Yummy Mummy Fashion

the hottest new accessories in Hollywood are babies ...

YUMMY MUMMY Fashion

Written by Nicola Hyland

Baby fever is in the air! Fashionistas are now becoming Mama-nistas! Thank Goodness the fashion world is pulling up its socks for the fabulous Yummy Mummy! Posh Spice, Ginger Spcice, Baby Spice and Scare Spice! Mummyhood is spicy and we like it. Nicole’s doing it. Naomi just did it. Now the pitter patter of little feet is no longer just the sound of the tiny handbag dog. The hottest new accessories in Hollywood are babies and your favourite Celebrities are clamouring for the greatest roles of their career: motherhood. While many of these gals have not proven to be the greatest role-models, there is something that we mere mortals can thank the likes of Kate Moss, Gwen Stefani and Ange Jolie for- the rise of the ‘yummy mummy.’For centuries across the globe, pregnancy has been treated as some sort of unfortunate nine-month illness. Throughout history, women were often bed-bound and kept out of the public eye during the final months of pregnancy. Fashion was often designed to disguise the ‘offending’ bump; a practice still adhered to at least until the 1970s by the fashion world. Unflattering tent dresses and hillbilly-style dungarees were expected to be a staple of the expecting mother – no wonder they wanted to remain incognito!One of the pioneers of the ‘Yummy Mummy’ Celebrities was probably Demi Moore. In 1991, Demi posed nude on the cover of Vanity Fair while seven months pregnant with her second child. Provoking a bit of a scandal, Demi also managed to break through Hollywood preconceptions and affirm that pregnancy only makes a woman more beautiful. Now married to a mere boy - Ashton Kutcher - Demi still manages to prove that motherhood (and age) only makes a woman more attractive!Nowadays, Demi’s naked ambition seems pretty normal – Kate Moss posed naked for a life-sized painting for Lucien Freud while heavily pregnant (which later sold for more than $7 million!). Britney did it for Harper’s Bazaar, while pregnant with her second son and Jordan… let’s not even talk about her naked photo shoot…Younger celebrity mothers really embraced the idea of pregnancy as sexy and not a means to hibernate around the late 1990s. Both Scary and Posh Spice continued to tour late into their pregnancies during the Spice Girl heyday, showing off their bare midriff bellies to the world. Being pregnant was no longer the end of careers, with Yummy Mummy celebs like Catherine Zeta Jones continuing to work late into their third trimester. Sarah Jessica Parker managed to reclaim high fashion for the expecting by filming Sex and the City ‘around’ her baby bump. Amazing what a bouquet of flowers or constant head shots can do…While you may not want to wander around in nothing at all, the modern yummy Mummy can make fashion her friend. In Australia, trendy stores like Egg Maternity, Ripe and Mother 2B cater for the fashion-savvy mother-to-be. Other great local retailers include Barefoot Maternity, Soon Melbourne and Mamalicious, which caters specifically for the breast-feeding mother. Trendy babywear outlets like Pumpkin Patch are aware that Mums don’t just want their kiddies to look funky and generally cater accordingly. Designer Fiona Korvemaa from Belly Bulge Maternity writes how she designs Maternity wear to “create envy in the eyes of the non-pregnant.” High end fashion designers are starting to market for the trendy upcoming Mum, with labels like Trelise Cooper, Isabella Oliver, Tocca, L’Atessa and Anna Sui offering lines for those with growing bellies and healthy wallets. Fashion for Yummy Mummies combines comfort with style. As we are continually saying, the boho-inspired maxi dress and the empire line pinafores are flattering for almost everyone! We expect that YM’s will be following in Nicole’s footsteps and wearing the gorgeous tailored A-line smocks she has been seen in her early months. Form-fitting fabrics accentuate the best new bit of your body, with stretchy dresses and sweater tops made to fit all sizes. There is something about that ‘rosy glow’ of my pregnant friends that no amount of bronze or blusher can emulate – hey, pregnant women are gorgeous whatever they wear! Recent prizes for the best Yummy Mummies go to Heidi Klum, Gwen Stefani and that uber Earth mother, Angelina Jolie. Katie Holmes has definitely benefited from motherhood [and Posh’s stylist] in the fashion stakes, while Kate Hudson is a pretty hot Mamma - now allegedly back on the market again. Also a hot single Mum, Reese Witherspoon manages to match her outfits to her cutie-pied daughter Ava, which is just a little creepy… Apparently Kate Moss’s daughter Lila-Grace has become a true fashion addict – a much healthier addiction then some of the vices her Mum has had! Congratulations to Nicole and Isla Fisher on their newly revealed joys – who predicts will be the next to join the Yummy Mummy Crew? The booby prize for Faux-pas Ma’s inevitably goes to the troublesome Britney, while the less publicity Jordan gets for motherly advice the better! When you are thinking of naming your trendy new bundle, PLEASE don’t follow the lead of Demi, Geri or Gwyneth and name your child something ridiculous like Button or Moonflower. Not even famous Yummy Mummies get away with doing that to their children! Unfortunately, while fashion and babies might go together in most circumstances, you can’t exchange a baby for another pair of shoes. And nobody tells your wee one not to burp up on your brand new silk dress… I’m just enjoying everyone else’s babies for the time being! Need more advice on how to be a sexy Mum-to-be – just Ask Bronny! http://www.askbronny.com/

