Give a gift that matters this Mother’s Day: Donate Blood
NHSBT x Moonpig
Give a gift that matters this Mother’s Day: Donate Blood
Mums do incredible things. They dedicate basically their entire lives to making sure you become a decent human. They can always find the missing shoe. They teach you right from wrong. They can turn scraped knees into adventure scars. But the most incredible thing mums do is make you. Literally. And that wouldn’t be possible without undertaking the first hurdle of motherhood: giving birth.
Let’s set the scene. She’s in the delivery room, in severe pain, pushing with all her might, or completely numb from the waist down, surrounded by nurses and midwives cheering her on. And Dad? Where’s Dad? Dad...?
Oh, there he is! He’s holding onto her hand (and the wall so he doesn’t pass out) and witnessing the miracle of birth. What else is he doing? Most likely wishing there was more he could do to help Mum through this momentous effort.
As our recent research has shown, over one in four dads feel indebted to their partner after seeing all they go through during childbirth. They feel, well, helpless. But if they could help, they wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever necessary to ensure a healthy and happy mum and baby.
It may not seem like much in comparison, but there’s a very simple thing dads can do to give back to mums. And that’s to donate blood.
Hang on. Did you really just compare childbirth to getting pricked with a tiny, little, itty bitty needle? Yes. Yes, we did. But hear us out.
Mums give life. Donating blood saves lives.
Still not convinced? Here are a few reasons why it’s important for men, in particular, to give blood:
Women cannot donate blood for six months after childbirth
Premature babies can sometimes only receive blood from men
Once someone has received a transfusion (as some mums do during childbirth), they can no longer donate blood
Of course, we strongly urge anyone who can to donate. NHS Blood and Transplant needs to recruit around 400 new donors on top of maintaining 5,000 donations every day. But last year, only 41% of new donors were men, so it’s vitally important that more men try donating for the first time.
Men.
As in sons and dads.
Who are probably looking for a really great gift to give for Mother’s Day right about now.
And with nearly half of dads feeling even more proud of their partners after seeing them give birth, and believing it’s important to thank their partner for everything they do as mums, we can’t think of a better gesture to make.
That’s why we created a special range of cards designed to give thankful dads (and children, of course) a way to recognise their partner/mum’s achievements this Mother’s Day. Each design, including two by children whose mums required transfusions, is a different way to celebrate all the amazing things mums do while spreading the awareness on the importance of blood donation.
These cards are the perfect way to let Mum know you’ve decided to donate blood and potentially save a life this Mother’s Day, and to encourage others to do so too.
10% of sales from this range were donated to Mind, chosen by Laura, Kirsty and Tara. Many people know Mind for the great work they do for mental health, but less are aware that they offer post-birth trauma counselling.