Is Fifty Shades of Grey Creating a Baby Boom?
More and more women are confessing to a naughty secret: They owe a lot to the steamy pages of Fifty Shades of Grey. Moms-to-be in the Community on BabyCenter - the leading online destination for new and expectant parents - are thanking the racy book's sexy hero, Christian Grey, for their impending motherhood.
"We've definitely spiced up a few things thanks to one Christian Grey," one BabyCenter mom-to-be announced. "My baby will be a Fifty Shades baby for sure. And I'm damn proud of it."
"Oh, yes, if I'm pregnant, it's all Mr. Grey's fault!" wrote another woman.
"I'm reading the books for a second time, and I'm definitely incubating a Fifty Shades baby," wrote yet another. "I'm so obsessed! It's my guilty pleasure."
Others admit the pleasure and laugh away the guilt:
"Yup, this series was definitely my female version of Viagra. Thank you E. L. James!"
"Once I started reading the book, I was always in the mood. My husband kept saying he loved the fact I was reading it. We're planning to send an email to E. L. James about our new arrival."
In its less-steamy discussion groups, the BabyCenter Community discusses everything from tips for traveling with toddlers to favorite baby names. Women trying to get pregnant share their most intimate details as they seek the elusive positive pregnancy test.
"If I get my positive test next week, it will be a Fifty Shades baby too!" said a mom of two preschoolers.
Other would-be moms are taking notice:
"If I don't get a positive this month, I figure I'll download it to the iPad and start reading!" wrote one.
Another woman wrote that she and her husband had laughed at predictions of a Fifty Shades baby boom - only to find that the joke was on them. "Last week we got a positive pregnancy test after 11 years of trying. If this sticks, I'll totally consider Christian and Ana for baby names!"
She's not alone. BabyCenter blogger Lindsay Weiss is keeping her eye on the trend:
A quick search of Google trends for the past three months saw a triple in searches for "grey pregnancy." In addition, the main characters' names, Christian and Ana, are set to skyrocket on BabyCenter's top baby names list in 2012.
Most of the people who responded had no objection to the name, or the idea of giving credit where credit is due. But some are branching out beyond Christian and Ana:
Since "Fifty Shades of Grey is responsible for our pregnancy," one said, "we may give our child the middle name Shades."
Most of these babies are due in early to mid-February, just in time for Valentine's Day - ironic, since the trilogy's bad-boy hero admits, "I'm not a hearts and flowers kind of man, I don't do romance."
With this kind of a track record for passion, I guess he doesn't have to.
Liz Fuller-Wright is a contributor for BabyCenter.com
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