Bella Mama's Trip to Playtime Paris

We have dropped Kirsten off at Manchester Airport bright and early this morning for her flight to Paris. Ooh la la!

As one of the centres of the fashion universe, we are sure she will come back from Playtime Paris with her arms full of new products to stock at Bella Mama and all the industry gossip from having met up with some of our fab designers at the show. 

More to follow on her return. 

Dx

Look as stylish as the celebs with gorgeous maternity clothes

Preparing to become a mum is an exciting and nerve-wracking time and there is plenty for you to do. As well as watching what you eat and drink, making sure you’ve read the literature handed to you in antenatal classes, preparing your home and so on, you’ll need to find clothes that feel comfy and look great.

There are certain things you have to sacrifice when you become a parent, but thankfully fashion isn’t one of them and when you’re searching for fabulous garments, you might turn to the celebs for inspiration. Seeing the world’s A-listers when they’re strutting their stuff on red carpets or simply walking down the street can provide you with plenty of ideas for your own maternity wear.

Adele to become a mum

British singer-songwriter Adele recently announced she’s expecting her first child and she’ll no doubt choose some fabulous attire to accommodate her bump as it grows. The 24-year-old, who hails from Tottenham and is one of the most successful recording artists on Earth, revealed the news on her official website.

Writing on her blog, she said that she and partner Simon Konecki are expecting. It seems the pair, who have been dating for more than half a year, are excited about the prospect of becoming parents.

Over the moon

The songstress wrote: “I’m delighted to announce that Simon and I are expecting our first child together. I wanted you to hear the news direct from me. Obviously, we’re over the moon and very excited but please respect our privacy at this precious time. Yours always, Adele xx.”

Other celebs were not shy in offering their congratulations. One of those to express her enthusiasm was fellow singer Lily Allen. On Twitter, she posted: “Wow. Adele’s preggers! Congratumalations to her and Simon!”

Across the pond, actress, comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres posted: “@OfficialAdele is pregnant! I’m so happy, I’m rolling in the deep! At least I think I am. I’m still not 100% sure what it means.”

Ditch the frump and say hello to maternity chic

When you’re on the lookout for new maternity clothes to help ensure you look and feel your best, you may want to peruse our online boutique here at Bella Mama. We know how important it is to feel gorgeous at all times, especially when you’re preparing to be a mum or have a newborn in-tow.

After all, if you don frumpy ensembles, your confidence can really suffer, and this is the last thing you want. With this in mind, we offer a fantastic array of stylish, flattering and feminine maternity wear that could be perfect for you.

The hassle-free approach to maternity clothes shopping

Buying items online from us couldn’t be easier. There’s no need to traipse along the high street. Instead, you can put your feet up, sip a nice cool drink and peruse the great selection of items on offer at your leisure.

There really is no better way to fill your maternity wardrobe. So, to see what we have to offer, just take a look around our website.

Sources: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/536951/adele-pregnant-with-her-first-child.html
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/adele-announces-shes-pregnant-with-her-first-945959
http://www.bellamama.co.uk/about-bella-mama.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adele_%28singer%29

New Home for Bella Mama's Breastfeeding Business!

After starting life on the desk in the bedroom surrounded by baby grows and piles of eco-friendly nappies,  Bella Mama just like our kiddos has had another growth spurt!

As of May 1st 2012 Bella Mama is in a new home. We quickly outgrew our home office, and took an office at Gawsworth Business Court. After more than 2 years in our bijou little office in the New Barn, with stock piled up around our ears and lugging the posting bags filled with orders down a flight of stairs, we have now moved Bella Mama to a huge ground floor office in The Rick Yard, with a dedicated stock room and desks for everyone, hot-desking no longer required!

Some of our favourite things about our new office:  Lots more space for our gorgeous stock; a dedicated pick, pack and wrap station; and a creative zone where we can choose and design new styles for our amazing customers.

But aside from the extra space, Bella Mama also has 2 more new people on board. Helen already does our books, keeping the tax man happy, but she has taken on extra hours and is now tasked with beautifully wrapping the orders and keeping the stock up to date. In addition, Dan is taking on the role of new projects developer. We have some exciting new products and additions to the business coming soon to complement the range already on the web so keep checking back to see what's happening.

Finally, we don't want to keep all the good stuff to ourselves! We are so grateful to our lovely customers who support us, return to shop at Bella Mama when they are expecting again and who give us such wonderful feedback on our clothes, styles and service. We want to share the love with all our fab customers, so check out the various social media feeds and parenting magazines for some great competitions and giveaways in the very near future! 

Bella Mama's Xanthe breastfeeding top shortlisted for PPP Award

We are absolutely thrilled to learn that Bella Mama's best-selling Xanthe breastfeeding top has been shortlisted for the 2012/2013 Practical Parenting and Pregnancy Award in the Feeding Top/Bra category.

This beautiful breastfeeding top has been a best-seller for Autumn/Winter 2011 and is available in Plum, Cobalt blue and Classic Black. The short-sleeved summer Xanthe is also proving incredibly popular with new breastfeeding mamas, and is available in Baby Pink, and new stock is due in shortly in Smokey Blue, Plum and Blue.

We just love our new Xanthe breastfeeding top, designed to make all mamas look amazing, and hope that the breastfeeding tester Mamas at PPP 2012/13 love it just as much as we do!
 
* Made from beautiful soft jersey fabric, our Xanthe nursing top is a beautifully designed breastfeeding top. Our experience from breastfeeding mothers ensured our top is perfectly suited to new mamas, not too tight, not a hint that it is a nursing top, elegant scoop neck to show off your decolletage thus ensuring it is very flattering for post-natal mamas!

