To be incredibly irritated by the lack of maternity clothing on the high street...

[Bixxy]

Yes, I know I can order things online. But I actually want to try on a pair of work trousers - of which, there are worryingly few - in a shop, without having to order and pay for multiple sizes to be delivered for me to send back.

I live in a fairly decent sized city and only four shops stock maternity wear. Not even Next. Or M&S. Only one of those (Mothercare) have smart work wear (one pair of trousers), none in my size obviously

It seems entirely ridiculous that when your body is changing so rapidly, that retailers have decided the ideal solution is to take everything online so you can't even try it on without paying for it then traipsing to the post office to return!

Swear it wasn't this bad four years ago when I last was pregnant.

AIBU (or possibly hormonal)?

I always said this! I too ended up ordering everything from ASOS and sending half of it back.

Like you siege I needed a professional work wardrobe and would have happily (well, willingly) paid a fair bit for it - I worked in the City and couldn't believe there wasn't just like one shop in London that catered to pregnant women with professional office-based jobs.

I got some stuff from Mothercare and I think some from Topshop (a trouser suit that was surprisingly decent) plus a coat online from New Look in the dying moments of Dec 2011. I had twins so there was zero chance of being able to wear normal clothes after about 4 and a bit months.

I know, toomuch, I did feel that I had suddenly joined some weird fringe activity, rather than just got pregnant. I remember being enraged that it was considerably easier to find 'sexy maternity lingerie' and 'sexy nursing bras' courtesy of Hot Milk and the like than to find good quality maternity professional workwear in order to continue with my normal work life.

Which - no, maternity clothes designers - cannot be carried out in jeggings and a Hands Off the Bump sweater (thank you New Look) or a 'Slinky Wrap Maternity Skater Dress' (thank you ASOS).

www.seraphine.com/maternity-clothes/maternity-workwear.html
Seraphine are pretty good and have a workwear dept.

This is a time where I'm really, really thankful that I work in IT - work trousers are Gap maternity skinny jeans a disturbingly large proportion of the time. I've gotten a few tops from Debenhams and Mothercare - ok fits generally. Open cardigans with that, it's a bit boring but it's comfortable and I can't be arsed buying anything fancy - I did a product demo to a high-level executive in my company today wearing all black - skinny jeans, long vest, Converse and long cardi.

It really feels to me sometimes as well like companies don't want to acknowledge that boobs grow too - I'm very much in the Bravissimo range size-wise (up to 32HH at 24 weeks, I was a 30FF and a size 10 pre-pregnancy), and a lot of maternity stuff that fits the rest of me isn't too happy about the girls!

TriJo Preach! 32GG and growing. Went up to 34HH last time so I know the pain of getting clothes that fit. Last time, I worked somewhere much more casual so my wardrobe was similar to yours.

Seraphine clothes look nice! Will have a nosy on eBay though, bit pricey at full cost.