Pregnant Women Reply to Nosy Questions Without Saying a Word

‘When are you due? Have you picked out a name? Is it a boy or a girl?’ And the even more daring… ‘Was this an accident?’ and ‘How much weight have you gained?’If you’ve ever been pregnant, you’ve no doubt been at times accosted by well meaning, but – well – not so polite questions by colleagues, friends, family and pure strangers.
Thanks to the team at Due and Sprout, pregnant women everywhere can reply to those nosy questions without even saying a word. ‘No Name Yet,’ ‘Not Finding Out’ and ‘Yes, I’m Pregnant’ are some of the 14 clever ‘answers’ printed on 100% combed cotton, fitted maternity tanks and tees.

Clever Parents caught up with Due and Sprout co-founder Pamela Hillman (pictured with co-founder, Marlo Hall Stern, right) to talk about business, cherishing family time, and what not to ask a pregnant woman.

Clever Parents: Tell us about your business. What inspired you to start Due and Sprout?
Pamela Hillman: Marlo and I had been consulting on our own for years. Me- PR, marketing and events, Her – graphic design. We were both interested in starting something new, changing direction but still using our business and creative interests. We had seen a few cute maternity tees around with random, disconnected messages. We started throwing out ideas about what we would like to say on shirts and kept coming back to the endless questions confronting pregnant women everyday. We had both been pregnant, experienced this first hand, and decided to make a list of the top five answers we would like to see on a line of tees. It just kept evolving from there. We developed the concept and name, designed the logo and overall look, produced ten samples and starting setting up appointments with buyers. By the middle of our first year, our collection of 7 answers had expanded to 14, our web site was in development and we hit our 100th store.
CP: How did you and Marlo meet / how long have you known each other?
PH: Marlo and I were introduced by a mutual friend – my sister in law actually, who knew both our backgrounds and interests, and thought we would compliment each other. We met for coffee, started brainstorming, talking about our lives, kids. The rest is history. We have known each other as long as Due and Sprout has been alive, since the summer of 2004. I have said many times that it works so well for us because we were not friends first. We came together as professionals, focused only on developing the business. From there, the friendship and the respect grew, but the foundation — the common thread — was and always will be Due and Sprout.

CP: What do you like most about owning / running your own business?
PH: Quality control. The ability to conceptualize something, discuss it with one other person who thinks the exact same way, and make it happen. No red tape, no committee approval. Full creative and operational control. Flexibility to make our days what we want them to be, even if it involves carpooling between conference calls.
CP: What do you find most challenging about running your own business?
PH: For us, one of the biggest challenges is operating from two different cities. Marlo is in Philadelphia and runs our manufacturing, warehouse and overall operations. She is also our creative director. I live in the DC area and run our wholesale, retail, sales and marketing. It’s hard sometimes not to walk down the hall and share good news, handle issues face to face on a whim. But we make it work. And when we do have meetings in person, there’s so much to say!

CP: How do you package your tees?
PH: Our packaging emulates the clean, fresh look of our brand. Each tee is nestled in a clear, vinyl cube with silver seams and a removable lid (see photo – right). It has become a great impulse buy for husbands, friends, grandmothers-to-be looking for a baby shower gift, a special way to help celebrate the news, or pamper a brand new mom. The packaging is most popular in gift boutiques, baby and children’s stores. The cube could hold pacifiers or small nursery items, bows, recipes, etc. later on.
CP: What are your favorite ‘answers’ at the moment?
PH: We love them all. Each one has its own personality and is near to our hearts. My personal favorite du jour is the newest addition – Foot Tush Head. It speaks to the topic of feeling movement, baby’s position inside mom’s tummy. I think it’s adorable, playful, simple and sweet. And I don’t see anything like it on the market. We love Ask, then Touch for obvious reasons, and Just Delivered — the only answer made for brand new moms. As a new mom, is there anything worse than hearing those dreaded words, “when are you due?”.
CP: What is the worst question someone can ask a pregnant woman?
PH: There are a lot of questions that fall into the “pregnancy etiquette” category. The first and foremost is “how much weight have you gained?” Steer clear of any reference to changing facial features, swollen ankles, hunger. Don’t ask if she’s ready to pop or if she’s having twins. On the flipside, don’t ask “Are you in your first trimester?- ‘cause you’re carrying so small.”
CP: What is the worst question someone has asked you?
PH: Well, my boys are seven years apart. Needless to say, I got a lot of “Was this an accident?” and “How long were you trying?” People just automatically assumed my second pregnancy was not planned, and the result of years of IVF.

CP: How do you balance work and family?
PH: Sometimes it’s much harder than others. We make time for what really matters, and recognize that some things just might be pushed aside. If postponing the laundry for a day means catching a movie with our kids, helping my middle schooler study, or baking a cake with my five year old, it was well worth the sacrifice. In a way it forces you to simplify, and cherish family time.

CP: What is next for Due and Sprout?
PH: We have plans in the pipeline. Expanding the current line and developing additional products under the Due and Sprout brand is something we are very serious about. For now though, the flagship collection of tanks and tees is still growing more each day. It’s keeping us very busy, and very satisfied.

We think your customers will be very satisfied, too. Buy tanks and tees online at www.dueandsprout.com. (You can also find them at bellablumaternity.com, missfitzinc.com, nordstrom.com, poshtots.com and shopohbaby.com as well as retail maternity boutiques listed on their site.)

- Pamela Hillman is mom to Matthew, 12, and Charlie, 5; Marlo Hall Stern is mom to Alec, 4.

See CleverParents-tv Vidcast #1 featuring Due & Sprout.