When Alex Sinickas had difficulty using a breast pump to feed her daughter, she set out to completely re-design the traditional breast pump. The Milkdrop cushion is designed to last the entire breast pumping journey, rather than for single-use throwaway product. It is made from 100% silicone and free from BPA, plastic, sulfate, palm oil, additives or lubricants. Milkdrop has set up a circular product lifecycle, where they collect your used cushions for recycling into new products.
Tell us about Milkdrop.
Milkdrop is all about breast pumps. We are a group of Australian designers, engineers and doctors, working on changing how breast pumps feel for women using them to express milk.
We know that for every ten women using a breast pump, seven have nipple discomfort or pain and eight feel like a cow. To help, we make an ultra-soft, squishy, jelly-like silicone cushion, that stretches over the head of most breast pumps, making them softer, more natural-feeling and far more comfortable.
What inspired you to start Milkdrop?
I started Milkdrop after using breast pumps myself. Our daughter, who is now two, had trouble latching, so I pumped to feed her. I found it uncomfortable and frustrating, because I never felt like I was collecting much milk. I was sore, and swollen, and dreaded most sessions, especially the 4am ones. I was pumping six times a day, for months, so I had lots of time to think about how I might improve the experience.
I decided to start working on a prototype after I realised from speaking with other women, that I wasn’t the only one having a tough time.
We designed the cushion by 3D printing prototypes and testing each design on me. We’ve been through 20 iterations and two years of research and development and medical regulations.
We’re inspired to keep going every time we hear from a new mother who is finding that we’ve helped take the edge off her experience and brought her relief.
Tell us about your career and background.
I trained as an engineer, and also studied economics. My career has taken me all over the world, working on all sorts of problems and projects, learning from remarkable teams of people. I’ve worked in finance, in structural and civil engineering, in construction, in research and development, and even as a ski patroller and snow avalanche scientist in Canada.
I suppose the common thread has been problem solving using science. I’m most interested in solving problems that benefit people and the environment, and I find as I progress through my career, I can get pickier about what I choose to work on. It makes me so happy to be able to focus my time now on women’s health.
Describe a typical work day for you.
Well, I have two-year old, so most things revolve around that. On a working day, I start with coffee and no computer or phone. I like to think and plan the day without jumping onto tasks straight away. I try to exercise in the afternoon, which is helpful if I’ve a problem to think through.
This is just the ideal scenario though. Sometimes the day is flat-out nuts, jumping between calls with manufacturers, speaking with clinicians who use our products in their practices, testing out prototypes of our new pump, or speaking with women about how they’re going with pumping and how their babies are faring (my favourite).
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
Choose a problem you want to solve in an area you care deeply about.
Your own business can be all-consuming, so you need to have conviction. Having a larger mission, helps to push through the challenges. I’m grateful for advice I was given early on, which was to keep a written list of testimonials from people who had used our cushions. When I’m having a tough time, I read through that list, and it gives me resolve because I am reminded how we are doing good for someone, and that we should keep going.
Also, surround yourself with people and organisations who want to help. There are more than you think. We’ve gratefully received support and community from countless other business owners, as well as universities, government and private organisations including Swinburne University, Department of Industry and Science, StartupVic and Startmate.
For example, most recently we were awarded an Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grant by Amazon Australia. Their amazing program and team has supported us in growing our business and e- commerce skills, alongside four other innovative businesses and founders. Being able to access programs and supporters like this can make all the difference, when you feel like you’re slogging it out on your own.
What’s next for you, and Milkdrop?
Our focus is on changing the way women feel about pumping. Our cushion helps with comfort, but our next step is to design a full pump that is comfortable, efficient, elegant and convenient. We’ll be testing and developing our prototypes over the next year. We’d love to hear from women who have something to say about their experience with breast pumps, who might be willing to help us design and test this one as part of our Milkdrop Labs program.
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