Mommy Matters

Women think otherwise. In fact, more and more Pinay mothers are thankful someone thought of the idea. "I know how it feels. I too had a dilemma when I started nursing Coby, my first born, in 1997. There were no local clothes designed specifically for breastfeeding so I had to make do with wearing polo shirts," says working mother Janice Crisostomo Villanueva.

The truth was the idea to launch a line of nursingwear (with panels, slits and overlays for easy access to your nursing bra) took a long time. A second baby later (Zach is now two), the idea finally became a reality.

"Actually, I’m not the first person who ever thought of designing clothes for breastfeeding women. There are a lot of imported brands. Basically, the flaps and buttons of Mommy Matters were copied from other brands. I considered importing but the devaluation of the peso stopped me. I’ve just been told that one of the blouses we sell at around $10 has an imported version worth $49! Price is very important. I’m aware of how hard it is for new mothers to budget. Imagine, you’re still coping with the hospital bills and all. That’s why we’ve made our clothes very affordable," she adds.

Janice may have worked in slow motion, but things fell into place last year when Rustan’s approved both the line and her designs. She was still unsure of her next move when her cousin Candice Cu came into the picture.

"Our partnership was a product of catching up over coffee one day. I told her of my plans and she was enthusiastic about it. You could say it was coincidental that we both wanted to venture into business. The truth is, we formed the partnership via text. I asked her if she wanted to be my partner and she said yes."

It was around that time that Candice resigned from her bank job. Since their maternal grandfather (their moms are sisters) was into garments, setting up shop was not alien to them.

What seems to be uncharted territory is posing for the photographer (who blushed when presented with an honest-to-goodness breastfeeding mother–never mind that he’s married with children). It’s obvious that Candice hesitantly faces the camera. Same thing when it comes to the interview which she’d rather leave in the capable hands of Janice.

"Candice is shy about personally promoting Mommy Matters. That’s because people immediately assume she’s already a wife and mother," Janice explains. "Please make sure you write that. Otherwise her mom will be shocked to read this article."

The partnership works because Janice knows the ins and outs of breastfeeding (from having to pump her breast in a moving cab in Hong Kong to breastfeeding her baby while in conference with her male boss in the middle of a bustling coffee shop). Candice brings in her expertise in business and garments, having apprenticed in her mother’s garments factory over the years.

You could say that Mommy Matters is moving quickly into the new millennium. Aside from its own website (www.mommymatters.com.ph), the company name was conceived via the Net. Janice attributes this to a good friend based in the US with whom she often discussed "mommy matters". It was her e-mail pal who coined the term–using it as the topic of every message pertaining to their common preoccupation.

Talking mommy matters has made her notice the little things that come with the territory. Things like budgeting which happens to be a major issue when it comes to pricing their clothes. Design, however, does not suffer just because Mommy Matters is affordable.

The most striking thing about their products is that, until you’re finally breastfeeding your baby, the flaps or buttons remain a secret. "Aside from keeping our garments discreet, we also want our customers to keep using their clothes even after they wean their babies," says Candice. "We’ve made our sizes suitable to breastfeeding women, taking into consideration their more voluptuous proportions."

Believe it or not, Mommy Matters attracts even those who don’t breastfeed. "Our clothes are so wearable that even my Mom has been eyeing some pieces," Janice quickly adds.

Mommy Matters quietly surfaced last March. They currently have booths in Rustan’s Alabang, Shangri-La and Makati. The enterprising women have also launched their own info campaign to promote breastfeeding at Lamaze classes and wherever mothers gather. They’ve been warmly received so far–even asked why it took them so long to address this need.

"We’ve been getting good feedback from our customers. They keep thanking us for having the initiative to open this business," Candice reports. "It’s their enthusiasm that gives us the energy to create more designs. What we plan to do is expand our line to address all the needs of breastfeeding mothers. Eventually, we want Mommy Matters to be part of every aspect of their lives." Since the business is technically a start-up, the two welcome requests and suggestions from their customers.

They agree that special orders may be placed to purchase a certain design using a different garment. After all, meeting the needs of mothers is their priority.

"It’s actually more than just a business for us. We’ve made it our mission to promote breastfeeding by educating women," Janice insists. "Even though more mothers are getting into it, there are still a lot of misconceptions about breastfeeding, like how the size of the breasts affects the amount of milk produced. Also, a lot of new mothers give up so easily. Almost all mothers who begin breastfeeding encounter problems. The key is to keep at it. Supply is determined by demand. If you allow your baby to keep sucking, you’ll be producing more milk. It may seem inconvenient to some but nothing can replace mother’s milk. Even big companies carry that slogan in their products."