Materna Health to Open NYC's First Same-Day/Next-Day Early Pregnancy Care Center

New model aims to keep women out of ERs and close the prenatal care gap from preconception to 24 weeks.

New York, NY - This fall, a former CFO of a healthcare-focused investment bank, a certified nurse midwife, and a perinatologist will open Materna Health in New York City, the first dedicated early pregnancy center designed to provide timely, compassionate care and keep pregnancy out of Emergency Departments.

"After going through pregnancy myself, I was shocked by how little support existed," said Kristen Williams, CEO and Co-Founder of Materna. "At six weeks, I experienced spotting and was sent to the ER before I had even met my OB-GYN. I was dismissed, misguided, and terrified. That moment revealed just how broken our system is when it comes to early pregnancy care. I kept asking: Where do women go when complications arise before their first OB appointment? Why is no one talking about this window of time?"

What began as personal frustration became a mission when Williams met Dr. Yaakov Abdelhak, a high-risk perinatologist (MFM), and Kristin Mallon, a certified nurse midwife. Both confirmed what Williams had experienced firsthand: there is a critical gap in care during the earliest weeks of pregnancy. Together, they began building a team of OB/GYNs, emergency department physicians and expert nursing staff focused on real solutions for real symptoms in women's health.

The need is undeniable. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, up to 25% of women experience bleeding in the first trimester, and nausea and vomiting affect as many as 80% of pregnancies. Hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe, potentially debilitating form of nausea and vomiting affects up to 3% of pregnancies, and is one of the leading causes of hospitalization in the first trimester. Many of these patients end up in emergency rooms that are designed for trauma, not the nuanced needs of early pregnancy. Nationally, pregnant patients account for about 3% of all ER visits each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.

"Too often, women are sent to the ER or told to 'wait it out,'" said Williams. "Materna was created by those who've lived it, treated it, and decided to change it."

The practice's mission is to close the gap between a positive pregnancy test and a patient feeling confident in their pregnancy, a span that can have weeks without a scheduled medical appointment, yet is filled with physical and emotional uncertainty. Materna will be offering same day and next day prenatal visits, ultrasounds, preconception guidance, IV hydration, iron infusions, nausea and vomiting treatments, medication management, mental health support, and sound medical advice and reassurance from expert OB/GYNs.

"Materna is finally giving women an obstetrical solution to get through the most exhausting and difficult part of pregnancy: the beginning," said Dr. Abdelhak, Co-Founder and Perinatologist. "For too long, women in the earliest weeks of pregnancy have been left to navigate complications alone-shuttled to overcrowded ERs, or told to wait days or weeks for care that can't wait. Materna Health is the answer to that silent crisis: a new model of same-day and next-day pregnancy care that steps in where the system has stepped back."
"This is a direct response to the stories we've heard and lived ourselves, the women curled up on bathroom floors, the partners helpless to ease their pain, the missed diagnoses that could have been caught earlier," added Williams. "We're building the kind of care women deserve."

Materna Health will open in September 2025 in the West Village in New York City.

To learn more, book an appointment, or schedule an interview with the founders of Materna Healthcare, visit www.maternahealthcare.com, follow @materna_health_ on Instagram, or contact Kristen Williams at kwilliams@maternahealthcare.com.

Materna Health
130 7th Ave S
New York, NY 10014
hello@maternahealthcare.com
www.maternahealthcare.com

About Materna Health
Materna Health is a first-of-its-kind medical practice focused exclusively on early pregnancy care. Created to fill the critical gap between a positive pregnancy test and the first OB appointment, Materna offers same-day and next-day care for symptoms like bleeding, cramping, nausea, and other urgent concerns - helping women avoid unnecessary ER visits and receive timely, compassionate support.

The mission of Materna is to shift the site of early pregnancy care from the Emergency Room into expert hands-delivering accessible, personalized, and timely maternal care in a supportive outpatient setting.

The vision of Materna Health is a world where every pregnancy gets immediate, expert care from day one-never in the ER, always in the right hands.

This release was published on openPR.