breastfeeding friendly style round up

It's been a while. So let me explain. The baby arrived. And boy, did he turn our world upside down. But we're getting into the swing of it now and so I'm back on the blog. (Remember to follow me over on Instagram for more regular updates on life with two under two!).

Once again I'm breastfeeding my baby boy and so I thought I'd ease myself back into the blogging game with a weekly round up of breastfeeding friendly outfits from the high street. It's also apt that this week is National Celebrate Breastfeeding Week in England. I'll start today with my current five favs:

1. This boilersuit from Asos is perfect for the warm weather and the buttons make breastfeeding so easy. Unfortunately it comes up big and they don't have my size down left so I won't be able to take advantage.

2. Tu clothing by Sainsbury's has been a hot hit for breastfeeding friendly clothes this summer. This lemon print button down dress is ideal for the current heatwave!

3. A cotton shirt is a must for any breastfeeding wardrobe. It can be dressed for warmer weather - teamed with denim shorts - or cooler climes - with jeans and a vest top underneath.

4. I've just ordered this nursing specific sleeveless dress from H&M - it's in the sale right now and a bargain for £12!

5. Finally for this week is this zip front swimsuit from Marks and Spencer that I'm currently lusting after. It would be perfect for post swim feeds.

If you want more breastfeeding friendly outfit inspiration, check out my Pinterest board.

style: maternity wear

As I enter the final stages of my second pregnancy, I thought I'd reflect on my favourite pieces of maternity wear. Unfortunately I managed to be heavily pregnant during a completely different season for my second pregnancy to my first. First time round it was the height of summer and I lived in flip flops and maxi dresses. This time round, it's winter - and a cold one to boot. So I've had to be a bit more imaginative. Dresses are still a godsend when you reach the third trimester and you're huge and uncomfortable. This Next dress has been my absolute favourite this time round.

It's loose and flowy and not too far off my usually style. The buttons mean that it will be useful in the early weeks after the baby arrives too, as I'll be able to breastfeed in it. That said, I have just bought it in the non-maternity version - on sale for just £9! (You can find it here - search "drop waist dress" in womenswear - as well as another print in non-maternity.)

If you're pregnant too and fancy trying this dress, it's currently only £14 in the sale at Next - you can find it here (search "printed long sleeve dress in maternity).

style: what to wear when breastfeeding #4

Who doesn't love a Breton striped tee? I know I have a whole host of such tops in my wardrobe. So it is no surprise that I also have this nursing striped top. In fact, this is one of my favourite tops that is specifically designed for breastfeeding. It is a dual purpose, maternity and nursing t-shirt from Marks and Spencer. I got the green stripe version in the sale and have since bought the blue version because it is just so good! (You can see it in action when I was pregnant here.)

If you're after some stripes for your nursing wardrobe, I've also found this Topshop double layered nursing dress - which also works while you're expecting.

Shop the post: Marks & Spencer Maternity Feeding Striped Top with Modal; and Topshop Maternity Stripe Nursing Maxi Dress.

style: what to wear when breastfeeding #3

This week, it's all about the shirt for breastfeeding. It seems like the obvious choice but that doesn't mean it has to be boring. I'm actually loving the excuse to wear all of the shirts in my wardrobe. I seem to own a fair few but don't think that pre-baby I was all that keen on wearing them. I'm so glad I didn't ever get rid of them as they are certainly coming in handy now.

The jeans are still my maternity jeans. I'm still finding I need the band because of my c section scar which is a little uncomfortable from time to time and the band means that it's not rubbed. I'm hoping I can get back into my old jeans soon though.

Shop the post (left to right): white stripe sleeveless shirt; mint green sleeveless shirt; and pink stripe rolled sleeve shirt.

style: blake lively maternity style inspiration

Loving this maternity look by Blake Lively. Totally what I'm living in right now - maxi dress teamed with a denim jacket. A denim jacket is a great piece to use from your pre-maternity wardrobe.

review: emma jane next generation maternity/nursing bra

I don't often feel compelled to write a review about underwear - least of all comfortable and practical maternity underwear. But I've been wearing the Emma Jane Next Generation Maternity/Nursing Bra for the past few days now and I don't want to wear anything else. I wish I'd found these bras months ago!

The Emma Jane Next Generation Maternity/Nursing Bra is seamfree and offers an extra soft and comfortable fit.

I've been wearing sports bras throughout most of my pregnancy and this bra has all of the comfort of a sports' bra with the added bonus of the nursing feature.

The bra is available from lots of places online. I bought it on Boots.com and it was a bargainous £12 (plus, if you're signed up for the Boots Parenting Club, you'll get extra points when you buy it!).

style: full term and maternity leave

On Monday I was officially full term - 37 weeks. Yesterday I started my maternity leave. I'm not going to lie, this heat is the worst when you're pregnant. My feet are like balloons - I don't have ankles anymore! Sleep - which is not easy during pregnancy anyway - it now completely elusive. So I am glad to have finished work and am able to nap during the day now. But apart from napping, what else am I meant to be doing while I'm on maternity leave and before the baby arrives? Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy this time. But apart from enjoying it - how should I go about doing that? Any suggestions welcomes!

This is dress is from New Look. I bought it for a wedding we went to a few weeks ago. I searched high and low for something to wear that I would feel comfortable in and that wouldn't cost the earth (you might remember this post?). I found a fair few that ticked the first box but were very pricey. This dress was really well priced and wasn't so dressy that I couldn't wear it again over the last remaining weeks of my pregnancy and really get my money's worth. Maxi dresses are all I'm living in right now.

style: summer maternity maxi dresses

I posted earlier in the week about ways to keep cool in the summer and one of those was to dress in loose clothing. I've found the few maxi dresses I've bought to be a godsend, so I thought I would do a round up of some of the best - and most bargainous - ones I've spotted:

Clockwise from top left: Asos halterneck maxi dress; Asos nursing maxi dress; New Look tropical print maxi dress; New Look back bar maxi dress (this is the one I'm wearing in the image above); New Look floral print maxi dress; and Asos bandeau maxi dress.

How do you keep your cool in the summer sun?

style: third trimester style

We're now just over three quarters of the way there! (Yesterday was 31 weeks.)

These photos were taken during week 30. My bump is feeling humongous! A feeling that has been confirmed at my antenatal appointment this morning. Apparently I am measuring quite a bit big and so may have to go for a growth scan. It sometimes seems to feel like each appointment brings up something else I hadn't thought of but I'm keeping an open mind as everything else has been unfounded. I'm really keen to give birth at our local midwife-led unit which is in our town (5 minutes from home!) but with each issue I keep being told, it might be that I have to go to the consultant led unit at the hospital a bit further away.

I am wearing: my new Dorothy Perkins maternity blouse (only £10 in the sale right now!), Next faux leather leggings and Clarks ankle boots.

During my second trimester I certainly preferred maternity trousers with an over the bump band but as my bump gets bigger and bigger I'm finding them more restrictive. These leggings from Next are under the bump and much more comfortable now.

I am wearing: Marks & Spencer breton tee, Next leggings and Clarks ankle boots.

style: maternity wedding guest outfit

Following on from my post last week about the difficulties of finding stylish and affordable maternity wear, this week I’m tackling the tricky topic of what to wear to a wedding when you’re seven and a half months pregnant! Yep, in five weeks time (at 35 weeks pregnant) hubby and I will be attending a wedding and I have nothing to wear!

I say nothing. That is not strictly true as I have now bought four different options. And I think I have narrowed it down to two. I had a few criteria for the dress:

1. Reasonably cheap as it’s fairly close to the end of my pregnancy and I might only wear it a few times.
2. A maxi dress that will be comfortable and (hopefully) dressy.
3. Something that isn’t so dressy I can’t wear it again.

My first stop was Asos. To be fair, on my rant about a lack of maternity wear, Asos do have a large selection but they are only online so any purchases involve buying various sizes to try and different styles. I did find quite a few options in the sale – some in my size, others not, some that looked nice, others that really didn’t.

