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Pitt professor invents innovative breast pump device

A local woman has come up with an invention that could be a game-changer for new moms, and the inventor can't believe no one had thought of it before.

Katherine Hornbostel is a mother, but she’s also an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh who also studied at the Massachusetts institute of technology.

She quickly learned after having twins that breastfeeding was becoming a problem.

“It was really a full-time job just to make milk for my two twin boys,” she said.

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Hornbostel found herself hooked up to her breast pump every two hours around the clock. And besides the physical compromise, she says it was emotionally taxing.

“As a new mom, to try to provide that much milk for your children when you're not actually holding then and trying to bond with them …” she said.

Something had to change, and she says the idea to create a way to pump and feed a child at the same time didn't come until after she had her third child.

It started in her dorm room at MIT, where Hornbostel was working on her thesis on modeling fuel cells. Why not add another challenge to her already-busy life?

"It was kind of an interesting environment for prototyping because I was in a dorm with a bunch of other moms and newborn babies, so I could knock on my friend's door and say, "Hey, what do you think of this?" she said.

After many moments of trial and error, Pump2baby was a reality. It’s a simple product that hooks up to a breast pump and allows moms to feed and pump at the same time. It’s so simple Hornbostel says she was kind of surprised it didn't exist already.

“It's so obvious when you see it, you're like, how is this already not out there?” she said.

She says that's the most common feedback she gets when other moms see her invention.

Pump2baby is available for preorder right now on LacTeck.com but Hornbostel hopes to see her product on sites like Amazon soon.

 

Cox Media Group

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