Bright Idea: Build a Better Breast Pump
Breast pumps suck. I mean, literally, that’s what they’re designed to do, but figuratively, they are just awful. Painful. Inefficient. LOUD. Like having a vacuum attached to your chest — the furthest thing from actually nursing your baby. Which can be terribly depressing and demotivating to a mom who returns to work but still wants to provide breastmilk for her child. Thank goodness for the women at Limerick! Patricia Kelly and Joan Ortiz are a mother-daughter team who created an amazing workplace lactation program to help companies provide the knowledge, space, and tools to pump at work — because we need to do everything we can to make the transition back to work easier on new moms. And they quickly discovered that even the best pumps they were placing in corporate lactation rooms were total beasts. And that’s when they had the bright idea to re-engineer the breast pump.
Limerick’s PJ Pumps simulate a baby’s natural nursing pattern with a patented compression and vacuum. And the parts are soft silicone — not the standard hard plastic Madonna-cone-bra-like-funnels that are the industry norm. (Girl is a total fashion icon, don’t get me wrong. But no one wants to be strapping one of those on 2-3 times a day — it’s just not COMFORTABLE.) As moms ourselves, we here at Doobry know firsthand that the breast pump market is prime for disruption. There’s been little to no innovation in decades, and the main consumer segment — back-to-work moms — are dissatisfied with their options. With the right marketing strategy to grow their awareness and build brand advocacy and consumer demand, we know Limerick can make a big splash. Check out more about Limerick’s pumps at their website and stay tuned for more Bright Ideas!