Shop at Sweet Lilly Maternity for a fantastic range of maternity clothing and maternity wear sourced from around the globe at affordable prices with FREE shipping Australia wide. Maternity jeans, maternity tops, maternity evening wear, maternity lingerie, maternity party dresses, maternity swimwear and maternity breastfeeding tops and dresses are all available with a huge selection of great maternity designs. You will find Australia's top maternity designers and labels as well as some fantastic edgy overseas maternity labels. Maternity wear has never looked so good!

Pavlina's Pregnancy Journal - Month 9 and the Birth!

Pav and Baby Isabella

The last month was not fun at all. My rash has spread all over my body except my face and became absolutely unbearable. The itchiness drove me mad. I couldn’t sleep. I woke up at 1am every night my body shaking and didn’t sleep since then; ended up having bath around 6am and then went back to bed, slept until 9am, getting up totally exhausted. I wore cotton gloves to protect myself from using my nails. My husband quite often held my hands so I didn’t scratch myself. But it was impossible. I had bruises all over my legs just from scratching. I’ve tried everything to calm it down but nothing worked.

My doctor said that the rash will disappear a few days after the labour. It’s called PUPPP and there’s no medication for it. Only about 1% of pregnant women get this nasty rash. Hmmm…why it had to be me….???
Even though I didn’t want to, I ended up taking antihistamine tablets at night to give me at least a few hours of sleep. My doctor assure me that 1 tablet a day won’t hurt my baby.

Before I went on my maternity leave I had lots of plans in my mind, what I’m going to do in the 3 weeks before my labour. I’ve done nothing, except of painting one picture for our nursery. I had no energy at all. I managed to do my final maternity shopping online at Sweet Lilly Maternity, purchasing maternity nursing tanks and maternity tops for the hospital. I also bought some gorgeous breastfeeding tops and nursing dresses and pyjamas to make breastfeeding a little easier in public. My husband bought me a lovely maternity evening dress from Lilly B for me to wear after the birth so that we can go out and celebrate in style! I also found some lovely newborn wraps and clothing for the new baby at Sweet Lilly Maternity so I would really recommend this site to all new mums to be.

I finally had my C-section on the 5th April but could't wait for the day to arrive.

