The Styling The Bump series encourages new moms-to-be to embrace their bump with styles that flatter the bump, without spending on maternity wear that they end up stashing away after pregnancy. By renting, we want to promote a more sustainable lifestyle that’s also financially sustainable!
We met with Anabel Chew, Co-Founder of Webarre, to share with us her maternity journey!
Hello Anabel! Thank you for taking the time to have a chat with us, we are so happy and excited for you! You are now in your third trimester, how has your pregnancy experience been so far?
We’re excited too! I couldn’t have asked for a smoother pregnancy, really. I had mild nausea between 6-10 weeks that went away, and had a bit of pelvic pain in the middle of my 2nd trimester. But other than those, which I felt were pretty manageable for me to begin with, I have been able to continue with my regular lifestyle and activities quite easily!
What were your first emotions when you found out you were pregnant?
I was surprised. Really surprised. Having miscarried a year ago, I was really worried about trying again. It didn’t really sink in that I was pregnant until I completed the first trimester – it was a mix of joy, nervousness, and not wanting to keep our hopes up.
What was one piece of advice given to you that’s stuck with you on your journey to becoming a mother?
If it’s meant to be, it will be.
Being the founder of WeBarre, how do you manage your classes while expecting?
My OBGYN gave me the green light to continue with my regular exercise and classes, so as long as I feel up for it! Up until before my third trimester I was still teaching 8 to 10 classes a week, and now, I do about about 5 to 7 a week. I think I was am pretty energetic and up for a good workout, but now that I’m in my third trimester and getting bigger, I’ve started slowing down my movements in class and demonstrating less.
Could you share with us how your daily routine is like since becoming pregnant? What has changed since becoming pregnant?
Not much has changed since I’ve gotten pregnant actually! I’m still out and about and fairly active… the only difference is that I have less clothes that fit me so I have to plan my outfits a little more in advance -– what fitted me last week may not fit me this week anymore!
Some mothers are nervous, some are excited. What do you look forward to most about motherhood? Are you nervous or well-prepared?
I think I’m neither. I’m of the mindset that I’ll take it as it comes. There’s no point in being nervous — I’m certainly not the first person in the world to become a mother! I can’t say I’m well-prepared because not only have I never done this before, but all babies are different too. I’ll just embrace it as it comes.
These days many people try out different things during pregnancy, like singing or talking to the baby. What are some pregnancy routines you abide by?
I play the baby my favourite music on Spotify from Yoyo-Ma, Snarky Puppy, Pink Martini, etc. every now and then. We talk to the baby sometimes, to ask her to calm down and chill out, especially when she kicks me a bit too hard!
How are you and your husband planning to spend the last few months, before your baby is born?
Well… that’s an interesting question! We had GRAND plans but due to COVID-19 we’ve had to cancel all of them and lay low for now.
What are some of the challenges you face when dressing your bump?
I haven’t had that much issues because my bump isn’t that big and the rest of my body is still in proportion. Obviously I can’t wear things like pencil skirts or tighter dresses with zips. As long as I go one size up from what I used to wear, and if they have some form of stretchy waistband or free-flowing cut, it’ll work fine.
At which point of your pregnancy did you start flaunting the bump with Style Theory’s Infinite Wardrobe?
Perhaps only in the last few weeks once I hit 30 weeks, I think! For a long time my bump wasn’t really visible – it just looked like I had too many burgers for lunch.
Renting your bump-friendly outfits instead of buying can be seen as a sustainable choice. If you plan to keep a sustainable lifestyle, how would you do it?
Children’s toys and outfits. They outgrow it so fast – I’d love to find a community that shares children’s clothes and toys. Not everything has to be brand new to be the best for my kid!
What are some things you look out for when it comes to renting clothes?
Good quality outfits, proper cleaning and laundry processes, and ease of rental (it has to be quick and efficient!)
How have you incorporated bump-friendly and maternity clothes for work, weekend, events or travel?
I love midi-length dresses that are flowing and can easily be adapted for all occasions! I’m in activewear a lot and they are naturally already quite stretchy, so I’ve been quite lucky that I can still wear most of my pre-baby body activewear.
You’ve been a subscriber for almost a year! What are your top 3 hits about Style Theory’s Service?
There’s such a wide range of clothing available that you can always try something new and be pleasantly surprised! I also love that the pick-up and delivery services are easy to coordinate. Recently, I’ve discovered the ‘Stylist’ feature where we can chat with a stylist in the app if we have specific styles we are after, and they can then drop it into my Wishlist for selection later. So easy to use, and such a great way to discover new outfits too.
What would you want to see more of from Style Theory?
More sizes please! There are many outfits I’d love to rent, but I haven’t seen them available in my size for a long time… but I guess that’s how in-demand and popular Style Theory is!
Last but not least, do you have any tips or advice for fellow mums-to-be?
Every pregnancy is different — know that you don’t have to take every single piece of advice or comment that comes your way. Everyone will suddenly have an opinion on your pregnancy (for whatever reason), but you can respectfully decide to not take the advice if you don’t feel it is relevant to you, your baby, and your partner. This is an amazing time for my husband and I, before we have a third person to join our team, and I truly treasure these moments and hope that mums-to-be do too!
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