I have actually found a dress (not featured here) so I will post a photo after the wedding in May. I will say though that it can be worn again, is a nice breathable fabric so will be cool and was pretty cheap!

style: the thing about maternity clothes

Advance warning: this post may contain content of a ranty nature!

Why do shops make maternity clothes shopping so difficult? And why is it all so dull?

Honestly, it seems the majority of high street stores don’t stock their maternity collection in store and most of the time it is so limited and so dull. I’m all for creating a capsule maternity wardrobe that revolves around a few core pieces with a lot of basic essentials to mix and match but most maternity collections seem to be just the basics.

Unless I want to spend a fortune on more bespoke pregnancy wear brands who seem to have a little more imagination, I end up with the same jeans, leggings, nursing vest and wrap top combos. Yawn.

Why is it so difficult for retailers to create pieces that women actually want to wear? I’m a huge fan of H&M. I also need to shout out to them because they do actually stock some maternity wear in some of their stores. But they don’t follow through the designs of their core collection to their maternity range. For example, this dress (below) would be great for a pregnant body but just needs a little alteration in the design to make it fit properly. I have considered buying it up a size but then the arms and shoulders are too big.

So this is my appeal to stores like H&M and New Look to create maternity pieces that reflect the core collections and don't just offer the boring basics. Obviously there is a place for the basics and I don't want these stores to stop stocking them too, but expand and offer something a bit more exciting than another wrap nursing top. Just because we're pregnant doesn't mean we've lost all sense of style.

While we're on the subject of maternity dressing, I spotted this post over at Dress Like A Mum which has some super handy tips for dressing through pregnancy and beyond.

style: never enough stripes

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman can never have enough stripes in her wardrobe."

Or so it would seem, if you take a peak inside my wardrobe! For me, they work in any and every situation. I can never have enough of them. Even my husband has started to comment now. My latest addition is this maternity dress from Next. Now that I have a proper bump I am embracing more bodycon styles and showing off my growing baby! This dress is really flattering as it seems to skim any lumps and bumps, other than the obvious one! The length is just right for the summer when I can wear it with bare legs and sandals. It will also see me beyond pregnancy as it has a layered top part to allow for nursing.

To be honest, I did buy this for later in my pregnancy but I'm getting so fed up with wearing the same things that I decided to bust it out. Obviously the lack of sleeves isn't ideal as it's still pretty chilly, even with the sun shining. So I decided to layer up, adding a cardigan...

And also adding a spring scarf....

I am wearing: Next maternity dress, Primark cardigan and H&M scarf (a few seasons ago).

style: re-working your non-maternity wardrobe

Pregnancy can be an expensive time with all of the things you need to buy in readiness for your soon-to-arrive baby, as well as the maternity clothes. So I've been finding myself re-working non-materity pieces in an effort to create new outfits without spending too many pennies.

First up is a workwear look I wore this week to the office:

The top is maternity but the pencil skirt is a stretchy jersey number from my pre-pregnancy days - I just pulled it up halfway over my bump. It was actually really comfortable and a really easy way to re-work my wardrobe with my new shape!

I am wearing: Marks & Spencer maternity/nursery t-shirt, H&M jersey tube skirt and Topshop pumps.

The next look was over the bank holiday weekend - when the sun made a very welcome, if a little brief, appearance. I spotted @amothersedit on Instagram wearing her denim jacket and immediately dived into my wardrobe to hunt out last year's summer jacket purchase!

I'm not huge on double denim but the jacket goes perfectly with my faux leather leggings which I'm still loving as an alternative to my jeans.

I am wearing: Mango denim jacket, Primark tee, Next faux leather leggings and Superga trainers.

style: stripes for every season

Last week we took advantage of the gorgeous spring-like weather with a trip to see our local rugby team, as well as a trip to the park with our niece and nephew.

