the buzz log

Baby market—bullish or bearish?

Among the many trends attributed to (or blamed on) the recession, people have been trying to figure out if baby bundles are on the rise. Are bad times contributing to some good times, borne out 9 months later in a population boomlet?

One USA Today blogger is seeing babies all around her, not only on reality TV but also from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS): 2007 fertility rates were a wee bit higher than 2006 (2.12 vs 2.1). However, earlier this year, The New York Times threw cold water on many stork deliveries and adoptions. Slate recently cited a medical group's neonatal slump as proof of less "fruitful reproductive activity." While NPR found a lady or two taking advantage of the downturn, it said "no solid statistics" existed since birth rates are what number-crunchers call a "lagging indicator."

Well, there could be another way figure this out: the Web. Moms-to-be (and impending dads as well) often head to Yahoo! Search to look up fertility tools like:

• "ovulation calendar" (maximizing hit rates)
• "how to get pregnancy fast" (grammar-challenged seeking tips)
• "signs of pregnancy" (checking success)
• "chinese birth chart" (divining personality traits)
• "baby gender predictor" (sonogram alternatives)
• "baby shower invitations" (successful endeavors)
• "birth announcements" (done deal)

Adding these all up should give a bouncing-baby clue. Will there be more boys? And girls? The possible answer:

Gloomy Family Forecast
Search numbers do echo the NCHS facts, that pregnancy-related research peaked in July-December 2007. Look-ups for "baby announcements," "baby shoes" and "baby toys" had a high during that same time period.

The recession officially started December 2007. Since then, baby-friendly searches haven't just dropped (a 15% drop in January-June 2009 versus July-December 2007)—they're at an all-time low since 2005.

Chance of Baby Showers
Here's one quirk: Baby shower-related queries are at an all-time high. How could that be? Well, normally, U.S. birth rates are higher in the August through October months, so people could be gearing up for a fresh batch...but that doesn't explain everything.

Another theory: People might be making a bigger baby shower fuss, since they're scrimping on everything else. Americans splurged for a homey Fourth of July. Plus, a shower's the big chance to get good gifts—and save mom and dad some out-of-pocket expenses.

Pregnant Pause
So, nearly all Search signs point to a pregnant pause...but that doesn't mean ladies aren't thinking about it. Lookups for ovulation calendars and calculators are pretty steady. Gotta keep an eye on that biological clock.

Filed under: Health, Pregnancy, Predictions, Babies, Economics

Not all was about financial lows and jittery panic this week. Good news slipped in among the black yawning chasm of bad news, as celebrities made pitches for motherhood, college football fans exulted in pigskin hotspots, and lawmakers got to yell at Wall Street executives. Here now is the week in Buzz.

The Economy Just Needs a Mud Bath
Timing is everything. The Buzz Log reported an incensed surge for "aig spa" searches, but no, not for recommendations. AIG, which may have to dip back in taxpayer pockets after last month's $85 billion bailout, was handed a clue during this week's Senate hearing, when lawmakers chewed out execs for a $440,000 spa trip to reward "top-performing" life insurance agents. The Wall Street firm cancelled another junket and the plan to pay for pricy ads to apologize. Now free: $400/night rooms available at the Ritz Carleton in California's Half Moon Bay. Still wanted: Apology.

Hot Magazine Mamas
Motherhood isn't just sexy, it's high fashion. Halle Berry, the Oscar winner who also tortured audiences as Catwoman, now wears the Esquire crown of Sexiest Woman Alive. Berry's acceptance essay pondered hip dysplasia, the ripe smell of her man's (Gabriel Aubry) car, and how she feels sexier after motherhood. Meanwhile, 2004 honoree Angelina Jolie has received props from advocates like La Leche League International for being W magazine's breastfeeding cover woman for November. No essay, but she talks up pregnancy and her beau Brad Pitt. 

Something to Cheer About
At least there's always college football. USA Today lowered its head and ran with its list of "10 great places to stand and cheer college football." Among the stadiums, Neyland got kudos for passion, Husky for its views, and Camp Randall for its deep-fried cheddar balls.

Also buzzing this week ...
 • A 92-year-old tradition ended in a sad pun when Mother's Cookies baked its last Circus Animal cookies. Even NPR couldn't resist the crumbling metaphor, when the private equity firms that bought the company three years ago now declared it bankrupt.
 • Markets may fall, but the two wheels keep turning: The Economist reports pumped-up bike sales worldwide, thanks to gas prices and the battle of the bulge.
 • Forget staycation. People hankering to get away from the madding crowd found budget travel sites devoted to the cause of relaxation.

Filed under: Football, Finance, Business, Celebrities, Transportation, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, Week in Review, Cookies, Wrap Up

Being in the ABC Family way has taken on a whole new meaning.

The cable network, a kind of Hallmark Channel for teens, has had its share of breakout hits (as breakout as you can get for a cable network). Programs like "Kyle XY" and "Wildfire" have grappled with issues such as alienation, immigration, and, well, horses.

Now the buzz surrounds "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," which premiered July 1st and broke  ABC Family records. No, it doesn't follow the superhero metaphors of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Smallville" or "Heroes," or the superstar alter egos of "Hannah Montana." Instead, the dramedy from the same brain that came up with "7th Heaven" dives right into the story of teen pregnancy.

Talk about marking a cultural zeitgeist. In popular culture "Juno" got the actress playing the knocked-up character an Oscar nomination. Jamie Lynn Spears commandeered the cameras normally aimed at her older sister when the 16-year-old Nickelodeon star admitted to being with child. NBC ordered a special after "Baby Borrowers" (which gives five teen couples a quick taste of caretaking encounters) counted among its highest rated reality shows.

Cue to real life. Teen pregnancy rates had been reported in 2004 to be on the decline, but teen birthrates show a recent increase... and that was before an alleged pregnancy pact among 17 East Coast high school girls. Pact or not, they came under scrutiny as to whether the media made them do it. Outlets like NPR have seriously taken on this cause-and-effect scenario, or at least looking at whether destigmatizing underaged pregnancy has turned into glamorization.

Of course, "Secret Life" is an ABC Family show, and one critic found that it tread the line of cautionary tale, family humor, and soapy drama pretty well. In the meantime, it introduces a weekly opportunity to talk about the real story of teen pregnancy because, like it or not, "Secret Life" is pulling in the young girls (and not so much the boys). Pre-teens and teens have taken their enthusiasm online, and in the past 7 days nearly pushed the show into the top 2,500 searches. They've also contributed to lookups for the song "Courage Is" and cast members (Francia Raisa, Molly Ringwald, Daren Kagasoff, Kenny Baumann and star Shailene Woodley, who attracts double the show's numbers).

By the way, the dramedy's setting may be in California, but the show's coast-to-coast Search interest is led by viewers in Massachusetts... where the 17 girls supposedly decided to make babies an extracurricular activity. A secret, even when it's out, still has allure. 

Filed under: TV, Pregnancy