Introducing the Motherhood Starter Kit
We know new parents are busy (understatement of the year). Between appointments, nappy changes, laundry, postpartum healing and just adjusting to being a mum, the days are full of activity. But a lot of mums are caught off guard by how busy pregnancy can be, too. From the nausea and fatigue of the first trimester, through second trimester’s planning and organising (answering “Where will baby sleep?” and “How do I want to give birth?” etc.), finally to the third trimester and childbirth. Never mind all the appointments you must keep during pregnancy. And about the baby shower gifts – some you will love, some not so much.
There are so many things to learn, so many things you should know. Our founders found out the hard way what birth can look like if you don’t know enough to advocate for yourself.
Taking a birth class is a huge milestone in the pregnancy journey. Sitting down and listening about what the journey might look like is the first for many women that they hear about the small print of pregnancy. And let’s be real, it’s not always so simple to just ‘attend’ a birth class. Especially now, during a pandemic. So, we decided to bring the birth class to you.
What’s more, we wrapped it up in a physical box with pregnancy tea and a thermos mug to make everyone’s life a little easier. What’s a better gift for a new mum(-to-be) than equipping her with all she needs to know about the Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond – while enjoying a hot cuppa in her own living room.
And we named it the Motherhood Starter Kit.
Who decided motherhood could not come with a manual?
Most of the pregnancy journey is focused on baby. After all, this is the small new human being brought into the world: it’s only right to think about them and their well-being. We’ve developed incredible surgical techniques and medical equipment to look after the developing baby inside mum’s belly. And somewhere on the way we forgot that it’s not just baby who is the star of the show – mum shares the spotlight with baby up until and during childbirth, even after it.
Pregnancy and childbirth are overwhelming, life-altering experiences that may have long-lasting consequences for mum, and we shouldn’t take them lightly. Frankly, they also involve a lot of pain, blood and sweat. Tears too, happy, sad, distraught, thrilled and everything in between.
We believe it’s important to evolve past just the idea that a “successful” pregnancy and birth is a birth which both mum and baby survive – by now the standard needs to be higher.
Ideally, a birth needs to be an event the mum can think back on fondly, knowing her needs were being met and she was being heard. Every mum deserves to be an active participant in their own pregnancy and childbirth. Sometimes things truly happen unexpectedly, but often knowledge will alleviate fears mum may feel and allow her to understand what’s happening around her. Because vaginal or Caesarean, unmedicated or with all the medication, birth is incredible. And every mum deserves only the best.
Let’s start thinking beyond just baby. What about mum? What does she need to have the smoothest, best possible pregnancy and delivery? Furthermore, what is something that you can do that will ensure the best possible outcome for your mum-to-be?
Well, one thing is to think about the baby shower gift. Many mums receive nappies and other baby-items but less things for themselves. We know you’ll stand out with this gift, and while it is very different to what we’re accustomed to seeing at baby showers, your pregnant mama will thank you.
The one thing we believe new mums need more than anything is the right information. After all, knowledge is empowerment. Education is protection. Knowing what to expect from pregnancy allows mum and her partner to advocate for themselves and prepare. If something unexpected happens, you won’t be totally caught off-guard. Sometimes bad things happen no matter how prepared we are but knowing even the basics allows you to advocate for yourself and stay aware of what’s happening.
When a mum has the opportunity to fully educate herself about birth and pregnancy, she can set up contingencies and remain empowered even in the face of challenges.
Knowing what to expect and being allowed to go into pregnancy and childbirth without the fear of the unknown are not luxuries – they are the least every mum deserves. And for these things, we have a manual. Often the argument is that nothing can prepare you to parenthood, and in a way, that is true. However, you can be prepared for the events that will make you a mother: the pregnancy, birth, and the fourth trimester – the beyond.
That’s not to say everything looks the same for everyone, but if the baseline is the manual of the things that will happen, things that many mums face, some mums might deal with slightly different things, and you may come across something else completely… well, to us it makes a world of difference. And many women we’ve spoken with agree. There can’t be a manual for every possible application and event that may occur, but like with hair dye or a kettle, where you’ll get a manual of what’s to be expected and how to deal with it, we need you to know the basics so that you can avoid unnecessary trauma and hardship.
Introducing the Motherhood Starter Kit
We are thrilled to announce the release of the Motherhood Starter Kit, the newest launch in our product family and the perfect gift for any mum-to-be from anybody on any occasion.
