Dr. Dao Explains Her Motivation To Create The Freemie System
Every year millions of women struggle to balance the demands of their families, their work, and their desire to continue breastfeeding. But about 9 out of 10 women returning to work after maternity leave give up breastfeeding earlier than is recommended.
When I went back to work in a busy ER after having preemie twins I found that I simply could not work and pump as much as I needed. During my struggles, I was inspired with an idea that led me to develop the Freemie system. The system works with quality pumps, and is intended to help moms who want to breastfeed get more out of their time. With the Freemie system, moms can sustain lactation through pumping and continue to breastfeed even if they lack the time or privacy necessary to undress and pump with traditional horns and collection bottles.
As a physician who became a mother, I also felt the pressure that moms experience when they are forced to make choices about how to care for their children. I realized moms in many situations in the modern world really didn't have the tools to succeed at breastfeeding before the Freemie system, even though we put great pressure on them to do so.
If you choose to breastfeed and pump, my Freemie system gives you a multitude of more attractive options because it works with a variety of popular quality pumps that are necessary to sustain lactation during periods of separation from your baby. And importantly, with the Freemie system you can use your preferred hospital grade pump in exponentially more places, since you don't have to undress, don't require privacy, and can choose the timing and frequency of your pumping sessions to suit your needs better in just about any given environment.
In the short time since we made the Freemie system available for purchase, I have been especially gratified to hear from women across the country about how we have helped them, often in ways I never even imagined! I am inspired daily by the creativity and diligence of mothers everywhere, who manage to do so much during the day for their babies, their families, and often their employers too.
I also know how important safety and quality are in the products you use to care for your family. That's why we make 100% of the Freemie system here in the USA from safe certified materials. And I personally used the first production model of the Freemie system to pump for my third baby for well over a year through 12 hour shifts.
Please join us in supporting breastfeeding mothers. Tell your mommies group, or coworkers or friends how you make pumping and breastfeeding work. If you have a favorite baby store, ask them to make the Freemie system available for mothers in your community. And if you have time please share your story with us, by emailing us at info@freemie.com. Hopefully we can use your story to inspire another mother, by letting her know that she's not alone in her situation.
Sincerely,
Stella Dao, MD, FACEP, President, Dao Health, Mother of Three
Dr. Dao is a board certified practicing physician in Sacramento, California, where she lives with her husband and children. Dr. Dao has a bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. She attended medical school at the prestigious University of California, San Francisco, and trained in Emergency Medicine as a resident at Stanford University. Dr. Dao was made a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians in 2000 in recognition of her contributions to the specialty of Emergency Medicine.
