Beauty & The Bump

Finding out you are pregnant brings with it many feelings … excitement,
happiness, a sense of entering the unknown and …. panic that you have
nothing to wear…

Pregnancy is all about growing and glowing, so why shouldn’t
this be a time to shine? Gone are the days when women hid their bumps beneath
baggy jumpers and tent dresses. Today maternity fashion is about being  proud
of your bump and womanly curves and showing them off. Yet the pregnancy wardrobe
is a minefield. When and how do you start shopping to accommodate your bump?
Surely you don’t need a whole new wardrobe for just nine months?

Maternity clothing v  bigger sizes 
Bigger sizes may do in the short term, but you won’t get the longevity
of maternity clothing which is designed to flatter and accommodate a growing
bump all the way through pregnancy. A pair of trousers two sizes too big
might fit for a few months, but they won’t be comfy on your bump and
won’t take into account your growing bottom, thighs and hips as well.
Maternity trousers not only cater for expansion in all areas but are designed
to disguise and flatter the additional weight gain while showing off the
beauty of your gorgeous growing bump. The end result is that you feel  confident
while pregnant instead of awkward and uncomfortable.
The materials in maternity clothing are softer and more flexible than those
used in normal clothes. They will not only grow with you and be comfortable
right up until the day you give birth, but they will then shrink back again
in the post pregnancy months. The truth is it takes nine months to put the
weight on and it generally takes nine months to take it off again. So unless
your name is Nicole Richie or Victoria Beckham you certainly won’t
be strutting your post pregnancy bod in your pre pregnancy jeans two weeks
after giving birth. The beauty of good quality maternity clothing is that
it shrinks back down with you post birth and most maternity tops are also
designed to accommodate breast feeding.

Maternity Fashion Essentials

The Bump Band
You don’t need to invest in an entirely new wardrobe a few maternity
staples go a long way. The Bumpband is an ingenious invention that has revolutionised
maternity wardrobes. The Bumpband is a piece of stretchy material that fits
over your bump and the top of your trousers or skirt allowing you to wear
your non maternity items for longer. So for example, if you can still get
your beloved jeans over your hips but can’t do up the zip, you can
use a Bumpband to  cover the gap, giving the appearance of a layered
top effect.  Likewise you can wear your favourite tops for longer and
not worry as they start to ride up your midriff!

Leggings
Another essential is a great pair of comfy maternity leggings. These can
be worn around the house, dressed up with boots or heels, worn with dresses
or a denim skirt over the top or just with a long comfy jumper.

Jeans
Don’t underestimate the importance of a good pair of maternity jeans.
Again a well designed maternity jean will see you through your pregnancy
and beyond and can be dressed up or down in a number of ways.

Little Dress
Finally no maternity wardrobe is complete without one flexible little dress.
A nice dress can be worn for work and then dressed up for an evening out.
Or dress it down with boots or over leggings.

Optical Illusions
There are also a number of clever ways to complement (or disguise!)  your
bump depending on the look you are going for:
– a well placed scarf either draped over the bump or tied under it
– an eye catching piece of costume jewellery
– a cute pair of boots 
– big hair or a hat that will all balance out your curves 

For the recent Indybel Maternity Fashion in Estepona show we
deliberately choose real pregnant women to model our maternity ranges. When
they first tried the outfits on they were amazed by how  sensual and
sexy they made them feel. That’s the real secret of looking great during
pregnancy. Maternity clothing is not just something you need to see you through
9 months of weight gain, it is actually designed to show off the natural
beauty of your changing body shape, highlight the pregnancy glow and make
you look as wonderful on the outside as you feel on the inside.

Indybel are the exclusive stockists for Seraphine Maternity
clothing in Spain. As worn by Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba and Halle Berry
during their pregnancies. Indybel also stock the JoJo Maman Bebe maternity
range, Emma-Jane maternity lingerie and the Bumpband. For more information
visit www.indybel.com

Indybel are offering all marbellas.com readers a free pair of
pregnancy lounge pants with any purchase they make from our site. To take
advantage
of this
offer simply type the word marbellas.com in the customer notes box at the
check out stating whether you’d prefer black or white and we’ll
add the pants to your package!