Hi Mamas
Can you believe it last week I was invited to the house of commons to join a debate on gender equality in the workplace. When I received this email you can imagine I jumped at the chance. However, it didn’t quite go to plan!
Anyway…. its been a while since I first sent an email out to you all sharing the journey so far with Matresa. I did say I would be sharing regular updates with you all, but start-up life is getting increasingly busy. I am still running my personal training company alongside Matresa, oh and my three children. I am literally just about surviving at the moment but it's all good, as I LOVE what I do.
You are probably wondering what happened on that very windy 🌬️ day last week, when I was traveling down to london for this event. I jumped on the 11.21 train, the event didn’t start until 2pm, so plenty of time to get there and get settled. But OH NO, we stop at Banbury and there was an announcement on the tanoy- tree stuck on the track at Marleybone station. Can you believe it! I thought, it will be ok as I could continue down to Oxford and then swap for a train to London Euston. NOPE! That didn’t work, a tree stuck on the line at Oxford. We were all asked to get off the train at Banbury and wait for updates, it was like a game of russin roulette-which train to take to get to london for 2pm! I finally got on a train to Coventry and then swapped for a train to London Euston. In my head, I was thinking, even if I get to the event for 3pm, I will catch the last hour and get my face in front of the right people. I had come this far, I was determined to get there. I finally got off the train at London Euston at 2.45pm, jumped on the tube but didn’t arrive to the House of Commons until 3.30pm. I got through security and then saw a huge crowd leaving a room. Yep! You guessed it- the event had finished.
I cried. Literally cried! I was so disappointed. Just goes to show despite huge amounts of grit and determination, sometimes things aren’t meant to be. I had to lean into my faith and just trust the process. Someone did not want me in that room. So I headed straight back to Leamington. I think I spent 6 hours on a train that day!!!
In other news 📰
We are pushing forward with the development of the Matresa platform. Last week our UX/UI guy came down from London to start mapping out the user journeys and wireframes ready for our developers to start building. We put a poll out across our socials, looking for a founding group of mothers/female leaders/midwives/doctors to join our feedback group. We were inundated with responses, so many of you want to give your feedback, so thank you! If you missed this, then please join our Matresa-founded Feedback community group using the link below
Warwick University 📚
We have a partnership with Warwick University and have received some funding to do some research for Matresa. I know and you probably do too, that the NHS unfortunately is not fit for purpose and the maternity provisions here in the UK are getting worse by the day. We are doing a systematic review of what is currently offered to mothers antenatally and postnatally to support mothers with their health and well-being. Part of this research will be collecting feedback from mothers about their experience antenatally and postnatally. This research is crucial as it will highlight the market need and provide further evidence as to why Matresa is so needed. If you want to get involved with this research, please do get in touch with us.
🦋 Something for you…
💥 What’s New In The News:
The UK Government has launched a full review of parental leave and pay, considering maternity, paternity, shared parental leave (SPL)
💡 Top Tip:
For working parents reading: check what your current parental & shared leave entitlements are — don’t assume they’re enough or fair. If you're in a position to influence policy (at work, in HR, or as a small business owner), start preparing: review your policies, see where there are barriers to parents using leave, and communicate clearly. For example, ensure staff know what leave is available, pay rates, and how to apply, so they can plan without fear or uncertainty.
The C Word 🎅
I hate to say it, but it is not that long before the festive season arrives. Can you believe it, some of the Christmas experiences are already sold out. Mental! I certainly wasn’t going to conform to buying Christmas presents back in August when I was enjoying the heatwave! 😆
Light trails ✨
From Kew Gardens to Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle and Edinburgh’s Botanic Gardens, these are all beautiful and something your little ones can enjoy too! Enjoy a mulled wine whilst your little one enjoys the sensory experience (well, that’s the plan right!)
Santa 🎅
Some of the Santa experiences are mental; you practically have to remortgage your house to afford to take the whole family. Local garden centres offer a more affordable Santa experience, which I would highly recommend. These can be booked ahead of time, too!
🌸 Community Spotlight: Your Win of the Week
Motherhood is full of challenges, but also little victories worth celebrating. We’d love to shine a light on you and your wins, whether it’s finally getting a full night’s sleep, finishing that work project while juggling nap times, or just remembering where you left your coffee. ☕✨
👉 Hit reply and share your “win of the week.” We’ll feature a few in next week’s newsletter so we can cheer each other on.
Because every win, no matter how small, deserves to be celebrated. 💪💖
🌍 What we are loving?
Jason’s Sourdough! Oh my goodness, if you have not tried it, it’s a winner in our household. Shame I am gluten-free and cannot eat it! Getting hold of good quality bread is becoming expensive and hard, but Jason’s is bang on the money for ingredients and taste.
Lunchbox hacks! I know many of you have had little ones starting school. My children like taking packed lunches to school, which to be honest is great as lets face it the school dinners aren’t up to much (well certainly at our school) but its ANOTHER thing to think of. We have been using these hot food flasks. I know what you are thinking- thats more effort. Actually, we have made more at dinner time and then bunged it in one of these 👇
Just like the trees on the train tracks, it doesn’t always go to plan, no matter how hard you try. You can only do your best and keep moving forward.
With love and care ⭐
Mari-Carmen x