March 4, 2021 • 36 mins
Hello Mommas and Mommas-To-Be! This week on the podcast we’re talking about what we like to call “Breastfeeding 2.0”.
Have you ever wondered why motherhood in general and breastfeeding, in particular, attracts so many wives’ tales and generational remedies? From cabbage leaves to drinking beer, many of the “helpful hints” we get for breastfeeding is actually age-old advice passed down through the decades. In a world that is completely dictated by technology, this seems a bit at odds with where we are as a society today. Have there really been no advancements in breastfeeding? Is the advice passed down from our mothers, grandmothers, and aunties still sage? Today we are going to find out.
With us on the show today is Adriana Vazquez, Co-Founder & CEO of Lilu (Lee-Lou), a company that has created the first-ever massaging pump bra. Adriana’s long list of credentials includes being recognized as one of the top 30 Femtech Healthcare Influencers of the Year, and the patent for her bra nabbed her Philadelphia’s Invention of the Year in 2019. While most of the breastfeeding world still relies on age-old wisdom, Adriana is leading the charge to bring technology into motherhood which makes life a heck of a lot easier for those who want to breastfeed successfully while working, parenting, and managing our increasingly busy day-to-day lives.
We look forward to having you with us for today's show!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amanda Gorman (00:00):
[Intro] Breastfeeding Unplugged.
Welcome. Welcome. Welcome mamasand mamas-to-be. A podcast
dedicated to helping momsnavigate their way through the
tricky world of breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding Unplugged.
(00:22):
Breastfeeding Unplugged.
Hello there mamas andmamas-to-be. We are so thrilled
to have you here for today'spodcast. I am your host Amanda
Gorman of Nest Collaborative.
And this week, we're talkingabout what we like to call
breastfeeding 2.0. I don't knowabout you but when I got
pregnant with my first child, Igot a ton of advice. Some of it
(00:44):
was great. And a lot of it wascompletely silly. And much of
what people had to say seemed abit outdated. I came to discover
that pretty much any of myfellow friends in my circle who
had ever given birth hadsomething to say. But instead of
actual knowledge, a lot of theadvice I was getting was more of
(01:04):
a projection of their ownpersonal experiences. And while
that definitely was sometimeshelpful, I often found it more
confusing than anything,especially when it came to
breastfeeding. So I wondered,have you ever wondered why
motherhood in general andbreastfeeding in particular
attracts so many wives tales andgenerational remedies? You know,
(01:25):
from cabbage leaves to drinkingbeer, many of those helpful
hints that we get forbreastfeeding is actually age
old advice passed down throughthe decades. In a world that's
completely dictated bytechnology, now this seems a bit
at odds with what we are as asociety today. Have there really
been no advancements inbreastfeeding? Is this advice
(01:46):
passed down from our moms, ourgrandmothers and our auntie's
actually still sage? Today weare going to find out so with me
here is Adriana Vazquez. She isa cofounder and CEO of Lilu,
which is a company that hascreated the first ever massaging
pump bra. Adriana's long list ofcredentials includes being
(02:07):
recognized as one of the top 30femtech healthcare influencers
of the year. And the patent forher bra nabbed her
Philadelphia's Invention of theYear in just 2019. While most of
the breastfeeding world stillrelies on age old wisdom, she is
leading the charge to bringtechnology into motherhood,
which makes life a heck of a loteasier for those of us who want
(02:28):
to breastfeed successfully whileworking, parenting and managing
our increasingly busy day-to-daylives. So Adriana, welcome. I'm
very thrilled to have you hereon the show today.
Adriana Vazquez (02:39):
Thank you so much, Amanda, I'm so thrilled to
be sure as well. And as always,I'd love to catch up with you
and what you've been doing andwhat Nest Collaborative is doing
for all the moms out there. Butas you know, this is a topic
that is so exciting for me. Sothanks so much for having me
here today.
Amanda Gorman (02:58):
No, I love it. So a little funny backstory,
Adriana and I met several yearsago in the great city of New
York, at an event for femalefounders. And it was this huge
event with all of theseburgeoning women who had founded
or were in the process offounding companies. And it was
at Google, and there werehundreds of women there. And I
(03:21):
was quite intimidated and wasn'teven sure if I was supposed to
be there or not. And just wasnetworking around and kind of
meeting people and sharing withthem what I did. And they said
to me, well, you've got to findthat Adriana. She's also in the
boob business. And and we kindof stuck out to every one of
these, you know, two femalefounders who were in the same
business of breastfeeding. But Ican't say how actually relieved
(03:43):
I was that day to actually findsomeone who seemed to be
speaking my language. So she andI have, you know, kept in touch
and kept tabs on what we've beendoing in this world of, you
know, finding a business andmaking it run and all the ins
and outs. And so it's been agreat resource to have just to
check in, like you said, but I'mso thrilled to have you. So
(04:05):
thank you. And I guess you know,what's happened since we met?
I'd love to just kind of catchup.
Adriana Vazquez (04:11):
Yeah, of course, I remember that day so
clearly, especially now that wecan't do networking in person.
But it was a beautiful sunny dayin the Google headquarters here
in New York City. But yeah, likeyou said, it was such a pleasure
to meet another female founderworking on the important problem
of how can we make it easier fornew moms through technology and
(04:35):
innovation, right to meet theirbreastfeeding goals. So what
happened since then, we launchedour first product, using the
scratchpad that you already gavea little bit of an intro about,
but yeah, this year has beensuper exciting for us. It's
(04:56):
really just about getting theword out there. Seeing the
product in the hands of 1000s ofmoms now, and just sharing the
stories about how our innovationcan make a difference for moms
who are breastfeeding, but alsolearning, right, a lot of
listening and hearing how, howcan we improve? How can we be
(05:16):
better? And where else can wepossibly help? And super excited
also to see that this is kind ofthe fastest thing in the
breastfeeding and breast pumpingspace. So like, because both you
and I have been in here in thisspace for for a couple years
now. But I'm sure you've alsoseen that, I think right with
(05:39):
what's happening with COVID andthe pandemic in one of the
potential silver linings of allof this is that I think there's
been a little bit more of aconversation right around how
can we be there for moms,especially when a lot of the
things that used to be in-personnow have to be remote in some
(06:00):
way or another? So I think it'sa, it's an interesting time. But
also what a challenging time,right, to become a new mom and a
new parent. But I think this iswhere we get to hopefully rise
up to that challenge, and seehow we can be of help to some of
our different innovations.
Amanda Gorman (06:21):
Yeah, absolutely.
Certainly rising to the occasionthis year. I'd love to know, you
know, in terms of technology,why do you think breastfeeding
is taken such a backseat when itcomes to innovation? Yeah.
