I recently attended a morning tea event hosted by Angela & Robyn at Ripe Maternity Eastland complete with cups of tea from MAMA BODY TEA and treats from Regnier Cakes. Angela is a permanent staff member, also working at the Chadstone store, who I believe is a godsend & needs to be replicated in every store!!I first met Angela when I was trying to find an outfit for an event but all the “plus sized” clothes stores didn’t have anything modern, comfortable & stylish that was made with quality materials. I was a size 18 at the time, still struggling with a post baby body & recently had suffered a second miscarriage.I assume, like most of you would, that Ripe Maternity is only maternity & nursing clothing. Whilst a majority of the items are certainly that; there is a number of styles that are suitable for woman who are not pregnant or like myself; not quite back into commercial sizes clothes but still want to look & feel good.Back to the event! Pinkie from Boobie Bikkies had some wonderful advice & feedback for first times mums & reminded us that nursing staff or lactation consultants need to make you feel safe, respectful or your body and you do what feels right for you & your Bub. Interesting that she suggested you could start eating the biscuits BEFORE labour to assist with milk production!I wish I had known this as I ended up having my son prem & my milk had not come in, I have an inverted nipple & since he was so tiny, when we tried to feed he had trouble latching. I expressed everyday, using a double pump feeling like a cow & topping up with formula.Ange from Hotmilk Lingerie was on hand to steer expecting & nursing mums through their range, including available sizes which do range up to sizes 18 & 20 and cup sizes J but NOT in all lines, the seamfree went to a J but the flexiwires range was much more limited. They also stock washable nursing pads!I did find this myself when I purchased my Hotmilk nursing bra back in 2015 and although I was told I could only get a L size underwear then I’m now assured by Ange that they do cater for larger sizes. I still often use my Hotmilk bra if my son is sick & spending the day cuddling so I can’t have an underwire but this is now as a back up as I have my seamfree Elomi which is properly fitted.Ripe Maternity stock recovery shorts & briefs, all things pre & post maternity but do yourself a favour & check out their range of clothes as you will be surprised at what you may find! They are reasonably priced, have some awesome specials (I recently picked up a Raw Edge nursing top & Harem Lounge pants for $99 as part of their Mother’s Day special saving me $40)To give you an idea of some of their non pregnancy items, and even “maternity” clothes that are suitable for that post baby belly or if you’re carrying a little extra weight but not quite “plus size”, I’ve added a selection of clothes that now form part of my wardrobe staples.Best part, if you contact your local store, they can arrange a complimentary Personal Styling Session! Located throughout Australia and of course online, for all locations refer online but Victorian locations include my local Eastland & Doncaster, Chadstone, Melbourne CBD, Highpoint, Fountain Gate, Southland & Fairfield (outlet). Their end of season sale is now on with up to 50% off selected styles - Have fun shopping! X B*I will post under Bella Babble Reviews the clothes I’ve purchased & my feedback. I don’t receive any benefits or commissions for this it’s purely my opinion & my experiences xx

13-2-2020. I felt indisposed to hear how my wife was treated today by an employee at Ripe Maternity. The employee made unprofessional loathsome comments to my partner in front of young children. The employee seemed to find pleasure in the fact that my wife was upset (crying) for being wrongfully accused of lying. This is the second time a pair of maternity pants has been returned for being substandard, shabby quality. The employee seemed to possess some sort of astral projection ability to project the consciousness into an astral form outside of the body to convince my partner that these indeed were not the pants that had been sold to her two weeks earlier. The inferior tactics, however left both of us feeling no admiration or interest to ever shop/recommend this store ever again. :(

Great Experience!I took my sister here to find a suitable baby shower outfit and some clothes to see her through her last 10 weeks of pregnancy. Obviously that makes for a difficult client as sizing is so unknown and at 30 weeks, she wasnt feeling her best. Ebony, the shop assistant, was so incredibly helpful and made it such a good experience. She helped pick out things that were a little out of the ordinary that looked amazing on, she really understood what we were looking for and helped us find it, without being pushy. Clothes appear well made, Ripe offer a good range of fabrics, and most of our purchases are suitable for breastfeeding. Some items were expensive, but I feel she will get her moneys worth as they are comfortable and look great. Would defiantly recommend!