It has been several weeks since I’ve posted to the blog and I am happy to share that is largely due to focusing my attention on shipping out our beta test bottle kits! In a future post, I’ll share more on what we determined to be our ‘minimal viable product’ or ‘MVP’ as it is often referred to in the startup world. But our beta test kits are basically a simplified version of what our commercial offering would be; all the same functionality for mamas to test out and give us feedback on.
Perfectly, we started shipping our kits during National Breastfeeding Week and were able to share on social media some incredible stories of our mamas having success pumping and feeding their babies! In reflecting on National Breastfeeding Week and Breastfeeding Awareness month, I got to thinking about how I got to this point with ReMana. Through my own journeys with nursing and pumping to the more general challenges of motherhood while in grad school and starting a business. The first thing my mind rested on is that I have been supported 1000% by the people in my life. Those encouraging me to keep pumping if I wanted to, or to quit if it was taking too big of a toll. To pursue going back to school. Then once I was there in the thick of it, those that helped with a pick-up or drop-off on campus when I needed it. And now, I have women in my life taking time out of their hectic newborn, pumping filled days to test a product for me. Just to support me. Even if the product wasn’t promising and didn’t work, they were willing to give their time. That is freaking incredible. I am so lucky.
Following a week that is focused on supporting women that are sacrificing a lot to nurse or pump for their babies, I am reflecting on all of the moments in the last 8 years where I’ve been lifted up by those around me…in breastfeeding or in trying to make the breastfeeding journey easier for other mamas. The topic of breastfeeding can often become heated on both sides, for or against. But at the root of the contention is that women get shamed for their choice to breastfeed (maybe uncovered) or not to and that is not what women need. Women need each other in their corners. Right now, I can so clearly see that I have immense support from those mamas in my network, and for that I feel so much gratitude! It’s what I hope every woman can kind within her own network and a role that I hope ReMana can play as it grows into more than just a bottle system designed to make your life easier. But a whole community of women that have been connected by wanting better products to support them in motherhood.
There is still space in our beta test so please reach out if you are interested in participating! You can fill out the contact form on the website, send me a DM on Instagram or email me at lindsay@remanaproducts.com
*These images were taken by the Harvard Innovation Lab staff member Dan Pinnolis.