The app that gives new mums the breastfeeding support that they need

As LatchAid raises £1m to grow its breastfeeding app, Dr Chen Mao Davies tells FemTech World how the company aims to support new mums on their journey.

With an app that can show you everything you need to know, teaching new mums practical skills to help them breastfeed has never been easier.

LatchAid is an app that uses 3D interactive technology and artificial intelligence to help expectant and new mothers intuitively learn breastfeeding skills and fight loneliness, postnatal depression and physical pain.

The app connects mothers to peer-to-peer support groups, live experts and an AI-powered virtual supporter chatbot that can provide personalised expertise and companionship.

Its founder, Dr Chen Mao Davies, who previously worked on Oscar & BAFTA award-winning visual effects, says that that the app came almost naturally after she struggled herself with breastfeeding.

“I didn’t think breastfeeding would be difficult,” she admits. “But when you don’t understand how to do, it can be very difficult. I just felt like a failure because I couldn’t feed my own baby and I developed postnatal depression.”

What struck Dr Mao Davies the most was the contrast between how she imagined breastfeeding before having her first child and how challenging it actually was. “I felt that there was just not enough support out there and breastfeeding services shouldn’t be a postcode lottery.

“The moment I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore was when I was told to give up and switch to formula milk. That made me feel angry.

“So, I started to think about what could help me with breastfeeding and how that could help other women learn to breastfeed before they even have a baby. There are not many good videos and visual guides online at all. I thought maybe I could work on visual effects and build virtual humans to demonstrate how to breastfeed.”

Dr Chen Mao Davies, founder of LatchAid

She launched LatchAid, hoping to help new mothers with what seems to be a very common issue. “We have done multiple surveys in the UK and across Europe and every country struggles with this this huge, enormous gap,” the founder says. “That made me feel even more determined to solve this problem and make a change.”

She believes that the lack of support and funding in this sector lead to many women giving up breastfeeding before they wanted to.

“At Latch Aid, we never say that women should breastfeed and if they don’t breastfeed is bad. We support any kind of methods and if you want to choose formula feed, it’s absolutely fine. What we want, is to be there for them and provide 24/7 support to help them achieve their feeding goals.”

LatchAid’s £1m funding raise has come from a number of sources – a mix of innovation loans from Innovate UK, a convertible loan note from the KQ Labs accelerator programme and equity investment from expert business angel investors.

“It is a huge achievement for me,” says Dr Mao Davies. “When I started, I didn’t even think I could raise £300,000. Now that I can see the funding coming through, all these things affirmed my understanding of the problem I’m solving and also the ability to deliver for the future.”

Funds from this round will be used to augment the technical and commercial teams and to expand the company’s B2B offerings to healthcare organisations as a licensed prescription app, to corporates for employee benefit schemes, and to insurance companies for health insurance packages.

Although the app has seen mixed reviews, Dr Mao Davies says that the impact that it had in some cases was remarkable. A single mum from one of the most deprived areas of England had used the app and she managed to breastfeed her baby.

“Breastfeeding is beautiful, beneficial, and convenient,” the femtech founder believes. “And it gives your baby the best antibodies. The really amazing thing I’d like to show is how this single mum succeeded. She might be the only mum in her local area who has done this, but now she can show other mums that they can do it too.

“Many women like her don’t feel like they can fit in [breastfeeding support groups]. These groups are often full of well-educated, middle class women and for a single mum, attending these sessions could be embarrassing,” Dr Mao Davies continues.

“That’s why we are very passionate about the equity of support. We try to make the app very gender-inclusive and 22 per cent of our pilot users are from deprived areas. So, we’re really trying to make sure that everybody has the same chance to give their baby the best start in their life using breastfeeding and breast milk.”

LatchAid currently offers 24/7 digital support to users in 86 countries and is available to download on the App Store. The company has recently completed a successful pilot with 12 NHS trusts and the HCRG Group across the UK and is hoping that the app will be prescribed within the national health system in the future.

“We would like to extend globally as much as possible and our vision is to become the global market leader for breastfeeding and early parenthood support,” Dr Mao Davies adds. “But we would also like to broaden our offering in the future, so that it will include pregnancy and the first two years after the baby’s born.

“Our grand mission is to empower every mother to give their child the best starting life wherever they are.”

For more information, visit latchaid.com.