Community
June 20, 2022
· Written By
Camilla Hermann

Introducing Oath Care Communities

Today, our team is incredibly proud to announce the launch of the Oath Care Communities. This launch brings us one step closer to realizing our vision of a new model of healthcare, rooted in community, to improve the health of all families.

As a member, you can now join stage-based communities for pregnancy, postpartum, toddlerhood, and early childhood in addition to building your own custom care team to support you at each phase of the motherhood journey. 

Communities are a safe space where you can meet, learn from, and share your own wisdom with other Oath members. Our specialists ensure information is evidence-based and practical for parents. This is not an anonymous forum with passive moderators, it is a space for deep connection and learning. We believe that being a part of these trusted, supportive communities with Oath-trained specialists actually has the potential to make you and your family healthier.

Meet Members in the Oath Care Community

"Motherhood is learning and growing (A LOT) alongside your children and partner. I want to help more mothers in the community feel confident in their decisions as a mom both for themselves and their families."

— Hannah, Toddler community, Denver

"Motherhood means making space for what matters most and learning to say no to things or people that don’t help you grow. I want to help more parents to create the workplace environment that creates for an equitable family life."

— Sofia, Pregnancy community, San Francisco

"Motherhood is both a piece and a whole - a piece of your identity as a woman and also a whole identity in and of itself. I want to help more mothers who experience traumatic births and postpartum anxiety/depression realize that they are not alone."

— Alexandra, Young Child community, Portland

"Motherhood is knowing how to care for our children, and care for ourselves in order to be the most courageous and present versions of ourselves. I want to help others feel seen, heard, and acknowledged in the journey of motherhood."

— Jessica, Postpartum & Infant community, Pleasanton

Why Build Communities in a Health App?

On a personal note, being a part of purpose-driven small groups has shaped both Michelle and myself into the people we are today.

In my early 20’s, I was introduced to salons — small groups of 7–10 women who met every other week to carve out time for deeper conversation. The two questions that formed the foundation of each salon were: what, to you, is a life worth living and how are you going about living that life? These salons were the first time I had the experience of being deeply vulnerable with strangers and feeling fully seen as well as profoundly loved for who I was, mess and all. It changed everything for me.

My co-founder, Michelle, moved from Washington DC to San Francisco when her first child was about 4 months old. This made her one of the 74% of mothers who do not live near their friends or family to be able to benefit from an existing support network. Even as a pediatric clinician, she missed her own postpartum depression because our current healthcare system, designed by and for men, fails to appropriately screen, assess, treat, and follow-up on maternal mental health. Her lifeline came from her church’s small group for new mothers. It was there that she finally found the healing and support she had needed all along. 

Just as community has profoundly altered the trajectories of our lives, we have seen how this experience changes the lives of members on the Oath platform. We believe that health happens in community and that, together, we can build a healthier, more resilient future for all families.

Humans are hardwired for connection. We have chemistry and biology that says we cannot do this life alone - and if we do, our mental and physical health declines. Community bonds are the single most well understood antidote to stress and the path to resilience. We live in a country where 7 of the top 10 chronic illnesses we face have a dose-response correlation to the stress experienced in early childhood. Arguably, we are going about solving chronic illness all wrong. We wait too long, medicate instead of prevent, and ignore our history to help solve for our future. The COVID pandemic revealed how our individualistic society has done more harm than good, but it also showed that, collectively, we’re no longer willing to privilege convenience over connection. 

Oath is born from our own experiences and research that supports the transformative power of small groups. Tight-knit community can reshape not just health outcomes, but our very understanding of human wellbeing.

Join an Oath Community for free and download the app today by clicking here.

Camilla Hermann

Camilla is the co-founder and CEO of Oath Care; a social company building the future of healthcare, starting with maternal and pediatric health.