Adriana Vazquez (06:36):
Yeah. I mean, that's such a great and very
complex question. It has so manylayers. I would say that if we
if take a look at the, you know,cultural shift over the past few
decades, one big thing thathappened, right, is that I mean,
in the 70s, when technology wason the rise, there was like the
(07:00):
rise of Silicon Valley and allthat. Breastfeeding was not the
norm back then. I think that inmany ways, right, because many
moms were feeding formula. Andthat's, you know, has many, both
positive and some interestingconsequences, but one of them
(07:25):
was that there were so manywomen in the workforce, either
because they wanted to, or insome cases, they had no other
option. But because of that, Ithink that again, what happened,
right, we had technologyinnovation, happening at an
immense fast pace. I think,again, breastfeeding has taken
(07:45):
kind of a backseat in society atsome point. And suddenly, that
clicked. That stuff startedslipping in, you know, by the
90s, 2000s, and today, it's kindof reversed, right? We have so
many more moms initiatingbreastfeeding than before. But
(08:09):
we still have women in theworkforce. So there's kind of
these moms are put in, you know,between a hard rock and a place,
you know, we're told about allthe wonderful benefits of
breastfeeding. And yet thereality and the context in which
women are breastfeeding today,right? It's, you know, you're
juggling career, you're jugglingall these, all these things. And
(08:33):
technology in the meantime, haskind of just focused on
everything but women's health Itfeels like. And, again, I think
it's a super complex and superinteresting question. And so I
think one thing is culturalnorms, and regulation and
support for moms to be able tobreastfeed and pump in the work
(08:54):
place, left behind so manythings. But we're here to talk
about technology, right? So Ithink the other big thing that
happened in the technologyworld, is that a lot of the tech
products were being designed,built and funded by men. So we
need more women to be in STEM,so that more women can be
(09:16):
innovating. That's not the onlyway. We also need to have more
female founders, right, likebeing funded. And more women
funding these innovations. Ithink, again, in the technology
world, right, you need so manypieces and so many parts of of
this equation to be moving inthe same direction before we are
(09:39):
going to see more and more ofthese changes. But at least from
the technology world, I thinkthat there's a conversation that
has started and it's not goingto stop, right, the fact that we
need more innovation for womenby women. And that when it comes
to women's health, like maternalhealth is such an important part
(10:02):
of it and I think that's, again,one of the reasons why in the
last, what it's been like, fiveyears perhaps, we're finally
seeing breastfeeding innovationand funding going into it.
Amanda Gorman (10:20):
Absolutely. And let's hope that continues. But
you're right, you make a reallygood point, you know, we do,
you're right, we have the most,you know, highest initiation
rates that we've seen in decadesfor breastfeeding. And so, of
course, certainly 40 years ago,when women weren't as apt to
choose to breastfeed, you know,the focus was on Atari and
(10:40):
microwaves. But there's been akind of a lag, I mean, we've
we've now upped the ante interms of breastfeeding women. So
it is certainly overdue forsome, some innovations. So
you're doing it, you know, Ihope we're doing it at Nest
Collaborative. So I'm happy thatwe're in this together. But you
(11:00):
talk about, you know, all thebalance of working and being a
new mom and the balance isreally difficult. You know, you
shared some data that 85% ofmoms are pumping in some
capacity. So, what does pumpingreally look like for most women?
Adriana Vazquez (11:18):
Well, it varies, so much. Like, in
theory, employers are requiredto provide a reasonable amount
of time and space to expressmilk as frequently as moms need
to. And for up to one year,right, which is the
(11:40):
recommendation by the AmericanAssociation of Pediatrics, but I
think the reality is, it's alittle different, right? I
think, many moms still don'thave a sanitary, let alone a
comfortable place, to pumpcomfortably. And then
realistically, many moms can'tfind a time, right in between
their work constraints. We hearoften from teachers, or, like
(12:05):
nurses and other medicalprofessionals, or people that
have, you know, to work inspecific time shifts, and
simply, you know, they can'taccommodate pumping, you know,
every two to three or three tofour hours. As, in reality, they
should be able to, and thenthere's a lot of employers which
are also exempt, like, I think Iwas checking. What are the
(12:30):
latest guidelines, and if youhave less than 60 employees you
are exempt from this rule. So Ithink like a lot of moms that
are working at smaller companiesor you know, it's just not, it's
just not a reality. So I thinkmoms have to... and I think this
is also another reason why a lotof maybe sometimes innovation
(12:52):
doesn't happen as fast as wewould like it to. It's because I
think also as women, we try tohack our way to a solution. And
just find, you know, we've heardfrom so many moms, and I'm sure
you as well, right, that arepumping in bathrooms or in
classes, or just, you know, inplanes, and all these all these
(13:15):
places where really, youshouldn't but that's the
reality, like, that's what wewomen do, right? We find ways to
solve our, our differentchallenges. But it just
shouldn't be that difficult,right? I mean, I think we should
always go by, I mean, theresearch is pretty clear, right?
For a mom to maintain a healthymilk supply, she has to pump,
(13:39):
like [unknown] see that her babyfeeding time? Otherwise, you
know, we're not setting up womenfor success. And I think that's
what employers that's what,that's what regulator, that's
what other people that have itin their hands, to make it
easier for mom to understand,right? Because one thing is,
(13:59):
again, what we say, you know, intheory, yes, like a lot of
progress has been done for, youknow, on that regulatory
standpoint, or, in theory,again, like we are really trying
to make an interestingtechnology. But it all goes back
to yeah, like, how does thatreality, how does that reality
look like? And how does it looklike? I mean, like you're
(14:20):
asking, like, for most women,and the reality is that it's,
it's, it's still not easy?
Amanda Gorman (14:27):
No, it's certainly not. Do you think that
most women who are pumping areactually doing it the right way?
Adriana Vazquez (14:34):
That's a very interesting question. I mean, in
many ways, you wonder like, isthere is there a right way or
not like something that Ipersonally tell or share with
people is that pumps work fairlydifferently than how a healthy
(14:55):
baby would breastfeed. So evento begin with, right that's
knowing that there's going to bea difference. And is there a
right way or not? I think thequote unquote, what should
happen is that, for instance, itshouldn't be uncomfortable or it
shouldn't be, like painful andthe fact that a lot of moms end
up, for instance, in ourresearch, we hear that a lot of
(15:18):
moms use the highest setting oftheir pump suction in almost
every pump session and somepercent actually have such a
high, powerful suction that ismuch stronger than, you know,
like, like the newborn, forinstance, right? On the woman's
(15:39):
body and the breast shouldn'tor, I'm not really, shouldn't be
taking that, you know, highsuction every single time that
moms are pumping, and yet momsdo because you expect again,
this technology to do the workfor you, and if it's the setting
on the pump right where you isimagine you're like, "Okay, I'm
trying to get as much milk aspossible and also as fast as
(16:01):
possible, because I'm super timeconstrained." So it's such a
natural, kind of like, thing totry to do. But the reality is
that if, you know, instead ofthat high pump suction setting,
it was the baby breastfeeding,the baby wouldn't use that high
suction because the baby wouldalso be kneading at the breast
and be warm and, and on top of,you know, all of the physical
(16:25):
stimulus. There's also like, theemotional and hormonal stimulus
thats happening. Going that way,you know, it is almost like,
what does it mean to some?
