American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Archives

Tennis superstar Serena Williams and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban have teamed up to invest in a startup working to end maternal mortality.

Williams has a passion for helping mothers. After she had her young daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., the 37-year-old revealed her own life-threatening birth complications. Fortune reports Serena Ventures and Cuban have invested $3 million in Mahmee.

The company provides a number of online resources such as group discussions with other moms, medical provider info and trained “maternity coaches” who can flag if something is wrong.

Other services include patient monitoring and video calls with medical experts. There are paid tiers starting at $20 and ending at about $200. As of this report, Mahmee has about 1000 providers in their network.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner knows all too well what Black mothers face. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “Black women are three to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related complication than non-Hispanic white women.”

“I am incredibly excited to invest and partner with Mahmee, a company that personifies my firm’s investment philosophy,” Williams said in a statement. “Given the bleak data surrounding maternal death and injury rates, I believe that it is absolutely critical right now to invest in solutions that help protect the lives of moms and babies.”

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Tracey Mallett Maker, creator of the BootyBarre was used to being super fit. The fitness professional has filmed over 25 fitness DVDs but when she got pregnant with her first child, she fell into the trap of believing that old “eating for two” adage and gained 55 pounds. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended pregnancy weight gain of no more than 25–35 pounds if you start out at a normal body weight.

Mallet wised up and for her second pregnancy, channeled her new found determination to not gain too much weight the next round by penning a book, Super Fit Mama, targeting both pregnant and post-pregnant women alike. In addition to recipes, nutrition tips, and easy exercises for every trimester during pregnancy, all a mom-to-be need to complete many of the exercises are 2 sets of dumbbells (3,5 or 7lbs), a mat and supportive sneakers.

No doubt, light to moderate exercise is an important part of feeling your best during pregnancy and bouncing back into shape afterward. Working out gives you energy and, according to the ACOG, may provide some relief from pregnancy symptoms such as backaches, constipation, and bloating and swelling as well as reduce your risk of gestational diabetes and help you sleep better.

Here are three moves from her Fit Pregnancy DVD to help you stay in shape before, during and after pregnancy:

1. Squat with Dumbbell Fly’s

The Move: hold on to the chair, bend at your knees, then open and close one arm, keeping your shoulder blade down and away from your ear. Pull abs in to protect lower back.

What It Does: Working mid-upper back, and posterior shoulders.

2. Wag the Tail

The Move: Take your bottom, tilt the pelvis, and rotate or move your hips. Move from side, bend, tilt, other side, bend, tilt – creating a circular motion with your hips. You are circling your pelvis, and pushing it away from the floor.

What It Does: Works your pelvic muscles and abdominals.

3. Clams

The Move: Knees bent, hand on hip, and fan leg up and away from other leg, keeping one leg secured to ground, and then back down.

What It Does: Works deep into your core and glutes, making the pelvis more stable.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

Serena Williams Invests in StartUp Fighting Maternal Mortality

Moms: Try these 3 workout moves from Fitness Pro Tracey Mallet