In 2020, Gayathri Kanumuri gave birth to her daughter. During the course of her pregnancy, her major concerns remained the type of toys, cradles, and clothes she would need for her child. Little did she know that the biggest challenge in her postpartum period would be breastfeeding.
“I was absolutely not prepared for breastfeeding. Initially, I thought it would come naturally to the baby and me. But there were times when my daughter would feed for 20 minutes and sometimes for 40 minutes. Questions like ‘How do I know if she’s getting enough milk?’ kept worrying me,” Gayathri shares.
She experienced a complete breakdown when her daughter was three weeks old. “Around that time, she was cluster feeding. Even right after feeding, she would cry as if she hadn’t received any milk. This continued for a long time. People, including my own mom, said she was being fussy as my milk supply was not enough. This deeply affected my confidence. I felt shattered and as if I was starving my own baby,” she recalls.
While everyone celebrates pregnancy, Gayathri notes that not many offer support to women during their most difficult postpartum periods. “A woman going through a cocktail of emotions is blamed for not producing enough milk,” she says.
During the first month with her daughter, Gayathri’s anxiousness turned into guilt. She reached out to her friends and cousins, but they advised her to consider formula feeding. “I was determined to breastfeed my child as breastfed babies have a lower risk of developing many diseases like asthma, obesity, ear infections, and more,” she explains.
Eventually, Gayathri sought refuge from a lactation expert, and within two weeks, she was able to overcome all the challenges she faced in her breastfeeding journey.
Driven by her own experiences, Gayathri sought to bridge the gap in accessible lactation support for mothers. She envisioned a platform that would empower new mothers with knowledge and assistance in their breastfeeding journeys.
Nurturing mothers, overcoming challenges
In 2022, Gayathri — a former software developer — embarked on a mission to revolutionise breastfeeding support through her startup, NariCare. The startup offers one-on-one consultations with certified lactation consultants, unlimited text support, postpartum nutrition consultations, workshops on introducing solids to the baby, postnatal yoga, core rehab, postpartum mental wellness, and newborn sleep guidance.
These programmes are available in one, three, and six-month packages, with varying levels of holistic postpartum care.
Another key feature of her startup’s model is the creation of a dedicated breastfeeding support group on WhatsApp for mothers who have taken the consultation services.
Within this group, mothers can freely post any queries or concerns related to their breastfeeding journeys and receive timely responses from certified lactation experts. This round-the-clock support system ensures that mothers have access to evidence-based information and guidance whenever they need it, fostering a sense of community and empowerment among participants.
“Assuming a mother takes the consultation but, three days later, she has a bad cold and fever, and the doctor has given her a syrup. Now, she may ponder if it is breastfeeding-friendly or not,” says Gayathri.
“Both practically and financially, it doesn’t make sense for her to keep contacting someone every time she has a question. We are solving this problem through the support group. Every question is answered by a certified lactation expert within 24 hours,” she adds.
So far, NariCare has been able to cater to 400 mothers across Bengaluru, Australia, the USA, and Canada in navigating the complexities of breastfeeding with confidence and assurance.
One of NariCare’s clients, Shruti Gupta, shares that her baby would cry a lot and, even after six weeks, she was unable to regain her birth weight. “The paediatrician told us that my milk supply is low and that I have to feed her formula. I was also told that my supply couldn’t be increased. That day was the worst for me, as I know how important breastfeeding was,” she recalls.
While researching online, Shruti came across NariCare. “With their lactation expert’s guidance, I was able to not only increase my milk supply but also exclusively breastfeed my baby for six months. Their 24×7 WhatsApp community is amazing. All our queries are answered as soon as possible. My child is more than a year old, and I’m still breastfeeding her,” she adds.
Empowerment through community
Instead of relying on traditional marketing strategies, Gayathri focused on connecting with her audience through educational content shared on social media platforms. By posting informative videos on topics ranging from breastfeeding techniques to personal narratives of mothers, the company aims to inspire and educate its audience. Gayathri highlights the importance of creating a genuine impact rather than merely chasing numbers.
She shares that for their three and six-month plans, the startup charges between Rs 4,500 and Rs 10,000. It also aims to create a supportive ecosystem by offering affordable programmes and connecting mothers to free valuable resources, prioritising the well-being of both mothers and their babies over monetary gains.
While the company is currently at a break-even stage, it is exploring partnerships with clinics and hospitals to reach more mothers and make its services more sustainable.
As part of its Women Startup Programme, the startup has been incubated at NSRCEL (Nadathur S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning), IIM Bangalore.
Gayathri feels deeply fulfilled by the impact her company is making. “When I worked as a software developer in the US, I was climbing the corporate ladder. I was happy with my job. But then when I ventured into NariCare, driven by my own struggles, I faced my own share of challenges as an entrepreneur,” she says.
“Life becomes so unpredictable when you run a company. At times, when I feel very low, I receive a message from a mother who has lost all hope and is labelled a bad mother. With our assistance, she can successfully breastfeed her baby. Knowing that you have played a role in helping a mother through the vulnerable postpartum period brings me immense joy and fulfilment as I have gone through the same guilt as a new mom myself. Secondly, it also lays a strong foundation for the lifelong health of their babies,” she adds.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee; All photos: NariCare.
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