Articles by Julie Wickenden of Nu Nu Maternity Wear

• Nu Nu Maternity Wear March 2010 News Letter 
• Pregnancy party trauma and how to avoid it
  
• Nu Nu maternity style tips
• Things your mother didn’t tell you about being pregnant…
• Careers Advice and MBTI®

Nu Nu News! March 2010

www.nunumaternitywear.co.uk
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Pregnancy party trauma and how to avoid it

By Julie Wickenden, Nu Nu Maternity Wear of Harrogate

Your best friend whispers those dreaded words in your ear just as you have discovered you are pregnant…"I’m getting married in 6 months’ time, and I’d love you to be my bridesmaid!". Panic ensues as you envisage yourself in a black shroud at the altar whilst everyone around you looks fit for the Oscars. How could she do this to you?

Many of our customers find themselves in similar situations and arrive at Nu Nu Maternity Wear in a state of high stress, convinced that they cannot possibly look good at a forthcoming ball, party or family event. Often they have tried to buy a bigger size in a standard boutique, only to find that the fit of the clothes did not look right, or that they simply looked big all over.

Believe it or not, there is a fantastic range of evening and occasion wear out there, and you don’t have to break the bank to get access to it! When Nu Nu Maternity Wear opened in 2005, we soon realised that this particular section was the one that seemed to be causing the most worry amongst our customers, and we soon doubled the size of the range on offer.

Here are our top tips for looking good in the social spotlight:

• Don’t turn your nose up at jersey for formal events! A good quality fabric will look gorgeous with glitzy accessories and will give you a flattering silhouette. This season, Nu Nu Maternity Wear will be premiering a collection by HomeMummy, a top London brand that specialises in jerseys and soft modals.
• Trinny and Susannah’s principles are just as relevant for pregnant women, in that the design of the outfit you choose will have a dramatic effect on the way that you look and feel. If you are full-busted, try layering under a wrap top or v-neck. If you are petite, give yourself more definition around the middle by opting for mix and match separates.
• Don’t feel that you absolutely have to opt for black – this may be regarded as a slimming colour, but it doesn’t suit a lot of English complexions and you can end up looking and feeling washed out. Far better to consider brighter fabrics in well-cut designs – many of our customers are often pleasantly surprised at how flattering a tighter fit can be.
• If you are buying for an event that is several weeks ahead, empire line cuts with chiffon layers will give you lots of room for growth. There are a number of pieces available with this design – full-length ball gowns, knee-length party dresses and camisole tops. Brands which are particularly good for this cut are Arabella B, Valja and Crave.
• Pregnant women often worry about their arms, so don’t forget to top off your gorgeous strappy creation with a toning shrug, soft wrap or bolero. Shrugs and boleros don’t even need to be maternity wear, as they either don’t fasten at all, or button loosely under the bust.
• Bear in mind that you may be eating a celebratory meal and will feel “larger” towards the end of the evening. To this end, make sure that you have chosen a fabric or cut that allows for some expansion of your bump.
• There are a number of evening tunics on the market that can be worn over smart trousers and matching camis, so you don’t necessarily need to buy a whole outfit if you are attending just one event.

And remember, if you are looking and feeling like a diva, you won’t mind quite so much having to stay sober and give everyone else a lift home!

Julie Wickenden is the proprietor of Nu Nu Maternity Wear,
7, Cheltenham Crescent, Harrogate HG1 1DH. Tel 01423 817373. www.nunumaternitywear.co.uk.
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Nu Nu Maternity style tips

By Julie Wickenden, Nu Nu Maternity Wear of Harrogate

• Don't struggle on in your normal trousers and skirts for longer than you need to. From early pregnancy, try wearing an "underbump" fit. These give much needed relief around your growing tummy, and can be worn after you have had your baby, giving them a longer shelf-life.
• Don't just dress in black! Although the colour might be slimming, black does not suit everyone, and can leave you looking and feeling very tired. Think about brighter colours which will lift your complexion and leave you feeling happier.
• Remember you can look much slimmer by choosing well-designed clothes. This goes for your maternity wardrobe too. Investing in a good pair of jeans or skirt will save you buying two or three cheaper garments that you never wear.
• Don't make the mistake of just buying clothes in bigger sizes as your pregnancy progresses. Maternity clothes are specially designed to accommodate your bump; larger clothes just make you look big all over.
• If you have developed a heavy bust, try breaking up the area by layering and wearing wraps with camisoles underneath. Knot tops also work well.
• Yes, you can wear an underwired strapless bra with that gorgeous dress, but only if it has been fitted properly!
• If you are worried about showing your arms, buy a couple of wrap cardigans to wear over dresses and strappy tops. These can be tied in a number of ways and can be worn after you baby has been born.
• Think long-term when buying. Towards the end of your pregnancy, think about clothes that you can wear afterwards, and will allow you to breastfeed easily. Stretchy wraps and button-up tops are ideal.
• Belly bands can add interest to an outfit, and will also give support to your growing bump.
• Treat yourself to a really good haircut and pedicure towards your due date.

Julie Wickenden is the proprietor of Nu Nu Maternity Wear,
7, Cheltenham Crescent, Harrogate HG1 1DH. Tel 01423 817373. www.nunumaternitywear.co.uk.
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Things your mother didn’t tell you about being pregnant…

You can wear maternity clothing from very early on

You don’t need a bump the size of a spacehopper before you buy maternity clothes! In fact, the earlier you buy, the more comfortable you will be and the better value you will get from your new wardrobe. For some women, a “thick” waist comes along within the first few weeks (even with a first pregnancy) and feels very uncomfortable, as though you have eaten too much. Don’t try to ignore it; you will just feel irritated all the time and, frankly, it’s just going to get worse. At this point, look at underbump trousers or skirts, as these will give much-needed relief around your tummy. This design can also be worn during the months after you have had your baby and are waiting for your waist to return. You don’t need to go mad in the early stages, just cut yourself some slack!

