Postpartum bras the focus of partnership
Lunnie nursing bra is patent-pending, offers comfort, protection against leaking.
When local entrepreneur Sarah Kallile was postpartum and unable to find a comfortable but still functional bra to help her while she was breastfeeding, she sought out to create her own.
“I had the idea during the pandemic,” Kallile said. “It was January 2021. I was a stay-at-home mom. I had, at the time, just two little girls. I was breastfeeding my youngest, and I was really just fed up with my nursing bra, with how it looked and how it functioned.”
Women already have to go through the process of buying a new bra around the third trimester of the pregnancy due to their sizes going up about a cup size at that time, said Katy Boyd, a lactation consultant at Kettering Health. It becomes even more challenging to find a nursing bra that fits and is comfortable, new moms have told Boyd.
The cut of traditional nursing bras were unflattering, Kallile said, and they didn’t protect against the leakage that can happen when a woman’s body is breastfeeding.
“A lot of moms will wear these additional nursing pads within their bras so leaks don’t show through your top, but the problem is, is these pads, they’re not attached to your bra all, they’re always shifting, and they’re always moving around,” Kallile said.
She wanted to find a bra with leakproof technology, and when she couldn’t find one, she created one. Lunnie’s nursing bra contains leakproof, sewn-in pads that are up to six times more absorbent
than competitors, accord- ing to Kallile.
Kallile knew this was an issue other breastfeeding moms were going through, so she launched her business, Lunnie, in March 2022 with her patent-pending post- partum bra. Kallile, who is now a mom to three daugh- ters, combined her daugh- ters’ names to come up with the name “Lunnie” for her business.
Kallile has since partnered with Kettering Health, which gave away approximately 60 pairs of Lunnie bras and is continuing to sell Lunnie bras in its First Steps Breast- feeding Center of Excellence, located at 1989 Miamisburg Centerville Road. in Center- ville. The center is on the campus of Kettering Washington Township (formerly Southview Medical Center).
“I know firsthand the importance of a good nurs- ing bra for new moms,” Boyd said. “Our moms who received the Lunnie bras are thrilled. They feel more confident wearing a bra that is both functional and flattering.”
Earlier this year, Lunnie was the winner of the Raj Soin Award for Innovation. Kettering Health wanted to find a way to support Lun- nie after that, Boyd said, which led to this partnership between Lunnie and First Steps.
Those who were gifted a Lunnie bra also received a QR code with the bra to help provide Lunnie with feedback for future products, Boyd said.
“I absolutely love my Lunnie bra,” said Katelyn Clark, mom of two and recipient of a gifted Lunnie bra. “It is supportive and so comfortable. The bra has given me confidence in the way I look and feel. I can wear it all day with no leaks. It is also so convenient when breastfeeding in public.”
Some moms became emotional after receiving their Lunnie bra, Boyd said, since it gave them more confidence and comfort.
“I can’t tell you how many people have cried,” Boyd said.
Lunnie bras have also been helping more moms feel bet- ter about going back into the workforce while they are still breastfeeding since the bra helps protect against leaks.
“It would be really hard to return to work and not have a comfortable bra (and a) discreet one,” Boyd said.
A comfortable nursing bra can help mothers feel good while breastfeeding, which the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately six months. This period can be followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods for at least two years and beyond as mutually desired, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.
Infants who are breastfed have reduced risks of asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes, sud- den infant death syndrome, and other illnesses and infec- tions, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
First Steps is an outpatient breastfeeding support center to help with problems that may arise during breastfeed- ing. The center also offers lactation consulting, a free walk-in weigh-in/scale service, and a boutique that is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center also has a support group where moms can get connected on Tuesdays from 10-11 a.m. For more information, First Steps can be reached at (937) 401-6881.
For more information on Lunnie, visit lunnie.com.