It seems that when you’re pregnant, your to-do list suddenly seems a mile long and there is a very real deadline to get it all done. However, once that joyful little drooling bundle appears, all you want to do is curl up on the couch and toss those to-do’s out the window! Well, we have a discovered a shop that helps make one of those items on your list easier to accomplish. Meet Mayarya, the maternity store that is so much more than what you may think!
I popped over to Mayarya at the point where I was nearly ready to pop myself (38 weeks!). Instead of schlepping my huge self over using a taxi or public transport, I was picked up outside my front door by Mayarya’s private car service and dropped off directly in front of the shop, where the gorgeous owner Reika Shetty greeted me. She explained to me that she had started the store because she had found maternity shopping in HK to be quite challenging and wanted to make it a more pleasant experience for other moms to be. Well, that she did!
While we chatted, I sipped on coconut water and dined on pastries from Amanda B’s. She walked me around the shop and showed me her favourite lines and the special touches that make her store unique. One perk is a room where you can feed and change your little one so you don’t have to panic when those tiny cries start to erupt. There is also a huge comfy couch for you or your better half to take a load off if needed!
After being shown the range of clothing I was left wondering why I had not come in sooner! There was a fantastic offering of pieces that you can wear both during and after pregnancy, giving you more bang for your buck. These included caftans, wrap dresses, leather leggings and some very sexy rouched dresses. I loved the vast selection of high quality denim including J Brand, Paige, James Jeans and Isabella Oliver, with great shorts and skirts for the warmer months ahead. Also, I was taken with the lingerie available that was far more glam than I had seen at other shops! When everything is changing around you it is still nice to feel and dress like you along the journey!
While pregnant, I had a hard time finding a few basic items that you may take for granted pre-baby. One of these was workout apparel that I could wear out in public. Mayarya has you sorted with several options of tops and leggings. Another tricky find was suitable pajamas as mine all seemed to get very short and very tight in a short amount of time! Not only are the pj’s soft and wonderfully feminine, but many feature nursing straps so those 4am feedings become a lot easier (except for the fact that it’s 4am!)
I also found the task of buying a swimsuit quite daunting for a Bali babymoon we had planned. Now I know that I could have just gone here and stocked up on cute suits including one very hot red bikini! Plus, the gorgeous caftans and floaty dresses can help you stay covered in case you aren’t feeling like the fittest physique on the beach! These would also come in handy if you happen to be pregnant during the never-ending HK summer.
Some of the clothing also featured hidden panels and zip up seams to make nursing a breeze. These pieces could be great for the office, allowing you to pump at work without having to worry about undressing. One crafty piece was a green water-resistant army jacket that featured a hood on the inside to cover your baby’s head when you’re wearing an Ergo or Bjorn. Later, you can unfasten the hood and just have the coat for you… until baby number two that is!
The range of diaper bags was the best that I’ve seen in Hong Kong, actually resembling handbags. My favourite was a leather-look backpack that is perfect for the hipster parent on the go! It even includes a removable clutch for those times when you need to dash out the door sans kid and don’t want to take apart the whole bag to do so.
If you’re laid out with morning sickness, in confinement or just don’t have time to leave your little ones, the fantastic staff at Mayarya will even come to you. Just let them know what you’re in need of and what size you are and they will bring the shop to your home. Talk about convenience! They can also open the store early or close late in case your working hours don’t coincide with their normal operating hours. This is a shop that truly cares about your comfort and experience, so let Mayarya come to your wardrobe rescue and turn your to-do’s into to-done’s!
Mayarya Pregnancy Boutique
Sheung Wan location: G/F, 26 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, 2968 0929
Stanley location: Shop 104, 1/F, Stanley Plaza, Stanley, Hong Kong, 2968 0939