Jillian Rothe-Inventor of The Freeze it Flat™
This month is so much fun because we’re bringing you the ever-resourceful and creative Jillian Rothe. She is the Chief Mom, Engineer, and Lactivist behind MAMMaway, and the creator of the Freeze It Flat™ -- THE breastmilk storage solution for pumping moms.
While I normally photograph families and newborns; and the occasional cake, I had a great time getting pictures of Jillian’s time and space saving creation and the small humans that brought it to life.
You know how the most simple of ideas can make the most profound impact?
Well, that’s what Jillian was up to while breastfeeding three kids for over 47 months. Working and traveling during that time, Jillian knew there had to be a different way to store the liquid gold she fed her kids in their tiny Singaporean freezer.
Her engineering mind is set on creating reliable solutions to everyday challenges. Packing her bags to travel overseas, she knew she didn’t want to stop breastfeeding. A better solution needed to be found that would save her space, and the frustrations that came with the freezer avalanche and milk baggie blowouts.
Some of you may be wondering what all of this is about. As we get on with Jillian’s story, you’ll begin to understand a little more about what working moms face when it comes to breastfeeding and making sure your pumped milk is stored properly.
A lot of first-time moms don’t really get this until they’re IN IT. Then the frantic searching begins, unless they’re too tired to find a solution and they just deal with it.
So, if you know someone who is pregnant, planning to continue working, pumps to donate, or wants to breastfeed as long as possible, then YOU can be the one to bring this solution to their baby shower.
Freezing Breastmilk
Breastfeeding has the potential to be one of the most challenging aspects of the first year of parenthood. There are more moms than you’d expect that struggle with supply issues, babies that don’t suckle effectively, and a level of exhaustion that can’t be explained until you experience it.
So, why in the world would you want to add to all of this trying to figure out a way to store what breastmilk you DO have?
Looking into the freezer of a pumping mom, you’ll see bags that are designed to lay flat and on top of each other scattered about, bulging haphazardly, and toppling over every time the door opens.
If you happen to lay a freshly pumped bag on top of a frozen one, it MIGHT lay flat...or it might just slide off when you close the freezer and freeze in some half-up half-down shape that will only change when you thaw it.
You might get daring in the middle of the night and try to reorganize it all and break apart the insides of that wonky frozen one so it all lays a little bit more...flat.
Then you thaw that illformed bag a few days later, only to find the precious milk inside leaking into the warm water bath. Completely ruined. And you needed it, because you just figured out the baby hates onion milk, and that bag came from a really clean 24 hours of eating.
It’s these moments that can bring a parent to their knees. You wouldn’t think you’d find a grown adult crying over spilled milk, until it’s breastmilk.
MAMMaway is all about creating the tactical pumping solutions for when the MAMMaries are AWAY. To create the most effective environment to freeze this most precious liquid. Jillian’s invention has allowed her and many other parents to contain and freeze bags of milk, take away the anxiety over frozen milk, save space in the freezer, and make managing milk storage a breeze.
When you use The Freeze It Flat™ rather than “just laying it flat”, you can organize however it works best for you. A just-enough-er doesn’t need an entire freezer shelf dedicated to milk. The “stand up bags” can now stand up AND lay flat. A milk donor doesn’t need a second deep freezer for all that extra gold.
And what about the budget? Many pumping families will end up dropping hundreds of dollars on a deep freezer just to store their milk. Using The Freeze It Flat™ device, you can eliminate the extra freezer because it is proven to cut the freezer space needed in half! (She’s an engineer, she measured it!)
Traveling with Breastmilk
It was while Jillian and her husband and two breastfeeding kids were living in Singapore when this was all created. They had very limited freezer space and needed a solution ASAP.
They started out with thin sheets of plastic and hand sewn straps, which worked...ok. At least it got their 140oz stash shipped over 53 hours back to the States still frozen.
Jillian would travel for a solid week at a time and needed to not only have enough at home to feed her kids, she needed a way to travel with a freezer bag as luggage and get what she was pumping on the road back to her kids.
The Freeze It Flat™ is what made it all happen. And she now shares it with moms all over the world. Some of her best customers are moms in the military and milk banks. The Freeze It Flat™ even did it’s own part to help fight COVID in 2020.
Now that the world is opening up again, travel is back on the rise with a lot of “pandemic babies” at home while mom is at a meeting. Freezer space is limited with people eating at home more, and as mom starts to travel again, the freezer space becomes worth more than a house in Denver.
Doing It All
Looking at the shipment of 500 cardboard cut-outs and wondering how she’ll get through 2k labels before rebranding in the fall, Jillian knows that if she starts her To-Do list with “write a to-do list”, she’ll immediately feel better knowing she can check something off.
Being able to infuse humor into the family owned and operated business inside of her garage, Jillian stays consistent in getting MAMMaway out to expectant moms and families looking for the best baby hack on the market.
Her kids have been an integral part of the business; Evelyn (6) was problem identification, Braden (4) was product development, and August (2) provided some pretty great marketing content. And these kids have grown to be masters at packing and preparing products to ship. Don’t tell Amazon, but Gus is an excellent cardboard square puncher, Brady affixes straps with lightning speed, and Eva makes sure all labels match their packing slips. Eva , Eva & Brady, Gus
And as wonderful as these kids sound, there are still moments...
When Jillian starts whisper-yelling at the walls of the garage, she knows it’s time to get a good workout in. Staying active is a core part of her wellbeing, as well as her family life. Not many moms can admit to running and crossfit during pregnancy, much less hiking Mt Evans with two toddlers and an infant.
You might think that would make her unrelatable, but it’s actually the opposite. Jillian admits to the guilty pleasure of getting out of the house...alone. And even through pregnancy and breastfeeding, you’d find her eating Thai Curry or sushi.
We all have our moments that feed us, and just because we look like we have it figured out, doesn’t mean we do. Jillian keeps up with learning from others and just finished “Power Moms” by Joann Lublin, and “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy. Both books filled with a healthy mix of excellence and permission to fail.
A key part for Jillian in all of this truly is humor. Take a moment and imagine a two year old running arms stretched out delighted to see you walk in the door, followed by a 6’4” man imitating the child in all the same ways. You can’t help but smile.
Joy and chaos fill their house, and finding creative solutions to small frustrations keeps life going.
Do you have a story to share about your business?
If you’re a Woman In Business here in Denver, CO I’d love to hear from you and feature you in my next blog. I’m always looking for great entrepreneurs that are willing to share with others what gets them going, fills their cup, and makes them laugh out loud. Fill out this submission form, and I’ll be in touch!
Thanks to Jillian for sharing her story with us and letting us peek into her life a little! Looking forward to our next Woman In Business. Until then, we’ve got some great ideas coming your way!
Cheers!
~Kim
This peek into Kim’s world was brought to you by Emily Kamala. Emily is a freelance writer and life coach who loves to share stories, write blogs, and experience life so fully she has to bring it to life on the page. If you’re interested in reading more of her work, you can visit: www.EmilyKamala.com
Kim Morgan has brought her passion for connecting and telling stories through photography to life. Her ability to put you and your family at ease is so palpable you don’t even realize she’s behind the camera getting those precious moments for you to carry with you many years later. She lives in Colorado with her husband, son, and dog, where they enjoy exploring the mountains and laughing at every opportunity. Her website is KWDesignsPhotography.com to see her amazing work and set up your session!