After all the excitement of finding out that you are pregnant, a little bit of you will probably be wondering about how you are going to dress your baby bump and changing shape. Don’t feel bad thinking that, after all it is nine months of size changing in a world full of tight fitting skinny jeans and dresses. No one would blame you for wondering where to go for the best Maternity Clothes or Nursing bras, and (in my opinion) Maternity Wear is hard to get right when you are you buying it online.Definitely get fitted for your Maternity bra and Nursing Bra with a qualified fitter in a Bra Shop, you wouldn’t believe the comfort of the right sized Bra
With being a pear shape I am used to emphasizing my waist in my clothes, generally opting for skater style dresses, so while pregnant I was back to the start figuring out what would suit me best and make me feel most confident (and comfortable)in my maternity wear. There were two main factors in determining my pregnancy clothes choices. Firstly I wasn’t crazy about showing off my baby bump ( a personal choice of course), and secondly my shortness in height. At a mere 5ft 2inches most of the maternity Jeans and Maternity Trousers were WAY too long in the leg for me. Hurray for Maternity leggings is all i can say !
It was inevitable my shape and style would change and, even though I was never a fan of normal jeans to begin with, to my surprise each morning I was reaching for a pair of maternity jeans and teaming them with my favourite maternity top or a long Maternity cardigan thanks to the Mamalicious Maternity Collection. They had, and still have, a selection of leg lengths in their Pregnancy Jeans and Pregnancy Trousers and all at a great price…my saving grace!
I found this combination more flattering for my pear shape. The division between a pregnancy top and pregnancy jeans broke up my silhouette, a v-neck maternity jumper was also much more flattering on a growing bust size than a round neck. Layering was also a life saver for me, my body temperature was all over the place when i was pregnant so being able to take off layers or put them on was essential.
It turns out I didn’t have to buy a huge amount of maternity clothes in the end. I was lucky to fit into a lot of my normal clothes up until about 23 weeks but I also didn’t want to spend a fortune on maternity clothes that I wouldn’t be wearing for any longer than a couple of months, although to be fair, it was great to have them for my second baby.I invested in a few maternity wear pieces which I interchanged to create different looks. What I’ve learned along the way, contrary to some advice I had be given, is to stick to your own size when buying pregnancy clothes. Some people just go up a size in normal clothes when shopping but maternity clothes are especially designed to accommodate your growing bump and are mostly designed to be worn during and after Pregnancy. In my opinion, if you are going to spend money on new maternity clothes, that you will probably wear again second time round, you might as well purchase maternity clothes that are the best fit rather than oversized clothes which are rarely flattering.
Mamalicious Maternity was my go to brand, so much so as to when i opened my own Maternity Clothes Shop , they were the first collection that i carried, and still do. I also Carry some Carriwell maternity wear and we use to carry some Jojomamanbebe maternity wear but Brexit has scuppered that a little for for me.I am hoping to rejoin the Jojo Maternity club asap as we do love their fantastic Maternity Wear Collection, but i will keep you posted on that when and if it occurs.
What was in my Maternity Wardrobe …
So what are my must haves when it comes to maternity clothes ? Well here is what was in my Pregnancy Clothes wardrobe..
1. A pair of black and blue Maternity Jeans and 2 Maternity tops for work wear. I was lucky to be able to wear Maternity Jeans to work. If you can’t, try black Maternity Work Trousers instead.
2. Two pair of over the bump Maternity Leggings and a Maternity Tunic or long blouse. You can actually buy Active leggings as well by Mamalicious, which have great support in them if you want to continue excercising.
3. A properly fitted Maternity Bra (under wire or not the choice is yours). Freya Lingerie do a lovely collection of youthful Maternity Bras that are a fab shape and support up to an F cup. Might i suggest that the bigger busted ladies try the Elomi maternity bras which, in my opinion as a bra fitter, past the F cup gives much better support and comfort.
4. Pregnancy Support vest are a definite must. Some of them come with a nursing feature as well and they give great tummy support. A nursing poncho was also fantastic buy for the on- the -go breast feeding, but any poncho will suffice.
5.One nice but affordable occasion Maternity dress, just in case you need to go somewhere special.
3.Trainers or comfortable boots especially for the last few weeks.
If you want to stretch to one or two other items might i suggest a pair of maternity dungarees and a denim Short Maternity Skirt. Mine was a spring summer pregnancy and i found that the Maternity Dungarees were perfect to go from one season to the other by simply adding a jumper (under or over the dungarees) or a summer t-shirt. Similar top switching works also with the maternity denim skirt, and by adding Maternity Tights with boots in the chiller spring time or sandals for summer, you can have a variety of great looks without spending a fortune.
All of the Maternity Clothes and Maternity Underwear we carry instore are also available online to buy at www.maternityandmore.ie
My bricks and mortar Maternity Clothes shop is at 14 Dublin Street, Longford, Ireland, where you are most welcome to call in to try on any of the Pregnancy Clothes, and or get Fitted for a Maternity bra or Nursing Bra. If you just want to be Bra Sized without buying anything that’s ok too. There is a small fee of €5 for this service. We continue to do Bra Fittings even during Covid. It will be essential to wear a mask for this service.
For any questions you might like me to help you with call on 0433344004 or send me, Sharon Devlin, an email at cherchelafemme@hotmail.com and I will gladly help if i can in answering all your queries.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a Happy and fortune filled New Year x
Sharon