I learned that preverbal skills, eye contact, and attention are vital to cognitive and language development as I trained to become a Speech-Language Pathologist. However, it wasn’t until I became a mother that I fully understood and lived these truths. I believe every experience is a learning experience and that breastfeeding offers infinite opportunity to interact and communicate with your baby. And, although not typical, each of our four children spoke in eight word sentences by age two.
My determination to incorporate breastfeeding into my lifestyle meant nursing in public everywhere. It also taught me a lot about myself. I discovered that refusing to cover my baby’s head while nursing did not leave many options. I did not feel attractive when I lifted my shirt to nurse because I found myself slouching forward and it revealed my postnatal stomach and back. I also felt that by exposing my breasts, the intimacy shared between my husband and me was somehow compromised… I wanted to keep some things just for us. Please understand that these are my feelings based on my experience, and I understand that each of us has our own unique perception.
After having four babies, my closet was full of nursing tops that were not flattering and quite pricey. In December, 2006 during a 2 am feeding, I envisioned a nursing accessory that would cover mom but not her baby. The next morning, I cut and sewed one of my husband’s t-shirts into the prototype for the Slurp & Burp®. Since then, I have designed three product lines to meet the needs of a variety of nursing moms and babies. We have since rebranded to BabyBond™, a name that highlights the primary benefit of our products.
