Nursing Tops for Breastfeeding

We are looking at our range of breastfeeding tops that we have for sale at Everyday Maternity, so thought we upload some videos of our current tops and see if there is any feedback.

The top above is the Kaj Nursing Top from Carriwell.

The top below is the Tina Nursing Top from Carriwell

Take a look at the two videos as they show two different types of access for when breastfeeding your baby.

Let us know what you think!

Everyday Maternity in Bolton

Bolton, Bury and Greater Manchester's Premier Baby Fair

We are excited about attending our first baby fair, where we get to meet loads of mums-to-be and new parents all in one afternoon. We are going to be at Tower FM's Baby Show at the Last Drop Village in Bolton on Sunday 20th July, along with Nursery World. We will have on show a great range of our maternity wear, and are even taking part in the catwalk show. The event is a great opportunity to meet other expectant mothers and see a wide range of baby products. There are changing facilities at the venue, so you can try on all of our maternity and breastfeeding clothes before you buy.

We hope to see you there, we will post more details of the show nearer the time.

Maternity Wear Essentials

At our Nursery World shops, where the maternity wear is sold we are constantly asked what are the essential items a pregnant women needs for her maternity wardrobe, as first timers are really unsure as to what to buy and what to make do with.

So to help those who are struggling we have made a list of 5 key items to invest in to see you through your pregnancy in style. The cost of maternity wear can quickly add up, so these are our 'must haves maternitywear':
Maternity Jeans - if you were never out of your jeans before your pregnancy, this will not change. We don't need to tell you that jeans can be jazzed up for nights out or dressed down for weekends.So it is going to be important to find a great pair, in a style you like. Maternity Jeans have various waistbands to accommodate your bump, and don't be fooled into thinking you can just super-size on normal jeans - they will just look saggy around your bottom and legs. Make sure there is an element of elastane too.
Black Maternity Trousers - again these work well in many situations, used for work, dressed up for a night out or just a change from your jeans. As with the jeans there are a variety of different waistbands.

Maternity Wrap Dress - this dress suits most shapes and bumps, and can be very comfortable. Avoid non-maternity ones otherwise you could have an uneven look with more material at the back and the front sitting 4 inches above your knees. Your wrap dress will also fit your post-birth and can be used if you are breast-feeding, so it is really worth the investment.


Classic Fitted T-Shirt - again opt for a maternity one, that will stretch and grow with you. Choose one in a neckline that suit your shape and if you want to play it safe go for black and jazz it up with necklaces, brooches or scarves. Your boobs and back will grow, but your shoulders are unlikely to change, so buying larger regular clothes will make you look over-sized across your shoulders.

White Shirt - every season, without fail, the white shirt makes an appearance in the fashion pages. We've had pussy-bow, oriental collar, wrap around.....so with a white maternity shirt in your wardrobe you can always pull a smart outfit together either with your jeans or your black trousers. You can get away with a man's shirt here, and no doubt your partner will find it a sexy look, but for a more together look, opt for a stretch maternity version.
So if you only buy 5 things this pregnancy, we suggest you consider these!

www.everydaymaternity.com

Organic Breastfeeding Tops

Everyday Maternity introduces Organic Nursing Wear

Our favourite nursing wear brand, Boob, have always manufactured their clothes ethically in factories where employees are treated well and where the production process is environmentally sound.

Since spring 2008 all jersey garments are certified with the OEKO-Tex Standard 100, which guarantees that the clothes are completely free of toxins.

And now their clothes are as friendly to human skin as they are to nature with the introduction of Organic Cotton on their basics range.

Boob Organic Cotton is grown without using any chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It is then dyed and prepared in a way that is as environmentally friendly as possible.

Why not take a look at the organic range now.

Back Ache During Pregnancy

My best friend is one step closer to her publishing deal, which is very exciting. As part of her 'writer's CV' the agent asked if she had written for other articles or forums.

Well actually she does, she writes for the Everyday Maternity Newsletter, and she is in the process of writing an article on back pain during pregnancy, as this ties in with the addition of the Babybelt on Everyday Maternity.

