Maternity Shopping! :(

[LDNlady]

So, I've gone for as long as I can with my normal clothes but it's finally reached the point where I can't put it off any longer! Today is maternity clothes shopping day. I hate the physical act of clothes shopping at the best of times so having to go and try and figure out what size I need and whether they look any good on my ever expanding body fills me with dread! Also I just hate being around loads of people doing the same thing so doing this on bank holiday Monday may cause me to do someone some damage. Actually, hasn't it been known for pregnant women to get away with murder at times. :o

Mothercare were rubbish- none of the tops I got there covered my bump after about 7 months. M&S don't always carry their range- would you believe that the entire stock in Bath is a 2-pack of maternity bras? Even their store at Cribbs only offered 2 styles of jeans and 3 tops this time last year.

The best bits I got were from Jojos in their sale. They are pretty good to order from online.

online shopping is definitely the way to go in my opinion. like others have said, I also found that many shops (especially the smaller branches) did not stock their maternity range in store so you either had to buy from their website or to to the really big branches (ie not in my town!).

Best (and cheapest) things I found were in New Look, also got a few items in Next, H&M and Dorothy Perkins.

I've had a nightmare trying to find good fitting trousers/jeans, I currently live in leggings I really want to wear jeans but I am only 5ft 2 and maternity ranges don't seem to think short people get pregnant
I bought some jeans in the mothecare sale size 16 had a friend take the legs up but I wore them out shopping yesterday and they kept falling down even though they appeared to fit in the shop. They were the under the bump elasticated waistband kind.
Agree with whart others have said about h&m the sizes are really small I couldn't fit them over my thighs either.

I stumbled across these dresses in French Connection which are not maternity but really flattering with my bump. They come in about 6 different colours/patterns and are in the sale for £20 each. Can dress up or dress down and soooo comfy with leggings.
They look nothing in the pictures but are really flattering....

www.frenchconnection.com/product/717Z7/Meadow+Angel+Tie+Waist+Dress.htm

www.frenchconnection.com/product/71JE4/Meadow+Teardrop+Dress.htm

if you're in ealing, try the FARA kids charity shop (near o'neills) - often has a rail of good quality maternity wear as well as lots of good baby kit

Not in Ealing but only a few stops on the Central line: Gap on Oxford street (the one next to Selfridges) does a decent maternity range. And they have toilets ;-)