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Professional Moms-to-Be

The Key to Smart Maternity Dressing

By Belinda Clarke

When Laura Moore became pregnant with her second child, she was faced with a professional dilemma that she hadn't experienced during her first pregnancy. What to wear to work?

In the three and a half years since her first pregnancy, her firm had merged with a more conservative company and the dress code had changed. Furthermore, she had moved up considerably and now held a more prominent position.

"I knew that leggings paired with my husband's button-down shirts were not going to cut it this time around," says Moore. "I had meetings to go to and I wanted to look sophisticated, not sloppy."

On the flip side, Moore was not looking forward to spending a fortune on maternity clothes.

"Knowing this was probably my last pregnancy, the idea of dropping tons of money on a new wardrobe I would wear for a mere five months was unthinkable."

Moore is not alone, and in response, many companies have dedicated themselves to outfitting working mothers-to-be in quality clothes that are affordable.

Helen Worsley founded her UK company, Business Bump, with a friend of hers after the birth of her first daughter.

"During my pregnancy I was working for a well-known corporation as an account director with responsibility for one extremely important client," says Worsley. "The role dictated that I needed to always look totally professional and as such I was required to wear smart business suits at all times. It was at this stage that, to my horror, I discovered an almost nonexistent range of acceptable maternity wear."

After spending what she describes as an eternity looking for maternity clothes in London's "High Street" fashion shops, she realized there was a desperate need for clothes that met her needs as a professional, pregnant woman. She and her friend Sarah sought out a designer and a manufacturer who would appreciate their needs and would help "plug the gap the traditional outlets simply ignore."

Want to see more?

• The Use of Beauty Procedures During Pregnancy
• Pregnancy in the Workplace: How and When to Tell Your Boss
• Pregnancy Precautions: Determining the Safety of Your Daily Grind