When I was pregnant with my daughter I was working in a busy advertising agency and needed maternity wear that would be suitable for work and also for weekends at home. I didn’t want two separate wardrobes as I would be wearing the clothes for such a short period of time, so a capsule practical wardrobe made sense to me. This time round my days are spent at home, and I work from home as well, which means I haven’t got to purchase anything mega smart. Plus with a toddler on the scene I am of course looking for clothes that are practical to withstand crawling around on the floor, and something that’s a bit different from my standard “Mum” uniform of jeans and a sweatshirt. So I’ve been scouting the high street stores on the internet and seeing what maternity wear would be perfect for me. For the SAHM days Jojo Maman Bebe have got some really lovely items at the moment, including these gorgeous dungarees. They are available in black and blue denim, and can easily be teamed up with a short or long sleeve top underneath and would look great with a pair of Converse. The other great thing about these is that they would be handy for breastfeeding, and are available for £45.00. I also love the range of stripy tops from Jojo Maman Bebe too. Who can resist a stripy top when you’re pregnant? It seems to be the pregnancy uniform. These tops would look great paired up with the dungarees or a pair of skinny jeans, and at the moment these tops are in the sale for £15.00, so be quick ladies (price correct at 23.01.18). I love this dress for £26.00 from Topshop. It’s really simple, stylish and would look great once the weather starts to warm up a little. However for now it would look great with a pair of tights or leggings, and a long line cardigan. The other good point about this dress is that it’s a nursing dress. For anyone with a baby due this Summer and you would like to breastfeed, it can be worn both during pregnancy and afterwards. So for £26.00 I think that this is a quite a bargain, and I’ll be making sure it’s on my list. I am definitely sticking to the stripe theme here, and I really like this maternity nursing jumper from ASOS for £26.00. You would need to wear a top underneath it, but the side splits would make feeding really easy. Plus it looks really cosy for any chilly days. For the work from home days I work from home two days a week, and on these days I’d rather not wear really casual clothes. I like to wear slightly more formal clothes to put me in the work frame of mind. So on my work from home days I’ll be sticking to my maternity jeans but opting for a smarter top. And if you work from home you can do the same too. This shirt from Topshop for £32.00 is great for that, it’s smart but not too smart. It would look great worn with a pair of skinny jeans, or worn under a jumper or sweatshirt with the collar on show. I love this T-Shirt from ASOS. Yes it’s still a t-shirt but it would be comfortable enough to work from home, and also make you feel slightly smarter than a usual day at home with the children. It’s available for £22.00. H and M also have this lovely denim shirt for £24.99. It’s stylish and would look great with the top button done up or undone. It can be dressed up with some beautiful jewellery or worn under a jumper. This shirt is practical enough to last throughout the entire pregnancy no matter what season it is. For relaxing in the evening and bedtime How pretty are these pyjamas? There are some days when I wish I could live in my pyjamas for comfort, and I admit that my pyjamas I bought when I was pregnant with my daughter 3 years ago are still the comfiest pair of pyjama trousers I own. This set from Topshop is gorgeous and would definitely brighten up any hospital stay after you’ve had your baby. They are available for £35.00 (£15.00 for the top and £20.00 for the bottoms). There really is no getting away from stripes whilst your pregnant, and Mothercare have these stripy pyjames for £25.00. They look really comfy and look like they would double up as comfy loungewear before and after the baby arrives too. For the slightly more smarter occasion There are some really nice key pieces in H and M, and this blouse is gorgeous. It doubles up as a nursing blouse, so it would be great to wear for any special occasions whilst you’re pregnant and whilst you have a newborn. This blouse is available from H and M for £24.99. Lastly this dress from Mothercare would look great for an evening date night with your partner before the baby arrives. It’s available for £20.00, so that’s quite a bargain even if you only wear it a couple of times. These are only a few suggestions, and there are so many stylish maternity clothes on the High Street and online. Just because you’re pregnant does not mean your style goes out the window with frumpy maternity clothes. Remember that you only need a few items and there is no need to go overboard buying maternity clothes, as you’ll only be wearing them for a short duration. I recently read a blog post by Cold Coffee Style who is styling her bump with just a few key maternity items and making the most from the rest of her wardrobe. So with a little creativity anything is possible. But in addition to a few key items I would really recommend getting a couple pairs of maternity jeans and lots of stretchy vest tops. These tops can be the really cheap long line tops (not maternity) from Primark or H and M that can easily be worn under another top, and are perfect for breastfeeding after the pregnancy. They also double up as a great support for your bump during pregnancy too. For more maternity wear inspiration check out my Pinterest board. Claire x