Women in York are being brought together to support mums-to-be who are going into labour without essential hygiene items in the area by creating Birth Care Bags.

Local businesswoman Andrea Morrison was shocked to discover from The Hygiene Bank York that there are as many as ten women a month going into labour without essential hygiene items like maternity pads, shower gel, toothpaste or disposable pants. She then approached other local businesswomen who were quick to support this important cause.

Emily Pickard from Mumbler, Bernadette Render from Obliviar, Sarah Schiewe from Schiewe Ceramics and Helen Sargent from Helen Sargent Interiors to help raise awareness of this and create a bank of Birth Care Bags that could be distributed by The Hygiene Bank to those in most need.

The mission is to raise £2,000 by the end of summer to buy enough Birth Care Bags to last a year.

The Hygiene Bank York

The Hygiene Bank York distributes essential hygiene items to those in the community who are experiencing hygiene poverty. They encourage people in the community to donate new and unused toiletries and domestic cleaning products and have various donation points across the city. They then work with community partners to distribute the products free of charge to those who are in hygiene poverty.

Currently 4.2 million people in the UK are experiencing hygiene poverty. This means new parents having to choose between nappies or formula for their babies, teenagers missing school because they don’t have access to period products, a single father skipping a job interview because he can’t afford both the shower gel he needs to feel clean and the bus fare there.

It is estimated that The Hygiene Bank York support over 200 people per week and work with 9 community partners. Its volunteers distributes over 2 tonnes of hygiene products every year.

Mums-to-be in Need

At the moment The Hygiene Bank York are supporting women who are going into labour without the necessary items that they need, but the aim of this project is to create a bank of pre packed bags that are ready to go for their community partners.

As Andrea said ‘having had three babies myself I could not imagine going into labour knowing that afterwards I didn’t have what I needed to clean myself or my baby, knowing that I’d have to face this when I was at my most vulnerable. It is something that I didn’t have to think about, and took it for granted that I would be ok. We want to create these bags so that every woman who goes into labour doesn’t have to worry about those essential items and can concentrate on being there for their babies’.

We need your help
To help support this fundraiser you can donate to the Just Giving Page https://www.justgiving.com/team/birthcarebags which will be used to purchase the following essential items:
Sanitary Pads
Toothpaste & toothbrush
Deodorant
Shower gel
Shampoo & conditioner 2in1
Pants
Talc for baby
Baby bath stuff
Nappy cream & Nappies
Cotton wool balls