Bump Friendly! (Marks & Spencer Underwear in general)

Member Name: Bryn Pearson

Product:	Marks & Spencer Underwear in general
Date:	04/07/02 (252 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: big comfy pants

Disadvantages: none

Pants are not something I normally get that excited about - I'm not the sort of person to waft around in something lacey and provocative, I like my clothes simple, functional and largely made of natural fibers. I also like them to fit.

So here I am, 8 months pregnant, with a waist bigger than the tape measure - I'm now taking a size 24 in most things. As a result, none of the size 16 pants I used to wear fit any more. I had a long quest for pants, resulting in much irritation, because the vast majority of shops do not go over a size 18. Then I tried M&S.

Marks and Spencer do a wide range of pants from the one lacy scrap of fabric for a lot of money through to the hugest of granny-style knickers. The best buys are the mutli packs - a range of sizes and shapes and colours, usually in packs of five, and sometimes with excellent offers - I spent 12 pounds on ten pairs of pants last time, and you can't argue with that.

If you want cute lacy thong like stuff, and are under a size 18, the world is your oyster and you don't need any advice from me, so the rest of this is for bigger ladies and those possesed of baby bumps, to whome pant manufacturers are less kind.

I've found that there's a lot to be said for natural fibers - they keep you cooler, they are less tempermental about being washed and they tend to last better as well, plus it is possible to repair any minor damage with a bit of sewing. Marks and Spencers multipack pants are cotton for the greater part. The shapes vary - height of leg, of waist and width across bum being the biggies. There are illustrations on the packs to give you some idea, and I've mostly found these helpful. I tend to wear midis, as I've found these to be the most comfy. In pregnancy, you want pants with a bit of give in them, with a bit of bump support and elastic that isn't too tight. If your bump is high up, you might be able to wear your pants underneath it for a while
, but eventually the baby will drop and you need to be prepaired for this. (fine if its mid summer and you can do without, evil in winter.)

M&S do huge pants - big comfy pants that you can get both you and the bump into without any trouble. They do them in black and white, and in a few more girly shades if you must. They do mixed packs. I've never seen size 24 pants anywhere else, but if memory serves these weren't the largest they had.

Survivability - because its not much good buying pants that fall appart in no time. I've had some M&S pants for over a year now (not continuous wear, before you make funny nosies). They wash well, they do not fall appart (Peacocks pants do, regardless of how careful you are) they keep their colour tolerably well, although if you dry them in bright sunlight they will fade like anything else. They keep their shape, and the elastic doesn't die off that easily - so no pants round ankles moments when you arne't expecting them.

On the whole, I think these are an excellent buy if you have some girth to accomodate. Furthermore, its a pleasant enough place to shop and they tend to have aisles wide enough that you can get around said with a bump. (many shops are not at all bump friendly.)

Summary: