Birth Of Womb In Bloom

The Birth of *Womb in Bloom*.

In mid 2006 Rochelle was delighted to announce her first pregnancy.

Being 6 ft tall she already found a lot of off-the-rack clothing to be too short in the body and length. She was currently a size 16.

Within the first trimester her body bloomed, really bloomed!  Her body craved milk, anything milky, and milkshakes were high on that list.

Of course her body exploded with all the extra calories and the growing baby. Her breasts went from a 36c to a 38DD and growing, and clothing size went from a 16 to a 22+.

Being a working professional, Rochelle needed presentable clothing for every day work, and dark suits or dresses and jackets for corporate wear. Everywhere she tried, maternity wear ended at a Size 16-18, and even if she could have squeezed into it, it was too short in the body, and what should have been an *under bust style*, would now sit in the middle of her bust. Tops were not long enough to cover her baby bump.

Now Estelle (mother of Rochelle) had always been a sewer, and made most of Rochelle’s clothing in her younger days, and so she again brought out her trusty sewing machine. She designed and made a range of clothing that allowed Rochelle to feel beautiful, and proudly present her baby bump to the world.

We don’t know how many times Rochelle would say, *Why can’t we have preggy wear in larger and taller sizes like they do in America?* Having spent a year in America during her OE, Rochelle saw many examples of very large and very tall pregnant ladies, who would be wearing appropriate maternity clothing which was readily available. We started playing with the idea of importing just that… a range of maternity wear for the larger and taller pregnant ladies.

During Rochelle’s pregnancy, Estelle holidayed (and shopped) in Melbourne and searched the clothing stores there for larger / taller maternity sized clothing. Larger sizes were a YES, but she could not find taller fittings.

Finally in March 2007 Rochelle delivered a beautiful 9lb 8oz baby girl. Now we were in the market for feeding tops and feeding nightwear. Again, nothing was available in the size needed.

Rochelle spent the first couple of months in a not very supportive nursing bra and a sarong when at home alone with baby. That’s when we both realized that a nursing bra to cater for a *F cup* had to be strong, not a flimsy pretty lacey thing. There was some weight in those *Full* breasts.

The idea of setting up a company to cater for both larger and taller maternity wear kept leaping to our minds. After a couple of Rochelle’s girlfriends also complained of not being able to find maternity wear to fit their larger or taller bodies, and with Estelle again bringing out her trusty sewing machine we started to see the real need for this range of clothing.

Along with the problems of sizings, many of Rochelle’s friends would tell her that they would just buy one or two maternity items for work or outings, and buy larger or men’s T-shirts and track-pants for everyday. When we asked why, the response was always *Cost*.

So now our idea was growing, and with Estelle doing the research, we found that maternity clothing was expensive, dull in colour and the designs were very *fitting* to the baby belly. Not everybody wants to present the tight outline of their baby bump or blooming breasts to the world.

With designs floating around in her head, Estelle researched manufacturers overseas and commenced placing orders for colorful, comfortable, affordable maternity wear for the larger (up to a 6XL) and taller (up to 6ft 2in) ladies of all age groups.

We have either in stock or coming, ranges of T-shirts, cool cotton tops, singlet tops, Organic cotton tops & leggings, Matted Organic cotton jackets and skirts, silk and polyester tops, Nursing tops, skirts, Capri pants, shorts, dresses, Corporate (dresses, skirts, blouses and jackets), sleepwear, Nursing bras (supportive ones), swimwear, knitted sweaters and hoodies. We will also be bringing in some gorgeous *after five / Party wear* maternity dresses for those Xmas and special functions.

We know our range will compliment the larger body shape, and our colours are aimed to ensure you feel beautiful and special as you bloom through your nine months of pregnancy. Not to be left out, the average normal sized mum-to-be will also be catered for within our range with styles to suit their body shape.

We aim to keep the pricing down to an affordable level, so that you can have a special maternity wardrobe for every day and special occasions and don’t have to wear those baggy T’s and tracky pants unless that’s what you want to wear.

We hope that you will enjoy our range, and share our story with your friends and colleagues.

Estelle & Rochelle of *Womb in Bloom Ltd*.