Kelly Cox knows the heartache parents suffer when simply feeding their baby seems impossible. The birth doula and business owner says she used to run prenatal and postpartum support groups out of her yoga studio, which included free lactation classes that were constantly packed. There, she helped countless moms by teaching them easy ways to encourage latching and produce more milk; but when that alone wasn't enough, Cox did her best to connect these women with other local moms who were willing to donate.
Little did she know that this grassroots program would one day become the inspiration for Share the Drop — a newly launched app that matches parents in need of breast milk with donors who have an oversupply. And so far, it's getting all the applause.
Cox says the idea had been rattling around in her head for about five years
After launching the lactation support classes at her yoga studio, Cox got a front-row seat to both sides of the feeding struggle. One by one, parents and caregivers would come in "consumed with anxiety and guilt" over feeding their babies — and looking to her for advice.
Naturally, she felt an urge to help.
"As a breast cancer survivor, I had a number of friends who were also survivors and wanted human milk for their infants," she says.
So, it seemed like a no-brainer to start searching within her own network and connecting parents in need of breast milk with those who had too much.
One night, while connecting two moms via text, a notification popped up
It was her dating app, Bumble, alerting her that she had just “matched” with another user. Naturally, that should have been exciting in and of itself, and in many ways, it was. But Cox wasn't just excited about a potential date. The Bumble notification had also caused a lightbulb to go off in her head.
"It was my 'Aha!' moment," Cox now tells us. "If I could match with a partner in the palm of my hand, then caregivers could match with their milk partners?"
Cox didn't exactly have a background in tech
She had spent her career in women's health and wellness, and the extent of her "app knowledge" was simply that she constantly used them herself.
But as the pandemic took hold in 2020, Cox soon found herself in uncharted territory. She was furloughed by her job, forced to close her yoga studio, and had to isolate at home alone with her three kids.
Instead of letting that get to her, though, Cox used it as an opportunity to finally take a risk. So, turned to her close friend and fellow mom, Celia Casteman, and shared her idea.
Right away, Castleman was on board
There was just one problem: She didn't have any experience in the app world, either.
However, just like Cox, she had a lot of knowledge about breast milk donation and its high demand. After all, she'd been on the other side of things herself.
"I had always excessively pumped and donated my milk during all three of my breastfeeding journeys," she tells Mom.com. "I hated the design of breastfeeding PSAs and the outdated look of the maternity ward — it was basically clip-art. So we wanted to design something fresh, modern, and edgy."
That didn't happen overnight, though
First, Cox sold her house. Then, the two women invested in an app development company and hired web and graphic designers to make their vision become a reality.
After that, it was good 'ole fashioned hard work.
"We were very hands on with the look and feel," says Castleman, who added that the two women really wanted to "shake things up" when they dicussed the app's design features.
Finally, in early August — just in time for Breastfeeding Awareness Month — they were able to debut their app, Share the Drop. And so far, it's already created a bit of buzz.
For one thing, the app is completely free
(That's right — F-R-E-E!)
"We are very clear: Liquid Gold is Priceless!" says Castleman. "From our research, we know that when there is a monetary incentive, it opens up the possibility of a corrupted substance."
Instead, Share the Drop strives to create an open and honest community where everyone walks away happy.
"Donors do get the satisfaction of helping others, building community, and not wasting their hard work!" says Castleman.
And she should know.
"I loved donating my milk [and] would have wept if I had to pour it down the drain," she explains. "We also know that throughout a breastfeeding journey, caregivers can be a donor at some point and a recipient at another point."
Because of that, Share the Drop isn't about profit. According to Castleman, it’s about "giving back and creating a village."
The women also describe the app as "radically inclusive"
"Motivated by a bit of healthy rage, we wanted to make sure that everyone has access," Castleman says. "This includes all walks of life in every socio-economic tier."
"Peer-to-peer breastfeeding is not a new concept," she adds, noting that there even records it happening in eras as far back as ancient Egypt. "Our goal is to normalize it and empower caregivers to have agency over the best choice for their family. We aren’t dictating what to do and how to do it, we just provide the resources and best practices. Every individual gets to make their own decision. No judgment."
There's also another upside to the app's altruistic nature
"Because it’s free, we don’t really have 'scammers,'" Cox proudly reports. "We require all users to request an invite code. Users have to agree to our terms and conditions which include our code of conduct. In addition, we have a 'report an issue' button, the ability to block another user and the ability to report another user."
Share the Drop also allows users to get to know one another before they meet up locally to swap "the goods."
Thanks to an in-app messaging feature, users can begin chatting and getting to know one another as soon as they've matched, and then decide if they'd like to move forward. (You know, kinda like online dating!)
"You wouldn’t go on a date with someone you just 'matched' with," says Cox. "You would want to ask questions and develop a relationship — same with Share the Drop."
Cox says the ultimate goal here is "to create a community of caregivers — a village that cares, nourishes, feeds, and supports one another." Since matches are based on location settings, the hope is that users find matches right in their own neighborhood, which will help build strong networks of local parents.
The app has only been live for about a month and a half now
It's also only available on Google Play at the moment, but is set to launch on the iPhone soon. Even so, the founders say they've been getting lots of positive feedback since Share the Drop debuted, and are hoping that in time, word spreads even further.
So far, they've received dozens of grateful messages from parents all over the country. One user wrote in to say that she hopes the app will help moms of preemies in particular, and alleviate the formula shortage that's left millions of parents on edge this year.
"This app is an incredible blessing!" wrote another parent, who said they were already finding local connections.
"As a bereaved mother, I will forever be grateful for my breast milk donation experience," one mom said, after using the app. "Knowing that my son’s milk helped other babies grow strong gave purpose to my grief."
Both women say these messages have motivated them to keep growing their movement.
"Both Celia and I believe that when we help support new parents and nourish infants in need, our work is our legacy," Cox tells us. "We’re so fulfilled, no matter how challenging this process has been, we’ve made the world a little better."
If you'd like to try Share the Drop for yourself, head to Google Play now and download the app.
