Mother and Baby Unit Pamper Packs
A huge thank you to APP Volunteer Gemma for organising pamper packs to be delivered at Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) at Christmas.
The packs included make-up items from Boots UK and Soap & Glory to help mums feel special, books from Book Trust for story time with babies and leaflets about APP’s peer support for mums and families. Gemma organised the packs as a way of giving mums a little bit of “me time” to help their recovery, alongside the invaluable help and treatment the MBUs provide. She also hoped that the Nursery Nurses and other staff would find the books useful in encouraging mother and baby bonding.
Gemma has been a volunteer with APP since 2018, and has also held a fundraiser for APP. She says “I suffered with postpartum psychosis in 2017. Through this I gained an understanding of severe anxiety and depression and wanted to train as a peer supporter in 2018 in order to support others through their recovery journey. I also support the Birmingham project through attending the cafe group and really enjoy making a positive impact on others’ recovery. Last Christmas I returned to my own MBU in Stafford and was able to thank staff and provide a small amount of pamper packs. This year I wanted to reach every MBU in the UK over Christmas, as this period can be so difficult. I feel this is such an important step for mums not only to promote relaxation and self-care, but more importantly to raise awareness of APP, the support available and the ways in which they can get in touch.”
We have received some lovely feedback from MBUs across the UK. Staff at the Rosewood MBU in Kent said “Thank you so much for the donations we have received today, the self-care packages and books are lovely, and I know something that will really support the mums’ recovery, especially while we have a few isolating. It could not have come at a better time. Also thank you for the leaflets which are really helpful to give to families and provide them with insight and knowledge that their loved ones will get better.”
Staff at the Thumbswood MBU in Hertfordshire said “Thank you very much for your support and showing the generosity towards our MBU. We have distributed the pamper packs to our mums and they were very thankful. I think it was a fabulous idea during this difficult time.”
Staff at the Livingston MBU, Scotland said “Our team was blown away with your generosity and hard work. We were all wondering what the delivery was and initially thought it was toner cartridges we were waiting on. As you can imagine we all got so excited and felt overwhelmed with the kindness you showed and gave to our mums.”
Thank you Gemma, for all your hard work in organising and delivering the packs to the MBUs.