I'll post the full article later, but in the meantime, here is the press information from Anita Maternity.

During your pregnancy your tummy will expand to make room for a growing baby. Your tummy gains in both weight and circumference and as a general rule, you can expect to gain between 10 and 14 kilos in weight. According to the University Hospital in Frankfurt/Main, many women suffer from various complaints as a result.

Many women rely on Pregnancy Support Bands to help relieve the pain, and we have recently added the Anita Baby Belt to the range.

The Anita BabyBelt is based on the Anita support principle, the following improvements were noted in tests where pregnant women complained of back ache during pregnancy:

• In 82% back pain eased
• In 93% the feelings of pressure and tension were relieved in the abdominal/pelvic region
• In 93% the aching pains in the pelvic area lessened.

Look out for our newsletter coming soon with an article on back pain during pregnancy, and ways to combat it.

Organic Maternity Wear

I was approached earlier in the week by a lady who ran an organic baby wear company, asking if Everyday Maternity would be interested in featuring the products on our website.

I declined as we have a lot on our plate at the moment looking after our maternity wear clients.

I then spoke to another lady about featuring on an 'Employee Benefits' website. In the course of the discussion we talked about what category we could be featured in, and the topic of organic came up.

So I decided to Google the term 'organic maternity' and a staggering 1.9million items came up.

I then decided to check what kind of search volumes people were doing, and the volume is not so staggering - a low search volume, whatever that means!

None the less I decided to add a new section to the website - Organic and Bamboo - as amazingly, without really trying we already have 8 products that sit under that category. So it is another case of watch this space.

Hollywood Maternity Wear

Boob Maternity Wear spotted in Hollywood

At Everyday Maternity we know we have a lot of Boob Nursing Wear fans out there, with many of you coming back for new tops when you have second and third babies, but it seems that Boob Maternity Wear is also getting quiet a following, and that includes some Hollywood stars. Most recently seen was Minnie Driver in the Boob Tie Back dress. The good news is that we still have the dress in stock, but hurry as stocks are going fast!

Wedding Season

I have just come back from a wonderful wedding, where there we no less than three pregnant women. One of whom was the bride's best friend, who rather upsettingly was wrapped up in a signature Isabella O piece - her husband thought it was very funny that I knew instantly where her outfit was from.

So I spoke to all the ladies about their shopping experience when looking for their wedding outfits and the response was unanimous - it had been a struggle.

The mums to be felt that there was nothing really special out there that compared to an outfit they might have chosen had they not had their bump. Also they didn't want to spend as much on the outfit as they are less likely to wear it again.

I told them about the site and some of the maternity dresses we had, but suggested a more flexible and econimical solution would be to invest in a pair of white maternity trousers and a sheer top and dress the outfit up with a fascinator or hat and a great pair of shoes. The trousers are likely to be worn again for a less fomal occasion and the top can be worn to jazz up a pair of jeans. In addition your maternity trousers are quiet wearable after the arrival of the baby - I'm a non pregnant size ten, and have be know to wear a pair of maternity trousers!

So having learned a bit more about what pregnant women are looking for, the feedback is more affordable dresses and gorgeous tops with multi-use wearability. I'll keep this in mind when I go to the trade fair in July.

Jeans Shopping

I've just spent an agonising 4 hours trying to find a new pair of jeans to replace my slightly worn but very much loved Diesel Jeans.

I have come home empty handed. I thought I had found the 'ones' - but they failed at the final hurdle, the sitting test. Upon sitting, the beautifully fitting, reasonably priced and very comfortable pair of Diesel jeans (once a Diesel girl, always a Diesel girl) quiet clearly showed more than a little builders bum. Not a good look, even for a builder.

Which got me thinking I should write a guide for Everyday Maternity on choosing your maternity jeans.

