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Professional Moms-to-Be

The Key to Smart Maternity Dressing

By Belinda Clarke

Now, Business Bump offers suits that are only available online and as a result, Worsley says, she can sell them for much less than her competitors. "We're having wonderful fun managing our small business that's solely dedicated to the busy professional women."

John McGrath and his wife, Heather, started Canadian maternity clothing company Elegant Expectations in 1983 to cater to the corporate expectant mother. Their specialty is business suits in high-quality fabrics "that allow the career expectant mother to attend the boardroom meeting and dress every bit as well as the men in their business suits."

"There should be no glass ceiling because she is female and expecting – she can 'power dress' just as well as any male executive," says McGrath. "Unfortunately, too many women feel they will be excused because they are expecting and fail to dress in accordance with their career potential."

For Anne Marie Kirby, a news reporter in Chicago, professional suits were critical to her job throughout her pregnancy. "I needed to be obviously professional and therefore opted for maternity clothes that looked like the clothes I wore before pregnancy," says Kirby. She admits this was a challenge.

"Because I'm on-air, I had to make sure the clothes were not too cutesy and still looked presentable." She says she preferred pantsuits because she could mix and match those the best. More importantly, she felt most comfortable in pants because she was out in the field reporting on a daily basis.

Want to see more?

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• Pregnancy in the Workplace: How and When to Tell Your Boss
• Pregnancy Precautions: Determining the Safety of Your Daily Grind