4th April in the afternoon I started feeling contractions. It wouldn’t stop. I was booked in the Hornsby hospital which is about 40min drive from our place. My husband was terrified, grabbed my hospital bag and placed it in our front room so it’s ready if we need to go earlier. I had my contractions all night, luckily not too regular.
The next day we got to the hospital about 11am. They did all the checking (temperature, blood pressure, etc) and then we waited and waited. I was so exhausted from all the sleepless nights that I wasn’t as scared as I thought I’d be. I just wished it was over so I can get some sleep. My husband was very brave, showed no fear and was my big support during the whole time. I think not only mothers but also fathers deserve a medal after the birth of their little ones.
Finally at about 2.30pm we went to the operation theatre and I got a spinal injection that numbed me from stomach down. At 2.58pm our little daughter was born weighing 3.58kg and measuring 47cm. It was a fantastic, very happy, very emotional and unforgettable moment. A moment when you do forget about your pain, about your rash about everything bad, because by looking at the little bundle all you can think of is “it was worth it”. She’s absolutely gorgeous. I can stare at her for hours.

Just make me wonder how two totally average and ordinary people could produce something so beautiful and perfect…..

Shop at Sweet Lilly Maternity for Australia's premier online maternity store, now showing hot maternity clothing sourced from around the globle. Shop for best fitting maternity jeans, maternity tops, maternity party dresses, maternity lingerie, breastfeeding tops and dresses, maternity pants and baby clothes. Maternity wear has never looked so good and many of our maternity labels have been imported from overseas. Maternity clothes and maternity clothing has been taken to a new level with great labels such as Lilly B, Maternal America, Lauren Kiyomi and Mama Black New York to name a few. Other Australian favourites include Ripe Maternity, Soon Melbourne Maternity and HOTmilk Lingerie from New Zealand.

Pavlina's Pregnancy Journal - Month 8

Had my last ultrasound this week. My baby has grown so much since last time that we could hardly see anything. Just parts of her body we couldn’t really recognize. Because of her position they couldn’t even tell us if it’s a girl or a boy. Luckily from the doctor’s point of view everything looked fine. (Apart from the fact that she’s turned 180 degrees the wrong way around – head-up instead of down. That means she will have to be delivered by caesarian).

I feel like the skin on my belly can’t stretch any more…I was wrong. Now I really feel like I am a house (for the baby). A mobile house. I’ve also developed the penguin walk and can’t remember the last time I saw my feet. I’ve stopped weighing myself because I can’t see the numbers on the scales any more! I can’t sleep at night; it’s really hard to find a comfortable position and when I manage to fall asleep I’m waken up by the urge of emptying my bladder or by cramps in my leg. And I've also developed a nasty rash on my tummy; it’s horribly itchy, 24/7. But other than that, I can’t really complain… That’s the beauty of the third trimester.

Due to the expansion of my stomach, I've been buying lots more maternity clothes at my favourite maternity stores. Online stores seem to work best for me as it takes up a lot less time and I can always send them back if they don't fit right. This month I purchased some white cropped Maternity jeans and a great silk maternity top from Sweet Lilly Maternity, both of them available at Sweet Lilly Maternity. They have a great selection of cool maternity wear. I've also bought some maternity lingerie and maternity swimwear. I didn't realise how great maternity clothing could make you feel. At last, lots of room to move!

If I thought last month that people around me are exaggerating about my size…well now it became a hell. People are stopping me on the street, in shops, in lifts; they’re not asking me any more, but telling me, I must be due NOW! I’m leaving shocked faces and open mouths behind me. Clients at work are jumping from their chairs when I bring them cup of coffee, saying “Oh my God, women, sit down and put your feet up”. I tried to calm them down saying I have still 8 weeks to go but they don’t seems to believe me.
Only my husband and my hairdresser are not saying that I’m too big. My husband doesn’t because he’s a real English gentleman. And my hairdresser doesn’t because she put on 35kg when she was pregnant with her child. She brought me a picture of her when she was 7 month pregnant and I didn’t recognize her…There was this huge women on the photo who looked nothing like my hairdresser. That’s what I call big! But she’s lost all the weight and laughs about it now. She said to me “If you feel down because you think you’re too big, just remember me and I’m sure you’ll feel better”. I wish I could have my hair done every second day. Its funny cos, whenever I feel down, a bit of retail therapy always seems to lift my spirits. Now I'm an expert on cool maternity wear or clothes that look good as maternity clothing.

