Li Jiang, left, and Ling Zhang arrange their nursing bra on a mannequin. (Photo courtesy of Iowa State University)
After experiencing physical and mental problems with the clothes made for breastfeeding parents, an Iowa State University professor with knowledge of the intimate apparel industry now sells clothes made with mothers, including herself, in mind.
Iowa State University researchers Ling Zhang and Li Jiang have received glowing reviews from mothers about the nursing bras and other clothing items they created in order to provide more options for those who wear maternity underclothes. Their work resulted in the university’s first-ever apparel design patent.
An ISU alum herself, Zhang said after earning her master’s degree at the university in 2008, she went to work as an intern, then full-time, for the U.S. branch of Delta Galil, a company that designs intimate and activewear apparel. There she designed bras and other shapewear, but never worked with maternity clothes.
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Zhang said she had problems with nursing bras after both of her pregnancies. When she had her first child in 2012, Zhang said she struggled to find bras that were soft enough while still providing support. Ill-fitting nursing bras also led to difficulties with clogged milk ducts. She found only one nursing bra that worked for her, and it was made by one of her former colleagues.
Eight years later, Zhang said she tried to use that bra again after her second birth, but found that it no longer fit correctly due to body changes. Having come back to ISU in the spring of 2019 to teach, Zhang said she spent her maternity leave in the summer of 2020 thinking of how she could use startup money she received through the College of Health and Human Science Early Career Faculty Research Grant and apply it to the issues she, and doubtless many other mothers, were facing.
“I thought, maybe I should start designing a better bra to give support to the mothers who face the same problems as me,” Zhang said.
When Zhang came back from maternity leave, she was armed with plans to research what mothers need out of their nursing bras and to design a comfortable, supportive bra that can change with their bodies. She worked with a survey company to ask 1,300 mothers across the U.S. about their experiences with nursing bras, their problems with them and their vision for a better bra.
The professor had already begun research into the industry while on maternity leave, talking with people she knew from Delta Galil about why a better nursing bra wasn’t already available. One person told her the company had actually put in a patent for a nursing bra, but the time it would have taken to get approved was too long and they pulled it back.
It took two-and-a-half years for Zhang to get the patent on her designs approved, which she said isn’t a problem in her role.
“We have patience, we have time, and I think that’s my responsibility, to develop a better nursing bra as a researcher and professor in a fashion program,” Zhang said.
Working with parents, for parents
Information from the surveyed mothers showed that they had the most problems with bras not fitting correctly and being uncomfortable to wear, and almost one-third of respondents said they had the same problem Zhang experienced with clogged milk ducts. Some also said the bras made them feel ugly, as there were no fashionable colors or designs offered in nursing bras.
To combat these issues, Zhang, with the help of Jiang, individually made sets of three different prototype garments, each with their own functions. Jiang said they did a lot of work figuring out the best fabrics to use, landing on bamboo jersey, mesh and soft lace. These materials are soft and cooling for a mother’s fluctuating body temperature, but still provide needed support, she said.
The clothes have multiple straps so they can be adjusted depending on body weight and other changes. The designers also stayed away from neutral colors, instead offering garments in pink and blue to help mothers feel more confident in their clothes. They submitted an apparel design patent for a babydoll shirt, which can operate as both a nursing bra and sleepwear if the bra sections are removed.
Making enough clothes for eight women to test, 24 garments total, took between three and four months, Zhang said. One woman ended up not needing them anymore, so the researchers worked with seven women in Ames who wore and washed the clothes for a month and recorded their thoughts. They gave good feedback that the pair were able to use to tweak their prototypes before moving on to the next stage.
After filing their patent for the babydoll top, Zhang founded the company MUQIN, meaning “mother” in Mandarin, in order to sell the products. Two products are for sale online, a nursing bra and a nursing babydoll shirt. The patent received approval in November 2024, and they’ve received positive reviews online.
“We all got five stars positive, and all of them mentioned that they’ve never seen those kinds of bras on the market, and … they love the bra because of the comfortability and nice fitting and providing extra support,” Zhang said.
Jiang was actually pregnant while they were putting the prototype clothes together, but she was finished breastfeeding by the time she would have been able to use the nursing bra. She said she learned a lot about new mothers during their research, which made her think more about becoming a mother herself.
After nursing herself, Jiang said she understood why so many people have been unsatisfied with nursing bras and other maternity clothing. She said she hopes the products she and Zhang made will make mothers feel more physically comfortable and happier in general, as they can wear clothes that make them feel good inside and out.
“I missed the chance to wear the bra we designed, but I believe it can help a lot of new nursing moms,” Jiang said.
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