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

Superstar couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie recently became the proud parents of twins. And People magazine became the proud publication that got to release the very first photos of them.

Business has been brisk. As noted on Trendhunter, "With 2.6 million sold copies, the issue with the Jolie-Pitt twins pictures is the magazine's best seller in over 7 years."

While People magazine may be seeing dollars, we're seeing buzz.

Celeb baby fever is catching in Search, with the Brangelina twins leading the way with a 1,710% spike over the past month. Searches have peaked in the last 30 days for "brangelina baby pictures leaked," "brangelina baby pictures," and "jolie-pitt baby picture."

But before baby comes the bump watch. An article wonders who in Hollywood may be pregnant. Then it's off to the Search box to find the celebrity baby bumps with queries on "ashlee simpson baby bump," "jessica biel baby bump," and "beyonce baby bump pics."

Politicians don't escape the mania, either. News that Republican V.P. nominee Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter, Bristol Palin, is pregnant, set off a babygate Search with "bristol palin baby," "palin baby scandal," and "sarah palin baby scandal."

While we're sure that stars are "just like us," we're more than happy to do a little e-ogling to prove to ourselves that they too can struggle with baby weight, baby scandals and baby drama.

They just get to do it in public.

Filed under: Babies

It was a week of small triumphs and big scandals in the Buzz. A formerly "pregnant man" shared the first photos of his baby daughter. Meanwhile, an actor's alleged assault (and strenuous denial) left fans stunned. Take a look back at these stories and more with the Buzz Week in Review.

Introducing Susan Juliette
Earlier this year Thomas Beatie was huge, both literally and in the Buzz. Better known as the "pregnant man," Mr. Beatie garnered a tremendous amount of interest after he appeared on "Oprah" during his second trimester. Beatie, who was born a woman but kept his female reproductive organs while undergoing sexual reassignment surgery, recently gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Now, the first photos of little Susan Juliette are inspiring an avalanche of buzz.

Searches on "pregnant man" surged an astounding 1,101% during the week, while related lookups on "thomas beatie baby" and "pregnant man baby photos" posted equally impressive gains. People magazine, which hosted the photo, was buzzed early and often, while other blogs, including the Huffington Post, relayed the birthing story.

A scandal in Gotham
The timing couldn't have been worse ... or more awkward. Just as "The Dark Knight" was taking in a mountain of cash at the box office, its star Christian Bale was being arrested for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister. Folks could hardly believe the news, but that didn't stop the interest.

Lookups on "christian bale" roared to a 550% gain, but the related searches are what really told the story. Queries for "christian bale assault," "batman arrested," and "christian bale family" each soared from none into the thousands. Bale has vehemently denied the incident, and countless blogs are updating the story by the nanosecond.

Also buzzing this week ...
• Estelle Getty, who starred in "Golden Girls," passed away at the age of 84. Her death, brought on by Lewy Body Dementia, inspired searches for "estelle getty biography" and "estelle getty young."
• Ever wonder how planets are named? Apparently the honor falls to the International Astronomical Union. According to USA Today, the body recently named a dwarf planet "Makemake."
•We don't know why, but lookups for "laser tattoo removal" jumped 2,258% over the week. Did the surge have something to do with eyelid tattoos? According to TrendHunter, they're soon to be all the rage. If you ask us, they're soon to be removed.

Filed under: Movies, Recaps, Babies, Scandals