Meet the Maker - Prenatal Cradle

By Christine Seering

It was a blustery, cold winter’s day in Michigan in December of 1986. If you looked hard enough, you would have seen a young attractive, dark haired woman struggling with her purse and books. She was carrying 50 pounds more than her slight build of 110 was used to. While one hand hoisted her books and purse, her other hand reached around to hold the pregnancy that slowed her steps as the rushing tide of MSU students streamed past her. Medicare and Social Services had given her two options; work or get a degree. She could go to work with no assurance of promotion while, at the same time, her benefits would be decreased in proportion to her income. Going to school was a struggle, but the promise of a future spurred her determination to succeed. She was resolved that her beautiful little two year old boy and this baby, whom she would hold in her arms in the new year, would not have to live in poverty simply because she was a single mom. “I can’t keep up,” she thought. When she held her stomach and her books, her back ached. When she held her back, she could feel the straining in front. “I can’t hold it together,” she groaned. After school she went from store to store trying on every maternity support they had. The large sizes were too small and the styles that fit did not feel comfortable. A frustrated voice inside of her screamed, “HELP ME!”

On Christmas day, that year at her parent’s home, she watched her toddler play as she enjoyed the company of her family relaxing around the table following a sumptuous Holiday dinner. That was the first time Mona proposed to me, (her sister-in-law) that we should come up with a support that would help her “make it through” the rest of her pregnancy.
Mona’s suggestion brought back floods of memories. I remembered being six months pregnant with my first son. After spending two and a half years as an RN at the University of Michigan Burn Center I had transferred to the Pediatrics unit. One month later I received news that I was pregnant with our first child. Six months later, while ambling down the halls of the old St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor with one hand under my belly I remember wishing that a successful doctor nearby would invent a support for pregnancy that would help me. Thoughts flooded my mind about what the support would look like and how it would fit.

That December of 1986 I was in “full swing” with my own life. The challenge of raising three children, ages five to eight, was never without a dull moment. I was babysitting Mona’s little boy while she attended college and he was a little sweetheart. I was a “stay-at-home” mom. At that time, the decision that I should stay home to raise our children was not a popular one among the large number of couples we knew who both worked. I found that there were some who questioned my worth as a contributing member of society, and some who even questioned my level of intelligence. My husband’s income provided for a roof over our heads and food on the table, but not much more. Numerous prayers were uttered to “please” keep my car in motion while I ran errands. Needless to say, the babysitting money was a Godsend.

Spring break came and Mona and I retreated to my basement where I set up my sewing machine. A quick sketch and a trip to the fabric store paved the way for the design process. Methodically, we pinned and fitted pieces together according to the diagram. Once Mona carefully pulled it on, we began a lengthy process of fitting, pinning, wrapping, tugging, pulling for more support; making it more snug here and less snug there. The goals were clear: Support as if she is clasping her hands under her pregnancy. Support so that abdominal and back pain goes away. Make sure the support works well enough so that Mona can use her hands and arms to carry whatever she wants to without having to hold herself. At last the support accomplished what we had set out for it to do. But, it still needed to be sewn together and in order to sew it Mona had to take it off. I will never forget the next scene, for it was like watching a slow motion ballet being performed in my very own basement. As Mona, with extreme delicacy, slipped her arms and legs out of her customized abdominal and back support the multitude of pins cautiously placed, holding it together, still threatened to poke through.

Every seam of the customized support was sewn with a basting stitch. A basting stitch is a loose stitch that is not intended to last. As Mona reclined in a sitting position on my couch with the basted support on, the name came very clearly to me and I said out loud, “Prenatal Baby Cradle.” She responded back, “Prenatal Cradle.” The name stuck.

Three months later, while Mona was visiting, she showed me she was still wearing her customized, basted support that hadn’t fallen apart after having run it through the washer numerous times. She emphatically expressed, “this is so comfortable, I don’t even know that I’m wearing it. Some afternoons, I think it isn’t working and take it off and the pains come back. This is wonderful! We have to market it so that other women can be this comfortable during their pregnancies...” “But what if we put it on the market and someone with more money copies the design?” I asked. “We would be out of business before we even began.”

It was settled. If the “Prenatal Cradle” could be patented, then we would be in for business. Each of us called lawyer after lawyer in the phone book for free consultations. After exhausting these avenues we turned to our last and best choice: 1-800-LAWYER.

That was only the beginning.

Today, the Prenatal Cradle is enthusiastically recommended by Doctors, Nurses, Midwives, Physical Therapists, Healthcare Professionals, Mothers-to-be and others as an effective device in providing back and abdominal Support. The Prenatal Cradle is available in Baby Shops, Maternity Stores, Clinics, Hospitals, Pharmacies, Medical Equipment Stores, Online, Select Catalogs, through Importers and Exporters, and through other Merchants. Some insurance plans may cover. Retailers who sell Prenatal Cradles recognize the need for their customers to experience the ultimate patented support that works with the body and lifts without compression. Prenatal Cradle Inc.’s other products include the V2 Supporter, Mini Cradle, Hip Brace, Prenatal Cradle Plus, Natural Embrace Baby Sling, and the Hip/V2 Combo.

Visit the website at www.prenatalcradle.com or Call 1-800-607-3572 for a free brochure or for more information.

Christine Seering is a Registered Nurse, a mother of three children, and a member of the JPMA Board of Directors.