Heidi Holbrook, who used to run the Queenstown School of Dance, now lives in Wellington.
Three years ago, she gave birth not only to her first child, Lola, but also to Womama, a maternity clothing company.
Mrs Holbrook said she and business partner Juliette George first met at an antenatal class and discovered they had the same midwife and the same distaste for "ugly maternity bras".
"We didn't like the fact that, now we were pregnant, all that was on offer in the bra department was pastel, strap them down boulder holders.
"I couldn't bring myself to fork out $60 for a bra that made me feel frumpy and unattractive.
"This is such a special time in our lives and we deserved better.
"Today, women breast-feed more openly in public, compared to our mothers' generation.
"However, we didn't like lifting up our tops in public and latching on our babies while exposing all our newly-stretched wobbly bits - and we weren't the only ones."
Mrs Holbrook, with a background in "eclectic theatre management", mentioned her idea to Mrs George - "a highly organised primary school teacher" - and after some thinking, the duo got to work.
Initially, the pair developed the "Gotcha Covered" breast-feeding singlet, which included a built-in maternity bra, adjustable maternity bra strapping, a mesh breast frame, a one-handed maternity clip, added length, and pockets to hold breast pads in place.
The singlet became the foundation for the rest of their collection, which now covers nightgowns, slips, leisure pants and underwear.
Womama was launched at the Wellington Parent and Child Show in September 2005, and the positive response was overwhelming, Mrs George said.
The business has gone from strength to strength, with the help and support of NZ Business Centre, NZ Trade and Enterprises and Tui Te Hau at Creative HQ.
Womama has now gone from being an online store to stocking in New Zealand and Australian retail stores and beginning manufacturing offshore.
However, 2008 had brought an exciting new chapter to the business, beginning next month during World Breast-feeding Awareness Week.
The women will launch their new collection - Mother Nature - comprising four nursing bra-and-knicker sets.
Some of the first women to try out the collection will be those with babies in Wellington's Neonatal Unit, with the Neonatal Trust benefiting from all sales.
Mrs Holbrook said she saw first hand the dedication of the staff at the unit when Lola, now almost 3, was born prematurely with underdeveloped lungs.
"In the days after her birth, there were times when we feared we would lose her. But the staff constantly encouraged us, telling us she was a real fighter.
"We were humbled by their dedication [and] when Lola was finally discharged . . . I was determined to give something back to them for saving her life."
Womama would give $1 from the sale of every bra from the Mother Nature collection to the Neonatal Trust to support the purchase of new equipment and staff training, she said.
