I am a co-founder and Creative Director of the “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck” project at the MIT Media Lab. This project is a series of events called "hackathons,” as well as a six-year ongoing co-design project to bring people together across racial, socio-economic, and disciplinary differences to form coalitions for equitable improvements to the postpartum experience.

The first instance of this collaborative art & design intervention took place in September 2014, the second in May 2018, and our third, in partnership with Detroit-based organization Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association, took place in August 2019.

After the first event, we learned from over 1000 women’s and parents’ stories that breast pumps are not the only thing that sucks for postpartum women. Women pointed out the fact that black and brown babies are four times more likely to die in their first year and the rate is going up; the lack of paid family and medical leave in the US; the lack of affordable daycare; shaming women in public spaces while breastfeeding; women resorting to pumping in closets and bathrooms; the lack of postpartum care that makes mothers fend for themselves (and blame themselves when they “fail”); discrimination in the health care system and formula companies profiting in the billions off of women’s self-doubt. 

We staged a second breast pump hackathon for April 2018 focused on equity in breastfeeding as well as the “Make Family Leave Policy Not Suck” Summit focused on fixing the US’ broken paid family and medical leave policies. Check out the documentary to see the incredible, temporary utopia we created for mothers and babies and families:

Check out the website here: http://www.makethebreastpumpnotsuck.com

Team: Catherine D’Ignazio, Rebecca Michelson, Jennifer Roberts, Kate Krontiris, Binta Beard