Yummy Mummy Maternity, is run by two lovely ladies, Zoe and Amber. They have a really well designed and easy to use website, with each item described in detail including the fit and how it can be worn, much like you would describe something to a friend. This is by FAR the best feature, but the website is well laid out and has the nicest collection of nursing dresses and tops I’ve come across on my vast quest. They also sell a huge array of maternity clothing, underwear for pre and post baby and maternity swimming costumes! As I am ‘living’ in Hove at the moment I popped into their shop to try things on so I can really see how they fit in person (although you get a free returns label with every order placed online)
I was looking for a dress that I can wear to smarter occasions, namely Athena’s Christening and then any festive parties that we go to as a family. Shirt dresses are all well and good but you have to undo a heck of a lot of buttons to get a boob out, and at a family get together like the reception after her Christening I want to be able to feed comfortably and not make anyone else uncomfortable either by revealing too much. The dresses that Yummy Mummy Maternity sell all have either hidden slits or are wrap over with discreet panels underneath for extra privacy. Most can be worn throughout pregnancy so you can get maximum wear out of them too! I wish I had thought more about this when I was buying maternity dresses as nothing I purchased had easy boob access, rookie mistake there!
The shop (located on Portland Road) is well stocked with one of each size available in all styles so you can try on what you want to right away. Nursing garments are clearly labelled with a different coloured tag for easy browsing too. I was tickled by 2 fake bumps hanging in the dressing room, but it’s such a great idea for those in the early stages of pregnancy so they can see what they’ll look like with a bump! Having friendly people to talk to always helps, in the relatively short space of time we covered the topics of Egypt, where to eat at Christmas, a bit of local history and were given a great recommendation for lunch (which we took, and enjoyed pizzas at the pub next door next to an open fire!) so I would definitely say that Zoe knows how to make people feel at ease and comfortable. There was also an arm chair for husbands/friends etc and the buggy wasn’t in the way at all.
After a good look through everything I chose this gorgeous cream nursing dress, with black detailing. I originally tried on a large (12-14) but a medium (12-12) looked way better, and boosted my self esteem too, clearly i’m on my way back to my old size! It has a cleverly designed bodice to allow easy access discreetly, so I’ll be wearing this in the post about the Christening soon.
I also tried on a black long sleeved jersey dress. I decided it was so flattering for every day or for dressed up a bit for Christmas parties due to the subtle sequinning under the bust, that I bought it with no ummming and ahhing. The stretchy jersey material means it can be worn in pregnancy as well as for nursing, and it definitely flatters my post baby belly! It ties at the back and the bust panels pull aside to reveal a feeding panel beneath, so still very discreet but not frumpy at all. I imagine this will be a staple this winter so will do a proper outfit post in it soon.
If you are local to Brighton & Hove then definitely pop in and browse, and if you are not then visit the Yummy Mummy Maternity website instead, standard delivery is only £3!
I was kindly given the Cream dress to review, and purchased the black dress myself.
These look ideal. I’ve recently been looking at my maternity wardrobe and realising that I have hardly anything that it breast feeding friendly. If I buy anything else I’m going to try to be more practical. X
the benefit of hindsight… Love you in that black dress 🙂 x