What's the right or wrong way topump, because once again, in
that things are fairly lacking,and fairly far behind where they
could be. But I do think that,for instance, for a month that's
asking that question, of course,we have, as we always say, and I
(16:45):
am sure you too right, alwayscheck with, you know, if you can
with an IBCLC, or some othermedical professional, but you
should also ask the mom, youknow, like, hopefully, follow
certain guidelines, right? Andif you feel that its too much or
if you're in pain, and it'sconstant pain, or you notice
some injury and on your breastknow that it's probably not
(17:08):
working out the right way. Itcould be something with the pump
thats not right, it could bethat the face of the flange is
not right. There's so manythings. But I think that it's a
common question. But I thinkthat also speaks about how,
again, lacking and far behindpump technology can be, because
in an ideal world, it'ssomething that you could just
(17:31):
put on your breast and it doesthis work the right way and you
don't even have to think about,"Am I doing this right or
wrong?" But I think that's arule of thumb, if you feel that
something's not right, alwayslike, kind of like trust your
instinct, trust your gut, andseek help, because help is out
there. Right. So on yourplatform, Nest Collaborative,
there's somebody there that canprobably help you answer that
(17:52):
question.
Amanda Gorman (17:55):
Absolutely. You know, and we know that most
women don't make it to sixmonths, which is really the
minimum recommendation from theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics,
like you mentioned. And we knowthat so many women don't make
it. In fact, I think it's like70%, don't make it to that
minimum and end up even justquitting their breastfeeding
(18:16):
journey early. Why do you thinkthat is?
Adriana Vazquez (18:19):
I mean, it's, it's so many moms feel so guilty
when that kind of decision. It'ssometimes that decision isn't
even made by them, that decisionis made for them, right, again,
because of all the difficultiesand challenges that they face,
especially when they have toreturn to work, I think. I mean,
(18:40):
that's one big thing right. Oneis we see a massive drop off,
you know, in the in the weeksor, or shortly after returning
to work because, you know,babies are still growing, having
some growth spurts, but nowsuddenly, you're away from the
baby. And again, all that Imean, breastfeeding and
lactation, right, it's such a,when it's going well, it's such
(19:04):
a virtuous cycle, but you needto feed off from the emptying
the breast to all the cues ofhaving your baby caused by the
hormonal shifts in the body. Sowhen you abruptly take that
away, as happens with very shortmaternity leave policy, say,
again, you're just not being setup for success. And I think,
(19:24):
okay, that's, that's a very bigreason for some of the high
attrition rates. And itshouldn't, or doesn't have to be
that way. Again, the more thatthe support system is there,
again, if there was betteraccess to pump breaks, if the
technology was better, if youhad support in those critical
(19:46):
time periods, I think probably alot of moms, you know, like, you
kind of get sent back from thehospital without necessarily
like all the guidance or youdon't even know what questions
to ask before. You actually haveto go through through the
motions and I think that'sanother critical thing that's
missing, right? Like having thataccess when moms need it. And if
(20:07):
those, all of those differentparts of the equation are not
there, I think it's really not asurprise that so many moms
despite those, again, highattrition rates, which shows
that moms really do want tobreastfeed. But I mean, it's a,
you're fighting this uphillbattle and, you know, with
(20:28):
others, all these other thingsthat are, you know, competing
for a mom's time, for herattention. And if you add this
complexity to something likebreastfeeding, you're just
making the life of a new mom, somuch more difficult than I
actually, you know, think thatunless we fundamentally fix some
(20:50):
of those things, even, you know,as much as we improve pumping
technology and as much as theywant to see improving, and we
need all those pieces ofequation to be in place, so that
more mom can reach therecommended six months of
exclusive breastfeeding and 12months or beyond right of
breastfeeding, because that'sthe other thing, right? The
(21:13):
World Health Organizationactually recommends two years,
but we're so far from meetingthat in the US that, you know,
let's take it one step at atime. But the reality is that
more moms should be able tobreastfeed until they decide
that they're ready to wean, asopposed to what's happening now
that moms I think are quittingbecause it's just, it's just so
(21:35):
hard to keep up with it.
Amanda Gorman (21:37):
Yeah. Well, no doubt with that. You know, one
of the key components you'vediscovered is massage. Massaging
the breast in conjunction withpumping. What have you learned?
Adriana Vazquez (21:50):
Yeah, well, we've done quite a bit of
research on this, right. Andthat's why we started with this
as our first product. We decidedto automate breast massage, or
maybe if it's enough to get thebreast massage while pumping,
because research shows that whenmoms massage their breasts while
(22:15):
pumping, they can get around 50%more milk expressed. And this
really matters, obviously, kindof at the first level, right.
It's okay, great, you get moremilk in that one session. But it
really isn't just about onespecific session, it's about the
long term milk production,right? Going back to again how,
(22:39):
you know, production works,right, you have to, after the
initial initiation of milkproduction afterwards, it's
really just driven by the moreyou express, the more milk you
produce right. And you have tokeep that up. Or otherwise there
counter is true, right?
Otherwise, that's how weaningbegins and what happens
currently with so many momsusing breast pumps. And going
(23:02):
back to how they don't alwayswork, or especially again, they
don't closely mimic how ahealthy baby breastfeeds is that
a lot of milk is left in thebreast if you're only using the
suction from the breast pump. Somassage is basically adding kind
of that complimentary, you know,stimulus, that is helping milk
(23:26):
flow through the milk ducts.
Right, it's closer to thenipple, and that can be
collected by this suction. Butagain, it's also actually the
physical stimulus in the breast,right, that's triggering other
hormonal processes. But I guessthere's other papers, you know,
(23:50):
I actually, I really want to useresearch as the foundation for a
lot of the technology orproducts we will produce. And
because I think that otherwise,you know, if we don't base
things on research, right, yousay there's always like, like
grandma recipes. Their couldactually be reasons why some of
(24:14):
these home remedies, quoteunquote, like actually do work,
but we need to make sure thatwe're putting out things that
there's, again, a good solid,scientific and research
foundation on. And the otherthing, though, again, that we
found is that okay, there's,there's research out there, but
it's something that for manyyears, and many decades and
(24:38):
centuries, even have been usedin other cultures, like in, in
Asia, like breast massage isactually very common. So I think
we want to kind of have thiscombination of, okay, we know
that it's proven to work byresearch, but again, there is
evidence, anecdotal and justfrom historically, right. Were
(24:59):
breast massage is almost likethis very intuitive thing that
many moms eventually mightdiscover, right? Like,
especially when you have somepain in the breast or milk, like
it's plugged in a duct in thebreast, like you massage that
part on the breast, and you willsee the immediate effect. So it
was a mixture of that, you knowwhy we decided to focus on
massage. And the fact thatagain, that when we look at
(25:22):
breast pumps that only usesuction and they need, they need
so much more of a stimulus. Andkind of, it's no longer one of
our taglines. But we, we stillbelieve it's strongly one of our
key pillar, you know, we want tomake breast pumping more closely
(25:42):
resemble natural breastfeeding,because otherwise, right, again,
like with breast pumps beingjust like, cold machines, it's
just not gonna be great, wewould never obviously gonna get
wonderful results as a healthylittle human baby, because
(26:04):
humans are amazing andmiraculous the way we work
great. But, but at least, youknow, we can learn from nature,
and incorporate what's out therein nature, and bring that into
pumping technology. So that'swhy we focus on the facts,
research, anecdotal evidence.
