Baby, You Make Me Feel So Good

Apr 27 2008

Experts Tell Why They Love Working With Tots

BABY GURUS

SONYA MURRAY AND EMMA THOMSON

YOU'VE done the honeymoon - now stand by for the babymoon.

It's the latest craze that lets mums and dads-to-be enjoy luxury breaks together before their child is born.

They are being brought to Scotland by The Baby Gurus, aka Emma Thomson and Sonya Murray. They were NHS midwives before setting up their own firm to help new parents.

Sonya even hooked up with Westlife's UK tour when Nicky Byrne wanted advice for his pregnant wife.

The job: We run breaks to let parents-to-be enjoy quality time together.

We also run bespoke courses that help them get the most out of their pregnancy and prepare for the birth.

How we did it: Emma is a qualified birth educator and has three children. I qualified as a midwife in 1995. I have delivered hundreds of babies but when it came to having my own I didn't get the help I needed because people assumed I knew everything.

Lots of other new mums are not confident about things like breast feeding and we teach them in a really simple way.

Babymooning is an American concept and we started offering weekend breaks where parents could get private education.

We teach breathing and relaxation techniques and build confidence. We target busy professionals and get involved any time between 19 weeks up to nine months. Some of them are on their third baby and they say it makes a huge difference.

We charge anything between £450 and £2000 depending on the client's needs but everything is done in one intense session.

I got a call from Nicky Byrne from Westlife asking if I could join him and his wife Georgina on tour ahead of the birth of his twins Rocco and Jay. He is a fantastic dad.

We have just launched a corporate service supporting professional staff in the workplace.

Perks: A good work-life balance.

Five-year plan: We aim to produce environmentally-friendly mums' bags.

Tips: We spotted a gap in the market and went for it.

Visit www.thebabygurus.com

BABYWEAR BOSS

SIMON PHILIPS

SIMON has more than 25 years' experience in the franchise business, having managed a retail firm with 250 outlets in the Middle East.

The 44-year-old, of Portpatrick, Wigtonshire, plans to bring 30 babywear stores and 150 jobs to Scotland.

The job: I have the master franchise for Belgian firm Premaman in the UK. The firm operates across 45 countries worldwide.

How I did it: I was a trainee manager for British Home Stores before being posted to Abu Dhabi to oversee the launch of a store.

I came home and managed branches but soon started to get itchy feet. I went back to the Middle East to be general manager of a retail firm with brands such as Pepe Jeans, Gant and LaSenza.

Premaman is a step up from Mothercare and the baby equivalent of retailers such as Mango, H&M and Zara.

The first shop opened in Ireland in 2006 and we have since opened 10 stores. I want to open between 20 and 30 stores in Scotland.

A Premaman owner can expect to invest from £45,000 to £70,000 but they can break even in the first year.

Perks: Franchising is great because it is simple and works if you take the product to the right market.

Five-year plan: We want to get between 10 and 15 per cent of the UK market in five years.

Tips: I want hard-working people who believe in the brand and are passionate about what they do.

YOGA TEACHER

AVRIL BERRY

AVRIL runs yoga classes for babies and expectant mums and dads.

The 50-year-old former lecturer who lives near Melrose, launched a new career after a trip to India.

The job: I run classes for pregnant women, new mums and dads and their babies.

How I did it: I lectured in stress management before taking a year out in India where I discovered yoga.

I attended an event held every 10 years where yoga masters from all over the world gather. I ended up staying for 18 months, seven of them spent at a yoga ashram. We were doing yoga from four in the morning to 11 at night.

I came back to Edinburgh and stayed in a tent to escape the busy town centre. I worked part-time and studied yoga by correspondence.

I had seen pregnant women and mothers doing yoga in India so I decided to start doing classes. There was a huge uptake.

Some pregnant women can do yoga for their full term and it is beneficial. You are working with your back, opening your hips and exercising the pelvic area as well as working on breathing - great preparation for being a new mum.

Baby yoga helps with wind and constipation. Babies are completely uninhibited so there are lots of funny noises coming out.

Perks: Working for myself, I can just take off on a sunny day.

Five-year plan: I am working with major companies on stress relief. I have also started running baby holidays to the Caribbean.

Tips: They say never work with children or animals but I have a house full of animals and twins.