Introduction

Like many men, I’ve spent a good part of my life trying to better understand women. However, unlike most men, I turned that pursuit into a career. I launched Lucid Marketing in 1998 to help companies who create products and services for women, kids, and moms to more deeply connect with their intended customers. The vision was, and continues to be, that companies could do a better job of selling products if they put more effort into building customer relationships and adding value.

Since then, Lucid has had the honor of working with some of the finest brands on the planet: Disney, AOL, Procter & Gamble, Quicken, eHarmony, and others. We’ve also had the pleasure of talking with a lot of moms about their challenges, joys, and dreams. Along the way, I also became a parent. So, in addition to discovering what my wife is all about throughout our years together, I now have a window into motherhood.

Of course, there’s only so far my insight can take me. After all, I’m a man. A dad. I will never know what it is to be pregnant, give birth, or experience motherhood. Fatherhood yes, motherhood no. Nature prohibits it. I've always treated this as a factor that hopefully gives me more objectivity. But ultimately, it is a handicap. It doesn't mean I can't be effective in my profession, just that I might need to take a different approach and work harder. I'm up for it.

Then it occurred to me, instead of treating my maleness as a handicap, maybe it's an opportunity. And that’s when the idea struck.

The best way for anyone to understand someone else's perspective is to walk in her shoes. So, for me to better understand moms and moms-to-be; walk in their shoes and experience at least a little of what they do; to foster a stronger appreciation of what they face, is to simulate, to the best of my ability, pregnancy. And by that I mean wearing a pregnancy suit — which is exactly what I am going to do beginning on April 13th and continuing until Mother’s Day, May 13th.

Now, I know this is a pale comparison to what real moms must go through. But possibly it will give me a better understanding and stronger appreciation for their challenges. You’ll be able to read about my experiences and thoughts during this project right here in this blog.

My pregnancy project also gave me another idea: to use this valuable insight and my expertise to help new moms. And so a new endeavor was born called Light Iris. More about that in the weeks to come.

One more thing. I am approaching this pregnancy project humbly and passionately. It isn’t a publicity stunt or a way to trivialize motherhood. And for this reason, I’ve decided that despite my original idea of wearing the suit 24/7, I will instead wear it all the time when not in public. The reason for this is based on interviews with moms.

Originally, I was 100 percent committed to wearing the suit round-the-clock. But in an effort to prepare and get an outside perspective, I began talking with moms about the idea. Seventy of them to be precise. They initially were intrigued and amused, responding to the idea with such comments as, “That's funny, he will have a lot of interesting experiences” or “That's encouraging, a guy trying to learn more. You go boy!” But when asked for specific suggestions or concerns, I got a different story. Like when others who did not know why I was doing this saw me, they might think I was doing it just get attention or make a spectacle out of myself.

I knew I was already going to be in for some explaining when I came across women and moms, but felt certain they would appreciate what I was doing after hearing my story. What I hadn’t thought of was the rest of the public and how they might think I was making a joke out of pregnancy. This made me stop and reconsider. My intentions have always been pure and I want to keep things that way. Instead of a stunt, I want discovery. Instead of creating a spectacle, I strive for conversation.

Wearing the pregnancy suit in private (and keeping it public with this blog) now feels more appropriate to me. And in the end, it will likely achieve the same result.

So stay tuned as I begin to relay my experiences to you on these pages. A special thanks to the moms who put me on the right track and are helping to shape Light Iris.