Life in Pajamas

Today We Are Standing for Mothers and Maternal Health...in Pajamas

Today is Monday and at The Pajama Company it's our first Maternal Health Monday. I started my pajama business six years ago because I love pajamas and love to celebrate the happiness pajamas bring to families. Yes, we lounge in pajamas. We celebrate in pajamas. We work in pajamas. Today, we are doing something important in pajamas. We are taking a stand for Maternal Health. We are saying it's unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of women die every year from pregnancy and childbirth complications.

Eighteen years ago, in my 8th month of pregnancy I was told my baby was breech...upside down in the womb. I was calmly reassured that all was well and I would have a scheduled Cesarean section. I was in London at the time and despite my anxiety at the news, my doctor put me at ease with his description of the procedure. He was right, all went well. I'm well aware that were this scenario playing out in an earlier time, my outcome would not have been bright. 

Sadly, in 2011, for many women around the world, the basic right of bringing a child safely into the world remains a luxury. I know that in many parts of the world a woman facing a breech birth today would most certainly die. In fact, today a woman will die every 90 seconds from complications of pregnancy. This is why we have chosen to partner with Every Mother Counts, a non-profit advocacy organization focused on increasing education and support for maternal and child health around the world. Today we are donating 10 percent of our sales to Every Mother Counts.

Today my daughter is 18 years old. She is thriving. Today pregnancy is the biggest killer of women ages 15-19 in the developing world. Nearly 70,000 young women die every year because their bodies are not ready for parenthood. Incredibly, every year an estimated 10 million girls worldwide are married before the age of 18. If current rates of child marriage continue, 100 million girls will be wed in the coming decade. Excluded from education and other opportunities to develop their full potential, they and their children will be poorer as a result.

Join our Maternal Health Monday campaign and help change the lives of women and their families across the globe...and yes, we're doing it in pajamas.

Fund-Raising and Sleepovers Go Together

 

We’re coming up on the holidays, a time for gathering and a time for giving.  As the gift giving season draws near the number of fund-raising events increases.  These events have taken on many shapes and forms over the years, ranging from church carnivals, to bake sales, to ping-pong tournaments and more.  If you are involved with a charity, you know that sometimes coming up with a unique and fun idea is not an easy task.  This year, consider holding a sleepover to help raise money for your organization.

 

Our busy schedules sometimes mean that there are not enough hours in the day to work, run errands, and take care of the kids, never mind trying to work in events.  A sleepover can be a great way for your charity to ensure a big turn-out by “turning in” – after all, sleepovers happen at night!

 

As for where your charity could hold a sleepover, many museums across the country offer sleepover events for their younger patrons – with just a few phone calls, you could likely organize a fun night out at a museum.  These sleepovers can even be family events, ensuring an even greater turn out!

 

While we usually think of children when we hear “sleepover”, it doesn’t mean that it needs to be a children’s event.  You could challenge the members of your group to spend the night in a haunted house, or create a team challenge where offices spend the night at work, or you could even host a themed pajama party, one that includes a midnight feast and breakfast the next morning.

 

Having a sleepover event to fund-raise for your charity or organization can be a fun and memorable way to engage your community and to raise money at the same time.  Consider holding a sleepover this holiday season!