Meet Dr. Candin Garner | Occupational Therapist, Founder & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Candin Garner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Candin, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I founded MaternOT from personal and proximal postpartum experiences. These events led me to passionately pursue the recovery process of American mothers through occupational therapy interventions. I was inspired to focus my practice on postpartum rehabilitation long before I could contextualize it.

When I was six years old, my mother suffered a placenta previa rupture around 32 weeks gestation. I arrived from school to find her in the bathroom, unconscious in a pool of blood. This resulted in an emergency cesarean section and blood transfusion. My sibling was helicoptered to a NICU unit hundreds of miles away from her.

She was sent home without medical oversight or a plan of care. In addition, she was fired from her job for inadequate attendance during her hospital stay. Can you imagine experiencing all this then being told to go home and provide for your family as if nothing happened? Even at such a young age, I felt so much empathy for her.

As I stepped into motherhood, I experienced preeclampsia, miscarriages, surgical and lactation complications, and incredible gaslighting by healthcare providers. Help was unavailable or inaccessible to me. Reflecting deeply on these events, I recognized that in 35 years, postpartum policies and procedures lack progression. The maternal healthcare disparity in our country is profound. I intend to change that on a community level through advocacy, education, and occupational therapy interventions. MaternOT’s motto is, “When mothers are cared for, the entire family unit benefits.”

What should our readers know about your business?
Championing the well-being of mothers and families, my work reflects a dedicated 17-year journey in women’s healthcare. My role as an occupational therapist transcends direct patient care, as I am committed to educating fellow providers by teaching self-developed accredited courses. Dedicated to this emerging practice area, I am passionate about filling the gap in maternal care. My company, MaternOT, intends to elevate maternal services to the community through education, intervention implementation, and advocacy.

MaternOT is unique in that services are concentrated on early postpartum intervention from labor to eight weeks after delivery. Studies show that a quarter of maternal mortality rates happen during this time frame due to infections, blood pressure disorders, and embolism. In addition, MaternOT serves women for postoperative rehabilitation, such as with mastectomies and explants. These areas of practice are emerging in the field of occupational therapy.

Occupational therapists (OTs) assist in rehabilitating individuals through their performance of daily activities. OTs can uniquely address these needs holistically and within a mother’s natural environment. OTs enhance maternal care outcomes through remediation, preventative, and adaptive strategies. Such care models are as follows but not limited to roles and routines, sleep hygiene, partner education, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, breast care, scar tissue management, emotional regulation and co-regulation strategies, environmental modifications, and mental health.

My company is in the early stages of development. Some challenging aspects have been gaining direct communication with physicians and acquiring funding. Yet, I remain hopeful that the right investors will arrive, as I trust the universe and its timing. Women are ready to receive the care they so greatly deserve and desperately need.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My besties are like me; they are family-centered and outside the box. We would probably collaborate in a day-long theater production with our kids. I imagine tethering homemade costumes, painting each other’s faces, and choreographing dances to Kate Bush songs. Then, we would head to Desert Ridge Marketplace’s outdoor theater, where we would take to the stage. To keep the energy going, we mothers would get coffee at Cartel Roasting Co. as our kids jump in the splash pad. As we explored the shops, we would be smiling at each other, knowing that our dreams of motherhood had come true.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m grateful for several things, and I want to take a moment to thank those who are responsible. Dax, my dearest husband, has continuously encouraged my creativity and dreams. Our children are my greatest source of motivation. Since I was a teenager, my closest friends, Erin and Kristen, have provided unconditional love and support. My sister, Brooke, impresses me with her grace and grit while showing up without judgment, which goes a long way in motherhood. Amy Vander Linden has offered me guidance and inspiration both professionally and personally. Of course, I must thank my mother, who endured and survived the obstacles of motherhood, serving as the seed for what I do for a living.

Website: https://www.maternot.com

Instagram: @matern.ot.az

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candingarner/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/matern.oy