Danni Minogue Style Queen

Danni Monogue steps out in style in London wearing her new Seraphine Jeggings, sparking a maternity fashion frenzy.

These new 'must have' maternity fashion Jeggings from Seraphine UK, are real denim with extra stretch. These Jeggings look like a real skinny jean and feel soft like a legging. Elastic waistband and faux zipper.

Available online at Sweet Lilly Maternity now. Be quick as stock is flying out the door .....

Stylish Organic Nursing Wear

Why organic?

Our children and our children's children will inherit our beautiful planet and we owe it to them to ensure we all do our bit to converse this beautiful place.

The earth's ozone layer (and the damage our emissions are doing to it) is a constant hot topic of conversation these days. Love or hate them, our green conservationalists act as a constant reminder that our earth cannot sustain the pressure that we place upon her without consequences. It is with this thought that we at Sweet Lilly Maternity want to do 'our bit' for mother earth and our children's children.

Check out our stylish new collection of elegant and practical nursing wear - an absolute must for breastfeeding moms all over the world.

Clever styling and use of super soft organic soy bean cotton ensures you are contributing to the earth's environmental issues whilst getting the best of nursing and breastfeeding clothes.

These great pieces have a hidden privacy layer so that you can easily access your nursing bra to breastfeed your baby in public - no fuss.

The range includes a Yoga Top, Nursing Hoodie (as pictured above), Nursing Dress and Pyjama Dress (nightie) in a range of delicious pastel colours.

Maternity wear has never looked so good with our innovative range of organic nursing wear. Make sure you do your bit for the environment and make your purchases organic!

Organic Certification

Organic cotton gives the nursing mum the most luscious of fabrics
No pesticide use in the farming of the cotton used in the fabrics
No harmful irritants - for mums' peace of mind
Functional nursing wear without skimping on style
Skal certified organic cotton provides warmth retention and moisture transmission a nursing mothers' needs
Fair trade practice by all contractors

International Collection by Lilly B Maternity

Pure Maternity Ingulgence

The INTERNATIONAL COLLECTION by Lilly B Maternity has got the fashionistas speculating as this being the hottest designer maternity wear around, not looking out of place on the fashion runways around the globe.

Hand crafted from superb quality materials and workmanship, these pieces are serious eye candy and are guaranteed to make you look and feel a million dollars.

Check out the Florence Evening Gown (left); this dress would make an ideal maternity wedding gown with pretty ruffles and bows in a flattering ivory colour with gold flecks. Check out the entire elegant collection of maternity evening dresses available exclusively online at www.sweetlillymaternity.com.au.

Everybody's talking about Mama Black Maternity Jeans

Release the HOT MAMA within!

MamaBlack is a maternity line which offers a contemporary denim collection for hot moms-to-be. They have designed their maternity jeans to be well-suited for the daily grind yet classy enough to wear out on the town. MamaBlack maternity jeans are not only stylish but adaptable and very comfortable.

Jeans with names such as Celebrity, Princessa, Rebel, Cha-Cha and Original Mama will surely pique interest among the fashionable and expecting.

MamaBlack jeans are made of quality denim and tailored to fit any body shape at an affordable price.
NYC Fashion Loft, LLC was founded in 2006 as a Contemporary Apparel Company and unveiled the MamaBlack and SonnyBlack clothing lines to the New York City fashion world.

Mama Black Maternity Jeans are available exclusively in Australia through Sweet Lilly Maternity, an online hip maternity store where only fashion savvy labels reside.

Do you own a pair of Mama Black Maternity Jeans? If not, order a pair today and release the hot mama within!

Born to Shop

Maternity Clothing Guide for First Time Mums

f you've just found out that you're expecting your first child, congratulations and get ready for an exciting 9 months of your life!

Its fair to say that you'll probably have your share of the up's and down's and the effect of the baby hormones is something else! But there is an added bonus to becoming a new mum - you get to choose a new wardrobe for yourself and for your new baby too! Whoever said that retail therapy doesn't work can think again - its amazing how a spot of shopping can take the edge off morning sickness!

This is the point where you need to remind those dear husband and partners not to freak out ...you don't have to spend a fortune, in fact we have suggested a few basic, key maternity pieces to get you through the 9 months in maternity style.