It’s a really bad idea to buy clothes in a bigger size

It might seem like a good idea at the time, but clothes in a bigger size are not cut to accommodate a growing bump, and will probably make you look baggy all over (low-slung crotches, off-the-shoulder seams etc). Far better to invest in proper maternity clothes that are adjustable, fit you properly and will see you right through your pregnancy and beyond.

It’s an even worse idea to dress in black all the time

OK, black is a good slimming colour and easy to match with all the other black things you may have in your wardrobe. BUT….not all British complexions look good with this colour right next to the face. You can sometimes feel very washed out and tired when you are pregnant and wearing black can make things worse. Try experimenting with brighter colours (with black trousers if you like!) which will lift your colour and leave you feeling more energized and positive. Teal blue is a great colour for the typical “mid-brown” UK colouring and is great with jeans or those black trousers.

You won’t look like you’re “having it tomorrow” if you wear fitted clothes

Now here’s a thing. The snugger the fit, the slimmer we can look. Really. Large busts shrink magically with a v-neck, scoop neck or cross-over top with a camisole underneath. A wrap top with side detail and an interesting pattern can iron out any lumps we don’t like around our midriff. Unhappy about the hips? Try a shorter tunic or a top that comes to the top of the thigh, lengthening the leg and decreasing the bottom. Tops that skim over the bump are much more flattering than ballooning smocks or half-mast clingy t-shirts.

It’s OK to be curvy and to show off your bump

In the past, there was a view that pregnant women should hide away until they had produced their offspring, or at the very least should be condemned to wear enormous smocks, reducing them to the status of breeding sows in tents (heavens, just look at those pictures of Princess Diana emerging with baby William in 1982). But then along came Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair and all that changed. Sexy and pregnant were at last compatible and a whole new style began to emerge. Many of the designs we sell at Nu Nu are fitted, made from gorgeous soft stretchy fabrics and do amazing things for our customers’ figures! Brands such as Amsterdam’s Vida Vita and UK’s Melba are especially good at skimming the bump and creating a waist whilst keeping things demurely under wraps.

We’ve never had it so good

All in all, there are some things that will never change about being pregnant – morning sickness, anxiety about our changing shape, the feeling that we have been invaded by aliens and that life will never be the same again. But, thankfully, time has marched on in other areas and help is at hand for mums-to-be, particularly in the world of fashion. There are more brands to choose from than ever before, fabrics have improved enormously, particularly with the addition of lycra and spandex which give added stretch without bagging, and there is a much more relaxed attitude to bumps on show. Producing the next generation is a big enough challenge. Thank goodness we can now get on with it dressed like we mean business.
Julie Wickenden is the owner of Nu Nu Maternity Wear
7 Cheltenham Crescent, Harrogate HG1 1DH
www.nunumaternitywear.co.uk

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Careers and MBTI®

Having children is a life-changing experience and often a time of reckoning for mothers-to-be, particularly with regard to their careers. Whilst most employers are sympathetic to parenthood and employment law has improved tremendously over the past few years, there are still many challenges to be faced by new mothers in the world of work.

Do we go back full-time, part-time or at all? Do we still want the pressures in our job that we had before our baby arrived? Do we need a different balance between life and work, or do we want to do something else completely?

Changing careers, or opting to do something different, is a major decision and not one to be taken lightly. Before embarking on any change, it’s important to recognize our innate strengths and (just as importantly), accept our blind spots. Once this is clear, we are far better placed to choose something that will enable us to play to those strengths whilst taking pressure off our less preferred areas. For example, if you are a creative “big picture” thinker, it’s unlikely that you will be at your happiest and most productive in a job that mainly requires repetitive lower level tasks with the emphasis on detail.

When I had my first child, I realized that I couldn’t travel regularly overseas with my HR job any more, and didn’t want to deal with course-writing deadlines that would keep me up until the small hours of the morning. I decided to set up a small business that was local to my home so that I could spend as much time as possible. At the same time, I wanted to play to my strengths and to make the change as stress-free as possible. One thing I knew I was good at was forming positive relationships quickly, making people feel good about themselves and helping them to achieve their potential. I’d also done an MBA and had a good knowledge of business systems, marketing and PR. Oh, and I loved clothes! Starting Nu Nu Maternity Wear was one of the scariest changes I’ve ever made, but also one of the most rewarding and exciting. However, if I hadn’t known that this activity would make me happy, I’m not sure that I would ever have had the courage to go ahead.

So, how do we go about working out our strengths, preferences and blind spots? How do we get to know which career might actually suit us, or which sort of team or environment would make us happy? One of the best tools on the market is a profiling questionnaire called the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (or MBTI®). Created by a mother and daughter team over 60 years ago, and used globally by more than 3.5 million people, the MBTI® helps us to understand the nature of our own preference, and to apply this knowledge to our everyday lives and work.

To find out more about the and MBTI® and its uses, or to complete the questionnaire online and receive a full report with optional feedback session, log on to www.nunumaternitywear.co.uk.

Julie Wickenden is the owner of Nu Nu Maternity Wear, Harrogate


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