Maternity swimsuit

Through my pregnancy I found a number of useful additions to the wardrobe have helped me to maintain my confidence around my body as it changes.

Swim swim swim!
Since finishing work, for the last month, I've joined a private gym and gone swimming every day and as my usual swimming costume was getting a little snug, I got on t'internet to have a look for something more comfortable and accommodating.

Spending money
I didn't want to spend a lot. What's the point when you will be only wearing something for a few weeks! I had a look on ebay and found a number of new maternity swim suits and tankinis for sale but nothing in a style or pattern I liked.

What size to buy?
The general advice with maternity clothes is that you buy the size you are pre-pregnancy and it will fit. Now this varies from shop to shop, some are more generous than others so it's worth being able to try on unless you like a gamble.

Did I mention I like the occasional flutter? I continued with my online search and found a reasonably priced maternity tankini (a two piece bikini with plenty of coverage!) on the Dorothy Perkins website.

How much?
The top was £14 and the bottoms were £8. The top is unpadded, tank top style with straps that cross on the back. It's a bit confusing to get into because of the cross straps but then I'm easily confused when clothes have lots of straps on them and often get stuck in changing rooms so maybe that's just me! The bottoms are shorts style with plenty of material in them which helps you to feel you're well covered. I ordered in a size larger than I usually take just to make sure. I don't think I really needed to do this in retrospect but it still fits OK.

What's mine like?
The pattern of my tankini is a black and cream Aztec sort of style and jazzy enough to distract from the front bump. It did work out a little bit too low cut for my liking which results in the occasional tug to make it less revealing but maybe it's my fault for ordering a size too big. I'm OK until I see a man with goggles going underwater for too long then I start to worry that I'm flashing!

One fault
The only other thing I'd mention is that Dorothy Perkins seem to have used a blue material for the cross over strap on the back and this is strange when the print is black and cream, and this has worn to a deep purple colour the more I've worn it so it's quite obvious. It was an online only available product so maybe they economised with cheaper materials or used leftover ones. I'm not really that bothered about it as I won't be strutting around on holiday with it any time soon, and it was purchased for practical reasons but I just thought I'd mention it.

Performance
I realise this review needs to stay focused on the purpose of having a maternity swim costume so will redirect to that topic. The difference between my tankini and a normal costume is that there is extra material 'rouching' in the top to accommodate for your bump and so you get excellent coverage for your body.

Caring for my suit
I rinse mine out in the shower after every swim and luckily there's a spin dryer in the changing rooms so it is virtually dry after use and I put it through the washer once a week. It's wearing really well so far and apart from the colour of the strap going from dark blue to purple, I am happy with the quality of this swimwear and will put it away in case I ever find myself pregnant again in the future!

Buy for your own body shape
I have quite a long body so found the tankini to be the perfect solution for my new rounded figure, the body length in a swim costume can be touch and go for me when not pregnant so in the end it was a fairly safe bet.

Where to buy
To my knowledge, in addition to DP's, you can also pick up good maternity swim wear from Mothercare; Next; Vertbaudet; Blooming Marvellous; ASDA; M&S; and Mamas and Papas.

Final word
I think it's really important to keep as active as possible (within reason) whilst pregnant and swimming is the ideal sport as it is also relaxing and takes the weight off your back. You can just plod up and down the pool - one tip though: try and swim down one edge of the pool to avoid other swimmers kicking you as there are a few people at my pool to whom 'personal space' means nothing!