Maternity clothes really do give you comfort and who wants to look back on their pregnancy photos with embarrassement at those huge tents or oversized, ill fitting sweatpants and tees?

Maternity clothing also doesn't have to be about contantly wearing dark colours to try and minimise your new shape. There are some wonderful maternity styles currently available that celebrate your shape, accentuating those womanly curves and minimising those flabby parts that we like to hide - all available in some wonderful exciting colours that reflect what's currently hot on the fashion runways across the globe.

Maternity wear in Australia has become an integral part of the fashion savvy mum-to-be wardrobe. Here is our list of essential maternity items:

Maternity jeans - invest in a couple of really good maternity jeans for best fit and cutting edge style

Maternity Pants - a couple of pairs of basic work maternity pants will ensure comfort whilst at work

Maternity Dresses - a good wrap dress can be worn over pants or maternity jeans and be dressed up or down and will 'grow' with your body

Maternity Lingerie - great fitting maternity bras that ooze sex appeal are fantastic to remind you that you are beautiful and sexy!

Maternity Nursing Tops - offer excellent value as many offer built in bras that can be worn during pregnancy and then afterwards for breastfeeding

Maternity Blouses - cute + colourful maternity blouses will brighten up a pair of basic pants or maternity jeans and enhance your new 'glowing' skin

Now that you have a better idea for what maternity clothing you will need - the real fun begins! There are some wonderful maternity wear, maternity clothing and maternity designs + labels on the market right now and overseas maternity labels are all accessible at Sweet Lilly Maternity.

Congratulations and good luck with your pregnancy.

From all at Sweet Lilly xx

Pavlina's Pregnancy Journal - Month 8

Had my last ultrasound this week. My baby has grown so much since last time that we could hardly see anything. Just parts of her body we couldn’t really recognize. Because of her position they couldn’t even tell us if it’s a girl or a boy. Luckily from the doctor’s point of view everything looked fine. (Apart from the fact that she’s turned 180 degrees the wrong way around – head-up instead of down. That means she will have to be delivered by caesarian).

I feel like the skin on my belly can’t stretch any more…I was wrong. Now I really feel like I am a house (for the baby). A mobile house. I’ve also developed the penguin walk and can’t remember the last time I saw my feet. I’ve stopped weighing myself because I can’t see the numbers on the scales any more! I can’t sleep at night; it’s really hard to find a comfortable position and when I manage to fall asleep I’m waken up by the urge of emptying my bladder or by cramps in my leg. And I've also developed a nasty rash on my tummy; it’s horribly itchy, 24/7. But other than that, I can’t really complain… That’s the beauty of the third trimester.

Due to the expansion of my stomach, I've been buying lots more maternity clothes at my favourite maternity stores. Online stores seem to work best for me as it takes up a lot less time and I can always send them back if they don't fit right. This month I purchased some white cropped Maternity jeans and a great silk maternity top from Sweet Lilly Maternity, both of them available at Sweet Lilly Maternity. They have a great selection of cool maternity wear. I've also bought some maternity lingerie and maternity swimwear. I didn't realise how great maternity clothing could make you feel. At last, lots of room to move!

If I thought last month that people around me are exaggerating about my size…well now it became a hell. People are stopping me on the street, in shops, in lifts; they’re not asking me any more, but telling me, I must be due NOW! I’m leaving shocked faces and open mouths behind me. Clients at work are jumping from their chairs when I bring them cup of coffee, saying “Oh my God, women, sit down and put your feet up”. I tried to calm them down saying I have still 8 weeks to go but they don’t seems to believe me.
Only my husband and my hairdresser are not saying that I’m too big. My husband doesn’t because he’s a real English gentleman. And my hairdresser doesn’t because she put on 35kg when she was pregnant with her child. She brought me a picture of her when she was 7 month pregnant and I didn’t recognize her…There was this huge women on the photo who looked nothing like my hairdresser. That’s what I call big! But she’s lost all the weight and laughs about it now. She said to me “If you feel down because you think you’re too big, just remember me and I’m sure you’ll feel better”. I wish I could have my hair done every second day. Its funny cos, whenever I feel down, a bit of retail therapy always seems to lift my spirits. Now I'm an expert on cool maternity wear or clothes that look good as maternity clothing.

