Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlyn Schollmeier.
Hi Caitlyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My husband and I met in the military. It was while serving in the Air Force that I found my passion for women’s health and midwifery. I devoted the next decade to studying and gaining experience in women’s health until ultimately becoming a Certified nurse midwife. During that time I had worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse and a birth doula. I designed a comfortable and accessible hospital gown that women could wear when they gave birth. I wanted something more comfortable and offered more privacy than traditional hospital gowns, and I did this just to offer the creation to my own clients and patients. Some time went by and when my husband and I were expecting for the first time, I got the opportunity to wear the gown for an extended hospital stay. I had a high risk pregnancy. I was pregnant with twins and the doctors had me on bedrest for over a month, which was a fitting situation to need a comfortable and accessible hospital gown. While there in the hospital, I made and posted a Tik Tok video. I didn’t make content online regularly or in any meaningful way but for some reason this video, which wasnt even about the product I created, went viral and half the comments seemed to want to know where I got my gown. I made a follow up video, where I showed the features of what would later become the Lila birth gown and that video went even more viral than the first, catching the attention of more than 9 million people. I sold 40 gowns that I had on hand via Instagram, and then decided I would invest my life’s savings, nearly $80,000 into starting a company from my hospital bed in a matter of days. I applied for a business license, I opened an online store, and set a launch date after ordering 2,500 gowns from my supplier. My twins were then born 6 weeks early due to some complications with the pregnancy, and my preset launch date was scheduled for the next day. I launched my company from the NICU, and sold out of all 2,500 in less than 2 hours! My husband and I shortly before I was admitted to the hospital had been forced to leave our rental home because the owner wanted to sell it. The housing market was so insane at the time that we couldn’t find a safe place to live, and with such little notice we decided we’d just have to move into a family member’s travel trailer, So when it was time to leave the hospital, we took our two dogs, our two babies, and this brand new business we didn’t know we’d start and move into a travel trailer. We then packed thousands and thousands of orders from our travel trailer while taking care of our tiny 4 lb twin boys. We took shifts, where my husband would pack through the night and I would pack through the day. We eventually moved into a home and packed orders from our garage. Now fast forward to today, we have been featured on What to Expect, The Bump, Babylist, Time, CBS Mornings. We started with one style and one size, and now over 5 different styles, 4 different sizes, nearly 20 different colors or patterns. We make the most size and culturally inclusive birth clothing line on the market. We sell all over the world with the goal to improve birth experiences and make them just a little more comfortable.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My husband had a catastrophic spinal cord injury early in our relationship that he wasn’t supposed to recover from. He did however, with a lot of hard work and grit, recover to an extent doctors assured us could never happen. His neurological impairments have made our whole journey since a struggle, and we have just had to work harder to accomplish our goals together. I’ve also made a lot of mistakes as an entrepreneur. I’ve made bad hiring choices, and been taken advantage of. I had to learn a lot about how to run a business by trial and error.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Lila offers a range of clothing for every stage of the journey to parenthood including Maternity, Laborwear (our trademarked birth clothing line), nursing, and baby. We also sell select supplies which is a product line we are slowly expanding. What makes us different is that it’s owned and operated by a CNM, a medical professional that KNOWS what women in this stage of life want and need. I believe pregnancy, birth, and postpartum shouldn’t have to be miserable and isolating. I want women to feel my compassion and support through the thoughtful designed products I create to help make them feel comfortable and beautiful during labor but also every other stage of their journey. That’s why ours is the most size and culturally inclusive brand on the market. Every woman should feel included. Our sizing goes up to a size 30, and we create the only full coverage birth gown for women who dress modestly or wear hijab. We have something for everyone and we create our products with high standards for quality because unlike our competitors, our gowns aren’t meant to be worn once and then thrown away.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I was Mrs. United States in 2020, and was the first woman to ever win a national pageant title openly pregnant. I was 5 months pregnant with my twins, clearly showing, and I was crowned a few months before starting my business.
Pricing:
- All of our birth gowns are $69.99
- All of our matching robes are $39.99
- Matching swaddles and baby outfits range from $22.99 to $40.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wearlila.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lila.laborwear
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lila.laborwear
- Other: Tik Tok: @themodernmidwife
