Choices Multiply for Moms-to-Be

The latest group to enjoy spa weekends, luxury items and fabulous getaways is the mommy-to-be contingent, and as the number of pregnant women continues to grow, preg-friendly products have saturated the market. From mainstream skin cream companies creating new lotions to combat stretch marks, to nausea-fighting Preggie Pops, everywhere we look there are more and more items catering to the expectant mother. And, maternity fashion is chicer and prettier than ever. Is baby fever an epidemic?

“We’re seeing an explosion in all kinds of maternity and baby products,” says Hilary Zalon, Founder and CEO of TheCradle.com a lifestyle site for new and expectant parents.

“In fact in the past few years alone, we’ve seen exponential growth in stylish maternity clothing lines, baby clothing, bedding, gear—and furniture! You could barely find a modern crib in 2005; now there are at least a dozen (probably several dozen!) companies offering beautiful modern furniture collections,” Zalon says.

It is no coincidence that the more In Touch and People magazines feature the latest in celeb baby accoutrements, the more luxe baby products are in demand. The latest nursery to be written up, but not yet photographed, is that of the soon-to-be-released Jolie-Pitt twins, rumored to be as posh as any room fit for a pair of Hollywood royalty.

“The mommy-to-be market is getting bigger and bigger due particularly to the media’s latest obsession with celebrities,” says Jean Biri, founder of Groupe Biri, a strategy consulting firm serving entrepreneurs.

“The coverage that [celebrity moms and moms-to-be] receive has a two-fold effect on the non-celebrity expectant mom,” Zalon explains. “There is the aspiration to want your pregnancy to be like theirs—beautiful maternity clothes, nursery designers, indulgent baby showers—but also the realization that these stars are going through the same things—both physical and emotional—that they are. There is a connection; an identification with these celebrities that they didn’t have before they were pregnant.”

A paparazzi shot of a celebrity using a particular product is pure gold for say, a stroller company. “If a celebrity is seen with their stroller, maternity dress, [or] baby shoes, it is brand exposure with an implied endorsement.” Zalon says.

The hype surrounding the babies themselves is also huge. “While stars have always had babies, it’s only in recent years that the focus intensified with photographs of newborns fetching millions of dollars,” Biri adds.

People magazine reportedly paid singer Christina Aguilera and husband Jordan Bratman $2 million to be the first to print photos of their new bundle, and reportedly another $6 million to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony for first-look shots of their twins. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt famously sold photos of themselves with baby Shiloh, with the caveat that the publication would be giving the reported $4 million straight to charity. According to The New York Post, the latest rumored projection is that photos of the forthcoming Jolie-Pitt twins will snatch a whopping $10 million.

The interest in mama culture goes beyond maternity clothes and nursery décor to the everyday world of food; recent focus on the connection between family meals, healthy weight and emotional development has affected the way the food industry approaches the average mom. That most basic need, food, says Sue Reninger, Managing Partner for RMD Advertising, is a top priority for mothers.

“Food ranks highest among moms, as we try to improve the nutritional value of the foods our families eat, while managing budgets and time. Moms are one of our strongest resources, even more specifically, word of mouth marketing,” Reninger says. “In fact, recent studies point to the fact that pregnant and new moms engage in one third more word of mouth conversations per day than women in general or consumers as a whole. On top of that, almost two thirds of their conversations include a brand recommendation. And, 76% of those women having at least one conversation per day about food and dining, with 60% of these conversations carry with it a recommendation to buy, try or consider the product or brand.”

Family-friendly food items that make it easy to prepare dinner with the kids will win over moms and moms-to-be, Reninger says. “Bringing the family back to the dinner table is paramount. Kids stay in school longer, get better grades and are less likely to get in trouble with drugs and alcohol [if they sit down for family meals],” Reninger says. “If a brand can help moms to sit down for a meal more frequently with their families, by virtue of making meal preparation more fun, or by offering easy conversation games during the meal and easy, 15 minute recipes—and do it in a way that makes her feel proud to serve the meal—they’ll win her loyalty.”

Once mom is a fan of a product, it follows that kids will follow in her foodie footsteps, Reninger adds. “If you can gain new generations of brand lovers for products and brands, for example, their children, you’ve just created new generations of loyal brand users,” she explains. “That packs a strong ROI [return on investment], and sets brands up for successful and efficient one-to-one marketing efforts down the road.”

However, food is but one of many products and services catering to pregnant women and moms. Women today relish in feeling pampered and posh while pregnant, and the market is there, says Zalon, for them to indulge. “From high-end strollers to stylish maternity clothes to luxury babymoon vacations, the baby gear, fashion, and travel markets have seen how hungry this market is for better goods and services—and they are delivering!” Zalon tells demo dirt.

“The fact that nowadays mums to be are active and still want to look fashionable created a demand for trendy goods and services,” Biri says. “A mum with a Prada bag wants assorted maternity designer dresses, and luxury goods entrepreneurs seize the opportunity by launching prestige brands to satisfy the demand.”

One relaxing indulgence is the growing trend towards pre-natal and post-partum massages, which has been growing steadily since 2000, says NY-based massage therapist and acupuncturist Rachel Reich. “Fifty percent of my clients are currently pregnant,” Reich, who is nationally and board certified, says. “Ninety percent either are or have been pregnant, and I have seen many clients through multiple pregnancies.”

There are numerous advantages to pre-natal massage, Reich explains. With a qualified massage therapist, a client should experience many benefits, including less discomfort, reduced swelling, reduced sciatica pain, and increased circulation, which is beneficial for increasing more oxygen to the baby. Clients should also sleep better, a difficult feat while pregnant. “Massage also releases endorphins, which help mom and baby to relax,” Reich adds. Interested clients should make sure their massage therapist is qualified to handle pregnant clients, Reich says, since the physiology of the pre-natal body requires special care.

It looks like pregnancy may be more fun, fashionable, and relaxing than it was for our mothers and grandmothers, but what about a market for daddy-to-be products?

“Daddies-to-be will also get their share cachet brands,” Biri predicts. “While the mums’ market will always be bigger, the soon-to-be style-conscious fathers will demand specific brands and the innovative entrepreneurs who launch brands to serve that market will dominate it in the long run.”