For years, mums-to-be have been spun a rose-tinted yarn of what their bodies will go through post-partum.
Beyond socially-acceptable discussions around stretch marks or swollen ankles, there are few personal care brands on the market designed especially for women going through this major physical change.
But childbirth comes with a much more complex and intimate recovery process than most personal care brands are willing to let on – or invest in.
Lesley Gilchrist
Cue My Expert Midwife. The UK brand launched earlier this year to help debunk taboo surrounding recovery pre and post-childbirth. Its products include Peri Prep Your Bits, Spritz for Bits, No Harm Nipple Barm and Fantastic Skin Elastic.
The brand was created by registered, practising midwife Lesley Gilchrist, also a One Born Every Minute TV personality, and pre, post-natal and baby massage specialist Claire Charlton.
Here Gilchrist discusses the market for personal care products for expectant and new mothers, and explains how the duo went about catering for a niche that few brands have braved.
Is the market for pre and post-natal cosmetics products competitive or relatively unsaturated?The pre and post-natal cosmetics market is competitive, so there’s plenty of choice, which is excellent for consumers. We conducted extensive qualitative research, talking to new mums who’d experienced birth trauma, as well as mums to be. We identified a gap in the market: My Expert Midwife meets genuine needs that were not being addressed.
What are some of these needs that perhaps some people don't know about?Blood loss is one. This continues for three to four weeks (occasionally longer) and women find that they can never feel ‘clean’. Swelling in the
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