told us.

Maternie’s directory currently displays all registered providers in D.C. and Virginia. “We’re working on adding Maryland soon,” McCarthy told us.

McCarthy, who celebrated her 10 year anniversary as a D.C. resident this year, spent most of that decade she spent as a healthcare reporter on the Hill for CQ Roll Call.

“I never expected to build a business,” she said. “I learned that at Morning Consult.”

McCarthy left Roll Call to join a survey research and media company Morning Consult. She became the chief content officer. Four years later, she had her first child and was shocked at the content of maternity information available.

“I was surprised at how bad all the information was,” she said. “There’s no one reporting or gathering info on behalf of the patient.”

Meghan McCarthy. (Photo by Julia Airey)

The impetus for Maternie came when she asked her doctor about the insomnia she experienced during her pregnancy, and he suggested she check out the mommy blogs or other information on Google.

“I was filled with rage this point,” McCarthy said. “I was a reporter. Yes, I had Googled this information.”

One of the party’s attendees, Stefanie Miller, also noted how hard it was to find reliable information when she had her first child last November.

Miller, an investment analyst, said she was skeptical of the information she found online when researching pregnancy and post-partum symptoms. “I made a point not to look at message boards because [their info] is so bad,” she said.

The bad information is not just digital, she said. Miller told us she lives in Mt. Pleasant, a neighborhood of D.C. with a listserv for parents to discuss daycares, OBGYNs, and other resources. However, Miller said she was wary of using it because the information, “had no vetting.”

“The idea there’s a place [like Maternie] you can go to with real information seems great,” she said.

Inside the Maternie launch party at WeWork Break Factory. (Photo by Julia Airey)

Although Maternie’s launch party was held at WeWork Break Factory on S street NW, the company is based out of WeWork’s location in Chinatown, which McCarthy called “the nicest office I’ve ever had.”

Right now Maternie is mostly a one-woman show, with McCarthy working with a part-time data scientist and research intern. In the future, she says she’d like to add a full-time employee, and add a premium tier to her site that allows subscribers to access more information like cost of services.