August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month, an opportunity to reflect, learn, and amplify our collective commitment to breastfeeding/chestfeeding as both an individual feeding choice and an important public health measure. Breastfeeding awareness is about more than promoting breastfeeding—it is about ensuring that families have access to accurate information, skilled support, culturally responsive care, and the tools they need to make informed decisions about how they feed their babies. It also creates space to acknowledge the realities that can impact infant feeding, from access to lactation support and healthcare to workplace policies, social determinants of health, and the experiences of families who may face barriers to reaching their feeding goals.

As technology continues to evolve, consumers have greater opportunities to make informed choices about the growing number of products and services available to support pregnancy, birth, postpartum recovery, and infant feeding. With that growth comes an important responsibility to understand the evidence behind emerging solutions, consider how technology can complement—not replace—human-centered care, and ensure that innovation remains responsive to the needs of families and the professionals who support them.

The recent LACEVO event hosted at the Soft Space by Mama Glow offered a meaningful opportunity to do just that. The gathering brought together birthworkers, healthcare stakeholders, and others working across the maternal and infant health landscape for an intimate conversation and hands-on opportunity to learn about emerging technology designed to support breastfeeding/chestfeeding and infant feeding.

LACEVO is an emerging maternal and infant health technology brand focused on developing innovative solutions intended to support breastfeeding and infant feeding. By bringing technology into a space that has traditionally relied heavily on hands-on support and conventional tools, LACEVO is contributing to an important conversation about how innovation can help make the feeding experience more informed, supported, and accessible for families.

Equally valuable was the opportunity to engage directly with LACEVO’s founder- Sally Grice, hear the vision behind the brand, and better understand the problem the technology is seeking to address. Experiences like this remind us that meaningful innovation is not simply about creating something new—it is about listening to families and care providers, understanding real-world challenges, and developing solutions that can complement the expertise and relationships already at the heart of maternal and infant care.

Creating Space for Connection

One of the highlights of the event was the opportunity to network with fellow birthworkers. The event created space for doulas and birthworkers to connect beyond their individual practices and learn more about the tools, resources, and organizations working to make the postpartum experience more manageable for families.

I especially appreciated the opportunity to connect with Sally Grice, founder and CEO of LACEVO. As a breastfeeding mother of two and product development expert, Grice founded LACEVO after experiencing firsthand the limitations of existing breast-pumping technology following the birth of her second child. Her experience ultimately became the foundation for a company focused on developing products around the realities of contemporary motherhood.

That origin story was meaningful because it reflects an important principle in maternal and infant health: innovation is most valuable when it begins with listening to the people who are actually experiencing the problem.

Witnessing LACEVO Technology in Action

A particularly memorable part of the gathering was experiencing a live LACEVO product demonstration.

LACEVO’s S70 wearable breast pump is designed to provide hands-free pumping while incorporating features intended to support comfort, mobility, and flexibility. The pump includes multiple pumping modes and suction levels, a longer flange tunnel designed to accommodate a broader range of nipple types, and an app that allows users to operate the pump and track milk output.

Seeing the technology demonstrated in person offered a different perspective than simply reading about a product online. As birthworkers, we are often helping families navigate the practical realities of feeding, pumping, returning to work, traveling, and caring for a newborn simultaneously. Products that seek to reduce some of those logistical burdens are therefore worth examining through the lens of real-life use.

LACEVO’s broader design philosophy is centered on the idea that motherhood should not require parents to choose between caring for their children and participating fully in their professional, personal, or social lives. The company’s stated mission is to support parents in owning their motherhood journey while creating products that integrate into everyday life.

That philosophy was particularly apparent throughout the event.

The Launch of Lacevo EMPOWER.  

LACEVO introduced a new and culture-shifting product, a hands-free wearable system that uses red light and near-infrared light, delivered through flexible pads designed to sit comfortably against the breast. LACEVO says the device is intended to support circulation and help relieve breast pain, while addressing challenges associated with breastfeeding such as engorgement, blocked ducts, mastitis, nipple trauma and soreness. 

EMPOWER can be worn in-bra, allowing mothers to incorporate a 10–20 minute treatment into their existing day rather than having postpartum care become another task that requires them to stop everything else. That feels very aligned with LACEVO’s design philosophy: technology should adapt to a mother’s life, rather than asking her to adapt her life around the technology. 

An Investment in Community

Products were gifted so that doulas could leave with LACEVO bottle warmers and breast pumps, allowing birthworkers to become more familiar with the technology and better understand the tools they may recommend in the communities they serve.

For professionals working directly with families, firsthand familiarity can be valuable. Birthworkers are frequently asked to help parents sort through an overwhelming number of products and recommendations. Having opportunities to see, handle, and learn about products directly can make those conversations more informed.

Leaving the LACEVO event, I was reminded of the importance of creating spaces where birthworkers can learn, connect, and experience innovation together. As someone working at the intersection of public health and community-based perinatal support, I am particularly interested in the ways that innovation can complement, not replace, the human relationships at the center of birth and postpartum care.

The most effective maternal-health solutions should ultimately ask a simple question: does this make the experience of care more supportive, accessible, and responsive to the people actually receiving it? Events like this create an opportunity to ask that question collectively.

I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with fellow birthworkers, meet Sally Grice and learn more about the story behind LACEVO, experience the products through a live demonstration, and leave with a deeper understanding of how parent-centered technology can fit into the broader perinatal support landscape.

Breastfeeding Awareness Month provides an important moment to continue asking how we can better support families across their feeding journeys, while also remaining open to thoughtful innovation that advances education, access, autonomy, and care.

Learn More About LACEVO