Five months after my first daughter was born, I returned to my job at a progressive, supportive technology company where I was lucky to have all the necessary accommodations to pump at my office.  I was struck by how awkward I felt bringing such an intimate activity like breastfeeding into the office while joining my new mom identity with the professional identity I had known for so many years.  I felt uncomfortable in my postpartum body and wanted to show up looking like the professional I was without calling attention to my curvier-than-usual body. 

I quickly became frustrated by my limited clothing choices: I could try to squeeze into my pre-baby clothes which had the look I wanted but didn’t fit well (if at all) and didn’t enable efficient pumping, I could wear my maternity clothes which didn’t fit well because I no longer had a human growing inside of me, or I could wear nursing clothes which were casual and didn’t enable me to achieve my desired look.  I felt lost from the self I once knew so well.

Fulcrum was born directly from my experience.  As an engineer, I knew I could design a better solution for elevated, functional apparel for new mothers.  I also wanted to create a brand with a fierce commitment to empower moms at work and at home, not only by providing attire that helps reconnect them to themselves, but also by relating to women in all their roles and identities.  With the lines between work and home increasingly blurred, moms need solutions that speak to the complexities of pumping motherhood and enable them to move seamlessly between their commitments.

Today our passion is serving moms so they can simplify their daily experience and express their unique style as they navigate the highs and lows of new motherhood.  My sincere hope is that our garments bring them confidence and efficiency so they can focus on what matters most to them and master all their goals.

-Kathryn Wepfer, founder