1) Where did you get the idea to invent Lilu? 

While pursuing my masters in product design, I was speaking to friends about the challenges that women face when returning from maternity leave. One day, we decided to start talking to moms. I wanted to dig deeper and understand things they thought could be improved or changed, especially when returning to work.

Invariably, everything kept coming back to the breast pump. And having heard the strong emotions mothers expressed about how challenging and painful they found their current options, that’s what moved me into wanting to improve the breast pump experience.

2) How has the response been to Lilu from mamas that are using it?

We really value user feedback, it keeps us super motivated and inspires us for the next generation of products and product improvements. So we ask for quite a bit of feedback, both on how we can do better and what are things mamas love. There's plenty more features, colors, sizes, and more we want to add to the current version - so what we do next is really going to be determined by what mamas want. 

3) For the mamas that might be having a tough time with breastfeeding, what advice would you give them?

Be kind to yourself - there's so many variables and factors that impact breastfeeding - physical, emotional, and nutritional. It's hard, and it's ok to take it one week, one day, or even one feeding session at a time.

Also, know that you're not alone! There's medical and lactation experts that want to help, and thankfully many of these resources are now available at your fingertips - like with Poppy Seed Health!

4) As we celebrate Women's History Month is there a particular woman that inspires you?

I love this question. I’ve encountered so many women who are always willing to go above and beyond to help other women - and so many women that inspire me. Because being an entrepreneur is a bit of a tough journey, I really want to say how incredibly grateful I am to the amazing women that dedicate their time, effort and resources to lift up other women entrepreneurs. One I know personally is Lynn Loacker from DWT, and the team at ProjectW. 

Another awesome lady, but that I don’t personally know, is Limor “Ladyada” Fried. I think her name is in tribute to Ada Lovelace, who was a pioneer in computer science. She’s the founder of Adafruit, a company that allows people of all ages and skill levels to access microcontrollers and things that people without expertise may not be able to use; but she makes them available for people who want to create. She’s a big influencer in the maker community. She seems pretty fearless and I love that!