Last year, Frida Mom released a powerful ad to show how its postpartum care line could help new moms recover from childbirth. The 60-second spot depicted many of the realities women experience during the postpartum period — soreness, a still-swollen belly, perineal pain — and was ultimately rejected from being aired during the Oscars. Why? It was deemed too graphic.
Now, a little more than a year later, Frida Mom is back with another viral ad, this time to promote its new breastfeeding line. The ad features a woman giving herself a pep talk as her hungry baby cries and struggles to latch. “Alright girls, you’ve got this,” a voiceover says. “Latch! Latch better! Oh god, unlatch!”
The commercial then shows moms nursing their babies or tending to their sore breasts while their thoughts are vocalized — thoughts anyone who has breastfed or exclusively pumped will likely be able to relate to.
“How does anyone drink enough water?”
“Is it too early to call a lactation consultant? And he’s still crying.”
“Do I love my baby?”
“Am I bad mom if I stop now?”
“Good moms should know how to do this.”
There are positives, too. The moms reflect on their babies’ sweet smells and tiny toes, and squeeze in cuddles during nursing sessions. And then, in one particularly relatable moment, a mom suddenly wakes when she hears her baby’s cries, spilling freshly-pumped milk in the process. (Is there anything worse!?)
While breastfeeding is often depicted as a serene experience between mom and baby, this ad is a powerful reminder that that’s not always the case. As a currently nursing mom of three, Frida Mom’s ad references many of the issues I’ve dealt with. Clogged ducts, mastitis, nipple pain — yep, been there.
Like so many women, my breastfeeding journey has included highs and lows. I’ve rushed to the doctor after finding a lump — it was a plugged duct, thankfully — and dealt with an underperforming breast. I’ve struggled with a baby who wasn’t interested in latching, and experienced painful engorgement and raw nipples. And the ad reminded me how frustrating it is to try to do something — anything — when your baby seems permanently attached to your breasts.
Of course, this is an ad, not a PSA. At the end, Frida Mom showcases six new breastfeeding products, including a cabbage, sage and jasmine-infused breast mask intended to ease engorgement; an adjustable nursing pillow; and a lactation massager to help relieve clogged ducts.
Like Frida Mom’s previous ad, it’s unlikely this one will make it to primetime TV, since it shows bare, lactating breasts. But it’s so real. And, just maybe, it will help new moms feel less alone during those less-than-amazing breastfeeding moments.
