Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
‘Sanctuary for Motherhood’ opens
Hatch helps pregnant and postpartum women
Walk into Hatch, a new service for expecting and postpartum mothers, and a feeling of serenity envelopes you. Located on the bottom floor of an office building on Lancaster Avenue in Wayne, the space feels light and airy with soothing shades of dove gray.
Dr. Radhi Kakarla was brainstorming with a friend a little over a year ago about business ideas to help women when she came up with the concept for Hatch. Kakarla, an obstetrician and gynecologist with Main Line OB-GYN, wanted to empower pregnant and post-partum women to get the most from this special time in their lives and gradually, Hatch was hatched.
Hatch is a unique one-stop space that offers mothers education, exercise and companionship. The slogan “Grow, glow and know,” describes Hatch’s offerings of fitness, wellness, massage, nutrition and breast feeding classes, along with sleep consulting.
Members first meet with a concierge OB/GYN nurse to assess their needs and answer their questions. A fitness professional will design a program for them to help them through pregnancy and their recovery post-partum.
“There were certain patterns I was seeing in my office practice, what kind of information were they looking for,” she said. “I realized that I
“The idea is to bridge that gap from a medical setting to a more holistic, integrative approach and give people all the support that they need throughout the process.” – Dr. Radhi Kakarla
was giving the same information over and over but I really didn’t have good solutions for people, except for handing them somebody’s
business card. So I noticed those patterns. And personally, being a working mom, raising two kids, [saw] there were some big gaps in the system,” said Kakarla, 43. “And so, I really had gotten to the point in my professional practice as an OBGYN where I was comfortable,
the learning curve had steadied out and I was itching to contribute in a different way.”
Hatch has a room for babysitting, one for massage — two exercise studios, one with Pilates machines — and a sunny patio for clients to socialize and enjoy
drinks and snacks.
“The idea is to bridge that gap from a medical setting to a more holistic, integrative approach and give people all the support that they need throughout the process,” Kakarla said.
As she was planning Hatch, Kakarla thought that she might need a business partner to take on the challenges of starting a new business and was speaking with one of her patients. That patient told her that her dad had just sold his business and might be interested in being her partner. So after meeting David Fox, former president and CEO of Den Tek Oral Care, “off we went,” she said.
“He’s been really active this whole time,” said Kakarla. “He had a new grandbaby and saw what his daughter was going through. I think that’s part of how he connected to what we’re doing.”
“I really wanted to encompass the full circle of pregnancy from conception to delivery to early infancy and early parenthood,” Kakarla said. “In my life those were the tough years.”
During the “grow” phase there is an emphasis on fitness for the pregnant woman, keeping their backs strong and addressing common ailments during pregnancy. There are yoga and educational classes planned. After birth, there is an emphasis
on “rehabilitation and rejuvenation, with Pilates classes to “redevelop core strength,” she said.
The “know” part is education, she said.
“I noticed people were going to Dr. Google to get their information,” said Kakarla. “So we’ve developed a series of classes, some introductory, some more intense workshops, that address common things during pregnancy.” There are also classes in feeding babies, breast feeding and baby care basics.
“Everything, all the material, is developed by medical professionals,” she said. A pediatrician and psychologist, along with exercise specialists, are also available to work with her clients.
“You’re going to have really good information,” said Kakarla. “The ‘glow’ program is being your best self during pregnancy and post-partum,” she said. The psychologist who she has brought on board specializes in this area and has developed a resiliency program, giving women the tools that they need setting expectations, awareness, creating support systems, during the last trimester of their pregnancy and after they deliver, she said. Hatch will help women develop the support network that they need “before everything falls apart, teaching you what may be coming,” said Kakarla.
“We wanted to be a onestop shop,” she said. “The biggest part of our program is the three health concierges that people can meet with and ask questions. They will guide you through your whole pregnancy and delivery. In my office 60 percent of the questions that we get have very little to do with medicine. People just want to be sure they’re doing the right thing.”
Kakarla grew up in Alabama, studied at Louisiana State University, and earned her medical degree at LSU School of Medicine, as part of a six-year accelerated program. She interned and was a resident at Parkland Hospital of University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas and then lived in Austin for six years before moving to the Philadelphia area in 2006 and settling in Villanova.
Her husband, Naveen Kakarla, is president and CEO of a hotel management company, Hersha Hospitality. The couple has two children who attend Episcopal Academy, Nikhil, 14, and Anika, 12.
While Hatch has only been open a short time, it has about 10 clients already, she said. Clients can become members for a fee or take classes a la carte.
For more information: www.hatchmotherhood.com.