Three Chicago Moms Launch Nyssa, A Company Aimed At Improving Postpartum Health Care
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new well-being business is coming to Chicago on Friday to bring new moms some comfort during their postpartum recovery.
Nyssa is the brainchild of three mothers who were appalled after they say they were given what was basically a puppy pee pad and a bag of ice after they each gave birth.
Eden Laurin, Aubrey Howard, and Mia Clarke have been friends for more than a decade, and now they're business partners.
"We gave birth within a year of each other, and just were so shocked by how little care there was for our postpartum recovery journeys," Clarke said.
From their experiences, Nyssa was born. Nyssa means woman in Arabic and new beginnings in Greek.
Their company focuses on creating postpartum products and providing an open dialogue about what really happens after childbirth.
"You're physically wrecked, and yet you're responsible for taking care of a tiny human, and you're trying to deal with all your own emotions, and the last thing you should have to do is try to DYI or hack a solution together for your own physical recovery," Howard said.
After a year of consulting new mothers and expert designers, Nyssa's owners are launching their first product: Fourthwear postpartum underwear.
"The product can be worn in multiple ways, depending on your comfort level. If you're a little bit bigger, it's really comfortable to wear it just over your belly. If you've lost a lot of weight, you can really easily fold it down," Howard said.
Fourthwear also features a slot to place an ice pack in the vaginal/perineal area, or at the site of a Caesarean incision.
Clarke also is lead voice for a Nyssa podcast, "The Unmentionables," a place for moms to share real stories as they transition into the fourth trimester.
"We really want to change the narrative around the postpartum experience, and we really want to build a community of people who are supportive of each other in this incredibly transformational time," Howard said.
Nyssa launches Friday morning, starting with Fourthwear at $28 a pair. The company also is hiring through their Women Work program, where they bring on older retired women still looking to help new moms.