Pavlina's Pregnancy Journal - Month 7

Getting bigger and bigger (seems like every hour). Most people think I must be almost due. Total strangers are asking me if I’m about to pop out; the same question again and again….
I wish I had a maternity tee with a sign on it: “I’m due in April, NOT tomorrow” and underneath “No, I’m not having twins”. But in the end of a day all I can do is laugh. Protects me from going mad… or is it the first sign??? Instead, I bought a great maternity top from 2 chix at Sweet Lilly Maternity that says 'Whos ya daddy?" I wear it most of the time as it feels so comfy and is a little bit cheeky too.

There is a great selection of great maternity wear on the web and some cool maternity clothes also in some of the stores. I really like shopping online as it saves me heaps of time. I've found a couple of really great maternity clothing websites but the Sweet Lilly Maternity site is my favourite as there is lots of choice and has great customer service.

As well as maternity clothes shopping, we have been stroller hunting. I was very excited but it turned out to be quite a painful experience. Walked into Babies Galore, found they have only 5 brands to choose from and 2 of them totally out of our budget. Firstly, a shop assistant tried to sell me a stroller with toddler seat insisting that I should have a second child soon. Even though I told her it wasn’t my plan. My husband ran out of patience and left the shop. I continued arguing for little longer. Then when I was about to explode, she showed me another stroller and insisted that that’s the best one on the market. The one I have to have. It was ugly, looked uncomfortable, didn’t have any accessories and was very expensive. Then I left the shop too. I had no idea choosing a stroller would be so difficult…
A week later I found what I was looking for. Bought a stroller and a car seat. In a shop that had no air-condition so all the shop assistants were so hot that didn’t have any energy to try to talk us into buying something we didn’t like. They were just sitting in front of a fan, showed us only what we wanted to see and then went back to their fan and were waiting for us to choose.

At 28th week I had my glucose test done. Apparently before this test you’re allowed to eat and drink. I had banana bread and latte. My results were too high so I had to have diabetes test done afterwards. It came out negative. The diabetes test is not fun. It takes about 2 and ½ hours. You have fast before and during it and involves 3 blood tests. A few of my girlfriends had the same problem as me. So I have a little advise: all you pregnant girls try not to eat before your first test and safe yourself from endless test and needles.

Prenatal Tests Week 24-28
Glucose Test

Pavlina's Pregnancy Journal - Month 6

Month 6

Another doctor’s visit. Since my last experience with the midwife I was glad that every future visit I’m going to see a doctor. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe midwifes are well educated and experience professionals but for some reason I found myself feeling ‘safer’ by talking to a doctor. This time there’re no tests. Basically your doctor check your blood pressure, listens your baby’s heart beating and ask you if you have any problems or generally how you feel.
I’ve chosen a public hospital, instead of private (mainly for financial reason). That means you can’t choose your doctor, so most likely you have a different doctor on every visit.
So far I had a good experience, as both my doctors were very nice and thorough. The only annoying thing I found is, that they don’t read your file beforehand; they read it in front of you and if you had some medical problems in your past, they ask you the same questions every time and you have to explain everything again and again.

Having crazy dreams every night. Don’t think I rest at all as my dreams are keeping me pretty busy all night. It’s all kind of dreams. In the beginning they were mostly erotic dreams. (Like it wasn’t enough that I can’t stop thinking about sex during day). These dreams feel fantastic! The erotic fantasy life of a pregnant woman has no boundaries. They’re not ordinary, they are nothing like a romantic flirt from 17th century. They’re about the actual sex act and they feel like they REALLY happened when you wake up. In those dreams I had ‘affairs’ not just with my husband, but also with several different women, friends, colleagues, neighbors or total strangers.
I’m also having ‘normal life’ dreams about traveling, playing sports, partying, etc. They’re sometimes totally crazy, or totally real or sometimes so upsetting that I wake up crying.
Oh my…and I still have 4 months to go….

