Labor Goes Luxurious

Forget about cigars: Pregnancy births a big bucks market

By Nora Zelevansky
Published: Mar 09, 2008

Once, before starlets' notable bumps went from silicone to prenatal, the average pregnant woman expected one very large reward for nine months of nausea and bloating: A baby. In the last few years, though, as little bundles of exhausting joy have become young Hollywood's must-have accessories, the ante has officially been upped.

Just as an entire industry revolves around high-end weddings (or even divorces) with luxe gowns, elaborate honeymoons and diamond fanfare (all yours for the price of a home's down payment), infants' anticipated arrivals are now met with over-the-top baby showers/registries, lavish "baby mooning" vacations and, post-labor, an appropriately grateful "push present" from the new father for his beloved, sweating and depleted, wife.

In exchange for fussing over myriad onesies, today's baby shower guests may expect more than simple finger sandwiches, crudite and pastel balloons. As foremost event planning guru Mindy Weiss explains, "Baby showers have gotten more opulent. People are creative now. They're exposed to so many ideas from amazing shelter and entertaining magazines and cable shows on the Food Network, Style Network, Lifetime, TLC, WE."

Celebrity showers, often featured in tabloid rags, are also setting the new upscale bar. "There are tons of high-profile pregnant ladies right now," she asserts. "We are a celebrity driven culture and people emulate them." Actually, the go-to-planner for A-list mothers-to-be may be setting the tone herself. She recently helmed Nicole Richie's Wizard of Oz-themed shower and Jennifer Lopez's Winter Wonderland-style fete (reinforcing rumors about a white fetish dominating Lopez's dressing room rider). Women's budgets, for the most upscale fetes, have reached as much as $72,000.

Still, even Weiss has to draw the line at some momzillas' outlandish needs. "Once the hostesses insisted on live storks walking around the backyard because they'd seen Father of the Bride 2!" she laughs. "I explained to them that storks are quite aggressive, so they changed their minds, thank God!"

Regardless of scale, Weiss says that even lavish affairs are more intimate at the guest of honor's residence. Games are officially back en vogue and high teas have replaced traditional lunches. As for gifts, while technically for the new bundle of joy, mothers-to-be are consumed with accessorizing the latest baby trends. While Christian Louboutin heels may have previously preoccupied these ladies, now their pregnant incarnations crave "It" Mia Bossi leather diaper bags (seen on Madonna and Katie Holmes and featured in InStyle and The Today Show) and Bugaboo or Silver Cross strollers.

Jaye Hersh, Weiss' sister and owner of starlet central L.A. boutique Intuition, notes several must-have baby accessories with custom elements like Pure Country's personalized baby blankets woven with the infant's name, Italian leather Caprice Bianca Baby Totes (donning the baby's name and birthday) with blackberry pockets (yours for $640) and embroidered Tickle Toes personalized bibs.

And anticipatory celebrations don't stop at showers. Baby mooning (or honeymooning pre-baby) has become a standard practice last hurrah for many expectant couples, striving to relax before late night feeding and dirty diaper duty begins (when the night nurse is off). Similar to post-nuptial jaunts, trips include luxurious pampering and corresponding price tags.

Swanky weekend resorts now offer baby mooning packages in order to stay competitive. Rebecca Johnson, General Manager of Santa Barbara's Inn of the Spanish Garden, created a "BabyMoon Congratulations Baby Package!" within the last year, which includes chilled apple cider, pre-natal massage, relaxation massage for the father-to-be, teddy bears, bespoke onesies, lists of relevant shops and even gift certificates to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream (pickles not included). "There's a baby boom right now, it seems. Among our clientele, we're seeing a lot more expectant moms and we wanted to react to that," Johnson relates. "We were already booking a lot of pre-natal massages, so we just expanded."

Lest anyone write this off as an oddball California trend, baby mooning is offered at high-end escapes all over the country. Just 90 miles from New York City, new getaway Mohonk Mountain House offers a "Hello Baby!" package with couples' spa treatments (like Maternity Massages for lower back comfort, leg and foot tension), chocolates and a welcome baby gift. Even in Montana, Triple Creek Ranch's "Something's Cooking" trip includes six nights in a log cabin, dinners, and en suite massages. While horseback riding is off the table, a scenic float down Bitterroot River is pregnancy-friendly.