Shopping Tips for Pregnancy
What to Wear
Flat shoes and stretchy clothes will accommodate your changing shape and the extra effort required for carrying or pushing a baby. Thankfully, Angelina Jolie has done all pregnant women a favour by starting her own pregnancy chic. Maxi dresses are definitely in. They can even be worn down the red carpet when you’re next at the Cannes Film Festival.
Maternity underwear and hold-up tights are also more accommodating. Hold-ups keep you cool and will still fit after the birth. Nursing bras are handy for breastfeeding on the move – unless you choose to bottle feed. For more on the pros and cons of each approach click here.
It can be difficult to find good evening wear during pregnancy – especially if you’re heading to the Cannes Film Festival like Angelina Jolie – thankfully we have this range long evening gown, which ties above the bump. Click on the images for more.
Quintela Maxi Dress £180
For urban chic, try this maxi dress with halterneck and under-the-bust tie.
Pumps from £10
What to Pack
Most women pack a bag ready for hospital once they’re in the final stages of pregnancy. There are many handy hints around on what to take with you. Firstly, you’ll need a largish travel bag. Most hospitals will ask you to use your locker and not take up too much space (no suitcases!). Here are a few options for £30 or under – just click on the images to find out more:
Himalaya Canvas Holdall in Chocolate £65
Clara Holdall, Small £40
Hidesign Newport Holdall, Brown £175
During labour, you may well have several hours to kill in the hospital. Pop a book or CD into your ready packed bag. An excellent idea is the soduko touch screen game for a simple travel teaser – unlike your mobile phone you won’t be asked to turn it off and it’s only £14.95:
A snack is a good idea as most births occur at night and there won’t necessarily be a canteen open. Try this outdoor shop for travel meals that you can safely leave in your bag until you go into labour. Most pregnant women find that they are too hot in the hospital, cooling leg gels and water sprays can help, as well as the above mentioned maxi dresses.
Folate Supplements
The Department of Health recommends that pregnant women take folic acid supplements. In the USA this is offset somewhat by folate added to bread products. Click here for the full details of the D of H advice. Consult your healthcare professional if you are unsure of what to do. Click here and scroll to the end of the article for some helpful tips on buying supplements online.
Keeping Fit
There are plenty of exercises that you can do during pregnancy – you just need good advice on how to distribute any pressure on your abdominals and back. The main reason you need to be careful is that some of the abdominal muscles split during pregnancy to make room for the baby. This means that you may not be able to do the usual backflips and arabian springs, but there’s plenty of room for a challenging regime – Paula Radcliffe ran throughout her pregnancy. The most important thing to do is to monitor your heart rate and consult a professional such as your GP or Steve Haywood – a personal trainer in Yorkshire with qualifications and experience in training pregnant women. Read some of his articles on training whilst pregnant here.
Steve is available to train you on a one-to-one or group basis within Yorkshire.
Choose a name!
Some people choose baby names long before they think of having a family, other prefer to leave the decision until they meet the new addition. In order to help, here are the top 100 baby names for girls and boys in the UK 2007 according to national statistics:
2007 2007
1 GRACE JACK
2 RUBY THOMAS
3 OLIVIA OLIVER
4 EMILY JOSHUA
5 JESSICA HARRY
6 SOPHIE CHARLIE
7 CHLOE DANIEL
8 LILY WILLIAM
9 ELLA JAMES
10 AMELIA ALFIE
11 LUCY SAMUEL
12 CHARLOTTE GEORGE
13 ELLIE JOSEPH
14 MIA BENJAMIN
15 EVIE ETHAN
16 HANNAH LEWIS
17 MEGAN MOHAMMED
18 KATIE JAKE
19 ISABELLA DYLAN
20 ISABELLE JACOB
21 MILLIE LUKE
22 ABIGAIL CALLUM
23 AMY ALEXANDER
24 DAISY MATTHEW
25 FREYA RYAN
26 EMMA ADAM
27 ERIN TYLER
28 POPPY LIAM
29 MOLLY HARVEY
30 HOLLY MAX
31 PHOEBE HARRISON
32 JASMINE JAYDEN
33 CAITLIN CAMERON
34 IMOGEN HENRY
35 MADISON ARCHIE
36 ELIZABETH CONNOR
37 SOPHIA JAMIE
38 KEIRA MUHAMMAD
39 SCARLETT OSCAR
40 LEAH EDWARD
41 AVA LUCAS
42 GEORGIA ISAAC
43 ALICE LEO
44 SUMMER OWEN
45 ISABEL NATHAN
46 REBECCA MICHAEL
47 LAUREN FINLEY
48 AMBER BEN
49 ELEANOR AARON
50 BETHANY NOAH
51 LOLA TOBY
52 EVA CHARLES
53 PAIGE KYLE
54 BROOKE LOGAN
55 LILLY MASON
56 LIBBY RHYS
57 ISOBEL ALEX
58 ANNA RILEY
59 AMELIE FINLAY
60 MAISIE LOUIS
61 ROSIE KIERAN
62 MATILDA KAI
63 MADDISON FREDDIE
64 SIENNA DAVID
65 SARAH REECE
66 NIAMH BRANDON
67 SKYE BRADLEY
68 GRACIE KIAN
69 ZARA HARLEY
70 ISLA BAILEY
71 TIA MOHAMMAD
72 ALISHA LUCA
73 HARRIET THEO
74 FAITH JOHN
75 AIMEE LEON
76 EVE ASHTON
77 SOFIA SAM
78 ZOE ELLIS
79 MAYA AIDAN
80 MADELEINE JOEL
81 COURTNEY HAYDEN
82 LACEY EVAN
83 NICOLE ZACHARY
84 LAYLA ROBERT
85 LYDIA JOE
86 ABBIE SEBASTIAN
87 MARTHA BILLY
88 FRANCESCA TAYLOR
89 JULIA ELLIOT
90 SHANNON CHRISTOPHER
91 LEXIE REUBEN
92 HOLLIE GABRIEL
93 MARIA MORGAN
94 ALEXANDRA COREY
95 ROSE LOUIE
96 ALICIA JAY
97 VICTORIA DOMINIC
98 SARA SEAN
99 EVELYN ANDREW
100 TILLY ZAK
Kids at Home
There is a comprehensive range of products for babies at Shop-Online-4.com/uk/baby/
