Nursing Glam Does Exist

When my sister first fixed her wedding date, I must admit that one of the biggest concerns I had was how I would be able to lose the postpartum weight and get back in shape quick enough to look good for the occasion. Add to that the fact that my dress also had to be nursing friendly, I was understandably nervous.

Going shopping in the couple of weeks leading up to the wedding made me feel even worse. When I stepped into the usual chain stores, the sales assistants sized me up (so to speak) and promptly handed me the clothes I wanted to try in what they deemed the appropriate size: LARGE. Having always worn “S” or size 8 clothing, this was very damaging to my ego. The worst part was that they were right — I was indeed an “L”! The bigger problem was that I am currently rather disproportionate for the size, so nothing really fit me well.

Thank goodness for Maternity Exchange.

This shop has been one of my go-to stores since I became pregnant with Noey more than 3 years ago, and they have not failed me since. I like the fact that they carry an extensive range of maternity and nursing wear which are not only available for sale, but for rent as well. You can buy a rental package which provides you with credits which you can apply to rentals, or you can rent pieces on an individual basis.

And if you think maternity and nursing wear is dowdy and unfashionable, you’ll be surprised. They carry a good mix of international and local brands, including some of my favourites, like Japanese Weekend, Dote, Mothers en Vogue and Maternalove. These folks know how to make maternity and nursing wear look good.

I popped down to their store on one of my limited shopping trips after they kindly extended a voucher to me to shop for an appropriate outfit. Pearlyn, the sales assistant in store for the day helped me pick out some outfits to try while I methodically worked my way down the racks. My prime objective was to get something for the wedding dinner and I was so relieved to find that they had a good selection of occasion wear.

I enjoyed a good 45 minutes trying on dresses before I finally decided to rent the Tiffany Rose Acacia dress. While not strictly a nursing dress, the low v-shaped neckline and the stretchy material suited my purposes while looking dressy enough for the dinner occasion.

To top it off, it was a size 2. Hah.

I got plenty of compliments on my dress, which was a bonus!

You can check them out at Marina Square, #03-108. They also have an online store so you can shop from the comfort of your own home, if you’re so inclined.