to want to go IN to a shop and try ON maternity clothes?

[MyNameIsKenAdams]

Because apparently I am.

So far this morning ive tried
Mamas and Papas x2
Next x2
Mothercare
H&M
Primark
Asda
Dorothy Perkins
New Look x2

All I want is a dress to wear this evening. The only stores that had any stock jn were h&m (leggings, jeans and tshirts), Mothercare (found one casual summer dress) and New Look (dress pants and vests).

Am sick. Naively assumed that I would at least find maternity wear in these shops but everything js now online.

so that means any last minute purchases are now impossible and if ever there was a time when your body was doing all sorts of crazy shit so you didnt know what would fit and how jts during pregnancy.

So come the eff on shops. And Mamas and Papas has shocked me the most. It isnt even catering for Mamas in store anymore.

AIBU or do I need to get with the times?

Are there any Outlet stores near you?
Mama and Papas outlet store near us used to be very good (though that was a few years ago) and cheap. New Look online has an ok range too, but probably cutting it a bit fine.
It has got harder to maternity shop, 8 years ago there were more in store ranges, 4 years ago there was a lot of online choice, not a big amount in stores though.

Topshop were reliable when I was pregnant.

OP if you want to hint at area or move this to 30 days only and state area, you might get some more specific suggestions?

YANBU!

I live in London and even here it's a pain in the arse trying to find maternity clothes in shops.

There are millions of pregnant women in the world, why should everything be online only? I want to try stuff on!

And I'm sick to death of 'I love my bump t shirts'! FFS!

Yes even with the whole of London to shop in, I saw a few stores with a shitty choice of striped, black or white t shirts and that was about it. The big Topshop at Oxford Circus has more than most but even its range is miniscule compared to what they used to stock - when DSis was pregnant I bought her some stunning clothes from there. Its rubbish. I love clothes, but not at the moment.

Yes I'm fed up of stripy t shirts too. It's like the standard choice for pregnant women. Dull dull.

I spotted maternity wear in out new primark a few months ago - hoping its still stocking it as I would like a holiday wardrobe!

I didn't buy any maternity dresses in 1990 when I was pregnant. I needed smart clothes for work until 8 months and had a selection of loose waisted/empire line dresses from Laura Ashley and Monsoon in bigger sizes.

For casual I had cotton elasticated waist trousers and loose tops from both again in bigger sizes but no designated maternity clothes.

Jojo maman bebe and Matalan do maternity clothes also debenhams

Thanks for

Ooooop

all the suggestions, there is some great stuff online.

My gripe was that I cannot walk into a shop today and pick something up for tonight.

Nevermind, will have to see if I can cobble something together. And must plan ahead!

I had a couple of phase 8 empire line dresses. They have a sale on just now too, you might get something there.

OP, If you're the right type and if there are shops near you hippy-dippy, ethnicy, Indian cotton skirts and dresses might be worth a look. A lot of them are loose-fitting/one size and unstructured. You may end up looking like a Greenham Common protester from the 70s but it's better than a bump on board t-shirt.

going in your bra and pants is better than a bump on board t shirt!

have you tried topshop? JoJo Maman Bebe? Both have good instore ranges.

But yes, its one of the first areas that most big chains have just stuck on line, except a few flagship maternity stores.

But then in my experience, most woman don't buy a lot of maternity things, just the bare minimum, so they'll get very few woman who want something for that day/night - it makes sense to ahve an online presence to get some of the money, but not to dedicate floor space to it.

Do you have any wrap dresses? They're a godsend for with bump nights out until you're huge at the end.

Ive got an old phase eight dress at the back of the wardrobe will dig that out see if I can squeeze into it.

no amount of clothes disaster would force me to but a Bump On Board tshirt.

Have you got a Matalan nearby? They have a pretty good maternity section. Failing that, Primark have started a maternity range too.

Yep to both but no maternity wear in store.

Elderly pahse 8 frock it is for you then

I imagine when times are tight, as they are now and as they were for me personally 14 years ago, maternity wear is the last thing people buy. I got by with one maternity dress - the rest of the time I lived in non-maternity stuff a size or two up, elastic waisted trews or tie top linen trews worn under my bump.

To be fair I looked bloody awful though

JohnnyBarthes I'm sure you didn't. There was loads of maternity stuff in high street and non - high street shops in 1990 when I was pregnant but the vast majority of it apart from the ridiculously over-priced Blooming Marvellous type stuff was bloody awful.

The affordable stuff all seemed to be a sea of pastel flowers (too much even for Laura Ashley's biggest fan as I then was) in horrible, nasty poly-cotton.

Do you remember those special blouses maternity shirts, Cait, with a faux pocket over each tit which covered a secret aperture to enable discreet breast feeding once the baby arrived?

To be worn with sensible bobbed hair and a serene smile.

Earlier of course it was all smocks and sailor collars

Johnny oh goodness I'd forgotten those awful shirts. I did buy one after the birth. It was a vile man-made and probably combustible material and completely defeated the purpose of being discreet by drawing attention to swollen boobs.

Ah, memories.

I went to a city centre today and did find some maternity clothes but the choice was abysmal. The shops were full of spring colours and new fashions, the maternity section full of outdated prints, poor fabrics and horrible dull colours, as well as the 'pregnancy must have' of a top with a message about your bump. Ergh!

OP, YANBU.

My mum's brought over some maternity leggings as I've got some fat face dresses I can no longer wear as my bump has made them too short, however they are see though! Like I can see how many fingers up see though. Awful things- they were from peacocks so no wonder