About a year ago, Olivia Misci became a mother for the first time and quickly realized she had no idea how alone that would feel. She was the first in her family, the first in her friend group, and when she went looking for a postpartum support group in Philadelphia, she found close to nothing. One breastfeeding group. Gone the moment she stopped breastfeeding. That’s when she began her search for something more—what would eventually lead her to Mom League.
This story happens all the time. Each year, tens of thousands of families welcome new babies in the city, yet the postpartum support system cannot keep up. Providers center most care on clinical milestones — a six-week OB checkup, a pediatrician visit — and they overlook the social and emotional weight of early motherhood. Parents have trouble finding resources, outgrow them quickly, and rarely come across them while running on no sleep and no roadmap.
Then a friend in Charlotte mentioned Mom League — always sold out, always in demand, a staple for new moms in the area.
Misci’s reaction was immediate: “We have nothing like that in the area.”
As it turned out, Mom League was just beginning to franchise. She moved fast, purchasing the rights in March and making Philadelphia only the second location in the country. No background in maternal health, no industry connections — just a clear picture of what had been missing.
“I felt like it was really fulfilling the need of postpartum support,” she said. “And she has spent every month since building the thing she wished had existed when she needed it.
Mom League is an eight-week series for mothers with babies aged zero to three months, capped at 12 to 14 women per cohort. The same group stays together start to finish — no drop-ins, no rotating faces. “We have babies that are fresh — like five days postpartum,” Misci said. The series is built to catch mothers at the very beginning, before the fog lifts and before the support structures most people assume exist have had a chance to materialize.
Every session is facilitated by a certified perinatal mental health therapist — not a general counselor, but someone specifically credentialed in perinatal care. It matters who is in that room.
“A lot of these topics that we discuss — there’s very complex, a lot of layered emotions. It’s not very black and white,” Misci said. “The therapist doesn’t just show up. She drives the whole thing.” Across the eight weeks, three credentialed guest experts also cycle through: an IBCLC lactation consultant, a pelvic floor physical therapist, and a pediatric PT or OT. Misci interviews every one of them personally. Credentials are the baseline, not the ceiling. “Not only do you have the expertise, but you also have the heart. I do think people can sense if you’re just in it just because. It’s just important that they truly care about the moms.”
Topics cover everything new mothers are quietly carrying — feeding without judgment, identity shifts, postpartum recovery, relationship changes, returning to work, infant development, and setting boundaries. The final class ends with a professional mom-and-baby photo shoot. Throughout all of it, the approach stays the same.
“The epitome of Mom League is meant to not stress out moms further. We’re not going to push any narrative. We’ll meet you where you are, and where you want to be, and we’ll give you the resources to do that. Every mom’s journey is valid.”
The June series sold out before it even launched. Professionals with decades in maternal health have told Misci unprompted that this is exactly what Philadelphia has been missing. Local doulas and physical therapists have promoted Mom League to their own clients without ever attending a class.
“They’ve all unanimously said that this is so needed in the community. I really do trust their opinion because they’ve been in this industry for a long time.” The community Misci is building is also designed to outlast the eight weeks. In Charlotte, cohort groups have stayed intact for three years and counting. “They are looking for a community of moms that they can rely on for one, two, three years out. You hang out with people through a very transformative time in your life and you bond together through that — that bond is very strong.”
Misci is also careful about how all of this gets positioned. She doesn’t want it sold through fear and she won’t do it that way herself.
“Mom League is not necessary to have a positive postpartum experience. It’s not something you absolutely need.” The analogy she keeps coming back to says it better than any sales pitch could: “People recommend you eat your vegetables. Sometimes you don’t really want to eat them, but you know you’ll feel better and your body will process things easier. Mom League will make your life a lot easier. I never want to make a sale off of fear — that’s definitely not the vibe.”
Starting in August, a new cohort opens every month. Misci recommends registering in the second trimester — the June sellout is proof of what happens when you wait. She is already scouting Philadelphia city locations with a goal of opening registration by fall.
“I do firmly believe the moms coming in at the first class will be transformed at the end,” she said.
Based on everything so far, Philadelphia seems to agree.
Check out Mom League for more information.
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