And, and it's something thatmany moms already do.
Amanda Gorman (26:26):
Yeah, no, and you've done such a great job at
it, taking the research that'sout there, and inventing
something that we need andworks. So tell me, how did it
even come about that you came todevelop Lilu?
Adriana Vazquez (26:41):
Yeah, so um, I always thought technology has
this way to make people's liveseasier or bring joy into
people's lives or improve ourhealth. And then I think at some
point, right, as I started tosee friends, colleagues,
(27:05):
professors, as I always say,like, I mean, I know, some
people that are like amazingdesigners or exceptional
engineers. And when they had tobreastfeed and breast pump, they
still were so disappointed andstruggled with the technology
(27:25):
and I, the other thing that Inoticed is that a lot of moms
feel that they're kind ofstruggling or suffering alone,
and that they're the only onesthat are having difficulty. And
in reality, the technology isfailing them. So I think I had
this kind of chance to justconnected to you like, here I
am, this like, woman in STEMthat loves technology. And then
(27:49):
I realized, again, how womentell, like tech has fallen so
far behind. I think that themore I talk to, to friends, the
more I talk to moms and the morethat more women opened up and
shared their stories. And,again, I found this recurring
theme of like, you know, feelingguilty feeling like, you know,
(28:10):
they, they were failingthemselves, like they were
failing their babies, and theywere failing themselves. And
it's like, no, it's not you.
Like, this is actually one ofthe things it's like, it's, "Oh
it's me." It's like, no, it'snot you. It's the technology for
sure. So I wanted to use myskills to make a difference
there. Like, again, I do believeit's a very complex problem that
(28:34):
goes beyond technology, we needbetter education, and we need
better regulations, to supportmoms. But the one piece of the
puzzle that I can move istechnology. So I decided that I
wanted to spend my career, or atleast you know the time that I
(28:56):
have in the near future, toinnovate for moms, to innovate
for maternal and postnatalhealth. And I feel that with
breastfeeding and breastpumping, it's just the
beginning. And you've probablyseen this as well, through the
work you do with Nest. But, youknow, in the US, right, we have
(29:18):
such high rates of postpartumdepression and postpartum mood
disorders. And I actually thinkit's all kind of linked, right.
When we see a mom that isstruggling to produce enough
milk for their baby, and shecomes to us, you know, we have
this like chat on our website.
(29:43):
And you'll be surprised whatmom's write there, you know,
like, they're asking for help.
And so for us they are askingfor help with for product, but
many times you can really seethat there's much more in their
minds and that they're reallystruggling and they're really
suffering and I think that um, Ithink that's what that's what
drives me. Right? I feel likeOkay, why is it that we have
like moms asking for help, youknow, breastfeeding support or
(30:07):
breastfeed or just likeencouragement even sometimes on
chat for our websites, right,that's selling a product. And I
think, for me, that speaks somuch about how much more work we
need to do. And, you know, Iknow, we're contributing in the
one way we can, which is throughphysical product innovation. But
(30:30):
I really see as part of whatwe're doing and building, you
know, to have these veryimportant conversations,
important conversations thatwe're having, you know, with
other founders in certaincompetitions that, when and if
the time is right, you know,maybe we can have with
policymakers, because women, andthat's like we say, like moms
(30:50):
deserve more, and they deservemore support, they deserve more
innovation, they deserve bettertechnology. And that's really
what, what drives me.
Amanda Gorman (31:05):
No, it's wonderful. You know, you're
doing great things. And I knowyou'll do more. So I'm curious,
what's next for Lilu?
Adriana Vazquez (31:14):
What's next is, we would absolutely love to
continue to develop theportfolio of products. So right
now we have the Lilu massagebra, we actually are very close
to launching the secondgeneration of the bra, which
simply is going to be animproved and we're extending
(31:40):
sizes for the bra, which isreally exciting, because that's
one of the number one thingsthat moms ask us, but hopefully
after, I think there's otherareas in like breastfeeding and
breast pumping that will need tobe addressed, we are kind of
super laser focused onalleviating pain, again, because
I feel this physical pain,often, you know, if it doesn't
(32:05):
directly feed into some of theanxiety or emotional pain that
sometimes moms experience, itdoesn't help. Right, so we want
to really tackle some of thedifferent areas that are
contributing to some of thephysical pain that moms
experience, while breathpumping. And the second thing
(32:28):
would be, to... yeah, to I mean,continue to be a resource for
moms, and to continue tohopefully also support and
connect with other companiesthat are in the space so that we
can, you know, support eachother, like one of the big
things that we're also launchingis a resource page for moms.
(32:52):
Right. So, for instance,connecting them to the lactation
consultation services that theycan, they can get through Nest
Collaborative or you know,another partner that offers like
fitness and postpartum, youknow, classes like to strengthen
(33:15):
pelvic floor and all of that. Sothose are some of the thing that
we're excited about, the morethat we can be a connector of
the different resources and kindof continue to help moms build
that support network. And whilewe, yes, continue to expand our
product line.
Amanda Gorman (33:36):
That's so great for you to offer all those
ancillary resources, becauseit's a lot easier for moms when
they just have one place to goone web page. And so it's it's
great that you're adding inthose I love that. But really,
you know, Adriana, it's beensuch a pleasure having you
today. And I feel like we haveso far to go when it comes to
applying technology tomotherhood. But women like you
(34:00):
are really leading the charge.
And it's so nice to see. Youknow, because mom, mom-hood is
really so hard. And we've becomejust too good at just pushing
through the obstacles withoutreally batting an eyelash. So
I'm super excited to see youknow what's coming down the line
for you and for Lilu and lovehow the work you're doing is
just truly changingbreastfeeding culture for for
(34:20):
moms everywhere. And for ourlisteners who want to learn more
about Lilu, where where can theyconnect with you? What's the
website?
Adriana Vazquez (34:29):
They can find us at wearlilu.com that's
W-E-A-R-L-I-L-U. And yeah, no,we were so thrilled also but I
think we've already touchedabout all the different
innovations that are happeningbut beyond Lilu, right, we also
want to be a connector and offermoms some of the different
resources. And I think I thinkthe future is bright, right? We
(34:53):
didn't really get to cover itbut moms now have the options of
wearable prong or milk analyticsand there's a lot of futuristic
innovation happening. But theother key area that's really
seeing innovation is yeah, Imean all everything that can
offer moms, convenience andsupport. So were mom can connect
(35:16):
now to their lactationconsultants and telehealth and
telemedicine. There's so manyexciting things happening in the
space. And, yes, hopefully cancount Lilu as one more tool in
their toolkit. And absolutely,if anybody wants to learn more,
they can visit us at ourwebsite.
