It all started when Monika & Rie worked as designers in the maternity ward of a large Danish hospital, closely collaborating with midwives. Over the past six years, they had both given birth to two children. Experiencing breastfeeding firsthand, while also facing its challenges – like insufficient milk supply, sickness, work and partner on parental leave – inspired them deeply. They learned that these challenges were common for many and noticed that the baby bottles available on the market didn’t resemble the breastfeeding experience in any way.
A worldwide problem
Q: What challenges around breastfeeding stood out to you during this time?
Monika: The midwives shared that 50%* of women face breastfeeding challenges, often accompanied by physical pain and emotional distress. There’s also a significant stigma and sorrow tied to these issues. Despite 98% of mothers expressing a desire to breastfeed, only about 10% manage to fully breastfeed for the recommended six months**.
We were shocked by this and asked midwives why this gap existed and what alternatives they recommended. The key takeaway was that there wasn’t a suitable solution that met both the functional and emotional needs of parents and babies. Conventional baby bottles often made things worse with rapid milk flow, reduced intimacy, and concerns about microplastics.
Tech deriving from the female breast
Q: As co-designers, what role did the stories of parents play in shaping the solution?
Rie: To dive deeper, we conducted interviews with many families, hearing personal feeding stories from mothers, fathers, and partnering parents. No two stories were alike. What united them was their shared goal of providing a healthy, safe, and nurturing start for their newborns.
One key theme was the longing for physical connection. Mothers who stopped breastfeeding grieved the loss of intimacy, while fathers and partners expressed a deep desire to share those close feeding moments. This became our guiding principle: to create an experience as natural and intimate as possible, visually and emotionally supporting skin-to-skin connection.
Q: How did you translate those insights into product development?
Monika: Listening to families, doctors, midwives, and nurses systematically influenced every feature of the bottle. The overarching need was to design something that mimicked the form and function of the female breast. However, when we consulted six different specialist engineers, we learned no existing technology could replicate its complexities.
This gap underscored how innovation centered on the female anatomy is lagging behind, despite half the world’s population being female. We had to invent it from scratch, bridging insights and expertise. After five years of research, development, and extensive testing with our community, we finally created a solution.
The innovative solution
Q: Tell us about the final product and what makes it unique.
Rie: The result is a double-patented technology that keeps the bottle air-free while maintaining a slow, baby-controlled milk flow, which supports full intimacy during feeding. It transcends traditional gender roles, recognizing the individuality of caregiving experiences.
Our support bottle empowers everyone – mothers, fathers, and partners – to feed their child in natural positions, with or without breast milk. It fosters heart connection and stimulates oxytocin, enriching the bond between parent and baby.
Designing for a sustainable future
Q: You also emphasize designing for circular principles. Could you elaborate on that?
Monika: Absolutely. The support bottle is designed using clean materials without print, color, or surface treatments, ensuring no chemicals enter the product. Milk only comes into contact with pure silicone, preventing microplastics from migrating to the baby, a common issue with plastic bottles.
The product is made from mono-materials, allowing parts to be replaced, sorted, recycled, or disinfected for reuse. It's locally produced in Germany and at a family-owned factory in Denmark, with foldable and stackable designs minimizing transport and packaging.
Community for every family
Q: Beyond the product, how does caramma support the parenting community?
Rie: We aim to articulate the taboos and loneliness often associated with breastfeeding struggles. Through community events and our sponsored podcasts (in Danish) “Lyse Nætter og Mælkepletter” that lactation specialist Maj Aaberg and I have created in order to share honest stories and expert advice, we aim to spread knowledge and foster connections.
Our mission goes beyond just creating a product; we strive to address a widespread health problem with significant emotional consequences for millions of parents and babies every day.
*Up to 50% of women in the DK / USA face breastfeeding challenges. (source: DK: SST. USA: NLM)
**While up to 98% of mothers express a desire to breastfeed, only around 10% in EU / USA fully breastfeed for the recommended 6 months (Source: DK: SST, USA: CDC & EU: Eurostat)