Dear Doctor: Elizabeth Traflet and Patty Ng
The women’s health providers and founders of LadyBits on empowering women to take care of their bodies and how COVID-19 has changed their approach to caring for their pregnant and postpartum patients.
Patty Ng and Beth Traflet met at Lenox Hill Hospital in 2008 and quickly bonded over their passion for providing compassionate and effective care for women. Their joint venture, LadyBits, aims to provide every woman with practical, natural, and organic solutions for the most common concerns and infections in women’s health. Read on to learn more about how they started their business, how it fits into the future of healthcare, and how they believe this time in history will shape how we approach maternal health.
How did each of you find your way to women’s health?
Patty: My love for women’s health grew throughout my years in medical school. I found my first rotation in women’s health to be particularly gratifying, and soon afterward I realized that it was the right specialty for me. As a physician, I enjoy being part of every phase of a woman’s life, from their teenage years through the reproductive age to motherhood and beyond. It’s an incredible experience to be there during the birth of a patient’s child and guide them through the following phases of motherhood. The continuity of care in women’s health is spectacularly rewarding.
Beth: I had a pretty bad experience during my very first GYN visit at the age of 11. The doctor was dismissive and uncompassionate and left me feeling uncared for. Women’s health and OB-GYN appointments can be sensitive visits for many people, especially for first-time patients. When I knew that I was going into the medical field, I was passionate about using my knowledge and expertise to make women’s health a better experience for everyone. My goal was to ensure that no patient of mine would ever feel as uncomfortable as I did during my first visit.
How did you two meet?
Beth: We met at Lenox Hill Hospital in 2008. Patty was an intern and I was a new postpartum nurse and we hit it off immediately. We worked very closely and soon discovered that not only did we have fun working together, but we also shared a core philosophy when it came to medical care and women’s health. In short, it was true love.
How did you decide to start LadyBits?
Patty: After I gave birth to my eldest son I tried very hard to breastfeed him, but ultimately was unsuccessful. A few years later, my youngest son was born premature, so I was determined to breastfeed for one full year. Unfortunately, I had a lot of difficulty with breastfeeding my youngest son, too. At the time, Beth was working to receive her lactation consultant certification and was an enormous help to me during this process. Eventually, I was able to breastfeed my youngest son, but developed a lot of issues with nipple pain, which is not uncommon with nursing mothers.
In searching for a solution, I wanted a magic cream with antifungal properties and natural ingredients that would be gentle on my body and safe for my baby. Ideally, the same product would also help with cracked nipples from breastfeeding and pumping. The only product available, which is still prescribed to many nursing mothers today, is a compound cream that requires a prescription. Not only does a pharmacist have to make it, but it also contains steroids and antibiotics.
Beth and I then decided to work on making a product that could benefit women and could also help with prolonging breastfeeding. The organic cream soon became the debut product behind LadyBits.
Beth: We wanted to come up with a product that we knew from firsthand experience was missing in the market. We also wanted to make sure that our product was as efficient as prescription medicine, but didn’t feel or look like it. About twenty percent of nipple pain with nursing moms is attributed to fungal infection, so the anti-fungal component is what we wanted to focus on. Our anti-fungal buttery balm feels and smells great and can also be used to combat other types of itching or irritation on the body, like athlete’s foot and vaginal yeast infections.
Patty: As a nursing mother who suffered from nipple pain, I can understand how so many new moms give up on breastfeeding. To get the prescription, you have to make an appointment with your doctor, receive the prescription, and find a compound pharmacy to make it. When you’re a new mother, that is the last thing you want to be doing with your time — especially now, when visiting your doctor or a pharmacy could put you at risk. We wanted to create something that women could order quickly for safe and natural relief. Our cream is steroid-free, but has organic ingredients that provide similar anti-inflammatory benefits to that of the prescription one.
How would you describe your approach to and philosophy around women’s and reproductive health?
Beth: Our goal is to empower women to be aware of their own bodies and to be the best advocate for themselves when it comes to receiving medical care. As providers, we find that many women are unsure of what’s going on with their health, even if it’s an ongoing issue. It’s common for women to feel scared of their own anatomy, so we want to help them feel confident in what feels right for their bodies and physical health.
Patty: We also believe it’s important to celebrate each individual, rather than addressing women’s health with a one-size-fits-all approach. In the office, we take the time to sit down with every woman who comes in and listen to their concerns. We started LadyBits when we realized that nobody was making a product that really addressed one of these common concerns.
How have your pregnant and postpartum patients’ needs changed in the wake of COVID-19?
