Ask any midwife, and she’ll tell you—expectant mothers are always on her mind. She’s constantly asking herself: Will Tara’s twins come early? How was Lauren’s ultrasound? Is Vanessa’s morning sickness finally starting to subside?

Darcey Croft has devoted her life to the safety of pregnant mothers and unborn children. She’s seen her share of precarious births and educated new mothers about recommendations that make the processes easier. Then one day, she realised that a critical modern resource was decidedly missing in the marketplace—and she saw firsthand the consequence of its absence.  

There was a woman coming to the end of a seemingly low-risk pregnancy. She’d had few if any problems, and everyone anticipated a simple, straightforward birth. So imagine Darcey’s alarm when the expectant mother was suddenly rushed to the hospital for an emergency cesarean section! Out of nowhere, the woman’s blood pressure had skyrocketed. Her head was pounding, her vision blurred, and she was overcome with confusion. But what exactly had happened? 

After her newborn was sent to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the diagnosis came through. They had both unexpectedly experienced a severe electrolyte imbalance caused by over-hydration during labour. In this state, she presented symptoms akin to preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication that is treated as an obstetric emergency.

Darcey was thoughtful. The mother and child had escaped a life threatening event that no one had foreseen, and a delivery that wasn’t on the mothers birth plan. The incident sparked a revelation. Professional athletes have an abundance of products at hand to avoid this type of imbalance. Their hydration protocols are fastidiously dialled in to help them perform at their peak. Expectant mothers obviously have their own singular requirements for nutrition and hydration—so why aren’t they given the same resource? 

Over the course of Darcey’s career, she’d seen how pregnancy and childbirth are the ultimate marathon. Her life revolves around helping new mothers make it across that finish line, and she kept asking herself; Shouldn’t these mothers, the ultimate athletes have access to a finely-calibrated product of their own? One designed to prevent over-hydration and cut down on hydration-related complications?

As it turned out, the idea for ISOMUM was the second birth of the day.

But then Darcey faced a massive challenge. She had this great idea for an innovative, all-important product—but how exactly would she make it a reality? 

The task demanded that she go into ultimate problem-solving mode, and she began by doing her homework. Darcey immersed herself in the literature surrounding electrolyte imbalance during pregnancy. The more she researched, the more she came to understand the role of this phenomenon in a spectrum of complications. With improper electrolyte levels, women come up against everything from gestational diabetes and morning sickness to heart arrhythmia, preeclampsia, and severe anxiety and fatigue.

Darcey saw that a prenatal electrolyte drink would help to dramatically circumvent these conditions, provided it contained the perfect blend of electrolytes, nutrients, and vitamins designed specifically for pregnancy, birth, and postnatal recovery. 

She envisioned a product that would ensure pregnant women could hydrate appropriately, and in doing so, avoid the frightening situation she had witnessed. The absence of such a product in the market was not a barrier but a challenge that Darcey was ready to face head-on.

Fuelled by her passion and the dream of a safer pregnancy and birth outcomes for all women and babies, she embarked on the journey to create ISOMUM. She knew she needed to enlist a team of experts to conduct more research. With the right collaborators, Darcey would be able to formulate a drink unlike anything else on the market and begin the manufacturing process. Of course, all of this required significant upfront funding. Nervous yet resolute, Darcey took a breath, signed the dotted line on a government startup loan, and then invested an additional chunk of her own personal funds. With that, ISOMUM was underway, and there was no looking back!

As the research phase continued, Darcey’s passion caught fire. She partnered with a team of expert biochemists who understood that, together, they were devising not just a product but a solution. At length, Darcy expanded the scope of input. She presented ISOMUM to consultant obstetricians, doctors, midwives, and anaesthetists. All of them provided valuable feedback and voiced their excitement for the product. 

Among Darcey’s consultants was a leading biochemist with a long track record in research, development, and safety auditing for public health requirements. Their hands-on involvement would ensure that this first-ever pregnancy endurance drink met the highest standards of quality, safety, and effectiveness.

Momentum increased. As more and more people became involved, everyone could sense the importance of the undertaking. Most reassuringly, when Darcey presented the drink to forums of mothers, they responded with a unanimous consensus that, yes!, ISOMUM was a product that was not only wanted but needed. 

ISOMUM was not just a product; it was a solution. A solution born out of one midwife’s determination to bridge the gap in prenatal care and a testament to her commitment to mothers and babies. With ISOMUM, she offered women a safer, healthier choice through one of life’s most incredible marathons – pregnancy and childbirth.

By January 2023, the trademark for ISOMUM was granted, and in February, the company officially incorporated. By March, ISOMUM had partnered with FDA-approved manufacturers, and early the following year, the first ISOMUM's rolled off the production line. Darcey smiled with relief, amazement, and gratitude at how the months of hard work had turned a small thought into a tangible reality!

But now, for Darcey and the team, the ISOMUM journey is just getting started.

At ISOMUM, we’re working to create a future where women have access to a range of pregnancy-safe prenatal nutrition drinks and supplements that reduce the risk of complications before they even arise. Our team continues to raise awareness about the importance of electrolyte balance in optimising for a healthy pregnancy—and we want you to be a part of our story! 

As more expectant mothers come to understand the nuances of electrolyte balance, we intend to establish ISOMUM as a pregnancy staple in both the UK and the United States. Our next step? Extending the benefits of ISOMUM to women in all parts of the world. 

We often think back to the mother who endured the preeclampsia-like condition and unplanned C-section due to a severe hydration-related issue. We are thankful the situation didn’t result in any lost lives or long-term side-effect. In a perfect world, this scenario should be one less risk for pregnant women to confront.

We’re inviting you to help back our vision for the health and wellness of expectant mothers everywhere by connecting with us on socials and getting involved.

We want to give every expectant mother the greatest chance of the birth they wish for and every baby the healthiest start in life!