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A Quick Guide to UK Maternity Wear and Lingerie

Buying good UK maternity wear in the is a challenge. Whether you need casual wear, work wear, something for a special occasion or just a belly belt to expand the waist on your favourite trousers, this guide aims to help you get the best of what's on offer.

How do maternity clothes accommodate your growing bump?

Many women just buy larger sizes of normal clothes to get them through pregnancy. There are several drawbacks to this approach:

· You may need to buy clothes several times to keep up with your growing bump

· By 8 months your trouser legs will resemble the width of the channel tunnel

· You will feel like you're getting fat rather than having a baby!

Remember maternity wear takes you through 8 months (before and after your baby is born) — this is much more than a single season and the clothes will be almost constantly worn. Good quality maternity clothes will fit you from 14 weeks onwards and will last until after your baby is born and your bump disappears. They will accommodate you if your cravings mean you put on a little bit of extra non-baby weight too.

Maternity Trousers and Skirts

Choose trousers with good quality lycra or spandex stretch materials and with adjustable waist fastenings. These will grow naturally with you and give you some support when your bump gets heavy at the end of the day.

Avoid garments with sewn in panels (usually a different colour material sewn across the tummy area). They look untidy and mean you have to wear long tops to cover the panel.

When choosing the style of maternity clothes consider that toward the end of pregnancy lots of women start to retain water (which is lost after giving birth) but can mean they get a little ‘puffy'.

Maternity Tops, Jumpers and Cardigans

Your standard clothes can be used for much longer into your pregnancy, especially if they contain lycra. However at 6 months you might find you start to show a bare tummy and will need maternity tops. 

Blouses are generally the exception, where a more tailored maternity style is usually necessary from early on in your pregnancy.

Wraps are particularly flattering and comfortable and can be worn either on their own or over a shirt if the weather is cold.

Maternity Lingerie

Maternity Bras can strike terror into the hearts of newly pregnant women. The good news is that all you initially need is a soft bra            (under-wired bras are not recommended). As you find your rib cage expanding a little and your cup size starts to change, it's good to visit an experienced bra fitter who can advise you on the size and style of bra that is suitable. Many maternity bras now have nursing clips/poppers, so they can be used after the birth too - especially good if you're on a tight budget. For nursing you will need to get another bra fitting at about 37 weeks, this bra will be slightly larger to allow for your breasts to grow as your milk arrives. After 6-10 weeks things settle down and you then use all your nursing/maternity bras.

Finally lingerie companies are starting to realise that not everyone needs or wants knickers the size of a continent during pregnancy. The chances are if you wore a thong before you were pregnant, that is going to be the most comfortable option during your pregnancy too.

Knickers come in both under and over bump styles. Bravado! have gone one step further and have produced a range of over the bump full briefs which are designed to fold down under the bump if required.

Maternity Swimwear

Maternity swimwear ranges from plain bathing suits with extra stretchy material or pleated panels to maternity tankini's. It all depends on how daring you want to be. Tankini's consist of two parts, a lower bikini and an upper vest or skirted vest which can be worn up high over the tummy or pulled down over it. Tankini's are particularly flattering to a big bump as long as you don't mind you belly button peeking out now and again!

Other Maternity wear accessories you might be interested in are support belts (for an aching back), hosiery, breast pads for nursing and bra expanders.