Pavlina's Pregnancy Journal - Month 7

Getting bigger and bigger (seems like every hour). Most people think I must be almost due. Total strangers are asking me if I’m about to pop out; the same question again and again….
I wish I had a maternity tee with a sign on it: “I’m due in April, NOT tomorrow” and underneath “No, I’m not having twins”. But in the end of a day all I can do is laugh. Protects me from going mad… or is it the first sign??? Instead, I bought a great maternity top from 2 chix at Sweet Lilly Maternity that says 'Whos ya daddy?" I wear it most of the time as it feels so comfy and is a little bit cheeky too.

There is a great selection of great maternity wear on the web and some cool maternity clothes also in some of the stores. I really like shopping online as it saves me heaps of time. I've found a couple of really great maternity clothing websites but the Sweet Lilly Maternity site is my favourite as there is lots of choice and has great customer service.

As well as maternity clothes shopping, we have been stroller hunting. I was very excited but it turned out to be quite a painful experience. Walked into Babies Galore, found they have only 5 brands to choose from and 2 of them totally out of our budget. Firstly, a shop assistant tried to sell me a stroller with toddler seat insisting that I should have a second child soon. Even though I told her it wasn’t my plan. My husband ran out of patience and left the shop. I continued arguing for little longer. Then when I was about to explode, she showed me another stroller and insisted that that’s the best one on the market. The one I have to have. It was ugly, looked uncomfortable, didn’t have any accessories and was very expensive. Then I left the shop too. I had no idea choosing a stroller would be so difficult…
A week later I found what I was looking for. Bought a stroller and a car seat. In a shop that had no air-condition so all the shop assistants were so hot that didn’t have any energy to try to talk us into buying something we didn’t like. They were just sitting in front of a fan, showed us only what we wanted to see and then went back to their fan and were waiting for us to choose.

At 28th week I had my glucose test done. Apparently before this test you’re allowed to eat and drink. I had banana bread and latte. My results were too high so I had to have diabetes test done afterwards. It came out negative. The diabetes test is not fun. It takes about 2 and ½ hours. You have fast before and during it and involves 3 blood tests. A few of my girlfriends had the same problem as me. So I have a little advise: all you pregnant girls try not to eat before your first test and safe yourself from endless test and needles.

Prenatal Tests Week 24-28
Glucose Test

Month 5

Finally had my appointment in hospital. Have to say I wasn’t very excited as I assumed I will get some useful information about my pregnancy and labor but instead, I spent 3 hours (!!!) filling forms with a midwife. Not fun. Hopefully the next one will be better.
Also had another ultrasound. This time my husband was very brave and showed no sweat or fast heartbeat. Hold my hand all the time while watching how our girl (YES, it’s a GIRL!) has grown. I was little bit scared and awfully nervous but luckily everything looked fine. It was big relieve for both of us and I was, first time, truly very happy and excited.
As everything went so well, it’s time to do some shopping…
Bought some beautiful maternity tops and maternity pants from Sweet Lilly Maternity. They fit perfectly and are so comfortable and will last for a while even though I grow every hour and the material is very nice too…just everything you need if you want to feel great (as much as your big belly allows). Definitely not a waste of money.
My husband was impressed (started calling me yummy mummy) and I even had some nice comments from his friends. That felt fantastic! So I told him to buy me some more maternity clothes. He was pretty interested in buying me some maternity lingerie!

I will also need something for our company’s Xmas party and my friend’s wedding I’ll be going to in January. I’ve already spotted some…Girls, don’t be afraid to spent some money. It’s not a waste, it’s an investment. You’re worth it! Have you seen the Broderie Dress by Ripe Maternity on the Sweet Lilly Maternity site? I think it will be the one I’m going to get… There are some wonderful maternity designs around. Have you looked in Cosmopolitan Pregnancy Magazine? There is so much choice! I never realised that there was so much choice in maternity wear. There are also some very beautiful maternity party dresses and maternity evening wear, as well great functional maternity wear for the office.


