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The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Anita Jamshidi
By Melinda Copp
Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mother who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a woman and a mother. Above all, the Mom of the Month is dedicated to her children. Rich or poor, famous or not, she shines as an example of what mothering is all about.
Teaching kids the importance of helping other people is one of the many challenges of motherhood. This is a life lesson that every parent struggles to instill on their children, in hopes that each one will one day make a positive impact on someone else's life.
When Anita Jamshidi approaches this lesson with her four kids, she takes a hands-on approach that shows her kids just how helpful they can be.
"I pray every day that I raise children that treat themselves and others kindly, that they value honesty and that they care for one another, but that they also think of others and what others may need," Jamshidi says.
As an example, at least once a year, Jamshidi puts a box in her children's rooms and asks that they put in it the toys and clothes they have outgrown, no longer use or wish to share with someone in need. "Then as a family, we go to a local shelter to drop off the things we have collected," she says. "The children get to see that there are people who really appreciate their thoughtfulness, and I get to see the impact that their gesture has on them."
Aundia is 9 and in the third grade. She is starting to realize the fun of being a girl, discovering lip gloss, perfume, skirts and all things girly, Jamshidi says.
Her son, Neikon, is 7 and loves anything nature- and sports-related. "If he could sleep comfortably with his tennis racket and ball, I seriously think he would," Jamshidi says. "Then there's Arshon, our 4-year-old son who gives the word 'challenging' new meaning each and every day with his curiosity and his desire to keep up with his older brother and sister." Arshon also plays a major role in taking care of his baby sister, 11-month-old Neilly.
"Neilly has a ways to go before she can keep up with her older siblings physically, but she's got them wrapped around her little fingers like you wouldn't believe," Jamshidi says. "This includes her Daddy as well."
The Jamshidi family also includes their dog, Pepsi.
lots of attention. She was constantly pulling on Jamshidi's hands while she was trying to nurse the baby. But Jamshidi needed her hand to hold her breast in place so her son could get a good latch. Her lactation consultant told her to roll up a towel and stick it under her breast to free up her hand, but any mom who's tried this approach knows that as soon as you move, the towel comes out of place. So Jamshidi started experimenting.
"I am always trying to find solutions to my daily 'life' frustrations," Jamshidi says. "I'm always thinking there's got to be a better way to do this, whatever the 'this' is at that time."
She started cutting apart pieces of Styrofoam and covering them with fabric, searching for something that worked better than a rolled up towel under her breast. She experimented with different shapes and materials, and within one year of nursing her son she had a working prototype for herself.
"I became my own guinea pig," Jamshidi says. Then she enlisted the help of other moms from playgroups and anywhere else she could find them.
"I gave away hundreds and hundreds of them, and all I asked for in return was honest feedback," she says. "Women take on so many things at once, and I wanted to do something to help women that want to persevere at breastfeeding."
When Jamshidi felt comfortable that her product was ready, she toted a suitcase to a conference for lactation consultants. She brought along her sister and business partner, Nadia Jamshidi, who has a background in public relations and marketing. And both women were overwhelmed by the response that this little pillow got from the lactation consultants. By the end of the first day, they were wiped out of samples, and that's when the sisters knew the product was something that could help moms everywhere.
After the trade show demonstrated such a need, they started selling to specialty shops and small retailers. In 2005, the Utterly Yours Breast Pillow won an iParenting Media Award for product excellence. Now, the little pillow is in mass distribution with six sales representatives and distributors covering international ground. And they're in the process of marketing a hospital-grade pillow to hospitals for women to experiment with postpartum, before some of the big breastfeeding challenges present themselves. The only thing different about this version is the cover, which is waterproof and disposable for use in healthcare settings.
"My goal is to reach moms at the hospital level before they get frustrated and give up on breastfeeding," Jamshidi says. "Nursing is natural, but it's not easy for all women. The pillow addresses one need in the entire spectrum of nursing challenges. I've stepped beyond doing something for my family and been able to do something for other families."
Jamshidi hopes that her children will learn from her perseverance and determination to perfect her problem-solving invention. "I want them to know that the ideas and curiosities they have are worth exploring, that they can absolutely work hard and hopefully 'think out of the box,' to see those ideas through," she says.