Plenty of pregnant women spend a long time planning their maternity wardrobes -
for example, evening wear, pregnancy dresses, workwear. However, they often
focus entirely on their daywear options and forget all about nightwear until
suddenly they can no longer struggle into their pre-pregnancy pyjamas and are
left to spend the remainder of their pregnancy sleeping in uncomfortable
oversize t-shirts.
I think that it's time to put sleepwear first. While
there's no easy way to get a good night's sleep when you are pregnant, high
quality and comfortable clothing will help you relax a bit more while adding
style to your maternity lounge wear wardrobe. Most maternity night wear is made
with nursing access for wearing after you've had your baby and makes for a very
good long-term investment. Here is my checklist:
Size: Just like the rest of your maternity wardrobe, pyjamas and maternity
nighties should be bought in your pre-pregnancy size unless you have gained more
than the average 25-35 pounds. Also, if you are expecting twins or more, you
will need to increase your size (or two!).
Comfort: Many pregnant women have trouble sleeping at some point during their
pregnancy. While there in't anything you can do about an energetic baby who
likes to dance throughout the night, or the early days when you seem to be
always taking trips to the bathroom, you can choose to buy nightclothes with
comfort in mind, so it's not your clothing which is giving you sleepless nights!
Jersey cotton is a great fabric for comfort and also for pyjamas which can be
worn as loungewear for padding around the house to relax in. Personally I prefer
to wear maternity pyjamas because of their double use afterwards and as they are
cozier to wear during the night in colder months if you are up and about. Watch
out too for tops with built in support for extra ease - some styles use built-in
cups and others a fabric "shelf" both work well.
Multi-purpose: Maternity nightwear is intended to be used after birth and is
constructed to allow for easy nighttime feeding through the use of clever
designing. Look out for clever cross-over style pyjama tops. Another option is
to choose button through tops which also give fast access.
Style: Forget the unfashionable nightclothes of yesteryear, modern maternity
sleepwear adds style to comfort and is available in some beautiful patterns.
Look out for the glamourous designs from HotMilk, including camisole tops, wide
leg trousers and vibrant shades and patterns including duck egg blue and rich
plum.
So, to sum up, look for maternity night wear in comfortable fabric designed
for use after the birth. Remember if you select pyjamas, they make good casual
wear choices too. But don't forget to buy a style you adore!
