Morning Rachel, good of you to join us on Localventure for a chat. Can I start by asking you to give us a feel for how you came to set up your business and perhaps some of your previous experience.
A varied career in retail sales across clothing and the beauty industry (luxury cosmetics and fragrances) led me into recruitment withint the luxury goods and pharmaceutical markets. Headhunting senior management and board level appointments in top FMCG companies for just over 12 years. After a second marriage I decided it was time to start a family (despite having inherited two step sons!) Prior to my pregnancy I set up and ran a successful dating and dining club alongside an online dating website, this was targetted locally for 40 somethings who enjoyed group dinners . Over 30 local businesses including restaurants, retailers and service providers signed up to allow me to offer special deals to my members on their behalf. However as my baby bump began to enter a meeting room before I did, I soon realised something had to change so Exec2dinnerdateme was shelved for another day!
You're obviously very focused into the maternity sector - how did this become the core of your business ?
Pregnancy made me realise that in fact business can work alongside motherhood but only if well managed. So the idea for Lafeenoire Maternity was born out of a need for my individual style to carry me through pregnancy and beyond. I especially wanted to continue wearing my favourite wardrobe staples throughout my pregnancy and saw a definate need for clothing that could be worn prior to, during and following pregnancy and not be affected during these changes in body shape. So this Christmas Zipped Up Maternity clothes arrived on my site, designed and commissioned for manufactured by a fabulous company in India. Running an online boutique around the needs of my daughter fits perfectly with my lifestyle...and I run a cottage industry business in the truest sense of the word!
I know that you're very interested in promoting the Hug-a-Bump® SPD Maternity Support Band - can you give us some back ground
on Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction ?
Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction is when this joint becomes overly relaxed, allowing the pelvic girdle to become unstable. This leads to pain and inflammation.
It is possibly caused by the changing hormonal balances and as the ligamnets and muscles help to widen the pelvis to facilitate birth they can in worst cases rupture and weaken. Treatment historically is physiotherapy and support garments but surgery can be needed in extreme cases. It may ease foollowing birth but not always and is highly likely to reoccur in subsequent pregnancies. One area I am focussed on currently is Maternity Reflexology as this is a known aid to the condition. I am to attend a conference next month to demonstrate Hug-a-Bump® Maternity Support Band to South West based midwives
My own baby bump was particularily large from early on due to a large fibroid and thus the strain put on my spine and hips was becoming more and more uncomfortable. At the point of finding myself carrying my bump in my own hands I saw that some research was needed to address the situation.
I discovered that although the medical profession are gradually recognising SPD (Symphysis Pubis dysfunction) and recommending physiotherapy etc, up to one in 3 pregnancies are effected by symptoms of SPD and backpain . The NHS offer a range of cumbersome and complicated stiff truss type belts, usually in stark white and normally very restrictive in terms of mobility.
My thoughts were that although a maternity support band needed to be supportive as those already on the market, most only offer support in one area, the lower back, or the hips, and rarely support the baby bump itself. So I commissioned a manufacturer to produce a garment that worked in all 3 areas and also had the added twist of the appearance of lingerie. Any girl loves lingerie and even more so when her body is going through so many unpleasant changes. LOL !
So Hug-a-Bump® SPD Maternity Support Band has now evolved from plain nude colour to a lace version for those ladies who value the look and feel of lingerie, and need the support.
At the launch in April there was a feature as below :
the exposure was superb and now over 200 women have and are being supported by Hug-a-Bump®!
We'll finish with the final couple of questions to Rachel tomorrow.
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