Amanda Gorman (35:36):
Awesome. Well, it sounds like you certainly are
being the advocate you you'vetalked about wanting to be so
thank you so much. I reallyappreciate you being here with
us today. And so you know in inour final outgoing I want to
just tell those mamas andmamas-to-be that, that that's
what we have for you today, butI know I learned a ton and I
hope you did too. And as always,we really want to be covering
(35:57):
the topics that you most want tohear about. So if you have a
question or an idea in mind,please don't be shy. Visit us on
our website or send us a messageon Facebook or Instagram. So
until then next week, it's meAmanda wishing you very well on
your breastfeeding journey. Boobye. [Outro] Breastfeeding
(36:19):
Unplugged. Breastfeedingunplugged.
[Intro] Breastfeeding Unplugged.
Welcome. Welcome. Welcome mamasand mamas-to-be. A podcast
dedicated to helping momsnavigate their way through the
tricky world of breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding Unplugged.
(00:22):
Breastfeeding Unplugged.
Hello there mamas andmamas-to-be. We are so thrilled
to have you here for today'spodcast. I am your host Amanda
Gorman of Nest Collaborative.
And this week, we're talkingabout what we like to call
breastfeeding 2.0. I don't knowabout you but when I got
pregnant with my first child, Igot a ton of advice. Some of it
(00:44):
was great. And a lot of it wascompletely silly. And much of
what people had to say seemed abit outdated. I came to discover
that pretty much any of myfellow friends in my circle who
had ever given birth hadsomething to say. But instead of
actual knowledge, a lot of theadvice I was getting was more of
(01:04):
a projection of their ownpersonal experiences. And while
that definitely was sometimeshelpful, I often found it more
confusing than anything,especially when it came to
breastfeeding. So I wondered,have you ever wondered why
motherhood in general andbreastfeeding in particular
attracts so many wives tales andgenerational remedies? You know,
(01:25):
from cabbage leaves to drinkingbeer, many of those helpful
hints that we get forbreastfeeding is actually age
old advice passed down throughthe decades. In a world that's
completely dictated bytechnology, now this seems a bit
at odds with what we are as asociety today. Have there really
been no advancements inbreastfeeding? Is this advice
(01:46):
passed down from our moms, ourgrandmothers and our auntie's
actually still sage? Today weare going to find out so with me
here is Adriana Vazquez. She isa cofounder and CEO of Lilu,
which is a company that hascreated the first ever massaging
pump bra. Adriana's long list ofcredentials includes being
(02:07):
recognized as one of the top 30femtech healthcare influencers
of the year. And the patent forher bra nabbed her
Philadelphia's Invention of theYear in just 2019. While most of
the breastfeeding world stillrelies on age old wisdom, she is
leading the charge to bringtechnology into motherhood,
which makes life a heck of a loteasier for those of us who want
(02:28):
to breastfeed successfully whileworking, parenting and managing
our increasingly busy day-to-daylives. So Adriana, welcome. I'm
very thrilled to have you hereon the show today.
Adriana Vazquez (02:39):
Thank you so much, Amanda, I'm so thrilled to
be sure as well. And as always,I'd love to catch up with you
and what you've been doing andwhat Nest Collaborative is doing
for all the moms out there. Butas you know, this is a topic
that is so exciting for me. Sothanks so much for having me
here today.
Amanda Gorman (02:58):
No, I love it. So a little funny backstory,
Adriana and I met several yearsago in the great city of New
York, at an event for femalefounders. And it was this huge
event with all of theseburgeoning women who had founded
or were in the process offounding companies. And it was
at Google, and there werehundreds of women there. And I
(03:21):
was quite intimidated and wasn'teven sure if I was supposed to
be there or not. And just wasnetworking around and kind of
meeting people and sharing withthem what I did. And they said
to me, well, you've got to findthat Adriana. She's also in the
boob business. And and we kindof stuck out to every one of
these, you know, two femalefounders who were in the same
business of breastfeeding. But Ican't say how actually relieved
(03:43):
I was that day to actually findsomeone who seemed to be
speaking my language. So she andI have, you know, kept in touch
and kept tabs on what we've beendoing in this world of, you
know, finding a business andmaking it run and all the ins
and outs. And so it's been agreat resource to have just to
check in, like you said, but I'mso thrilled to have you. So
(04:05):
thank you. And I guess you know,what's happened since we met?
I'd love to just kind of catchup.
Adriana Vazquez (04:11):
Yeah, of course, I remember that day so
clearly, especially now that wecan't do networking in person.
But it was a beautiful sunny dayin the Google headquarters here
in New York City. But yeah, likeyou said, it was such a pleasure
to meet another female founderworking on the important problem
of how can we make it easier fornew moms through technology and
(04:35):
innovation, right to meet theirbreastfeeding goals. So what
happened since then, we launchedour first product, using the
scratchpad that you already gavea little bit of an intro about,
but yeah, this year has beensuper exciting for us. It's
(04:56):
really just about getting theword out there. Seeing the
product in the hands of 1000s ofmoms now, and just sharing the
stories about how our innovationcan make a difference for moms
who are breastfeeding, but alsolearning, right, a lot of
listening and hearing how, howcan we improve? How can we be
(05:16):
better? And where else can wepossibly help? And super excited
also to see that this is kind ofthe fastest thing in the
breastfeeding and breast pumpingspace. So like, because both you
and I have been in here in thisspace for for a couple years
now. But I'm sure you've alsoseen that, I think right with
(05:39):
what's happening with COVID andthe pandemic in one of the
potential silver linings of allof this is that I think there's
been a little bit more of aconversation right around how
can we be there for moms,especially when a lot of the
things that used to be in-personnow have to be remote in some
(06:00):
way or another? So I think it'sa, it's an interesting time. But
also what a challenging time,right, to become a new mom and a
new parent. But I think this iswhere we get to hopefully rise
up to that challenge, and seehow we can be of help to some of
our different innovations.
Amanda Gorman (06:21):
Yeah, absolutely.
Certainly rising to the occasionthis year. I'd love to know, you
know, in terms of technology,why do you think breastfeeding
is taken such a backseat when itcomes to innovation? Yeah.
