Hints on Buying Maternity Wear from 9MonthsAndMore

Your maternity wardrobe
It is difficult to predict and impossible to generalise on what makes the ideal maternity wardrobe.  It all depends on your individual lifestyle, whether you need formal clothes for work, what season your pregnancy falls in, and how uncomfortable you are feeling.

Maternity clothes come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  You are advised to buy your normal dress size in maternity wear, which means that at the beginning of your pregnancy you may well be buying clothes which seem huge.  Believe me, by the end of those nine long months, you will find them stretching at the seams!

There are various ways that maternity clothes designers allow for our precious bumps.  ‘Kangaroo pouches’ are common, a piece of stretchy cloth inserted into the front of the item, be it skirt or trousers, to allow you to wear the item from the start to the end of the pregnancy, when the pouch will be stretched to its fullest capacity.

Buttons and elastic are also common, where a strip of elastic is inserted into the waistband of the skirt or trousers, with buttonholes sewn into it.  You simply adjust the button into the relevant hole and keep moving it in or out depending on how big you get.  At the beginning of your pregnancy you will have a seemingly endless loop of elastic, and by the end, a taut piece of elastic, which appears to be stretched to full capacity!!

On dresses, shirts and tops, extra material will have been allowed in the measurement of the item, possibly with ties at the back to allow for growth.  Whatever you wear, it should be comfortable, and not constricting, I’m sure you will agree that comfort is at a premium when you’re pregnant.

Underwear
Oh the joys of maternity underwear.  Although 9MonthsAndMore doesn’t sell underwear, we would like to add a couple of points here about the dos and don’ts that have been encountered.  Do buy for comfort, and big pants seem to be the favourites among those I asked.  I was lucky enough to have a neat bump and never bought any big pants, but struggled on with my normal pants, which nestled just below my bump, but I’ve been told that the big pant brigade was by far the most comfortable!  With tights, I found that they were hit and miss.  Buy them too small and you ended up with a pair of tights with a crotch round your thighs, buy them too big and you could give Nora Batty a run for her money.  I guess the answer is to shop around.  Find the make that suits your shape and stick with it!  Or else, forget it and go without!! I don’t think they make maternity suspender belts, so stockings are out!! But hold ups were my favourite option.

Bras
These are so important. Remember that it is not advised that you wear under wired bras during pregnancy in case they constrict milk production.  But I found that the most comfortable and economical way to go was to buy sports bras.  I actually bought some crop top style maternity bras from Primark for about £4 and they saw me through to D-Day (delivery day!!)  When you have had your baby, you will be wearing special feeding bras if you are breastfeeding, and you must be specially measured for these at about 37 weeks.  John Lewis and Marks and Spencer will do this for you, as will many reputable underwear suppliers.  Make sure you get measured as regularly as you need during your pregnancy.  Once the bra feels too tight round your back, or the cup is bulging, it’s time to go back for more!

Shoes
Many pregnant ladies suffer from swollen ankles and swollen feet or find that they put on weight on their feet during pregnancy.  Very unfair of God that one!!  But make sure that your feet are comfortable during pregnancy.  I found that by the 7/8-month mark I couldn’t comfortably reach my feet, so lace ups were a no-no.  Comfortable slip on shoes or deck shoes or even (by the end) flip-flops seemed to be the answer.  I also found that a nice refreshing foot spray did wonders for the comfort and odour of pregnancy feet, also very useful in hospital post delivery!

Buy your own size
Time and again you are told to buy your own size in maternity wear.  I did take this advice, but found that my size altered depending on what stage my pregnancy was at, and which shop I was buying from.  Therefore the sizes I am quoting are based on what the designer’s idea is for example, of a size 14.  If you find that this is too big, or too small for you, let us know and you can change the item providing you return it within 10 days.

Formal and Party Wear
There are occasions when you need to go to a wedding or big party when you feel like a heffalump, late in pregnancy, and believe me, I remember the indignity of attending a formal dinner 8 weeks before my due date, and being unable to get my bump close enough to the table to be able to eat my food!  However, hopefully you will not find yourself in this situation, but a sparkly dress accessorised well, always helps to cover up any embarrassment.  My recommendation for this type of occasion would be to buy a jersey black dress in ballerina length, and dress it up or down as necessary.  You will find that it works well for an evening do with a pashmina and a corsage, or for a wedding with a smart cardigan, wrap or carefully matched hat and shoes. 

Capsule wardrobe

What do you need in your wardrobe during your pregnancy?  Here are my tips for the essential items: