As mentioned yesterday, everyone around me seems to be popping out babies at the moment so I have somewhat been forced to take an interest in maternity clothing.

Yes, despite the fact that I am still a bit scared of babies, I am definitely not scared of shopping, so at least I can be a help to my family, friends and acquaintances in that regard.

A hot tip courtesy of a Lasoo co-worker is the maternity range at British site ASOS.com. Some of the stuff is quite nice and they do have some decent reductions, such as the black maternity dress, pictured here. It’s reduced to 14 UK pounds, which comes down to $28 Australian.

Of course you have to factor in shipping, but if you’re getting a few things at once, it isn’t expensive at all - just a few extra pounds. I’ve also been informed by above Lasoo staff member that a recent order took just 10 days to arrive.

(Just a note - UK sizes are roughly equivalent to Australian sizes).

By Caroline Warnes

Online maternity shop Queen Bee is giving you the chance to win one of five maternity sleepwear packages, valued at over $300 each.

Each package consists of a Netalia Nursing Cami in grey and four items from Trimester: a Babushka Pyjama Capri Set, Vintage Cami and Short Set (pictured here), Brigida Short Sleeve Lace Trim Nightie and Audrey Nursing Chemise.

The competition closes on August 15 and is free to enter. kziupn6sg4

By Caroline Warnes

I don’t really have a whole lot of experience in the area myself (in fact, none) but I’ve heard that most maternity jeans are an unflattering affair.

Some of us face enough of a struggle finding a nice pair of flattering jeans at the best of times, let alone when we’re carrying a little baby friend inside us, that I can only imagine how difficult it must be for expectant mothers to find a pair of maternity jeans that fits.

One new option on the market comes to your from cult jeans label Mavi. Mavi’s range of maternity jeans are apparently loved by celebrity mums-to-be. The Angelina style, as pictured here, uses two side ribbed stretch panels that can be adjusted from the inside with hidden button-up elastic in the in-seam, which stops your jeans falling down. They’re a mid-rise boot cut style in a dark washed indigo stretch denim and will set you back $149.95.

Mavi maternity jeans are available from Queen Bee, which is a great online shop for all your maternity clothing needs.

By Caroline Warnes

Babies still scare the hell out of me but I thought the mothers amongst us would like to know about a new addition to the Queen Bee range, the Netalia nursing cami.

It’s designed for pregnancy and breastfeeding and comes with adjustable straps and padded removable soft cup pockets that apparently allow you to “slip in your own nursing pads when breastfeeding”. I have no idea of what that means but it all sounds very convenient.

It’s made of soft cotton so it’s ultra comfortable and can be layered with other pieces in your wardrobe, depending on the temperature outside.

It comes in black and grey and sells for $58.95.

By Caroline Warnes

It seems to be baby season at the moment, with just about every woman and her cat apparently about to give birth.

Not being the most maternal person on the face of the earth (understatement of the year), I can’t help but think “better them than me”, but I’ve still managed to gather that finding stylish but affordable maternity wear can be something of a difficult task for soon-to-be mums.

Queen Bee is an online shop that specialises in maternity gear and they’ve just included the Trimester range on the site.

According to the write-up, Trimester “brings classic maternity fashion basics back into fashion in trend colours and quality fabrics”. That translates to some comfy-looking wrap dresses, tank tops, capri pants and more, as well as the Modern Love Bow Dress pictured here, which is my pick of the collection (RRP $139.95).

You can view more of the Trimester collection at Queen Bee here.

By Caroline Warnes

Although I am far from an expert on the matter, I can imagine that for most mums-to-be, style comes a distant second to comfort during pregnancy.

However browsing through the Queen Bee online shop, which is devoted to selling maternity wear, my first thought was that perhaps it really IS possible to find clothes that look good and offer comfort as your belly expands.

The site offers everything from dresses to jeans to tops and even accessories, as well as basics that you can mix and match throughout your pregnancy.

Some eye-catchers include the Momzee Yellow Tiered Paisley Dress, pictured here, the versatile Tie-Up Bolero and the cute selection of slogan t-shirts.

Though I must say you would have to have a pretty robust sense of humour to get around in public in the Who’s Your Daddy Tank with a visible baby bump.

By Caroline Warnes

To me, pregnancy has always looked like a most uncomfortable time for any woman to get dressed (as if it wasn’t traumatic enough on fat days already).

Seeing as I get angsty after eating too much pasta and grouchily dress myself in elasticised pants for the next three days, I can only imagine what wardrobe problems nine months of an expanding belly would cause.

However this month Jeanswest has good news for expectant mothers with the launch of its maternity denim range.

There are two fits in the range - Stretch Bootleg and Slim Straight. Each features a multi-task belly band to accommodate your growing stomach as well as a mock fly detail and traditional five-pocket styling.

The price is also good news - who wants to pay top dollar for something that won’t be in your wardrobe rotation forever? You can get one pair for $65 or both pairs for $99.

The range is launching this month.

By Caroline Warnes