Adriana Vazquez (06:36):
Yeah. I mean, that's such a great and very
complex question. It has so manylayers. I would say that if we
if take a look at the, you know,cultural shift over the past few
decades, one big thing thathappened, right, is that I mean,
in the 70s, when technology wason the rise, there was like the
(07:00):
rise of Silicon Valley and allthat. Breastfeeding was not the
norm back then. I think that inmany ways, right, because many
moms were feeding formula. Andthat's, you know, has many, both
positive and some interestingconsequences, but one of them
(07:25):
was that there were so manywomen in the workforce, either
because they wanted to, or insome cases, they had no other
option. But because of that, Ithink that again, what happened,
right, we had technologyinnovation, happening at an
immense fast pace. I think,again, breastfeeding has taken
(07:45):
kind of a backseat in society atsome point. And suddenly, that
clicked. That stuff startedslipping in, you know, by the
90s, 2000s, and today, it's kindof reversed, right? We have so
many more moms initiatingbreastfeeding than before. But
(08:09):
we still have women in theworkforce. So there's kind of
these moms are put in, you know,between a hard rock and a place,
you know, we're told about allthe wonderful benefits of
breastfeeding. And yet thereality and the context in which
women are breastfeeding today,right? It's, you know, you're
juggling career, you're jugglingall these, all these things. And
(08:33):
technology in the meantime, haskind of just focused on
everything but women's health Itfeels like. And, again, I think
it's a super complex and superinteresting question. And so I
think one thing is culturalnorms, and regulation and
support for moms to be able tobreastfeed and pump in the work
(08:54):
place, left behind so manythings. But we're here to talk
about technology, right? So Ithink the other big thing that
happened in the technologyworld, is that a lot of the tech
products were being designed,built and funded by men. So we
need more women to be in STEM,so that more women can be
(09:16):
innovating. That's not the onlyway. We also need to have more
female founders, right, likebeing funded. And more women
funding these innovations. Ithink, again, in the technology
world, right, you need so manypieces and so many parts of of
this equation to be moving inthe same direction before we are
(09:39):
going to see more and more ofthese changes. But at least from
the technology world, I thinkthat there's a conversation that
has started and it's not goingto stop, right, the fact that we
need more innovation for womenby women. And that when it comes
to women's health, like maternalhealth is such an important part
(10:02):
of it and I think that's, again,one of the reasons why in the
last, what it's been like, fiveyears perhaps, we're finally
seeing breastfeeding innovationand funding going into it.
Amanda Gorman (10:20):
Absolutely. And let's hope that continues. But
you're right, you make a reallygood point, you know, we do,
you're right, we have the most,you know, highest initiation
rates that we've seen in decadesfor breastfeeding. And so, of
course, certainly 40 years ago,when women weren't as apt to
choose to breastfeed, you know,the focus was on Atari and
(10:40):
microwaves. But there's been akind of a lag, I mean, we've
we've now upped the ante interms of breastfeeding women. So
it is certainly overdue forsome, some innovations. So
you're doing it, you know, Ihope we're doing it at Nest
Collaborative. So I'm happy thatwe're in this together. But you
(11:00):
talk about, you know, all thebalance of working and being a
new mom and the balance isreally difficult. You know, you
shared some data that 85% ofmoms are pumping in some
capacity. So, what does pumpingreally look like for most women?
Adriana Vazquez (11:18):
Well, it varies, so much. Like, in
theory, employers are requiredto provide a reasonable amount
of time and space to expressmilk as frequently as moms need
to. And for up to one year,right, which is the
(11:40):
recommendation by the AmericanAssociation of Pediatrics, but I
think the reality is, it's alittle different, right? I
think, many moms still don'thave a sanitary, let alone a
comfortable place, to pumpcomfortably. And then
realistically, many moms can'tfind a time, right in between
their work constraints. We hearoften from teachers, or, like
(12:05):
nurses and other medicalprofessionals, or people that
have, you know, to work inspecific time shifts, and
simply, you know, they can'taccommodate pumping, you know,
every two to three or three tofour hours. As, in reality, they
should be able to, and thenthere's a lot of employers which
are also exempt, like, I think Iwas checking. What are the
(12:30):
latest guidelines, and if youhave less than 60 employees you
are exempt from this rule. So Ithink like a lot of moms that
are working at smaller companiesor you know, it's just not, it's
just not a reality. So I thinkmoms have to... and I think this
is also another reason why a lotof maybe sometimes innovation
(12:52):
doesn't happen as fast as wewould like it to. It's because I
think also as women, we try tohack our way to a solution. And
just find, you know, we've heardfrom so many moms, and I'm sure
you as well, right, that arepumping in bathrooms or in
classes, or just, you know, inplanes, and all these all these
(13:15):
places where really, youshouldn't but that's the
reality, like, that's what wewomen do, right? We find ways to
solve our, our differentchallenges. But it just
shouldn't be that difficult,right? I mean, I think we should
always go by, I mean, theresearch is pretty clear, right?
For a mom to maintain a healthymilk supply, she has to pump,
(13:39):
like [unknown] see that her babyfeeding time? Otherwise, you
know, we're not setting up womenfor success. And I think that's
what employers that's what,that's what regulator, that's
what other people that have itin their hands, to make it
easier for mom to understand,right? Because one thing is,
(13:59):
again, what we say, you know, intheory, yes, like a lot of
progress has been done for, youknow, on that regulatory
standpoint, or, in theory,again, like we are really trying
to make an interestingtechnology. But it all goes back
to yeah, like, how does thatreality, how does that reality
look like? And how does it looklike? I mean, like you're
(14:20):
asking, like, for most women,and the reality is that it's,
it's, it's still not easy?
Amanda Gorman (14:27):
No, it's certainly not. Do you think that
most women who are pumping areactually doing it the right way?
Adriana Vazquez (14:34):
That's a very interesting question. I mean, in
many ways, you wonder like, isthere is there a right way or
not like something that Ipersonally tell or share with
people is that pumps work fairlydifferently than how a healthy
(14:55):
baby would breastfeed. So evento begin with, right that's
knowing that there's going to bea difference. And is there a
right way or not? I think thequote unquote, what should
happen is that, for instance, itshouldn't be uncomfortable or it
shouldn't be, like painful andthe fact that a lot of moms end
up, for instance, in ourresearch, we hear that a lot of
(15:18):
moms use the highest setting oftheir pump suction in almost
every pump session and somepercent actually have such a
high, powerful suction that ismuch stronger than, you know,
like, like the newborn, forinstance, right? On the woman's
(15:39):
body and the breast shouldn'tor, I'm not really, shouldn't be
taking that, you know, highsuction every single time that
moms are pumping, and yet momsdo because you expect again,
this technology to do the workfor you, and if it's the setting
on the pump right where you isimagine you're like, "Okay, I'm
trying to get as much milk aspossible and also as fast as
(16:01):
possible, because I'm super timeconstrained." So it's such a
natural, kind of like, thing totry to do. But the reality is
that if, you know, instead ofthat high pump suction setting,
it was the baby breastfeeding,the baby wouldn't use that high
suction because the baby wouldalso be kneading at the breast
and be warm and, and on top of,you know, all of the physical
(16:25):
stimulus. There's also like, theemotional and hormonal stimulus
thats happening. Going that way,you know, it is almost like,
what does it mean to some?
What's the right or wrong way topump, because once again, in
that things are fairly lacking,and fairly far behind where they
could be. But I do think that,for instance, for a month that's
asking that question, of course,we have, as we always say, and I
(16:45):
am sure you too right, alwayscheck with, you know, if you can
with an IBCLC, or some othermedical professional, but you
should also ask the mom, youknow, like, hopefully, follow
certain guidelines, right? Andif you feel that its too much or
if you're in pain, and it'sconstant pain, or you notice
some injury and on your breastknow that it's probably not
(17:08):
working out the right way. Itcould be something with the pump
thats not right, it could bethat the face of the flange is
not right. There's so manythings. But I think that it's a
common question. But I thinkthat also speaks about how,
again, lacking and far behindpump technology can be, because
in an ideal world, it'ssomething that you could just
(17:31):
put on your breast and it doesthis work the right way and you
don't even have to think about,"Am I doing this right or
wrong?" But I think that's arule of thumb, if you feel that
something's not right, alwayslike, kind of like trust your
instinct, trust your gut, andseek help, because help is out
there. Right. So on yourplatform, Nest Collaborative,
there's somebody there that canprobably help you answer that
(17:52):
question.
