Almost 25% of mothers stop breastfeeding within the first three months because it becomes too painful. A further 40% stop because of a decreased milk supply.  ”We came up with three key insights. According to women, pumps felt cold on the breast, too mechanical, and forced them to lean forward to make sure the milk flows down into the bottle.” Elodie Thomas, lead designer

Philips explored the needs of mothers and babies to create a range that gave mothers the best experience, with the aim of helping them breastfeed their babies for longer. Research included a clinical study that confirmed the importance of comfort in helping mothers produce milk. See the backgrounder for more details.

 “Ideally, we wanted a pump that would feel easier to work, and allow
 mothers to sit more comfortably.”
 Dirk Brokken, development lead

Taking comfort as a starting point, we reshaped our breast pumps to make it possible for moms to sit back in a more relaxing position to express milk. Using ultrasound and MRI scanners, we studied how babies actually suckle and we mimicked that to stimulate more milk flow. And we changed the texture of the cushioned silicone funnel that cups the breast, giving it a silky feel that is warm and gentle against the skin.

Using the same insights we also created a new baby bottle, designed to tackle two things: teat acceptance (also known as ‘latch on’) and colic.

You can read the full story in the Inside Innovation backgrounder.