Being pregnant last Summer I proudly strolled around (in the streets of Basel and surroundings) in slim fit clothing showing of my beautiful round belly. Unfortunately I experienced elderly people who got some what upset about it. Rolling their eyes - taking in some extra air. I did not show any skin or anything like that. I thought I looked "Pregnant; Modern and Chic" - but to some Swiss people it was regarded too liberated. Anyone else with the same experience?

It sounds pretty odd to me now too, but when I was pregnant it was normal for a Mum-to-be to wear trousers or a skirt with a sort of 'smock' over the top. It went 'out' over the bump' but didn't go 'in' underneath it. It was comfortable and although it was pretty obvious what was going on, it didn't shout 'pregnant' the way the clothes Mums-to-be wear now tend to. There was no question of wearing 'skin-tight' clothing over the bump! It just wasn't done.

Fashions change, but it takes quite a bit of getting used to and maybe some elderly people just didn't change when fashions did.

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Longbyt

I guess it depends on what size you are etc etc.

Personally, I do not like to see a large lady with her whole pregnancy bump exposed - her trousers/jeans very low down and a tee shirt ending just over her boobs

If you were not exposing too much - I can't see what the problem was?

But we are not talking about young ladies looking at other young ladies. We are talking about elderly ladies looking at young ladies. Most people on here who have changed 'country and culture' will readily admit that it is a lot more difficult than it sounds to cast off the teaching, manners, rules of ones childhood.

And these elderly ladies had possibly had it drummed into them that a well brought up Mum-to-be simply does not go around with the bump, albeit well covered by clothing, so 'open to view'.

If it helps any, I was hit by old ladies with handbags and called a variety of names, some of which I had to research as had not heard them before when I was pregnant all because I looked several years younger than I actually was, luckily, time has now caught up and then some

I was wearing the very traditional 'flowing' robes when pregnant, so can only put the above attitudes to the delay in the older generation to respond to culteral changes in the uk at the time.

In Zurich, little old ladies just came up to you and hit with their handbags and called you names......

This is very un-Swiss, the Swiss are not confrontational in the least, they may stare and mutter to themselves, but to hit or abuse you.....

I find it hard to believe that a bunch of old ladies will hit a pregnant woman. - regardless of the plaguing social issues that teenage mothers in the UK are leeches of the welfare system.

Hitting a pregnant woman? Like wow.

For me this can only happen in Russia (no offense, it indeed happened)....but in Switzerland?...hard to imagine. In spite of that, someone dares to hit pregnant woman?!?! That's crazy and dangerous. I'd call police for that.....

- a "well-self-protected and always keep watching the situation and people around" pregnant woman.

Yes,I have seen the latest "trend". And I find it quite .. well .... sort-of ... attractive ... in a weird way..... and sort of rebelious, if that is the correct word..?.. against the old time smocks that screamed out "I am PREGNANT!" .. when a bump is a bump its a bump, however it is disguised..hahaaaaa....

I have heard comments that this is a statement of "Fertility" ... with so many women these days battling to fall pregnant ...... that it is something to show to the world (not MY words, merely what I have heard in comments on the bared belly look)

Although, I must say ..... 40 years ago .... when brave young wives walked proudly on the beach in their bikinis with their bulge .. they THEN got the disparaging looks from the elderly.

Its all about learning to adapt to changing times, methinks.

(Who moved the cheese?)

Never experienced that!

When I was pregnant with my first it was during a warm summer in Basel. I didn't buy any maternity clothes because all my shirts are made of stretch fabrics and most of my skirts were with large jersey bands that I found in normal shops. I couldn't handle maternity clothes.... Yark!

I was going around all in belly showing without coming accross any bad comments or disapproval looks. It was actually the opposite. People were smilling at me and looking at my belly with tender in the eye.

I am now doing the same thing except that this time I have maternity jeans but my tops are all my ''normal'' tops. So again, you can't miss the belly and when I go to the store and take off my jacket, I get nice smiles and looks.

Gosh, that sounds liberated. Where was it?

I always thought that Demi Moore moved the perimeters for pregnant dressing, after posing naked and beautifully pregnant on the cover of some magazine.

Ever notice how women's clothing gets very silly with ribbons and bows and lace collars and pastel flowers for mothers-to-be ?
Never found a reasonable explanation for this trend.. and it certainly isn't that type of conveyed primness that gets a lady into the family way !!
Perhaps by wearing clothes that show off your figure, you're defining your femininity and that, in society's mind set, may be disturbing, as there seems to be this "motherly" aura that all pregnant women are encouraged to embrace. As if being a mother and being a woman were two different things. A man remains a man, but a woman changes functions, she evolves from "desirable partner" to the "mother of his children"
As conservative as it may seem, I'm not certain that society will accept a change.

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"Il mondo è fatto a scale, chi le scende e chi le sale"

I didn;t find that, all my mat clothes came from isabella oliver in the UK (well, via ebay ) and they were fabulous, flattering and I thought very smart and trendy. Some of them were better than my normal clothes!

well perhaps times they are a changing after all

Oh dear, this sounds like pretty regular behavior of Swiss elderly ladies, everyone stares here!

i must say I'm experiencing quite the opposite! I'm still wearing my normal (stretchy) tops even though I'm 6.5 months pregnant, which means that my tummy can't be missed.

So far, I met only nice smiles from everybody. Even more, people at work who were barely saying hello to me now stop for a little chat and ask me how I am and details about the baby.

I think it depends if you look like this:



Which I think look really nice.

Or if you look like this:




Which may bring you some bad comments and slaps... I mean just the outfit itself deserve a slap....

Laughing! You`r right. But I looked like the first picture. Only gained 8 kg and looked fine. Showing no skin. But they stared anyway. Maybe it`s more a religious thing. In the city of Basel it was fine. It was the small villages surrunding Basel it mostly happened.

Maybe it is because you were absolutely stunning and people were amazed to see such a hot mama!

See, when I was pregnant, it was during a baby boom in Basel (3 years ago) almost every woman was pregnant!!! I wasn't really original...

I am guessing they put something in the water here!

It did taste a little salty the last time I was there