In the midst of the US formula shortage, a new app aims to make human milk sharing more accessible

With an increasingly urgent need for instant, equitable access to human milk for all babies, a new innovative solution has arrived in the form of a dating-style app called The Drop.

The formula shortage has grabbed headlines for good reason, but feeding babies has been stressful for parents for a long time. Almost 18 months ago, Kelly Cox and Celia Castleman, started working on a product that would solve that problem, and that product is The Drop, an app where breast milk donors and recipients meet. Wrapped in a dating-app-like interface, The Drop allows users to search by distance, age or specific criteria to rule out allergens, medications, sensitivities and more. 

The idea for The Drop initially came to Kelly one evening when she was on her phone, scrolling through her contacts to source extra milk for a doula client when she received a text notification from a dating app that she had “matched” with a prospective date. The idea for a mobile app to match human milk donors and recipients was born! Together she worked with her friend and mum of three Celia, who was equally passionate about milk sharing having herself donated breast milk to families need.

Solving the disparities in breast milk accessibility

Originally hoping to launch their app on 1 August 2022 to coincide with World Breastfeding Week, both Celia and Kelly worked overtime to get the app into the hands of parents during the current urgent formula shortage. With The Drop they have developed a solution to solve the disparities between infants with access to breast milk and those without.

Whilst breast milk sharing is not new (in the U.S., there are over half a million members of Facebook groups dedicated to this goal), the process of finding a donor or recipient has long been clunky and time-consuming, and new parents deserve and need better. 

Whilst breast milk sharing is not new, the process of finding a donor or recipient has long been clunky and time-consuming

Speaking about the The Drop app, founders Kelly and Celia say:

“We’re on a mission to solve the inequities of breast milk access. We know that many parents want to feed their babies breast milk, but can’t for a variety of reasons, including a need to quickly return to work, hormonal disruptions, breast cancer and adoption. The Drop allows new parents to seamlessly make connections and reduce the stress of feeding their babies. Human milk is a renewable resource that is not subject to supply-chain disruptions or recalls, and The Drop provides a much sought-out village of providers.”

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