December 11, 2012
My Name is Elisa and I am the founder of Undercover Mama. I have five beautiful daughters ages 8 months to 12 years and one wonderful son age 5. We live in a fairly small town in Utah at the base of a mountain. I homeschool my children and love the flexibility and time together that it affords us.
I came up with the idea for the Undercover Mama shortly after the birth of my fourth baby. I breastfed all my babies and felt I should have been a pro by then, but still found myself struggling awkwardly in public, with a squirming, loud, impatient newborn. I couldn’t afford a whole wardrobe of nursing shirts and just wanted to return to my regular wardrobe. What made me uncomfortable was the thought of my sides and belly showing when I lifted my shirt to nurse. I tried various undershirts with slits and holes, but they all made it very awkward to get my bra open and closed.
Then the idea just came to me. I wanted an undershirt that attached directly to my nursing bra and required no extra layers to dig through in order to breastfeed. I sewed prototypes myself and did a lot of research and testing. After very positive responses, I decided to go for it and made it a goal to launch before my baby’s first birthday. I just reached that goal, launching the business the day before he turned one.
Undercover Mama just had its fourth birthday and it has been an exciting adventure. It took a lot of sacrifice without anything in return before I could see the payoff of all that hard work. I was very strapped for cash at the time and was able to launch with less than $1,000. This meant that I learned how to do everything or found help through the skills of family and friends.
I found out I was expecting another baby just weeks after launching and it was a very difficult pregnancy from start to finish. This made it hard to do anything but the basics, but the word about Undercover Mama continued to spread on its own. I knew I was onto a great thing. However, I also knew that my family would always come first and if I really wanted to see my business grow, I needed to find the right partner to assist me. It was hard to accept that I just couldn’t do it all! I am so grateful for finding my business partner Elena! Together we have made Undercover Mama so much more than I could have alone without sacrificing the things that are the most important to me.
We feel we have been so blessed and love giving back, especially to charities that benefit women and children. Last year we donated to micro-funds that help women entrepreneurs in third world countries to start and grow their business. This year we chose a wonderful children’s hospital to give to, so all who have the need may receive the care they need.
I am so grateful for all the mamas out there who continue to spread the word about Undercover Mama and feel very honored to know I have been a part of making so many mom’s breastfeeding experience better!
Undercover Mama, Make ANY Shirt a Nursing Shirt
$24.99 for one/ $19.99 each for two or more!
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