Peek Away was developed out of necessity during a time of hardship for co -inventor, Natalie Sanders. She was inspired to create Peek Away’s 4-In-1 Nursing Kit, when she was nursing her second son and had to endure frequent long road trips.
She and her husband, Glen, recently lost their business and were on the verge of losing their house. Determined to find stability they chose to move closer to family. Natalie took a job as an occupational therapist specializing in the NICU and pediatric department at a county hospital. Nearby lived her grandmother, where she and her family stayed during the week. Every weekend they’d commute three hours north to upkeep their house until it could sell. Their son was just 3 months old, and their other son 3 years old. Commuting in a hatchback car & living with family did not provide much space. Carrying a large diaper bag, nursing pillow, in addition to luggage was virtually impossible. Stopping on the road to nurse in parking lots, restaurants or pumping in the car became a way of life. It was tiresome and very hard to get comfortable. Natalie and Glen searched for a travel nursing pillow, but there wasn’t one on the market yet, so they created their own together!
Now TLB sponsors, they are offering our community 3 of their creations for this stylish and practical giveaway.
TLB: What should TLB readers know about Peek Away?
Natalie: Peek Away isn’t just another nursing pillow on the market. It is very unique and original. Careful consideration was given when creating this pillow. I was able to utilize my professional knowledge of ergonomics and my experience working with infants and lactation consultants to carefully design a pillow to help moms feel comfortable breastfeeding anywhere. It provides proper positioning, giving ample support and comfort when nursing in cramped spaces or at home. It does not take up much room and it has all the essentials, including storage compartments and a diaper change pad with a built-in wipe case, forgoing the need to lug a diaper bag and pillow. By nature, I’m modest and I wasn’t comfortable nursing or pumping in the car without a cover; therefore I included a separate matching nursing cover to come with the product for moms to use if they choose.
TLB: Tell us about the inspiration behind the Peek Away and how you started your business.
Natalie: The inspiration behind Peek Away came from the product itself. It is something very unique and serves a great purpose in promoting breastfeeding. Fortunately the patent office felt this product was unique too and issued us a utility patent in 2010 for our nursing pillow. This was a boost of optimism. That’s when we decided to test market Peek Away locally and had an overwhelming response.
TLB: How do you balance family life and running your own company?
Natalie: Balancing family life and work has been challenging. We have had to work extremely hard to rebuild what was lost. I work outside the home at my private occupational therapy pediatric practice. Glen stays home to take care of the kids and devotes much of his time to Peek Away. I continue to contribute as much time as I can to Peek Away too, but finding a balance of running two businesses and raising a family is hard. We count our blessings that we have two wonderful happy, healthy, loving children. And like any parent, we wish we had more quality time spent with them!
TLB: What would you suggest a mom nervous about breastfeeding in public do to get comfortable when the time comes?
Natalie: Breastfeeding should be done however one feels most comfortable, but it does take some practice before getting use to it. Some moms like using a cover, pillow, blanket, or just being bare. Babies feed off of mom’s energy and it’s important she’s relaxed. When mom’s stressed the baby knows and can panic too. This makes latching and overall feeding more difficult. Anxiety can also affect a mom’s milk supply and the ability to have a let-down. If you plan to nurse in public and are at all anxious about it, the best thing to do is practice at home or even sitting in your yard. I practiced nursing my baby in front of a mirror, because I was worried about gracefully being able to cover up!
TLB: What is your favorite tip for moms on the go with babies and small kids in tow?
Natalie: My favorite tip for moms on the go with kids is just to travel light! Bring only the essentials. Eliminate the need for heavy bags that weigh down your shoulders and fatigue your arms which makes it more difficult to do what we love best : holding on to our kids!
Glen & Natalie are giving away a gift to 3 lucky Leakies. The gift is their Newly Released Peek Away Travel 4-In-1 Essentials Nursing Kit – A nursing pillow discreetly carried as a handbag with storage compartments, a diaper change pad, and built-in wipe case. Included is a matching nursing cover. Retail Value: $46.98
______________________________
Currently, Leakies can find their latest updated nursing pillows, in all their stylish patterns, on their website at www.peekaway.com
______________________________
Good luck to everyone! Please use the widget below to be entered. The giveaway is open from December 11, 2012 through December 18, 2012 . A big thanks to Natalie and Peek Away for their ongoing support of TLB and all breastfeeding women; please be sure to visit their Facebook page or follow them on twitter and thank them for their support of TLB and this giveaway opportunity.
This giveaway is restricted to Canadian and U.S. residents only.