When my first daughter was born in 2015, there weren’t many options when it came to breast pumps. The hospital sent me home with a device made by Medela—the industry leader—involving lots of tubes, funnel-shaped breast shields, and a loud motor that was attached to an electrical outlet. Bonding with other new moms often involved complaining about how awful pumping was.

By the time my second daughter was born in 2022, a newfangled device had hit the market: a wearable breast pump that you could slip into your bra to express quietly. This allowed me to pump while making dinner or taking a phone call. Given that new moms can spend up to three hours a day pumping, the new device was transformative.

Willow, which debuted its wearable pump in 2017, now wants to be much more than gadget maker. Last year, it purchased Elvie, one of its biggest rivals, which launched in 2018. And on Tuesday, it announced its intention to go way beyond the sphere of devices. It has just acquired Swehl, a breastfeeding education and community platform, and Momtech, the maker of Mõmi bottles, whose nipples are designed to mimic breastfeeding. The goal, says Willow CEO Carolin Archibald, is “to become a powerhouse maternal care brand.”

Archibald took on the top job this month after 18 years in the industry, including prior leadership roles at Medela and Ameda, two incumbent brands that have been entrenched in hospitals for decades.

Inventors have been trying to solve the breastfeeding problem for nearly two centuries.

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