'My side hustle helping postpartum mums has made me $500,000'

Following her own traumatic birth experience, a Gold Coast mum’s idea to help postpartum mums has taken off in such a big way that she has been able to quit her job.

Ever since the traumatic birth of her first child via emergency C-section, Lydia has been determined to help other women better prepare for the “unexpected” challenges of becoming a mum.

“She was taken away from me,” the Gold Coast mum tells Kidspot of the arrival of daughter, Lilly, 15.

“I was put on the recovery ward and was without her for over an hour. That was a very overwhelming experience for me. I was in total shock. Then I couldn’t get her to latch and had very little support after that.”

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Lydia has been determined to help other women better prepare for the “unexpected” challenges of becoming a mum. Image: Supplied

New are mums suffering too much

From that experience, Lydia developed postpartum anxiety and insomnia for three years before it was diagnosed.

“I was not prepared for anything that happened during that time,” the 43-year-old says. 

Thankfully, Lydia’s second birth with daughter, Macy, 15, “healed” her, and inspired her to transition from an office job to a career in midwifery.

It was on the hospital ward that Lydia saw just how much women were suffering in ways she never expected.

“I would care for women and without fail, the underwear and pads they were wearing would leak all over the bed, or in a wheelchair, they would feel so vulnerable seeing their blood everywhere,” she remembers.

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Solving a common (and embarassing) problem

When she spotted women wearing disposable incontinence underwear, Lydia had the bright idea to make a version specifically for postpartum mums that would effectively absorb heavy bleeding.

“I knew there was a gap in the market because there wasn’t anything out there for mums like this,” she says.

“I knew it would do well.”

In June 2019, after six months of research and perfecting the design outside her shift work hours, Lydia launched Partum Panties online, before branching out into retailers all over Australia and New Zealand.

“The plan was to make it available in chemists and places where women could pick it up as easily as if they were buying sanitary pads,” she says of the disposable panties, which retail for $13.95 for a pack of five.

A solution for mums. Image: Supplied

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A great idea that makes up to $30K a month

It wasn’t long before Lydia’s initial $40,000 investment broke even - and now the first-time businesswoman has a brand that rakes in between $20,000 and $30,000 every month.

“We’ve sold around 60,000 packs and that’s quite unbelievable, but it’s never been about numbers for me,” Lydia, who left midwifery to concentrate on the business full time 18 months ago, says.

“It’s about my passion in supporting, educating and empowering women. I get so excited when I see a photo of a mum wearing it in labour and she’s loving them. When I get messages saying they got a mum through a hospital stay without leaking, that’s my driving force.”

Lydia has even found a customer base that isn’t postpartum mums - one of whom is her eldest daughter.

“They aren’t big and bulky, so women are using them for heavy periods or incontinence because they can be worn under an outfit,” she explains.

“Lilly was reluctant at first but now she wears them as overnights and walks around the house in her Partum Panties under her trackies every period, absolutely loving them. I’m really proud of that.”

Originally published as 'My side hustle helping postpartum mums has made me $500,000'