Ahh the moo moo. You may not be aware of what these ‘were’, I’m very pleased these can now be referred to in past tense, but they were basically tents for pregnant women and were all the rage ‘During the war’. On a Fools and Horses side note I watched the episode where Raquel gives birth the other night and she wore quite a few of these, if you want to see them in all their glory have a watch. If you’re not bothered, watch it anyway, I’m sure it’s a lot funnier and less traumatic than watching One Born Every Minute for a first time pregnant woman. My Midwife advised me not to watch it before I’ve had my first one. I’m happy to follow that advice.

I’ve seen many celeb mums in magazines looking fabulous whilst pregnant, Emma Willis being my favourite in the maternity style icon stakes (and my secret girl crush). Sadly I don’t have her looks or her budget but I can certainly make an effort. So I hit the shops like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, minus the slutty outfit.
Big disappointment.

 
I’d liken it to the time I opened a bag of Disco’s and there was only 3 in the packet. Not much can prepare you for that kind of trauma. I like to think it made me a stronger person and I handled this maternity shopping experience better than I otherwise would have done.

 
I went to all the major high street chains. These shops weren’t small, the New Look for example had ranges for Tall, Petite, Curvy, Teenwear, Menswear, Label Lounge but not one piece of maternity wear. I asked the lady in the shop if they had a maternity section and again I felt a bit like I was in Pretty Woman:
“We don’t have anything for you, you’re obviously in the wrong place, please leave!”

 

H&M were the only beacon of light in a dire maternity shopping experience. I bought a pair of over the bump black trousers, a pair of over the bump jeans and a t shirt that I’ve pretty much lived in since I got it. I’m telling you maternity bottoms are ridiculously comfortable. They fitted on my bum and legs just like my pre bump jeans and I felt great! Don’t judge me but I can’t promise I’ll ever go back to normal jeans. I thought I could wear a lot of my pre maternity tops and in theory I can but some of them are just not flattering at all, maternity tops cling to all the right places unlike normal tops. I think when bump gets bigger I could get away with the floaty tops looking nice but until then, I’ll stick to maternity.
So H&M … I award you top marks! I initially thought their range wasn’t particularly imaginative, most t shirts are stripy or plain but upon looking online at other brands, that seems to be very common. And horizontal stripes seem to be the order of the day, not sure why, we’re always told they make you look wider (as if you need help looking any wider during this time!)

 

Online I have discovered JoJo Maman BeBe. Lovely range of maternity wear and from what I’ve ordered so far, good quality. Sizing varies so it helps to read the reviews on whether things come up big or small. I got myself a swimsuit from there which looks great and fits great. Suitable even with a small bump and it will grow with me and I got a nice camisole too for the summer. Again it has a tie under the bust so the stomach area can grow.
Another little gem was Seraphine, a lot of their stuff has celeb credentials attached to it … ‘as worn by Fearne Cotton’ or ‘as worn by Kate Middleton’ so instantly I think ‘I can’t afford this’ and I was right. However, they have an outlet and sale section where I got some amazing jeans and brilliant comfy leggings. Worth a look. Also if you have a wedding or an event to go to, they have some really nice posh frocks on there (posh frocks?! How old am I?!)

Next have some nice online maternity wear, as do ASOS. You just need to accept that you’ll be buying most of your clothes online but you can put together some lovely outfits. Next website is great for showing you ‘looks’ instead of items on their own. I know when I buy a ‘look’ I’ve totally been sucked into a link sale tactic but who cares when you look and feel good.

I’m starting to notice that shopping for a baby is a lot like when I planned my wedding. You put wedding in front of anything and the price becomes a lot heftier. It’s the same with baby bits whether it’s maternity clothes or nursery furniture. Brace yourself! With maternity clothes my advice would be shop smart. Everyone is different with what they find expensive and cheap but I’d try to do a capsule wardrobe and jazz things up with accessories to keep it interesting or if you’re lucky enough to have female friends or siblings close to your size, it’s time to butter them up! I will be updating my wardrobe throughout so if you have any recommendations please let me know! (on Facebook or tweet @kickscount

And the answer to my original question is most likely yes, your bump does look big in that, and it’s beautiful.