Across Australia, postpartum recovery remains fragmented, under‑resourced and poorly explained — a pattern evident in Helen Sykes’ experience and consistently reflected in research dating back to 2013.
Women routinely leave hospital without essential tools for perineal care, pelvic floor recovery, pain management, breastfeeding support, or clear guidance on what the fourth trimester actually involves, Helen Sykes saw a gap in the market – but more importantly an opportunity to help women in Australia.
From a small idea to a larger project, Helen’s kits for women became a TGA‑approved postpartum recovery product in 2025. Now, Happy Kat kits are available through pharmacies and are designed to treat postpartum recovery as a critical phase of care, rather than an afterthought.
The kit provides women with the clinical essentials they are told post birth to source themselves — products for bleeding, hygiene, perineal damage, breastfeeding and pumping issues — packaged as a ready‑to‑use solution pharmacies have not traditionally stocked.
Each item is paired with clear, evidence‑informed guidance which explains what recovery involves. By bringing all core postpartum items together in one accessible, pharmacy‑led solution, the kits can help give women a single, trusted place to start.
Whats in the box?
- 2 x reusable breast heat and ice pads
- 2 x reusable perineal heat and ice pads
- 3 x instant perineal ice pads
- 3 x disposable postpartum underwear
- 1 x perineum wash bottle.
Education first
Community pharmacy is one place women already turn to when they feel unsure, overwhelmed, or unsupported in the fourth trimester.
Helen says her experience has taught her that mothers often leave hospital “with no idea” of what recovery involves, and that many feel “dumped” or disconnected from care once they go home.
What can pharmacists do?
Pharmacists are often already part of a woman’s day‑to‑day health journey.
So Helen says pharmacists can begin with recognising postpartum recovery is the weakest part of maternity care, and that women routinely miss out on essential guidance, breastfeeding support, and pelvic floor care.
The kits Helen’s team has produced can help pharmacists and their teams prompt for gentle, evidence‑informed conversations.
And from there, pharmacists can offer immediate, meaningful help to women who often do not know where else to turn.
Pharmacists can also provide women a post‑birth pathway which focuses on physical and mental recovery and support.
Helen says the kit offers a real chance for community pharmacy to step into a space mothers consistently describe as an abyss – to become a reliable, compassionate source of postpartum care.
Helen’s path
Helen Sykes’ journey into women’s health began long before Happy Kat existed.
“I started working in pharmacy at just 16 years old,” she said.
“What started as a part‑time job became the foundation of my career.”
Someone noticed the way Helen connected with customers and encouraged her to move into sales.
“That single conversation opened the door to a career in brand development, pharmacy and retail distribution,” she says.
From sales, Helen moved into brand management for global companies, which saw her gain experience in retail strategy, product development, and pharmacy distribution.
After feeling undervalued in a senior role, she made a decision which changed everything:
“Instead of letting that experience define me, I decided to build something that reflected the values I actually believed in,” she said.
“That’s how Powerhouse Retail Distribution began.”
PHRD became the foundation which later enabled the launch of Happy Kat and Hunny Simply — two brands shaped by Helen’s lived experience and her clear understanding of the support women need, but were not yet finding in community pharmacy.
In summary, she says Happy Kat was borne from a deeply personal experience.
“I remember how little support there was for the fourth trimester, and how much of it felt like an afterthought.”
Happy Kat was created to step directly into the clinical, retail, and communication gaps women face after birth. It is one of three businesses led by Helen Sykes which focus on women’s health, pharmacy, and consumer innovation. Powerhouse Retail Distribution (PHRD), Happy Kat, and Hunny Simply bring clinically relevant products to market, support new mothers through the fourth trimester, and strengthen the role of community pharmacy in women’s health.
References
- Brodribb W, Zadoroznyj M, Nesic M. The views of mothers and GPs about postpartum care in Australian general practice. BMC Family Practice. 2013;14:139.
- Brodribb W, et al. ‘Just not enough time’: Under-resourced and low prioritization for postpartum care in Australia continues to impact breastfeeding support and success for women. Women and Birth. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2025.101871.
- Medway P, Hutchinson A, Sweet L. ‘Every woman deserves that’: A qualitative exploration of the impact of Australia’s national maternity strategy. Women and Birth. 2025;38.
- Zadoroznyj M, Brodribb W, Young K, Kruske S, Miller YD. “I really needed help”: What mothers say about their post-birth care in Queensland, Australia. Women and Birth. 2015;28(4):246–251.