I've been online shopping again at Sweet Lilly Maternity and have found more gorgeous maternity clothes and maternity jeans. The maternity jeans didn't fit quite so well as I had hoped so I returned them for the smaller size and they now fit perfect. I also bought some great maternity nursing bras and lingerie (to go with my erotic dreams!) and some lovely maternity dresses for work.

Prenatal Tests Week 21-24:
Blood pressure

Month 5

Finally had my appointment in hospital. Have to say I wasn’t very excited as I assumed I will get some useful information about my pregnancy and labor but instead, I spent 3 hours (!!!) filling forms with a midwife. Not fun. Hopefully the next one will be better.
Also had another ultrasound. This time my husband was very brave and showed no sweat or fast heartbeat. Hold my hand all the time while watching how our girl (YES, it’s a GIRL!) has grown. I was little bit scared and awfully nervous but luckily everything looked fine. It was big relieve for both of us and I was, first time, truly very happy and excited.
As everything went so well, it’s time to do some shopping…
Bought some beautiful maternity tops and maternity pants from Sweet Lilly Maternity. They fit perfectly and are so comfortable and will last for a while even though I grow every hour and the material is very nice too…just everything you need if you want to feel great (as much as your big belly allows). Definitely not a waste of money.
My husband was impressed (started calling me yummy mummy) and I even had some nice comments from his friends. That felt fantastic! So I told him to buy me some more maternity clothes. He was pretty interested in buying me some maternity lingerie!

I will also need something for our company’s Xmas party and my friend’s wedding I’ll be going to in January. I’ve already spotted some…Girls, don’t be afraid to spent some money. It’s not a waste, it’s an investment. You’re worth it! Have you seen the Broderie Dress by Ripe Maternity on the Sweet Lilly Maternity site? I think it will be the one I’m going to get… There are some wonderful maternity designs around. Have you looked in Cosmopolitan Pregnancy Magazine? There is so much choice! I never realised that there was so much choice in maternity wear. There are also some very beautiful maternity party dresses and maternity evening wear, as well great functional maternity wear for the office.


Prenatal Tests Week 17-20:
Ultrasound
- This time the doctor will do thorough examination of your baby’s heart, kidneys, liver, bladder and checks for any abnormalities

Month 4

I’m not as sick any more. My husband showed me he can cope more than well…has been very patient, learnt to ignore my moodiness, always stops (immediately) when I need to wee (about every 20 min) and always makes sure I get lots of food (at least every hour), to avoid any breakdowns.
I can’t fit in my clothes any more…first crisis…went shopping, looking like I’ve grown beer belly but keep forgetting it and asking for size 6 even though I can’t fit into size 8 any more.
Feeling down just walking into maternity clothes shops… Decided to shop online.
Found a very good web site called Sweet Lilly Maternity (http://sweetlillymaternity.com.au), offering not only very trendy maternity clothes but also baby clothes and cosmetics (something I’ll need in near future..).

Another message for all pregnant women!! Do not hesitate to spoil yourself. This is the time of your life when you need it most. Go to a hairdresser; buy new shoes, go to see a concert, have your facial done, and BUY NEW MATERNITY CLOTHES!
Trust me you’ll feel fantastic for at least half an hour every time after you bought something for yourself. Feels like nice food on empty stomach (at least for me who eats a lot)

Prenatal Tests - Week 13-16:
Amniocentesis
- It’s a test that determines whether your baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities, such a Down syndrome
- Firstly the doctor uses ultrasound to pinpoint a pocket of amniotic fluid a safe distance from both the baby and the placenta
- The doctor takes a sample of your amniotic fluid by inserting a long, thin needle through your abdominal wall and into the sac of fluid around your baby; withdrawing the fluid should take less then 30 seconds
- There is a slight risk of miscarriage