Is it just me or has anybody else noticed that there seems to be a lot more pregnant women around than usual? Only last week two of my friends proudly announced their impending motherhood while a work colleague became a father for the first time on Monday (Congratulations Alex!).

Since the deepening of the global finance crisis in September 2008 when Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and HBOS (the UK’s largest mortgage lender) had to be shorn up with tax-payers money, the British economic state has been doing very peculiar things to the nation’s pregnancy rate.

Office National Statistics (ONS) recently reported that conception rates in England & Wales had risen for women of all ages, with the overall rate increasing from 78.3 to 80.3 conceptions per 1,000 women aged 15 - 44, the highest rise in over a generation, (Source: ONS).

Source: Microsoft adCenter Excel Add-In March 2009

So What Do We Think Is Causing The Credit Crunch Baby Boom? 

1. In times of crisis people stay closer to home and value the importance of family. This means more romantic money-saving evenings in, rather than expensive nights out. Sales of takeaway pizza, satellite TV and ladies lingerie brands are defying the recession gloom by reporting an increase in sales for the last quarter.

2. 18 March 2009 saw the UK unemployment rate surpass the 2 million mark for the first time since 1997, (Source: ONS). Women in the UK dominate the part-time employment market especially in the High Street retail sector and hold entry level and mid-tier office positions. In times of economic downturn these are the areas that feel the pinch most, as companies look to downsize and streamline, (Source: Telegraph). Some women are taking their redundancy pay and are biding their time by starting/raising families while retraining in preparation for future economic recovery.

3. After the fallout of the toxic loans saga, the banks have tightened their regulations around mortgages; the 100% mortgage was consigned to history in April 08. Because of this there just hasn’t been the ready credit around to enable people to move house. Families are staying put and creating additional space by extending their existing properties. This has been encouraged further by the relaxing of some local planning laws within the UK.

4. Backlash against materialism and the rat-race: people are being laid off and rethinking their lives and streamlining their consumer/debt driven lifestyles. Women are really starting to search their souls and question: “Can they really have it all?” The media is full of articles extorting the virtues of the simple life, traditional family values and thriftiness. With inspirational tales about simple hobbies and past-times turning into thriving cottage businesses, it’s hard not to be seduced when you have poster girls such as Nigella Lawson and Tana Ramsay leading the charge with their broods.

So Who Is Attracting The Baby Boom Consumer?

• Everyone knows babies don’t come cheap, but when the latest must have Jane Slalom Formula Pram retails at around £627, what’s a credit crunch mother to do? Hit the World Wide Web and shop around of course! Catalogue websites and department stores as well as comparison engines have started to extend their online maternity and baby ranges to take advantage of this trend.

• Mums-to-be are demanding the latest trends and top quality brands at a fraction of the recommended retail price. They have the time and patience to shop around for the best bargains so entice them with special offers such as ‘buy one get one free’ and competitive pricing in ad titles and descriptions.

• ‘Eco’, ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ are the buzz words on many new mothers’ lips. She wants to give her child the best possible start in life by feeding them and clothing them in a manner which will not impact negatively on baby’s health or the surrounding environment. Thrifty eco mothers are now turning to clothes swap parties, eBay and charity shops for cheap maternity wear and organic baby goods. Good quality second-hand products especially from charity shops no longer hold the social stigma of old. Recycling is officially chic and so are new products made from recycled resources such as baby fleece blankets made from plastic bottles.

• Homemade clothing and knitted baby accessories have also seen a resurgence with dress patterns along with sales of knitting wool and sewing machines proving popular once again as the demand for original and ‘made with love’ overtakes cheap and mass-produced.

• Finally, information and knowledge websites around pregnancy and parenting are also doing a roaring trade right now. For example Mothercare, as well as being the UK’s high street leader of mother and baby products, also gives a fine line in free advice through their transactional website.

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Thanks Kate