Hesta News: early access to the first Hesta Health Check: Recovery is now open, and Hesta in The Times

This week marks an important milestone for Hesta Health.

We are opening early access to our first clinical service: the Hesta Health Check: Recovery.

It is the first step in what we believe must become a new benchmark in postnatal healthcare, one that recognises a simple but long-overlooked truth: postnatal recovery does not end at six weeks.

But for most women, the healthcare available does.

The gap between “you’re fine” and feeling well

In recent weeks, there has been increasing public conversation about the state of maternity and postnatal care in the UK. From the NCT’s reporting on postnatal experiences to media coverage highlighting maternal mental health and physical recovery, it is clear that many women feel unsupported once the initial newborn period passes.

And yet this should not surprise us.

We have a check up in the current pathway that is one six to eight week check with limited time, resources, as well as sometimes the added need to do the baby check during that pressured time too.

Recovery does not stop at 8 weeks.

Recovery after birth unfolds over months - physically, hormonally, emotionally and socially. It is not a linear process. It is not a box to tick. It is not something that can be fully assessed in a ten-minute appointment.

And yet, for many women and birthing parents, that is where formal care effectively concludes.

This leaves a gap.

A gap between being told you are “fine” and actually understanding what is happening in your body.

A gap between reassurance, and understanding why you feel how you feel.

A gap between surviving, and recovering whilst feeling like you.

Hesta exists to close that gap.

From conversation to care

This weekend, our founders sat down with The Times to discuss why postnatal healthcare must evolve. It is encouraging to see this issue gaining visibility in national media.

Awareness matters. Conversation matters.

But conversation alone does not change outcomes.

Care does.

That is why we are opening early access to the Hesta Health Check: Recovery.

The Hesta Health Check: Recovery is a comprehensive, clinician-led postnatal health assessment designed for women and birthing parents in the first six months after birth.

It is built around a calm, thorough clinical process - one designed to give clarity, not more to worry about.

What the Hesta Health Check: Recovery includes

The Hesta Health Check is not a single appointment. It is a structured, joined-up assessment delivered through our CQC-registered service and led by our multidisciplinary clinical team of expert postnatal clinicians.

It includes:

1. Hesta360

The Hesta360 is a complete postnatal health review developed with doctors, psychologists, and physiotherapists to explore all areas of your recovery - physical, mental, and social.  It is a clinically-designed questionnaire that covers physical symptoms, emotional health, medical history, birth experience, lifestyle factors, and current concerns.

Hesta360 explores your current and past health across multiple domains:

• Physical changes after pregnancy and birth

• Pelvic and abdominal health

• Mental wellbeing

• Heart and metabolic health

• General health

• Reproductive health

• If opted for by the woman, nutrition

• If relevant, breastfeeding
  

It asks about your birth experience, your symptoms, your lifestyle, and - importantly - your goals.

We believe postnatal care should start with listening, and then understanding.

Your concerns and priorities shape the investigation. Not a tick box checklist.

2. At-Home blood testing

A qualified phlebotomist visits your home at a time that suits you. No arranging childcare. No travelling to a clinic.

We measure 51 biomarkers across 8 clinical domains, including:

• Cardiometabolic health

• Full blood count

• Thyroid function

• Biochemistry

• Inflammation and immunity

• Nutritional status
  

Testing is designed both to investigate symptoms and to provide reassurance by ruling things out. 

Something can be common and still deserve attention.

Fatigue may be common…but iron deficiency still matters. Mood fluctuations may be common…but thyroid imbalance still warrants review.

3. Your Health Check Report

Your Hesta360 responses and blood results are reviewed together by a Hesta postnatal clinician, supported by our multidisciplinary team including pelvic health physiotherapists, mental health professionals and GPs.

You receive a personalised Health Check Report that explains:

• What your biomarkers show - in plain language, not just numbers

• What is common after birth, and what to expect

• What may need attention, either by taking action or by monitoring

• What matters most in your specific case
  

No rushing reassurance.

No minimising symptoms.

No being told to “wait and see” without context.

4. Your Hesta Guide to Recovery

After your assessment, you receive your personalised Guide to Recovery.  It’s a roadmap for what comes next, guided by what’s important - and clinically most relevant - to you.  This may include:

• Exercises you can complete yourself

• Lifestyle or nutritional guidance

• Recommendations for follow-up testing

• Referral to specialist care

• Medication review where appropriate

The Guide is yours to access at your own pace. It helps you understand where to take action, and where to allow time and healing to unfold naturally.

After your Health Check: Hesta Care is there for you

What if you’d like some clinical support after your Health Check?  Whether it’s physiotherapy, psychological support, lactation consultation, or GP follow-up, you can access it through Hesta Care. Through Hesta Care, you can pay for and access ongoing care and structured treatment plans led by experts in all the major clinical domains - all in one place through your Hesta app.

You can talk through your Hesta Health Check and Guide to Recovery with a postnatal doctor that has been trained to specifically look after postnatal women and birthing parents. You're able to review your assessment, understand your results and discuss your concerns.

And if you decide you need a more specialised consultation, whether it’s a recommended physio assessment from your Guide to Recovery or if you decide it’s time to talk to someone about how your birth made you feel, you can find the right healthcare professional through Hesta Care.  From nutrition support to emotional wellbeing sessions, Hesta Care gives you access to highly trained, postnatal clinical specialists in one easily accessible place.

Why this matters

Women spend approximately 25% more of their lives in ill health than men. Pregnancy and the postnatal period represent a critical window to change that trajectory.

The months after birth are not only about short-term recovery. They are an opportunity to identify and address longer-term risks - cardiometabolic health, mental health vulnerability, thyroid disorders, nutritional deficiencies.

When we miss this window, we miss an opportunity for prevention.

When care ends too early, problems compound quietly.

We believe postnatal healthcare should not rely on women and birthing parents to:

Self-diagnose. Self-refer. Self-advocate.

Especially at a time when they are sleep deprived, physically healing, and emotionally adjusting to motherhood.

Healthcare should be proactive. Joined up. Evidence-based. Compassionate.

It should start where most care currently ends.

Early access: what this means

We are currently offering Early Access to the Hesta Health Check: Recovery at an introductory price of £129.

Early access is open to women and birthing parents who have given birth within the last six months.

As part of Early Access, you can:

• Apply via our website

• Receive confirmation of eligibility

• Be given access to the Hesta platform

• Complete your Hesta360 assessment

• Arrange your at-home blood test
  

From there, your clinical review begins.

We are opening access in stages to ensure we deliver the calm, high-quality experience that women and birthing parents deserve.

Building something different

Hesta Health was built by clinicians and designed with and for women.

We are CQC registered. Clinical safety and regulatory oversight are central to our model. Every clinician in our network undergoes rigorous selection and works within a coordinated framework designed specifically for postnatal recovery.

But this is about more than compliance. It is about standards.

Postnatal care should not be fragmented across disjointed systems. It should not require multiple referrals and repeated explanations. It should not treat physical and mental health as separate conversations.

It should see the whole person.

The Hesta Health Check: Recovery is the first step in delivering that vision.

The work begins now.

If you have given birth in the last six months and want a clearer understanding of your health - physically, emotionally and hormonally - you can apply for Early Access today.

Because your recovery deserves more than a six-week check.

Read about Hesta Health in the Times here: https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/parenting/article/hesta-health-app-mothers-postpartum-postnatal-care-fxr22kl72?gaa_at=eafs