Before I was pregnant I seriously couldn’t understand why expectant mothers always seemed to wear stripes. And then my bump developed into something the size of a hot air balloon and I worked out why stripes were so appealing: it’s a kind of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” attitude. You can’t hide the bump so you may as well make a feature of it by wearing horizontal stripes. Which, as we all know, are a sartorial horror if you’re trying to appear slimmer in any way, shape or form.

Also, as your bump grows, you can’t help feeling very proud of it and wanting to emphasise it. Again: horizontal stripes. Here are some stripy ideas for you – I’ve enjoyed wearing all of these, but I can imagine that post-birth I’ll want to keep them as far away from my wobbly, pock-marked belly as possible. (Optimism there, for you!)

Stripe Dress from Next, £30 here. Very nice fit – comes down just on to the knee and is tight but in a relaxed way. Which makes no sense, so sorry.

Striped maxi from Tiffany Rose – £119 here. Heavyweight (this one’s lined) and the kind of dress that your Mum would test with her fingertips and say “that’s excellent quality that is”. (Or just my Mum?) I like the draping on the arms and bust and the way the stripes change direction. It’s more of a “piece” – you could wear this to a posh daytime do, a wedding perhaps, and look the part.

Breton Stripe T-Shirt from Jojo Maman Bebe – £24 here. Beautiful thick cotton and a shape that looks odd when it’s on a coathanger but makes perfect sense once you’ve put it on. It looks as though it would come up short but miraculously doesn’t – behold:

See? Quite a reasonable length!

ASOS Maxi Dress in Bold Stripe: £25 here. Looks good all casual with your Converse or just a pair of flip-flops. It’s pretty “up and down” without much shape (apart from your bump!) but I like it for slobbing about in. You can’t do big strides in it as there’s no slit, but if you’re lugging a great big baby about on your front the chances are you won’t be striding anyway!

Last but not least, the striped tunic top from George at ASDA – possibly one of my most worn things in the third trimester. Covers bump, covers arse and front bits which means you can wear comfy leggings underneath… This came in a pack of two with a fetching coral version –  here for £16.