Patty: We’re now providing telemedicine visits for our pregnant and postpartum patients so that they can still get the same quality of healthcare without the risk of exposure. I think this opens up a whole new world of modern medicine, where we can provide medical care and maintain a close relationship with our patients regardless of where they are.
Beth: While all of our patients have experienced big changes during this pandemic, none have experienced more drastic shifts in protocol than our pregnant and postpartum patients. As far as we know, pregnant and postpartum patients nationwide are being primarily seen via telemedicine for the first time in OB history. At our office we’ve regularly used virtual care to check in on the basics, such as fetal movement, pain, and other symptoms. It’s been the safest way to keep these patients free from exposure, and also the best way to keep our office open for essential visits and emergencies only. Our postpartum patients are also dealing with the fact that they can’t have visitors in the hospital and, once they get home, they need to minimize visitors entirely. Many of our new moms are struggling to cope with this new isolation, so it’s important for us to stay in the loop in regard to their postpartum care — even when they aren’t coming into the office.
How has each of you changed the ways you deliver care in response to this new environment?
Beth: The care itself hasn’t changed, but we’re learning new ways to deliver it under these circumstances. Telemedicine actually hasn’t been as challenging as we thought it might be because our patients are still able to verbalize their needs and complaints the same way they do in the office — and for issues that do need to be seen in-person, they’re still able to come in. But we’ve also been much more accessible virtually overall, and our patients have been loving the visits from home. I hope that this will be a new option for modern medicine even post-pandemic!
Patty: As Beth mentioned, we’re more mindful now about what requires an in-person evaluation versus what can be taken care of remotely. We’ve learned how to be more efficient and more considerate in trying to eliminate any unnecessary exposure a patient might encounter to obtain their medical needs.
How has digital health played into your care delivery over these past few months? Are there any discoveries or success stories you can share?
Patty: Telemedicine helps eliminate a lot of the patient anxiety associated with going into the doctor’s office. Many of our patients with “white coat hypertension” are now having perfectly normal blood pressure readings at home during our virtual visits! I also find that patients are more willing to ask questions and are more comfortable answering them in their own homes.
Beth: Our C Section rates have dropped at the hospital during COVID-19, which I cannot explain, but this is an amazing thing. In terms of our pregnant and postpartum patients, not having visitors was a huge change. But our patients are actually getting more rest and breastfeeding better without the distraction of visitors.
What would your advice be to pregnant and postpartum women in the coming months?
Patty: Continue to be mindful of hand hygiene and social distancing. Avoid crowded places, and don’t let your guard down.
Beth: Keep a mask on! Wash your hands! If you’re thinking of becoming pregnant, try to avoid public places as much as possible. Stay away from sick friends, family, or contacts. COVID-19 is still very real and it only takes one exposure to contract it. There’s still so much that’s unknown regarding pregnancy and postpartum health with regard to this virus, so it’s best to avoid any risks as much as possible.
How do you think this time in history will change how maternal health will be approached?
Patty: As healthcare providers, I don’t think we’re always mindful of the hoops that we sometimes make patients jump through. For example, Capsule played a significant role in minimizing our patients’ exposure during this pandemic. This helped shed light on the importance of pharmaceutical accessibility. Also, we see over-the-counter medications like our LadyBits anti-fungal buttery balm that are effective in treating common medical issues become even more valuable because they can potentially eliminate an unnecessary trip to the physician.
Beth: Because medical care has been more unattainable than ever, I think doctors have learned to trust the instincts of their patients during this time. Patients have played a huge part in the success of telemedicine thus far. Without in-person contact, as caregivers we have had to use our ears and trust that our patients are giving us the most accurate information about their conditions. I believe that this time in history has made us appreciate being healthy. I’ve seen women practice social distancing to protect themselves and their babies and it’s a beautiful thing.
Vital Signs
Best advice you’ve ever received?
Patty: Do what you love.
What would you be in another lifetime?
Patty: An artist who travels the world to paint and make things.
Beth: In the entertainment industry, but as a manager, not a performer.
Favorite restaurant in NYC?
Beth: Definitely The Beatrice Inn.
What’s one healthful habit you’d love to see patients adopt?
Beth: I’d love to see women take advantage of the probiotics out there to help prevent infection and maintain their feminine pH.
Patty: I feel that a lot of patients have trouble keeping track of their medical records as they switch providers, which has become a more frequent problem in recent years. Keeping home records of your health history is a great way to make sure you and your future providers keep on top of your care.
Know a great female doctor in NYC? We’d love to meet her, introduce us here!
