We are delighted to announce investee WellVine have partnered with Philips Avent to offer online support for breastfeeding Mums. Here is the press release from WellVine:
Today marks the launch of a new partnership between WellVine, the first and only on-demand health platform for new and expectant parents and Philips Avent, a leading global brand with an award-winning line of products for pregnancy and parenting. WellVine and Philips are on a mission to simplify the parenting journey by using innovative technology to meet the needs of modern parents. The focus of the partnership is on supporting new mothers who wish to breastfeed – helping them prepare for, start and extend their breastfeeding journey.
UK has the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, despite well-documented evidence that breastfeeding saves lives and drives savings for healthcare systems. For many new mothers, breastfeeding is a challenging and emotionally turbulent experience. 80 % of new mothers in the UK who started breastfeeding their new-born baby, stopped breastfeeding sooner than they wanted to – many in the very early days – often due to feeding difficulties and lack of professional support. The emotional toil that this can have on a new mother has been well documented, from feelings of anger and guilt, to post-natal depression.
Philips and WellVine are collaborating to create a new package of support for breastfeeding mothers: Now a new or expectant parent who buys a Philips Avent single electric breast pump will receive three months of unlimited one-on-one video calls with WellVine’s experienced Lactation (breastfeeding) Consultants.
Many breastfeeding mothers use a breast pump to express milk, for a variety of reasons – whether it be because they are going to be away from their baby for a period of time (e.g. returning to work, or travelling away from baby), or to increase milk supply, or because illness or pain prevents them from breastfeeding directly – to name a few. The Royal College of Midwives reported a clear pattern of mothers abandoning breastfeeding due to lack of support from health professionals, quoting one mother, “I just wish I had more help with breastfeeding. I didn’t know who to contact once out of the hospital, and even during the postnatal visits I wish I was told that I just need to keep at it in order for it to work, and that it takes time. As a result I was only able to breastfeed for a month, which I regret.” The new support package from Philips and WellVine aims to help breastfeeding mothers in need.
The Philips Avent breast pump is loved by mothers for its award-winning design, and the convenience it offers for mums that wish to express breast milk. WellVine is loved by mothers as it provides a simple, convenient way to access qualified breastfeeding support. WellVine Lactation Consultants are highly experienced, pre-vetted International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC), the global gold standard in breastfeeding support. The partnership between Philips and WellVine means that mothers using a Philips Avent breast pump can easily get access to the professional breastfeeding support they need, when they need it – from anywhere.
Hina Zaman, Founder of WellVine, commented: “We are very excited to partner with Philips to launch a fresh, new way of helping new parents. At WellVine, we aim to support parents on the entire parenting continuum – from trying to conceive, to pregnancy, birth and parenting – using technology solutions that fit in seamlessly with their modern lifestyles. We are proud that our breastfeeding partnership with Philips helps new mothers at a critical time in their parenting journey, and that it brings radical innovation to the traditional model of breastfeeding support.”
To view the Philips Avent Breast Pump click here.