I rocked out my new Marks and Spencer striped tee – picked this up in their recent sale. I like the bright turquoise coloured stripes and the longer length which helps to cover my bottom in the leggings. Now these leggings we need to talk about! I’ve tried a few pairs of maternity leggings now. I’ve got a couple of pairs from George at Asda and they are fine but they are quite see-through. These are from Matalan. They are a lot thicker and the fabric is so so soft.

I’m also wearing my Clarks Glove Puppet trainers. They no longer do the leopard print version (these are a few seasons old) but they do have a few pairs I’m coveting right now:

#3things: I miss about not being pregnant

Sitting on the sofa the other evening, watching TV and thinking about how things have changed over the past few months and that got me thinking about the things I miss...

1. Brie - this is a weird one. I wasn't ever really that into brie before (I mean, I'd eat it and enjoy it) but almost the minute that I found out I was pregnant, I wanted brie - A LOT! Go figure!
2. Prosecco. This really isn't a weird one. For anyone who knows me, they'll know that I love prosecco! A glass of gorgeous fizzy bubbles is my idea of perfection. I miss that. A LOT.
3. My waist. Admittedly, this isn't quite how my waist looked before bump appeared but I really don't think I made the most of having a waist when I wasn't pregnant! I intend to change that after this little one is born!

style: poncho

Last week I posted the six pieces (maternity and non-maternity) that are seeing me through my pregnancy right now. In addition, during the winter months, I’ve found my collection of non-maternity ponchos have come in handy. They are so easy to layer over a long sleeved t-shirt (either maternity or non-maternity) and leggings or skinny jeans.

See what I mean in these photos! Just please excuse the silly poses!

I’m wearing an H&M non-maternity poncho (£7 in the sale – still in some stores), H&M maternity jeans, Clarks ankle boots and Next bobble hat. Underneath I’ve layered an old Primark t-shirt that has enough stretch to go over my bump (which feels huge right now!). The poncho still has loads of growing room – I’m hoping it’ll see me through to the warmer months.

brand: Isabella Oliver - plus 20% off discount code

One of my favourite non-maternity brands is Baukjen. Baukjen was launched in 2009 by the founder of maternity brand Isabella Oliver to provide fans with a ready-to-wear collection that would work all of the time. Baukjen originally launched as Isabella Oliver 365 but three years later rebranded as Baukjen, after Baukjen De Swaan Arons, the creative brains behind both brands.

So it was only natural that when I found out I was pregnant, I would look to the maternity collection by Isabella Oliver to get me dressed.

In their own words, Isabella Oliver creates effortless outfits you can wear again and again. Prints are pared-back, colour palettes are subtle and every piece must pass their "can I wear this 100 times?" test.

They know that your body and tastes constantly change throughout your pregnancy. Whatever your preference, they design shapes that fit you perfectly, in fabrics that grow as you do.

Isabella Oliver source the finest quality fabrics. The ones that are kind to sensitive skin, wash well and flatter you completely – at every stage of pregnancy. While you look after your bump, their clothes look after you.

If you're looking for wardrobe essentials that will see you through your pregnancy, for work, for play, for dressing up and for dressing down, then look no further than Isabella Oliver.

The best thing too, is that the clothes at Isabella Oliver are designed to grow with your bump but also to fit post-pregnancy too. So you're investing in pieces that will last beyond the nine months.

I've picked out my top three favourite pieces from the collection that will help to build the foundations of your maternity wardrobe:

1. The Betty Stripe dress is perfect for a growing bump. Stripes are always in style and this dress could be dressed up for the office - add a blazer and a pair of flat or heeled court shoes - or dressed down for the weekend - just add a pair of your favourite trainers and a denim jacket and you're good to go. This is top of my list right now!
2. The Harris maternity cardigan is a great but that will certainly see you well beyond your bump. It's a great cover-up for cooler weather - can totally see myself wrapping this around me in the evenings.
3. The Libby maternity shirt tunic is another piece that will work well for the office. I'd layer this over leather leggings with boots for a day in the office.

Plus, Isabella Oliver has a great offer for all newly expectant mums right now - 20% off your first order AND free UK standard delivery and returns. To get the offer, use the code NEWMAMA before midnight GMT on Sunday 20 March.