Last month as the government announced lockdown, Geetha (name changed), a mother of two small kids was rattled. The situation was (it sill is) serious and the fact that she lives in a nuclear family didn’t help either.
“I was scared. The constant thought in my mind was who will take care of my kids if something happens to me... I was getting anxiety attacks and I was not able to sleep,” she says. The condition of Bengaluru’s Shwetha Prasad and Delhi’s Isha Gandhi wasn’t any different. It was at this point that the online community of clothing diaper brand Superbottoms came to their help.
“I was very stressed when the lockdown began as I had to manage all the housework and my kid alone. It was then that these yoga classes for moms and dance classes for kids came as a boon. Participating in these greatly relieved the tension,” says Gandhi, a Superbottom Mitr (ambassador).
“We vent out our opinions and concerns on the platform. We cannot share everything with our family, even with our maternal one, so this platform is wonderful as we have moms who are going through similar struggles,” says Prasad.
“It’s reassuring to have people backing you, sharing your happiness, your worries, your concerns. Also women having older kids are of great help, as they advise us with their experience,”she adds.
Superbottoms’ family group has over 27,000 members, consisting of new and older mothers. Active for over three years now, the women have been helping each other on a number of issues; from trivial ones such as how to shift the baby to cloth diaper to relatively serious ones like how to deal with an intrusive relative.
“The members help and guide each other concerning their baby’s and their own health. We are committed to help women stay positive under all circumstances,” says Pallavi Utagi, Founder & CEO, Superbottoms.
With the lockdown, new activities were introduced. Like storytelling sessions, fun activities for babies, live sessions by mental health counsellor, fitness sessions for parents, sessions for mothers on how to keep kids engaged while working from home.
Utagi informs that initiatives like ‘Positive Together’, ‘We Are Here’ and ‘Self4Society’ were introduced by mothers themselves to ease the lockdown stress.
‘We Are Here’ campaign began after a mother shared an issue in response to which a live session by a mental health counsellor was organised. Now the community is regularly helping out mothers who are facing mental health issues. “Through Self4Society campaign, these women are also offering support to the government as and when required,” she says.
“The lockdown has brought forth a multitude of challenges for parents. Apart from ensuring that the babies are kept within the safe confines of home, they are also facing issues with regards to dealing with the uncertainties and lack of resources. It is not easy to remain positive under such circumstances while ensuring that the family is well provided for,” says Utagi, adding the initiatives taken by the community provide guidance to mothers and keep their mental state positive.
Meanwhile, Superbottoms is also distributing reusable cloth face masks to hospitals and essential service providers in Mumbai on a no-profit basis. Made from 100 per cent cotton, these masks have a pocket to insert a non-woven fabric as a filter. “These masks provide protection to patients of head and neck cancers who come with a handkerchief over their face, which is not enough,” said Dr Rohan Salunkhe, Oncologist, Mahatma Phule Charitable Trust Hospital, Mumbai.
Free masks for Covid warriors
Superbottoms is distributing free reusable face masks to hospitals and essential service providers. These 100 per cent cotton masks have a pocket to insert a non-woven fabric as a filter.