Pregnant in Heels: Interview with Rosie Pope

Pregnancy concierge, Avent spokesperson and couture mom of three, Rosie Pope, has seen and done it all — extreme nursery makeovers, daddy bootcamps, shotgun weddings and more. Whatever her clients want? She gives them (even if it means landing a baby a spot in the British Aristocracy!).

We got the chance to have a QA with Pope about baby-name trends, birth requests, dad issues and more. Click through this gallery to learn about what she does as a pregnancy concierge, the resources she offers, and (best of all) some of the curious inclinations of her rich and famous clients.

Q: Can you please define “pregnancy concierge”? Is it an accepted term or something you invented?

A: Basically it means I help provide absolutely anything a pregnant woman and new mom needs, from fashion all the way through to prenatal and postpartum education.

Q: What drove you to become a pregnancy concierge?

A: When I thought about becoming a parent I realized what different times we live in. We're often far from our families and don't have the tribe- or village-like setup that used to exist, in which women would help each other with breastfeeding, child-care, teaching new moms what to do, etc.

We're now very spread out, and our parents may be more able to help with career advice than child-rearing. I knew I wanted to do the best I could raising my children, so I wanted access to the best in education, gear, health information, fashion and so on. When I realized there was nobody providing this, I decided I would! A one-stop shop, if you will.

Q: What are some of the strangest requests you’ve ever gotten from your clients?

A: While most of what I do falls in the fashion, education or "getting ready for baby category" (nurseries, baby proofing, gear etc...), I do get some amazing and outlandish requests. 

I've been asked to do everything from rid ghosts from a nursery, design a custom gown to give birth in, form a focus group for naming, eating placenta, orgasmic births. 

You name it, we've been asked!

Q: What are some of the pregnancy or birth "trends" you’re seeing among your clients?

A: People are definitely becoming interested in alternatives to the epidural and like to try without.  Some of the "natural" pain relieving methods people are trying, from orgasmic births through to water births, seem to be on the rise.

Q: Any bizarre baby names trends you can share with us?

A: Liquor names: Jamison, Remy, etc. I don't necessarily think the link is intentional, but I do keep seeing them pop up!

Q: Please tell us about the dads-to-be. Have you come across any dad divas? What was your craziest interaction?

A: I did have a dad who was convinced he had Couvade's syndrome, which is basically when a man has the same symptoms as his pregnant partner — from weight gain and nausea to enlarged breasts and mood swings. Some even say they experience labor pains! While this is a recognized syndrome, he totally drove me nuts. After all, it was his wife that needed the attention and not him.

Q: Having just had your third child, how do you deal with a two-week maternity leave?

A: It is tough, but I am fortunate that I can bring my babies to work with me. On any given day, I usually have at least one of my kids going on adventures with me around town. It doesn't work all the time, but it does allow me to spend much more time with them despite not getting any real maternity leave. If we are ever on the phone and you hear some strange noises in the background, it's because I'm on my mobile phone!

Q: If people can’t afford a pregnancy concierge, what else can moms do for support?

A: Go to my website, www.rosiepope.com.Some of our amazing experts from Dr. Grunebaum, the head of Labor and Delivery at NY Presbyterian hospital, through to Andrea Orbeck, Heidi Klum's fitness trainer, are all there ready to answer your questions and help you figure it all out.