Which is precisely what I did:

It’s all about the waist - a maternity jeans buying guide


Jeans are clearly a staple in any wardrobe and that shouldn't change because you are pregnant, but maternity jeans come in many shapes and styles. So we have developed a brief guide to help pregnant ladies choose the perfect pair.

The biggest choice you have to make is your waistband style, and much like the following wise words from a mother of four, we find that pregnant ladies progress through the styles as they have more babies.

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as you find out you are pregnant (for jeans read under-the-bump)
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible (for jeans read over-the-bump with big comfy panel!)
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes (for jeans read - whatever is the most comfortable)

So here are our pros and cons for each of the styles:

UNDER BUMP

Popular with first time pregnant women are the under-bump style. These sit low on your waist and naturally curve under your bump.
Many women prefer under the bump as their tummies are sensitive, and they don't like anything on it.
The downside of under the bump is that you will need to invest in maternity tops, as your normal t-shirts and tops are not going to cover your expanding tum.

If you choose below you can always invest in a separate bump band to cover up any exposed skin.

With below the bump jeans and trousers look for how they expand with your bump. The important thing here is that they do expand, but you can still keep them reasonably tight, otherwise you will spend your days hiking your jeans back up! The majority have elasticated sides, internal button adjusters or elasticated waistbands with a tie-adjuster. All our jeans have one of these options; check out the product information for exact details.


OVER THE BUMP

This style sits high on your waist with a soft and supportive full jersey panel.
Many women feel these jeans offer two key advantages, the support of the jersey panel and the comfort of what is essentially a soft elastic waistband.
They may not look sexy but you can hardly see them once they are on, and they do offer the assurance that if you stretch up you don't expose too much flesh and they are so very comfy.
Both styles can also be worn after baby arrives, while you get rid of your 'jelly-belly'! (no-one tells you about your jelly belly, do they!!)
There is also an on-the-bump style that sits at the fullest part of your waist, but we don't currently stock this style, as they are not as comfortable and can't necessarily be worn after the birth.



Other tips

You shouldn’t need to go up a size – maternity jeans are specifically cut to accommodate your bump

Quality is key when buying maternity jeans. Elastane, lycra, spandex - call it what you will - is an important factor in maternity jeans. The material needs an element of stretch, as it is not only your tum that gets a little bigger. So look for some denim with an element of stretch, but not too much as you may get sagging around the bottom and knees. In our opinion, 2% is the perfect amount - and the majority of our jeans conform to this guidance

Everyone’s bump is different so there are no hard and fast rules as to what suits best, but we have spent time and energy looking at many brands and hope we have brought you some of the best.

Plus size maternity

Today's light bulb moment was about Plus Size Maternity.

I spoke to a lady yesterday who was a size 8 and said she hadn't bought much maternity wear, as she just got away with wearing size 10 and size 12. Which got me thinking of the Plus Size area on the website, which is receiving more hits now. Its amazing but as you start to think about a particular thing, something happens relating to it. A customer was on-line in the plus size area and order 4 things. I think this is something I need to develop, as larger ladies don't have the luxury of just buying bigger, as there are just not the larger sizes available. So plus sizes ladies more than any other group buying maternity wear need to be catered for. I'm off to the trade fair in July, so I will definately source so more interesting styles for size 16 and plus.

I'll also need to research on the styles and fit that suits plus size maternity, and write up a Trinny and Susannah style what not to wear.

We have some fabulous things that cover the larger sizes, but all the agents seem to steer you away from the larger sizes. The fact is the average British woman is a UK14, so we really need to meet their needs too.

Our maternity jeans are available in plus size, and in more than one style, so we need to look at the rest of the range.

Gok Wan would be proud!

It has been over a year that Everyday Maternity has been set up, and the buzz is still great.

I spent an hour last night emailing all the customers, with a 10% offer, and within an hour two orders had come through!!

Will celebrate this evening!

It is tough, and it takes over your life, but when you see the direct results of your efforts, it really makes it worthwile.

I thought last night I should write all this stuff down, so I can perhaps write a book about it one day, or at least have something to look back on.

www.everydaymaternity.com