Prenatal Tests Week 17-20:
Ultrasound
- This time the doctor will do thorough examination of your baby’s heart, kidneys, liver, bladder and checks for any abnormalities

Pavlina's Pregnancy Journal - Month 6

Month 6

Another doctor’s visit. Since my last experience with the midwife I was glad that every future visit I’m going to see a doctor. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe midwifes are well educated and experience professionals but for some reason I found myself feeling ‘safer’ by talking to a doctor. This time there’re no tests. Basically your doctor check your blood pressure, listens your baby’s heart beating and ask you if you have any problems or generally how you feel.
I’ve chosen a public hospital, instead of private (mainly for financial reason). That means you can’t choose your doctor, so most likely you have a different doctor on every visit.
So far I had a good experience, as both my doctors were very nice and thorough. The only annoying thing I found is, that they don’t read your file beforehand; they read it in front of you and if you had some medical problems in your past, they ask you the same questions every time and you have to explain everything again and again.

Having crazy dreams every night. Don’t think I rest at all as my dreams are keeping me pretty busy all night. It’s all kind of dreams. In the beginning they were mostly erotic dreams. (Like it wasn’t enough that I can’t stop thinking about sex during day). These dreams feel fantastic! The erotic fantasy life of a pregnant woman has no boundaries. They’re not ordinary, they are nothing like a romantic flirt from 17th century. They’re about the actual sex act and they feel like they REALLY happened when you wake up. In those dreams I had ‘affairs’ not just with my husband, but also with several different women, friends, colleagues, neighbors or total strangers.
I’m also having ‘normal life’ dreams about traveling, playing sports, partying, etc. They’re sometimes totally crazy, or totally real or sometimes so upsetting that I wake up crying.
Oh my…and I still have 4 months to go….

I've been online shopping again at Sweet Lilly Maternity and have found more gorgeous maternity clothes and maternity jeans. The maternity jeans didn't fit quite so well as I had hoped so I returned them for the smaller size and they now fit perfect. I also bought some great maternity nursing bras and lingerie (to go with my erotic dreams!) and some lovely maternity dresses for work.

Prenatal Tests Week 21-24:
Blood pressure

Month 3

I became a sleeping and eating machine plus an emotional bomb – all in once. My hormones are so active that I can manage during (just) one day, laugh, cry and get angry for absolutely no reason. It’s like being constantly premenstrual.
I read a book about pregnancy. There was a chapter where husbands were describing their feelings and experience with their pregnant wives. One of them suggested this chapter should be titled WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY WIFE. I think that’s a perfect description. Suddenly there is this barrier between you and your husband and you each feel like living in different world. You don’t understand why he wants to watch the stupid TV show instead of discussing important things, like what name we’re going to choose for your baby. On the other hand he doesn’t understand why you’re so moody and how come you came home so grumpy even though you were totally fine in the morning. Why you constantly talk about strollers, cots and baby clothes when you have still 7 months to go. Basically all YOU want is a response and cooperation (and you want it now!) and all HE wants is his ‘old’ wife back and no differences in his life.

I had my first ultrasound done. It was amazing to actually see what’s going on inside me. My husband was there with me (at least physically), he looked very pale and his heart was beating fast (he hates hospitals). But it was incredible experience for both of us. It’s a fantastic feeling, especially when you see your baby moving. Our looked like it was doing somersaults there. (And we wanted a quiet one; DOH).
My 12th week test’s results were good so thanks God I didn’t have to have amniocentesis done. I was very glad, just imagination of somebody sticking a long needle into my belly was giving me goose bumps.

My bump is really starting to show now so I suppose I should be on the look out for some cool maternity clothes. I really need some materity skirts and maternity pants for work. Does anybody know of anywhere that sells some pretty cool maternity wear?

Prenatal Tests Week 9-12:
Nuchal fold and first trimester combined screening test

- It’s a combination of blood test and ultrasound; these test give you an indication of your baby’s risk for chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome
- The blood test measure two proteins in your blood
- The screening (ultrasound) measures thickness of your baby’s neck (its nuchal fold area)
- The doctor will put that measurement into formula along with your age, baby’s gestational age and your blood test result and give you a ratio that expresses your baby’s chances for having a chromosomal defects
- If you have an abnormal result, the doctor probably recommends another test called amniocentesis and also consultation with a genetic counselor