Mums are dehydrating at work. Startup leaders need to fix it
As startup founders, we spend a lot of time figuring out how to attract, obtain, and support great people. We obsess over culture, wellbeing, and performance, but some of the most difficult, or uncomfortable, realities our employees face never quite make it onto the agenda.
Postpartum bladder leaks were one of them. It’s not an easy topic to discuss, but it’s a widespread issue, especially for mums returning to work after maternity leave.
We were increasingly hearing from women who feel comfortable talking about period health at work, but still don’t feel comfortable talking about bladder leaks. That told us there’s still work to do.
As a founder and a mum of two, I know first-hand that returning to work after having a baby can feel like stepping back into a world that expects you to be exactly the same person you were before. The reality is often very different.
At Grace & Green, we’ve worked to better understand this by partnering with Censuswide to survey 2,000 mothers in the ‘fourth trimester’ (the first three months after giving birth) in an attempt to squash the taboo and give the subject the attention it needs.
What we uncovered was a stark reminder that the transition back to work after maternity is more challenging than many employers realise, with 78% of respondents saying they had experienced bladder leaks at work after having a baby. One in three of those said they have experienced noticeable leaks which impact their comfort or ability to work.
Yet despite this, support remains limited. Four in ten mothers said there were no measures in place at work to help them manage incontinence or other postpartum health concerns. Nearly one in ten had delayed returning to work because they were worried about bladder leaks, while others avoided Keep in Touch days altogether.
As a founder, I found these figures hard to ignore. As a mum, I found them completely unsurprising.
We talk a lot about sleep deprivation, childcare, and the juggle of returning to work after maternity leave. We talk far less about what happens when you’re sitting in an important meeting, mentally calculating how much longer it will last before you can get to the loo, or hoping that sneeze wasn’t quite as dramatic as it felt! Yet for many women, that’s the reality.
The reality is that most startups don’t have large HR teams or postpartum specialists on hand. Most of us are figuring things out as we go. But supporting employees through major life changes doesn’t always require a big budget or a policy handbook. Often it’s the small things that matter most.
In fact, startups are in a position to lead by example. Simple forms of support, from making period and bladder care products available to creating private spaces for nursing or pumping can often be the most meaningful.
Our research also highlighted just how much stigma still surrounds postpartum health. Perhaps the statistic that shocked me most was that almost half of respondents had reduced their fluid intake because they were worried about leaking.
Think about that for a moment. New mums are literally dehydrating themselves just to get through the day without embarrassment. That’s not a health issue alone, it’s a dignity issue.
Many hadn’t spoken to a healthcare professional, their partner or anyone else about what they were experiencing. Providing us with further insight, pelvic health physiotherapist Tiffany Sequeira said that avoiding hydration and activity can actually worsen bladder symptoms and delay healing.
Creating open and honest communication in the workplace gives startup leaders the chance to build businesses that recognise employees as whole people whilst showing that there is no shame in leaking.
At Grace & Green, we believe everyone deserves dignity through every kind of leak. That’s why we’ve expanded our range to support bladder care alongside period and personal care needs. But beyond products, we believe in normalising conversations that have too often been pushed aside.
No founder can solve every challenge their team faces. But by acknowledging the realities of postpartum recovery and taking small steps to support those returning from maternity leave, we can create workplaces where people feel seen, valued and able to thrive.
As founders, we can’t solve every challenge our teams face. But we can create cultures where people don’t feel they have to hide those challenges.
If this article encourages just one employer to start a conversation about postpartum recovery, or one new mum to realise she’s not alone, then that’s a pretty good place to start. Because sometimes doing better really does begin with simply talking about the things nobody else is talking about.
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