When breastfeeding their babies, moms naturally want to wear something comfortable.

Realizing this need, cousins Janice Crisostomo- Villanueva and Candice Cu- Yaw of Mommy Matters Nursingwear, at 7 J. Zaragoza St., Araneta Subd., Quezon City, began designing for breastfeeding moms.

"A baby may get hungry at a cafe, bookstore, supermarket, or any place, and special clothes with hidden slits make breastfeeding easier for both the mom and the baby. There is no need to button down or cover up," said Janice who is five-month pregnant.

Janice and her business partner Candice are directors of Mommy Matters Nursingwear.

With their designs, Mom can simply slip her hand into the slit, open up her nursing bra and quickly and easily breastfeed.

The idea cropped up when Janice gave birth to her first son eight years ago.

"I was breastfeeding and couldn’t find any nursingwear in the country but I found out that there are many nursingwear shops abroad. I had no choice but to order through on-line," Janice related.

Mira Reverente, Janice’s friend who lives in the United States, used to email her on "mommy matters" or just being a mom.

"Because of our continuous communications, we got the name ‘Mommy Matters.’ It gave me the idea to open the first ever nursingwear shop in the Philippines. We launched it in early 2001."

"The first designs were patterned after the imported ones. We are now designing our own to suit the climate here and to give Filipinos a chance to buy at a lower price, since it’s so expensive to order online," Janice explained.

Candice and Janice also consult a professional designer, Emy Reyes to improve their styles.

Mommy Matters Nursingwear started with basic styles such as shirts for breastfeeding.

"We’re still keeping the basic line, although moms really want comfortable soft fabrics that flatter their body. Our products are made for post maternity, so it’s important to us that the fabrics flatter the figure of moms. They don’t want to look obvious that they had just given birth. So we make styles and choose fabrics that fit their body, that are cool and comfortable because when you’re breastfeeding, it’s very uncomfortable if you have to wear a bra or a breast pad," Candice said.

For trendy moms, the two recommend spaghetti straps, raffled blouses, tunics, and a fabric that is flattering and stretchable.

Janice and Candice made a belly belt that converts pants into maternity pants (looks like an expander). They became the exclusive distributor of belly belts in the country.

The baby swing was later introduced. This is a carrier for babies made of soft fabrics that can be used while nursing, hammock style, slung from mom’s shoulder.

The two admitted that their prices are competitive. Now they are doing extensive research because they plan to expand and export their products to other countries .

Last year, they began selling their products in Hong Kong, the US, and the United Kingdom.

"We also can make our customer’s own design, since it is our own factory and the price doesn’t differ from our ready-to-wear though it depends if they want extra accessories. If they choose a style that’s existing already in our line or just want to use their own fabric, then it’s the same price," Janice said.

Mommy Matters also advocates breastfeeding and offers advice to nursing mothers.

Mommy Matters clothes are available at Havin’ a Baby shops at Glorietta, Shangri-La Mall, Alabang Town Center, Gateway Cubao, Market Market, SM North Edsa, Ayala Center Cebu. Also at Rustan’s Department Store Makati, Shangri-La Mall and Alabang, and Landmark Department Store.

For home delivery service, call 780-9898 or text 0918-9300313.