* This top drapes beautifully, with small pleat detail at the neckline and the banded hem at the bottom can be worn pulled right down for a longer top, or folded for a looser effect and is just brilliant at disguising post-natal tummy!

* Super easy nursing access, simply lift the side hems to access the vertical centre line nursing opening.

Keep Cool With Spring/Summer 2012 Maternity Wear

Pregnancy is a time when women should celebrate their bodies – even if they don’t always feel like it! It is not a reason to throw on any old baggy clothes, but a time when you should feel beautiful, sexy and attractive. There is no reason why a woman can’t continue to be fashionable and trendy while she is pregnant, particularly with our great ranges of maternity wear available. While being comfortable is one of the most important aspects of maternity clothes, there is no need to stop being stylish at the same time.

If your bump is going to be growing ever bigger this spring, then you want the most gorgeous maternity clothes out there. This season’s hottest trends continue the theme from last autumn/winter with colour blocking in solid, strong colours. Check out our fabulous maternity dresses which simply ooze style and class and are made from lovely soft fabrics that will keep you comfortable. A dress is one of the most comfortable items of clothing around, particularly with the summer months approaching, and every woman should have a couple in their wardrobe at least.

Here at Bella Mama, our maternity wear all comes from the leading designers in this field. Whether you’re looking for something casual for every day wear or a gorgeous dress for a special occasion, we have all the latest trends ready for you. Take a look at our spring/summer 2012 collection to go with the trends as your bump grows. The ‘tent’ look is gone!






-----

Best Breastfeeding Dress for Simple Summer Dressing!

The sun has been shining in the UK this week, and it has been GORGEOUS! Our summery breastfeeding dresses have been flying off the shelves, and I've had lots of customers asking for my recommendation about the best breastfeeding dress for wearing in the sunshine.

My go-to dress for simple summer dressing has to be Milk's gorgeous breastfeeding sundress. We have stocked these nursing dresses since Milk's launch, and they have been a real sell-out hit with nursing mamas in the USA, and very popular at BellaMama too! When my friend Rachel needed a gorgeous nursing-friendly dress to wear for a big birthday summer party last year, I gave her one of these pretty dresses and she was delighted. She found the dress comfy, easy to nurse her one-month old daughter whilst wearing and very figure flattering too.

Milk's breastfeeding sundresses are always Summer best-sellers at BellaMama, and come in a wide range of colours so there really is something to suit every new mama. The pretty ruched smocking across the chest, the lettuce edged hem and the tummy flattering gathering at the empire line are very flattering to post-natal tummies and the nursing bra friendly wide straps are also appreciated! The nursing access is super simple, just lift up the smocked band then pull aside the inner layer. As there are no obvious openings, this nursing dress really doesn't look like a nursing dress! These sundresses look great on their own, but can easily be accessorised with a little cardigan if the weather is cooler.

The reviews on Milk's website show what a customer favourite this dress is:

This has become my go-to dress - so comfortable and the easy access the design provides makes this design one of my two favorites (along with the tiered ruffle nursing dress) for easy nursing. I also like having the pattern too as I am able to wear this dress without a bra for extreme comfort and ease of nursing. 


This is a wonderful dress! No one would ever guess it is a nursing dress. I love how discreetly I can nurse while wearing it. It is sooo comfortable! It covers the post-partum muffin top well, and I was also able to wear it throughout my entire pregnancy - very versatile!

Milk Sundress available from bellamama.co.uk in print, purple, green, teal, pink and classic black, £49.

Breaking the mold of traditional maternity: clothes you WANT to wear

One of my favourite things about owning Bella Mama is searching for lovely new designers and exquisite new pieces which will delight pregnant and new mamas in the UK. I am so excited to introduce More of Me Maternity to the range at Bella Mama this season. Beautiful dresses, elegantly cut and designed especially to make you feel utterly gorgeous throughout your pregnancy and beyond! Perfect if you are looking for something for a special occasion, which is completely luxurious and a real treat for yourself.

I get so many requests for divine dresses which are suitable for pregnancy, which can be worn to black tie events or sophisticated weddings. These designer maternity dresses from More of Me Maternity fit the bill perfectly.

Teamed with divine shoes and beautiful jewellery, these gorgeous maternity dresses are amazingly flattering, and will make you feel exceptionally special. We're not the only ones in love with the line. Hollywood's hottest mamas and mamas-to-be have been spotted out and about looking chic in their More of Me fashions.

 


More of Me is a contemporary maternity line for women who love to shop and want to maintain their chic appearance during pregnancy. More of Me is for women who wish to avoid maternity clothes like the plague… often buying “regular clothes” many sizes too big and trying to make it work. You know who you are. Have no fear! More of Me is more of what you WANT to wear, not what you’re forced to buy to cover your expanding midsection.

This collection is designed to look like the most stylish non-maternity clothes, yet is crafted with luxurious, pregnancy-friendly fabrics and exceptional maternity fit. Because let’s face it, your body is a tad unrecognizable these days. More of Me clothes are made in the greatest city in the world, New York, and are designed with thought and attention to the lives and needs of fashionable moms-to-be from the East Coast to the West Coast and everywhere in between.

Designed by a fashion-conscious mom, More of Me has heard women say: “I know I’d have to give up sushi, soft cheese and dirty martinis, but these styles make me want to get pregnant for the clothes!” Now that’s quite a compliment.