Local Entrepreneur Helps New Moms Hold It Together

Sometimes a business idea is born as a solution to the simplest problem, the simplest need that's not being met. Such is the case for Rochelle Walker, the founder of newly established maternity concierge Pampered Mommas.

"I would have done anything to be able to just take a nap when my sons were younger," she says.

Walker, a mother of two, struggled through a difficult pregnancy with her second son, Jax. While she and her husband Tarik were caring for their first son, Sammie, now 4, they were also preparing for life with a new baby, but the doctors had her on and off of bed rest.

Looking for something to comfort his wife, Tarik tried to find a massage therapist to come to the house, but couldn't, and soon this became the least of the Walkers' worries.

"The nursery wasn't getting done," Rochelle Walker says. "He was working full time. In addition to working, he was taking care of Sammie, so everything was falling by the wayside. My house wasn't being kept as clean as I would like it to be, so that was adding stress to my pregnancy, just worrying about what wasn't getting done."

Eventually, Walker was hospitalized. Before the family completed their preparations for the new baby, Jax was born two months early, spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit before the Walkers were able to bring him home.

"I just laid in the hospital and said to [Tarik], this is crazy that there isn't something out there for moms that need help that are in situations like this," Walker says.

Because most parents feel that the birth of a new baby is a happy, rewarding, and exciting occasion, the fact that it can also be challenging and stressful is sometimes overshadowed. Enter the maternity concierge, popping up all over the country and catering to new mothers in every way possible.

Bravo even debuted a new show, "Pregnant in Heels," following the work of a maternity concierge with her wealthy New York City clients as they hold focus groups for baby names and discuss new d�cor for their homes.

But Walker's goals and her clients' needs are more realistic. Now that she and 14-month-old Jax are healthy, she decided to make an effort to fill the gaping hole in Baltimore for help for new moms.

"The idea was born based on my personal experience, and having lots of friends that are moms," Walker says. "And I have friends that are stay-at-home moms, and they are still overwhelmed. Being a mom can be overwhelming. So the idea is to try and make it a little less overwhelming. Because for me personally, if I'm able to take a little bit off my plate and have some 'me' time, I feel like it makes me a better mother because I'm less stressed and more focused on my kids."

So when Walker comes home from her 9-to-5 job for the Living Classrooms Foundation and the kids are tucked into bed, she dedicates the evening hours to building Pampered Mommas.

She got in touch with a number of sub-contractors and found it easy to get qualified people interested. Everyone from massage therapists and acupuncturists to housekeepers and doulas enthusiastically agreed to join Walker.

"Everyone I spoke with was on board immediately and felt like it was a great opportunity for the mom community, because there is nothing like it in this area," she says. "It's a one-stop shop for moms."

With her personal experiences under her belt, Walker truly did make her vision a one-stop shop, thinking of everything a new or expectant mother could want. Pampered Mommas offers in-home spa services, prenatal yoga, meal delivery, a nap nanny to watch the baby while the tired mother takes a nap, hypnosis, preparation for dads, baby proofing consultations, personal shopping, gift packages, and more.

Pampered Mommas even offers experts who can help organize what Walker calls "babymoons."

"Those who have kids know that once you have your kids, and your baby, the idea of vacations kind of go by the wayside a little bit," Walker said. "So we wanted to focus on what we call 'babymoons,' where it's a quick little getaway for you and your partner before the baby comes. It can be done locally or if the doctor gives you the go-ahead to travel, you can go to a Caribbean island for a weekend."

Walker someday hopes to have standalone locations for Pampered Mommas, where mothers can take advantage of these services while children are taken care of in the building. This way, new moms won't feel guilty leaving their children at home.
But in the meantime, she's focused on growing the business, giving her clients personal attention and most importantly, convincing mothers that it's OK to do something for themselves once in a while � an idea that often seems counterintuitive to mothers caring for their families non-stop.

"Trying to convince moms it's OK to do something for yourself [is a challenge]," Walker says. "It's OK, you deserve it. It's OK if you would like to take a nap, it's OK if you want a massage, a manicure, or pedicure. It's OK if you have your meal delivered to your home because you're just too tired to cook. It's OK to do that."


Staci Wolfson is a Baltimore-born, NYU-educated writer and editor based in Charm City. In addition to BmoreMedia, you can read her writing on Patch.com and her Just for Kicks & Giggles soccer blog.


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Photos by Arianne Teeple