Profits from pregnancy - FT.com Modern mothers: Melissa Gould (left) and Ellie Miller say their jobs exist because the traditional networks of family and friends are often no longer able to provide guidance When Ellie Miller and Mellissa Gould took a dog out shopping for a baby push-chair, so they could check whether it fitted in the undercarriage, they experienced an "only in LA" moment. But for Ms Gould, a former screenwriter who has worked on glitzy teen dramas including Beverly Hills, 90210 and Lizzie McGuire, when you set up a business in Los Angeles, "there's always going to be outrageous things. We don't judge. Nothing is outrageous to us. Emma Jacobs After dog walkers, wedding planners and concierges, who do anything from sourcing the latest Hermès Birkin bags to organising Christmas for time-starved, cash-rich families, comes the latest job in the personal service frontline: maternity concierges. The pair - who set up their business The Baby Planners in 2006 with the slogan: "We take the labour out of your delivery" - help expectant mothers to plan for parenthood, giving advice on what to buy for the nursery, which beauty treatments to have before the contractions start and how to choose a hospital. Celebrities, says Ms Miller, a former television journalist, have special concerns. Many want to have private birthing rooms in hospitals decorated to their taste before their arrival. They also get sent a lot of stuff for free, which creates its own set of problems. "We're there to tell them what's useful and can take the rest to charity," explains Ms Miller. It can be a bit of a PR nightmare in this economy if you are seen with a new stroller every day. It looks ostentatious. Similarly, for the ultra-rich, the problem is that they have so much stuff that they can get overwhelmed. We're there to help them decide on the essentials. One pregnant woman wanted the pair to get her into a particular playgroup, known as Mommy and Me. "She wanted us to let them know she had a discretionary fund available of $250,000 so that she could ensure her place in the group," says Ms Gould. In LA these playgroups are very political. They provide an entrée into a social world. You want your child to get into certain groups, which will then help them get into the right nursery, pre-school and then elementary school. Starting at a fee of $500 for a consultancy, the pair offers a number of packages such as creating a baby registry, planning a baby shower, how to prepare to receive an adopted child and even one advising grandparents what to buy and how to baby-proof their swimming pools. Creating an eco-friendly nursery is an especially popular request. The maternity concierges can call on experts to advise parents on the best paint, bedding and nappies to buy as well as sustainable furniture. "Same-sex parents are also very big for us," says Ms Miller. Some mothers ring as soon as they have a positive pregnancy test, others a week before they give birth. "One woman on the brink of labour just handed over her credit card and told us "to go to work,"" says Ms Gould. Do they advise women to have beauty treatments before giving birth? "Well, hello this is LA," points out Ms Miller. You can't go to a party without make-up. Women want to make themselves look good. They will get pedicures and waxing appointments before giving birth. In LA, there's a lot of pressure on women to bounce back and look like Jessica Alba within weeks of giving birth. If they make some preparations beforehand it takes some of the pressure off. They can also advise on where to buy pretty birthing gowns and fashionable scrubs for expectant fathers who will be at the birth (below). They believe their jobs exist because the traditional networks of family and friends are often no longer on hand to provide such guidance. "While we look after heiresses and celebrities, mainly we are there for quite ordinary people asking for very normal things," says Ms Miller. They want to know what pram to buy. We're there to hold people's hands. They need advice. Moreover, the pair says that the increasingly consumerist parenting culture means that companies marketing new products create anxiety among parents. "There is an overwhelming amount of stuff out there expectant parents can buy," says Ms Miller. Our philosophy is they need to get to grips with the basics. There are so many fads and fashions. Arlie Russell Hochshild, professor emerita of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of the forthcoming book The Outsourced Self: Intimate Life in Market Times, is wary of the impact such services have on family networks. "The allure of time-saving and expertise is enormous," she says. These services are also outdoing family and friends, like tutoring services outdo parents. The real competition for such companies isn't so much between one business and another but a competition between family and business. And for those that can afford it, business is winning. Both Ms Miller and Ms Gould, who are in their early 40s (though in typical Los Angeles fashion, won't disclose their precise ages), believe that being mothers themselves gives them an advantage in the business. "Having children makes you more empathetic," says Ms Miller. We both remember being pregnant and walking into a baby store and breaking into tears, because everyone tells you all this conflicting information about what you need. Nonetheless, they insist that being a parent is not enough on its own to enable them to be a maternity concierge. "Just because you can hold a baby doesn't make you a baby planner," explains Ms Gould. It isn't enough to just like babies. You might be able to make dinner every night but it doesn't mean you can open a restaurant. Our focus is on expectant parents. We study, we go to conventions, we research products. Nor will the service work in all areas, the two insist. "It's an LA- or New York-type business," says Ms Miller. The job, says Ms Gould, demands a lot of patience. "Pregnancy brings out the crazies in everyone," she explains. We offer reassurance. You get a constant bombardment of advice from friends, family and people on the internet from the minute you get pregnant. It can make you anxious. Moreover, the downturn is increasing anxiety. Women are very nervous about taking maternity leave. We're always being asked if they should tell their employer they are pregnant," says Ms Gould. The deteriorating economy also means that they have had to diversify, and now advise makers of baby products on what expectant parents want. Says Ms Miller: "We're normal moms, giving practical advice."