Wandering along our local shopping strip this week, what did I notice? The spectacular hats! The racing season is upon us – the perfect excuse for a gorgeous dress and a fabulous hat, darling!

But this year, you’re pregnant – what to wear, what to wear? Happily Bump, Baby & Beyond has some amazing maternity dresses, perfect for a day at the races – or that summer wedding!

For something light and pretty, try the Mango Jam Tara Maternity Dress or the beautifully cut Sara from MBC – the beauty of the Sara is that it is designed to be worn pregnant or not and is a truly lovely cut…. this one will take you to the races, and keep you looking fresh and fabulous through summer too!

Moving on a little in the “dressy” stakes, we have two lovely maternity dresses in the same cut – the Pluto and the Tapestry, both from Ripe Maternity. The Pluto features a gorgeous shimmering fabric, available in silver or black – so easy to accessorise and make absolutely jaw dropping! For those wanting something with a floral feel, but with the subtlety of a self-pattern, try the Tapestry dress for simple, understated elegance.

Want something bright and bubbly? The Tangerine Satin Maternity Dress comes in the most amazing tangerine colour featuring summer daisy print – like the Pluto and Tapestry, this frock falls freely from the bust, making them cool, comfortable and with room to grow. In a more fitted frock, there is the Watercolour Cocoon Dress – a swirl of soft, gorgeous colours in an incredibly flattering ruched dress – this one is just so pretty!

For a more formal style – perfect for a wedding or formal function – check out the Deloris Lace Dress, featuring either chocolate or cobalt lining under sheer black lace….

But if you want something truly stunning, you cannot go past the amazing Eden Silk Maternity Dress from Ripe Limited – choose from vibrant purple or fabulous fuschia, both with black pattern detail… this one is a show stopper!

The best news of all is that none of these amazing maternity dresses is over $72.95 – a saving of up to 70% on RRP! The perfect mix of fashion and affordability - all at Bump, Baby & Beyond!

Have fun!

I guess the simple answer is no… but, and this is a BIG BUT, with such an abundance of gorgeous maternity wear styles out there at affordable prices, why wouldn’t you want to be more comfortable as well as celebrating this fabulous time of your life??

When pregnant for the first time I was stunned at how quickly I became uncomfortable with anything pressing on my tummy in the wrong spot – snug waist bands where an absolute no no for me… so I tried hubby’s pants and wore them slung low on my hips. This certainly solved the tummy pressure issue – but hiking up your pants every few minutes is really not a great look! After a day out with a very dear girlfriend, she very kindly suggested that I could look better… as if something was wrong with looking like I was drowning in an oversized tee and hubby’s falling down jeans!

I launched into my reasons for not buying maternity wear – number one being the price of them, given that I would be wearing them for so short a period of time! She very sensibly suggested that there must be other options, and so the hunt began!

I started by determining what I really needed – I live in jeans so a comfortable pair of maternity jeans or two were a must! Working in an office environment, I also needed some corporate maternity wear, and thought I could buy some nice tops to wear both to work and on weekends. I was stunned at how much more comfortable the maternity pants were – and at the ingenious ways they grow with your belly!

After some trips to the local op shops and Savers I found some great maternity pants by Ninth Moon that had hardly been worn and had a divine soft fold over waist band that was just so comfortable! Next stop was eBay, after a trip to a maternity boutique to determine which brands and sizes seemed most appropriate for me… I felt a bit guilty not buying there – but hey, it’s my money!!

I was amazed at what was available on eBay – and soon after purchased two pairs of Ripe maternity jeans that I happily, and comfortably, wore for the remainder of my pregnancy… I did notice that some items seem to go for an enormous amount of money for worn clothing, but was lucky to pick up a couple of items at great prices.

I had been unable to find anything I like in maternity tops at a reasonable price, but scoured the online stores until I found some on special that I liked – again, once I got them in the post and tried them on, the difference in how they hung and fit as compared to simply buying a size up in a “normal” top really surprised me – sceptic that I was!

Having really felt the difference in wearing maternity clothes, an idea struck and I set about opening my own online clearance store for maternity clothing at amazing prices. Stocking gorgeous styles from manufactures like Ripe Maternity, Ninth Moon, Maternity Plus, Pea In A Pod, MBC (Mother Baby Child), Soon Melbourne and more I source end of season styles at bargain prices – and love that I can offer other budget conscious mummys-to-be a place to buy some divine maternity wear pieces… looking good throughout your pregnancy can make such a difference to your self-esteem!

My pregnancies turned out to be such hard work – I am unlucky enough to get severe morning sickness that lasts the whole nine months! – that feeling frumpy in ill-fitting clothing would have been the last straw … thank goodness for good, honest friends!