Christmas time can bring joy and happiness, but it can also bring hormonal tears if you are currently pregnant and struggling to find something to wear that you actually want to step out in public in.

I am currently 20 weeks pregnant and within the last two weeks I have started to struggle to fit comfortably in to all of my regular clothes. While a lot of it is transferable into maternity wear for right now (and hopefully the coming weeks), there are certain pieces that just won’t cut it.

One key item is jeans. While they fit elsewhere, my skinny jeans are now starting to dig into my tummy, which is not ideal. The other items that are no longer wearable are my fitted pencil skirts, fitted tops, fitted dresses and, obviously, anything that showed off skin around my tummy.

On the other hand, there are plenty of other pieces in my wardrobe that still work, such as tops with a flow, light-knit cardigans, blazers, jackets, kimonos and anything that can be left open or has some room.

So, my advice is, while you still might be able to wear some of your current collection, there are certain maternity essentials to add to your wardrobe that will have you feeling more comfortable this season.

Here’s my top personal shopping and styling tips to have you feeling great for the festive season ahead.

The Christmas party dress, St.

Stephen’s Day dress & New

Year’s Eve dress and...

The list goes on. You don’t need to purchase loads of dresses for each occasion if you don’t want to invest a lot of money in maternity wear. You could keep it simple by investing in one key dress in a block colour, such as black or navy. You can then update this dress with different accessories, such as subtle black shoes for one occasion and then vibrant red shoes for another occasion. Avoid print dresses if you are only buying one dress, as print is more memorable (especially if you get tagged in Facebook wearing it) and harder to mix and match with.

Pregnancy and Nursing wear

Another way to feel like you are getting more bang for your buck is to invest in items that are not only maternity wear, but are also suitable as nursing wear. This means that you will not only get the coming months out of theses dresses and tops, but you can also wear them if you are breast-feeding after the baby is born. The navy lace dress that I am wearing here is both pregnancy and maternity wear from Bumpsnbabies.ie.

Maternity jeans are a savior!

Maternity jeans don’t look that bad on. They are surprisingly deceiving in comparison to what they look like on the hanger with their oversized belly-band. Once you cover this belly-band with a top, no one is any the wiser. You can dress skinny jeans down or dress them up, so they are a good piece to have in your wardrobe this festive season. The best maternity skinny jeans I have come across are the Next maternity jeans and the maternity Leigh jeans in Topshop. For a more price-friendly option, opt for the skinny jeans in H&M.

Invest in maternity bras

The bra extender probably got you to here, but now its time to give your body the comfort it is craving. If you are investing in maternity bras, it is good to invest in a bra that will cover you for nursing too, so that you don’t have to double-up on purchases. Be warned, they are not the sexiest looking bras. One of the best places for these is Marks and Spencer. I would not advise purchasing maternity bras online until you have been measured by a trained professional.

Remember

Make the most out of your current wardrobe while investing in key maternity pieces to update your look and that you can mix and match with. And, most of all, enjoy this festive season with your bump as you are glowing and will look beautiful whatever you choose to wear.

Maternity Fashion: Party season is here

In the second instalment of a very special maternity fashion series, stylist Siobhan McHugh of Styleuphoria.com prepares for the festive party season ahead.