Amanda Gorman (17:55):
Absolutely. You know, and we know that most
women don't make it to sixmonths, which is really the
minimum recommendation from theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics,
like you mentioned. And we knowthat so many women don't make
it. In fact, I think it's like70%, don't make it to that
minimum and end up even justquitting their breastfeeding
(18:16):
journey early. Why do you thinkthat is?
Adriana Vazquez (18:19):
I mean, it's, it's so many moms feel so guilty
when that kind of decision. It'ssometimes that decision isn't
even made by them, that decisionis made for them, right, again,
because of all the difficultiesand challenges that they face,
especially when they have toreturn to work, I think. I mean,
(18:40):
that's one big thing right. Oneis we see a massive drop off,
you know, in the in the weeksor, or shortly after returning
to work because, you know,babies are still growing, having
some growth spurts, but nowsuddenly, you're away from the
baby. And again, all that Imean, breastfeeding and
lactation, right, it's such a,when it's going well, it's such
(19:04):
a virtuous cycle, but you needto feed off from the emptying
the breast to all the cues ofhaving your baby caused by the
hormonal shifts in the body. Sowhen you abruptly take that
away, as happens with very shortmaternity leave policy, say,
again, you're just not being setup for success. And I think,
(19:24):
okay, that's, that's a very bigreason for some of the high
attrition rates. And itshouldn't, or doesn't have to be
that way. Again, the more thatthe support system is there,
again, if there was betteraccess to pump breaks, if the
technology was better, if youhad support in those critical
(19:46):
time periods, I think probably alot of moms, you know, like, you
kind of get sent back from thehospital without necessarily
like all the guidance or youdon't even know what questions
to ask before. You actually haveto go through through the
motions and I think that'sanother critical thing that's
missing, right? Like having thataccess when moms need it. And if
(20:07):
those, all of those differentparts of the equation are not
there, I think it's really not asurprise that so many moms
despite those, again, highattrition rates, which shows
that moms really do want tobreastfeed. But I mean, it's a,
you're fighting this uphillbattle and, you know, with
(20:28):
others, all these other thingsthat are, you know, competing
for a mom's time, for herattention. And if you add this
complexity to something likebreastfeeding, you're just
making the life of a new mom, somuch more difficult than I
actually, you know, think thatunless we fundamentally fix some
(20:50):
of those things, even, you know,as much as we improve pumping
technology and as much as theywant to see improving, and we
need all those pieces ofequation to be in place, so that
more mom can reach therecommended six months of
exclusive breastfeeding and 12months or beyond right of
breastfeeding, because that'sthe other thing, right? The
(21:13):
World Health Organizationactually recommends two years,
but we're so far from meetingthat in the US that, you know,
let's take it one step at atime. But the reality is that
more moms should be able tobreastfeed until they decide
that they're ready to wean, asopposed to what's happening now
that moms I think are quittingbecause it's just, it's just so
(21:35):
hard to keep up with it.
Amanda Gorman (21:37):
Yeah. Well, no doubt with that. You know, one
of the key components you'vediscovered is massage. Massaging
the breast in conjunction withpumping. What have you learned?
Adriana Vazquez (21:50):
Yeah, well, we've done quite a bit of
research on this, right. Andthat's why we started with this
as our first product. We decidedto automate breast massage, or
maybe if it's enough to get thebreast massage while pumping,
because research shows that whenmoms massage their breasts while
(22:15):
pumping, they can get around 50%more milk expressed. And this
really matters, obviously, kindof at the first level, right.
It's okay, great, you get moremilk in that one session. But it
really isn't just about onespecific session, it's about the
long term milk production,right? Going back to again how,
(22:39):
you know, production works,right, you have to, after the
initial initiation of milkproduction afterwards, it's
really just driven by the moreyou express, the more milk you
produce right. And you have tokeep that up. Or otherwise there
counter is true, right?
Otherwise, that's how weaningbegins and what happens
currently with so many momsusing breast pumps. And going
(23:02):
back to how they don't alwayswork, or especially again, they
don't closely mimic how ahealthy baby breastfeeds is that
a lot of milk is left in thebreast if you're only using the
suction from the breast pump. Somassage is basically adding kind
of that complimentary, you know,stimulus, that is helping milk
(23:26):
flow through the milk ducts.
Right, it's closer to thenipple, and that can be
collected by this suction. Butagain, it's also actually the
physical stimulus in the breast,right, that's triggering other
hormonal processes. But I guessthere's other papers, you know,
(23:50):
I actually, I really want to useresearch as the foundation for a
lot of the technology orproducts we will produce. And
because I think that otherwise,you know, if we don't base
things on research, right, yousay there's always like, like
grandma recipes. Their couldactually be reasons why some of
(24:14):
these home remedies, quoteunquote, like actually do work,
but we need to make sure thatwe're putting out things that
there's, again, a good solid,scientific and research
foundation on. And the otherthing, though, again, that we
found is that okay, there's,there's research out there, but
it's something that for manyyears, and many decades and
(24:38):
centuries, even have been usedin other cultures, like in, in
Asia, like breast massage isactually very common. So I think
we want to kind of have thiscombination of, okay, we know
that it's proven to work byresearch, but again, there is
evidence, anecdotal and justfrom historically, right. Were
(24:59):
breast massage is almost likethis very intuitive thing that
many moms eventually mightdiscover, right? Like,
especially when you have somepain in the breast or milk, like
it's plugged in a duct in thebreast, like you massage that
part on the breast, and you willsee the immediate effect. So it
was a mixture of that, you knowwhy we decided to focus on
massage. And the fact thatagain, that when we look at
(25:22):
breast pumps that only usesuction and they need, they need
so much more of a stimulus. Andkind of, it's no longer one of
our taglines. But we, we stillbelieve it's strongly one of our
key pillar, you know, we want tomake breast pumping more closely
(25:42):
resemble natural breastfeeding,because otherwise, right, again,
like with breast pumps beingjust like, cold machines, it's
just not gonna be great, wewould never obviously gonna get
wonderful results as a healthylittle human baby, because
(26:04):
humans are amazing andmiraculous the way we work
great. But, but at least, youknow, we can learn from nature,
and incorporate what's out therein nature, and bring that into
pumping technology. So that'swhy we focus on the facts,
research, anecdotal evidence.
And, and it's something thatmany moms already do.
Amanda Gorman (26:26):
Yeah, no, and you've done such a great job at
it, taking the research that'sout there, and inventing
something that we need andworks. So tell me, how did it
even come about that you came todevelop Lilu?