Whether you are a family member, a partner, or a friend purchasing a gift for a baby shower, birthday, or just because – or even if you’re a mum looking to treat yourself to a bit of relaxation and education – the Motherhood Starter Kit is probably what you’ve been looking for.
Our number one goal with the Kit is to equip mums with enough information and products to help them feel empowered and knowledgeable enough to advocate for the pregnancy and birth experience that they deserve. As such, the Motherhood Starter Kit contains both digital and physical products.
The Education Series
The central item in the box is a gift card with a unique access code allowing you to log onto our digital education series.
Narrated by Certified Midwife Marie Louise (who also wrote “The Modern Midwife’s Guide to Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond”) and other maternity experts, the Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond series are broken into three sections: The Antenatal, Birth, and Postnatal series – and you get to control when and how to watch them. We’ll take you through what to expect from each stage and give you tips and useful tools to manage symptoms and situations. We will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to approach birth without fear and help you navigate the first few weeks as a new parent.
Presented warmly and passionately by our midwife partner the Modern Midwife Marie who herself was pregnant during filming, the three-part series covers over 12 hours’ worth of pregnancy journey. Some of the topics include:
- - Pregnancy symptoms and how to manage them
- - What to expect from antenatal appointments
- - The role of your midwife
- - Hormonal and body changes during pregnancy and labour
- - How a mum can look after her body and mind during pregnancy
- - Partners in pregnancy and birth
- - Preparing for birth and overdue babies
- - Making a birth plan and postnatal plan
- - Hypnobirthing and having a fear-free birth
- - Labour stages and giving birth
- - Postnatal life and physical recovery
- - Caring for a newborn
- - Diastasis recti, pelvic floor recovery and healing the core after birth
- - Brain fog and baby brain: your mental wellbeing after pregnancy
- - Birth trauma
- - Exercising after giving birth
The Physical Products
Packaged in a luxurious gift box, our Motherhood Starter Kit comes with our organic Pregnancy Tea made of a unique blend of 100% organic caffeine-free Rooibos tea, potent iron-rich nettle, fragrant lemon, antioxidant-rich blueberry, and peppermint specifically chosen to support a healthy pregnancy.
Read more: Organic Pregnancy Tea
We also included a beautiful ivory-coloured stainless-steel thermos mug: perfect for keeping your iced latte cold for up to 24 hours and your tea steaming hot for up to 12. These are the perfect companion for when you’re out and about with your baby, eliminating the need for wasteful paper cups, or even just for when you want to sit, relax, and watch the online series.
Read more: Stainless Steel Thermos Mug
Inspired by the Finnish Maternity Package
In addition to our founders’ personal experience, the Motherhood Starter Kit was inspired by one more thing - the Finnish maternity package.
Since 1949, all Finnish mums have had the chance to receive the maternity grant before birth. The only one of its kind worldwide, the Maternity Package is one of the options that Finnish mothers can choose from as a form of support from the government. While mums can pick between getting their maternity grant in the form of a cash benefit or a maternity package, nearly one hundred per cent of new mums pick the maternity package. The Social Insurance Institution of Finland hands out around 50 000 maternity grants of which around 30 000 are provided in the form of a maternity package.
Many Finnish babies have started their lives over the decades by not sleeping in cots, but the cardboard box of the Maternity Package instead. And since the maternal and infant mortality rates have declined to some of the lowest in the world since the introduction of the Package, the connections seem rather evident.
Although it is updated yearly in response to clients’ needs, the Finnish maternity package typically includes items like gender neutral baby clothes, care products, and baby care materials, totaling about 50 items.
In 2018 the Finnish Maternity Package looked like this.
As fabulous a benefit as this is - one that the entire international community should consider offering - we can’t help but notice that the “maternity” package has only a few items that are actually meant for mums. That’s why we decided to try to create our own version of a maternity package that focuses on meeting a mother’s needs - not just baby’s.
In the Motherhood Starter Kit we concentrated on the first steps mums take on the journey into motherhood: learning about what to expect, and especially about the unexpected. And we decided to do this in an easy-to-approach, gift-friendly manner hoping to reach many more mums through their families and friends.
The Launch
Pregnancy is wonderful – but it’s a lot. Mums deserve a bit of pampering and education about what’s coming, and empowering women to approach pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum fearlessly is about the best gift we can think of!
If you’re as excited as we are about this game-changing gift for a pregnant woman, we’re excited to announce that the Motherhood Starter Kit is available at lolalykke.com NOW!
