Muslins, mums, and midwives — how one small business gives back to UK mothers
At some point during the first few months of parenthood, many mums and dads will discover their ‘must-have’ baby product. For some, it’s baby wipes. For others, there’s one dummy that always does the trick. But for sheer versatility, you’ll struggle to beat the humble cotton muslin.
What looks like essentially just a big square of fabric is suddenly your new best friend — it can swaddle your baby, act as a lightweight but warm blanket in the pram, help you cover up (if you want to) when breastfeeding, and perhaps most importantly, save your clothing if your baby decides to throw up down your back.
A good muslin needs to be lightweight, breathable, and soft on your baby’s skin — and ideally not too embarrassing for a mum or dad to have draped over their shoulder at any given moment. Something like, for example, the gorgeous organic cotton muslins made by Cat, the fabulous mum who runs Pattie & Co.
“Becoming a mum was a large inspiration for setting up Pattie & Co. for a number of reasons. Finding a way to work independently and from home so that I could be flexible around my son’s needs was important, and finding a way to keep muslins in my life may have had something to do with it too! But becoming a mother has instilled a need in me to do something more.”
Spurred by her own experiences with difficulty conceiving, a threatened miscarriage and postnatal anxiety, Cat was motivated to ‘do something more’ with her business. So she found a way to give back to women who were going through all aspects of motherhood — even the most difficult and heartbreaking ones.
“I don’t think there are many who would argue that motherhood isn’t one of the most gratifying and yet one of the hardest things a woman can do. From the minute a woman decides to become a parent, there are likely to be several hurdles along the way whether it’s during conception, pregnancy, birth or parenting.
For some, those hurdles can be prohibitive, and their chance to parent doesn’t arrive when it should. So Pattie & Co. will now be donating £5 from the sale of each and every Organic Cotton Muslin Swaddle to a very special charity — Tommy’s.”
Tommy’s are an award-winning UK charity who fund pioneering research into stopping baby loss through miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, and provide pregnancy health information to parents. Their groundbreaking research has led to reductions in UK stillbirth rates, increases in maternal health awareness, and even an app that helps clinicians predict which mums are at risk of having a premature birth.
By supporting Tommy’s, Pattie & Co. are helping to break down some of the hurdles for women on their journey into motherhood. And so far, they’ve gone from strength to strength. Since donating £5 for every muslin sold, Pattie & Co’s sales have continued to grow — meaning they’ve quadrupled their donations to Tommy’s since the start of the year!
Alongside being a mum, Cat has managed to grow Pattie & Co into a successful small business, supplying babies and mums across the UK with their new favourite muslins — and she’s successfully made her values a key part of her business. Of course, every mum is a superhero in our eyes, but we think this one’s especially super.
Want to ‘do something more’ through your business? We can help you set up your charity donations in just a few clicks, for free (just like we did for Pattie & Co!). Visit our website to find out how you can Work for Good.
Find out more about Tommy’s and the incredible work they do to support parents here.
