Meet The Prenatal & the brains behind it
"WOMEN’S HEALTH HAS TAKEN A BACKSEAT FOR TOO LONG"
Reproductive health is normal. Beautiful. Messy. As we don’t know what we don’t know, moode encourages women to share their stories. Because each experience can help inform someone else before they experience something unexpected.
It’s this community of sharing that could provide women with an empowered reproductive health experience, helping us rise from the silence that comes from being kept in the dark.
So here’s my story, I’m hoping it’s useful to someone...
After giving birth to my first babe Sonny, I was really uncomfortable. Deep in the midst of my postpartum haze, I was told it was normal, so I tried not to complain. But almost 2 years down the track, and countless prods, stretches, antidepressants, topical creams and granulation tissue ripping later, I realised what I was experiencing may have been common, but was most definitely not normal. It was Vaginismus and Vulvodynia, it was extremely painful but totally treatable. Had I known this earlier, I could have saved myself years of discomfort and pain. My story, unfortunately, isn’t unique..
"I could have saved myself years of discomfort and pain."
It turns out, so many of us are misinformed about our health in our reproductive years. And the result? We know very little about our own bodies and the wonderful ways they work.
It’s not a given we understand ovulation, and when in our cycles we’re fertile. Or that we know the ins and outs of miscarriage and what to expect of a D&C. Endometriosis continues to go undiagnosed, with many health practitioners not even asking about period pain in routine check ups with menstruating women. Many of us don’t know the ways our menstrual cycle influences our libido, or that some mainstream prenatal supplements can actually make us feel nauseous instead of nutritionally replete and prepared for pregnancy.
Women report their health experiences are dismissed at alarmingly high rates. More frequently than mens. If we were more informed of our bodies from an earlier age, would the whole trajectory of women’s health experiences change? It was these questions that really led me all the way to what moode is today.
At Moode, I make it my mission to provide unfiltered, inclusive maternal health education for wherever people are on their reproductive journey. Why? Because I couldn’t find these conversations elsewhere.
I’m a Naturopath in the making, with a social work background, where I spent years supporting marginalised communities and advocating for structural change, seeing inequality permeate our systems. Once I became a mother myself, I could see how these systems were impacting us too. So I returned to studies where I spent years formulating Moode’s debut product, The Prenatal by Moode - which I tested on myself while pregnant with my little girl Louie (and we all turned out great!)
What makes The Prenatal different?
The Prenatal heroes Choline, an emerging ‘It” nutrient when it comes to reproductive health. Essential for embryonic brain development; liver and placental function- Choline is not recognised as essential for the development of the neural tube. Almost 95% of pregnant women consume less Choline than recommended, and most prenatals don't put in nearly enough to do the job.
We use the biovavale form of Folate - Calcium folinate in The Prenatal to ensure maternal folate levels are being topped up as quickly as possible.
The Prenatal is proudly Iron free. Current clinical research recommends we don't routinely supplement iron, and instead take separate iron capsules or tablets if iron deficiency or iron deficiency anaemia is clinically diagnosed. So we’re following suit, as the token amounts generally found in prenatal vitamins just won’t cut it if you find you need additional iron.
BIOAVAILABLE, LIKE NATURE TAUGHT US.
We only use bioavailable ingredients and high- quality forms of nutrients, for easier metabolism and absorption. Activated Bs, including folinic acid have been selected, so maternal blood levels are retaining what they need, as quickly as possible.
EVIDENCE-BASED EVERYTHING, DOWN TO THE MICROGRAM.
We only include what is recommended for routine supplementation, formulate based on current evidence, and ensure each nutrient is included at a high dose, and works effectively with the rest of the formulation. So every microgram that goes in, stays in.
SIZE MATTERS - TO THE NAUSEOUS.
The Prenatal considers pregnancy nausea and vitamin aversions, because we’ve been there too. Made in mini flavourless and odourless caps, they’re always easy to swallow. No sugar-coating necessary. Because who wants to gag at the thought of a prenatal?
NEVER BOUND BY UNNATURAL CONVENTIONS.
We don’t cut corners when it comes to health. Nor do we cut our quality ingredients with cheap excipients. The Prenatal keeps things as natural and clean as can be all the way through to our excipients- no Magnesium Stearate in sight.
DIGESTIBLE INGESTIBLE
We’ve considered each nutrient’s form and amount to ensure The Prenatal is uncomplicated to digest and simply metabolised. We’re not interested in adding to unwanted gastrointestinal issues. Which is why we opt for bioavailable forms where possible, and quality options over cheaper synthetics. Always.
JUST LIKE OUR CONVERSATIONS,
OUR INGREDIENTS ARE CONCENTRATED FOR MAXIMUM BENEFITS, WITH NO UNEXPECTED SIDE NOTES, AND NOTHING WATERED DOWN.
"We’re an unapologetic new voice in reproductive health."
The pregnancy category has long been idealised. The one dimensional representation of fertility has depicted women as glowing, beautiful, nurturing goddesses. It’s all about the baby, and the woman is merely the vessel. It’s completely untrue and deeply problematic, and it sets the stage for women to remain silent about anything that deviates from this image. So I set out to offer something different in a saturated space.
Designed for the pregnant, procreation curious, or just practicing. The Prenatal offers Everyday fertility support that’s easy to swallow.
Moode recognises all stages of reproductive health. Whether you're pregnant, procreation curious or straight up struggling to conceive. We’re an honest representation - and it’s a whole lot less glamorous than a glowing mama.
