University of Minnesota alum Ashley Mooneyham’s breastfeeding journey began smoothly after the birth of her first child, Norah, in 2021. She was exclusively nursing without issue, and when she returned to work eight weeks postpartum, she planned to supplement by pumping milk.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as expected.
Mooneyham was shocked to discover that 20 minutes of pumping—double her average nursing session—produced only a quarter of a bottle of milk, much less than she had anticipated.
“I knew I made enough milk for my baby,” says Mooneyham, who has a doctorate in microbiology, immunology, and cancer biology from the University of Minnesota. “I was aware that it was a failure of this technology to collect breast milk for me. I couldn’t believe that the technology was so archaic and so incapable of doing its job, especially to support modern women.”
A plan born from experience
Instead of accepting that frustration, she turned it into research. Her studies showed that warm compresses and massage improve milk output while pumping.
Motivated by the findings, Mooneyham partnered with Jennie Lynch, fellow University alum and a nonprofit founder with experience in early childhood education and family well-being. Together, they launched Momease Solutions, a business with the goal of developing a bra with built-in warmth and massage to comfortably collect more milk in less time.
“Back in 2021, there really wasn’t any new technology surfacing in this space,” says Lynch, who majored in political science and German studies at the University of Minnesota. “I work with a population who is nursing coming out of postpartum, maybe even coming off nursing, and I see the pain points with many women when it comes to using the breast pump. I thought Ashley’s idea was wonderful.”
Mooneyham notes that multiple elements besides suction play a role in nursing.
“We’re returning those elements that a nursing baby would have—the warmth of their mouths, the pressure of their jaw and hands—into a warming and massaging bra,” she says. “All of the elements work in tandem. Women’s bodies are complex. We respond to multiple cues, so bringing those cues back helps the experience be more effective and comfortable, since that is what our bodies are meant to be doing.”
A grand prize-winning idea
In September 2024, Momease Solutions won the $100,000 grand prize at MN Cup, the nation’s largest statewide startup competition, which is put on by the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management annually. Their pump-enhancing bra was praised for “disrupting the breast pumping industry.”
The next step on the Momease Solutions path is a clinical study led by University of Minnesota School of Public Health Professor Ellen Demerath. Mooneyham hopes to launch their product publicly in 2026.
“Women founders in a women’s health field tend to receive a small fraction of the overall funding available,” says Mooneyham. “I hope we’re part of that inflection point... We have found a way to receive much support from the investment community... I feel excited about that.”
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