Adriana Vazquez (26:41):
Yeah, so um, I always thought technology has
this way to make people's liveseasier or bring joy into
people's lives or improve ourhealth. And then I think at some
point, right, as I started tosee friends, colleagues,
(27:05):
professors, as I always say,like, I mean, I know, some
people that are like amazingdesigners or exceptional
engineers. And when they had tobreastfeed and breast pump, they
still were so disappointed andstruggled with the technology
(27:25):
and I, the other thing that Inoticed is that a lot of moms
feel that they're kind ofstruggling or suffering alone,
and that they're the only onesthat are having difficulty. And
in reality, the technology isfailing them. So I think I had
this kind of chance to justconnected to you like, here I
am, this like, woman in STEMthat loves technology. And then
(27:49):
I realized, again, how womentell, like tech has fallen so
far behind. I think that themore I talk to, to friends, the
more I talk to moms and the morethat more women opened up and
shared their stories. And,again, I found this recurring
theme of like, you know, feelingguilty feeling like, you know,
(28:10):
they, they were failingthemselves, like they were
failing their babies, and theywere failing themselves. And
it's like, no, it's not you.
Like, this is actually one ofthe things it's like, it's, "Oh
it's me." It's like, no, it'snot you. It's the technology for
sure. So I wanted to use myskills to make a difference
there. Like, again, I do believeit's a very complex problem that
(28:34):
goes beyond technology, we needbetter education, and we need
better regulations, to supportmoms. But the one piece of the
puzzle that I can move istechnology. So I decided that I
wanted to spend my career, or atleast you know the time that I
(28:56):
have in the near future, toinnovate for moms, to innovate
for maternal and postnatalhealth. And I feel that with
breastfeeding and breastpumping, it's just the
beginning. And you've probablyseen this as well, through the
work you do with Nest. But, youknow, in the US, right, we have
(29:18):
such high rates of postpartumdepression and postpartum mood
disorders. And I actually thinkit's all kind of linked, right.
When we see a mom that isstruggling to produce enough
milk for their baby, and shecomes to us, you know, we have
this like chat on our website.
(29:43):
And you'll be surprised whatmom's write there, you know,
like, they're asking for help.
And so for us they are askingfor help with for product, but
many times you can really seethat there's much more in their
minds and that they're reallystruggling and they're really
suffering and I think that um, Ithink that's what that's what
drives me. Right? I feel likeOkay, why is it that we have
like moms asking for help, youknow, breastfeeding support or
(30:07):
breastfeed or just likeencouragement even sometimes on
chat for our websites, right,that's selling a product. And I
think, for me, that speaks somuch about how much more work we
need to do. And, you know, Iknow, we're contributing in the
one way we can, which is throughphysical product innovation. But
(30:30):
I really see as part of whatwe're doing and building, you
know, to have these veryimportant conversations,
important conversations thatwe're having, you know, with
other founders in certaincompetitions that, when and if
the time is right, you know,maybe we can have with
policymakers, because women, andthat's like we say, like moms
(30:50):
deserve more, and they deservemore support, they deserve more
innovation, they deserve bettertechnology. And that's really
what, what drives me.
Amanda Gorman (31:05):
No, it's wonderful. You know, you're
doing great things. And I knowyou'll do more. So I'm curious,
what's next for Lilu?
Adriana Vazquez (31:14):
What's next is, we would absolutely love to
continue to develop theportfolio of products. So right
now we have the Lilu massagebra, we actually are very close
to launching the secondgeneration of the bra, which
simply is going to be animproved and we're extending
(31:40):
sizes for the bra, which isreally exciting, because that's
one of the number one thingsthat moms ask us, but hopefully
after, I think there's otherareas in like breastfeeding and
breast pumping that will need tobe addressed, we are kind of
super laser focused onalleviating pain, again, because
I feel this physical pain,often, you know, if it doesn't
(32:05):
directly feed into some of theanxiety or emotional pain that
sometimes moms experience, itdoesn't help. Right, so we want
to really tackle some of thedifferent areas that are
contributing to some of thephysical pain that moms
experience, while breathpumping. And the second thing
(32:28):
would be, to... yeah, to I mean,continue to be a resource for
moms, and to continue tohopefully also support and
connect with other companiesthat are in the space so that we
can, you know, support eachother, like one of the big
things that we're also launchingis a resource page for moms.
(32:52):
Right. So, for instance,connecting them to the lactation
consultation services that theycan, they can get through Nest
Collaborative or you know,another partner that offers like
fitness and postpartum, youknow, classes like to strengthen
(33:15):
pelvic floor and all of that. Sothose are some of the thing that
we're excited about, the morethat we can be a connector of
the different resources and kindof continue to help moms build
that support network. And whilewe, yes, continue to expand our
product line.
Amanda Gorman (33:36):
That's so great for you to offer all those
ancillary resources, becauseit's a lot easier for moms when
they just have one place to goone web page. And so it's it's
great that you're adding inthose I love that. But really,
you know, Adriana, it's beensuch a pleasure having you
today. And I feel like we haveso far to go when it comes to
applying technology tomotherhood. But women like you
(34:00):
are really leading the charge.
And it's so nice to see. Youknow, because mom, mom-hood is
really so hard. And we've becomejust too good at just pushing
through the obstacles withoutreally batting an eyelash. So
I'm super excited to see youknow what's coming down the line
for you and for Lilu and lovehow the work you're doing is
just truly changingbreastfeeding culture for for
(34:20):
moms everywhere. And for ourlisteners who want to learn more
about Lilu, where where can theyconnect with you? What's the
website?
Adriana Vazquez (34:29):
They can find us at wearlilu.com that's
W-E-A-R-L-I-L-U. And yeah, no,we were so thrilled also but I
think we've already touchedabout all the different
innovations that are happeningbut beyond Lilu, right, we also
want to be a connector and offermoms some of the different
resources. And I think I thinkthe future is bright, right? We
(34:53):
didn't really get to cover itbut moms now have the options of
wearable prong or milk analyticsand there's a lot of futuristic
innovation happening. But theother key area that's really
seeing innovation is yeah, Imean all everything that can
offer moms, convenience andsupport. So were mom can connect
(35:16):
now to their lactationconsultants and telehealth and
telemedicine. There's so manyexciting things happening in the
space. And, yes, hopefully cancount Lilu as one more tool in
their toolkit. And absolutely,if anybody wants to learn more,
they can visit us at ourwebsite.
Amanda Gorman (35:36):
Awesome. Well, it sounds like you certainly are
being the advocate you you'vetalked about wanting to be so
thank you so much. I reallyappreciate you being here with
us today. And so you know in inour final outgoing I want to
just tell those mamas andmamas-to-be that, that that's
what we have for you today, butI know I learned a ton and I
hope you did too. And as always,we really want to be covering
(35:57):
the topics that you most want tohear about. So if you have a
question or an idea in mind,please don't be shy. Visit us on
our website or send us a messageon Facebook or Instagram. So
until then next week, it's meAmanda wishing you very well on
your breastfeeding journey. Boobye. [Outro] Breastfeeding
(36:19):
Unplugged. Breastfeedingunplugged.
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