A maternity fashion show and talks on pre-natal and post-natal care will take place this weekend.

New Additions Boutique has teamed up with local designer Amethyst to put on the Labour of Love event to show women about the clothing for that particular time.

New Additions Boutique owners Amanda Hamza and Tracey Paiva said some of the clothing that will be featured can be used both during and after pregnancy. They also have items such as nursing shirts that can be used after the birth of the baby.

The owners had initially planned to have the fashion show when they first opened their doors last May, but they said, ?time got away from them?.

The proceeds from the event will support two charities, the Women?s Resource Centre and the Restorers of Hope Charity, which has been organised by Christine Atcheson.

Ms Atcheson?s charity is building a new orphanage in Uganda, for children who have been orphaned by both the plight of AIDS and the 18-year civil war in the north of the country.

The event, which takes place at the St. John?s Church Hall on Sunday between 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., will feature 15 vendors and three guest speakers who will speak about pregnancy, childbirth and paediatric care.

The speakers are Dr. Terry Lynne Emery, consultant obstetrician, Dr. Elaine Campbell, anaesthetist, and Dr. Olutoyin Fayemi, a paediatrician.

The Women?s Resource Centre will also have a talk to let everyone know what the organisation is all about.

The vendors are the Nurses Practice, The Health Co-op, Mrs. Jackson, who makes christening cakes, Meet a Mom Association, artist Cheerie Richardson, who does body casting, La Leche League, a breast feeding support group, In Harmony, a photographer, Lisa Blyden, who does the Bradly Hicks method of birth, Gene Christie, who does Pilates, Simone Hollis, Government nutritionist, Jennifer Brimmer, who deals with asthma, Cheryl Darrell, who makes baby clothes, Mums of Multiples, and the Physical Abuse Centre.

Ms Hamza said they are looking for an audience of anyone who is is contemplating having a baby or who just wants more information.

She added that one of the clothing lines on show will be Mjamas, which is a nursing line.

?It can be worn when you are not pregnant,? she said.

?Our fashion show is not only for the pregnant woman, but also for after.?

?The Mjamas designer?s kids are seven and eight, but she still wears the clothing that she designs. It?s really a good company and a lot of our clothing is for pregnancy and beyond.?

Mrs, Paiva said often women think, ?well, I?m only showing for six months? and they don?t want to spend a lot of money on items that wont be worn after.

But she said: ?If you choose to wear the nice clothes they will last you a lifetime, not just six months.

?They are a little different, sometimes they are A-line cut, but after you can sew them down the side.

?These manufacturers have now decided that pregnant women can be in style, trendy, you can have to colours, we can give it to you.

?There are options and they are great options ? you don?t have to look frumpy, and frilly with a whole bunch of flowers on your tummy. You can look trendy and gorgeous when you?re pregnant. Being pregnant doesn?t mean that you don?t want to stop shopping.?

During pregnancy women do not often feel their best and Ms Hamza said the aim was to ensure that ?women feel sexy?.

Amethyst said he was doing a small collection of maternity wear for the show.

?I?m doing stuff that is very smart casual to semi-formal, which can be worn both during and after the pregnancy,? he said.

?So it?s multi-use, much like the Spirit Wear line, although this is slightly different.?

The audience can expect to see white, said Amethyst.

?The whites are normal, as it is the signature colour for Spirit Wear, but I am also doing browns, a bit of red, ice blue and of course yellow,? he said.

?There will be a good array of stuff that people will see that can and cannot wear without looking like maternity clothing.?

?Spirit Wear is for the fuller woman to enjoy looking and feeling beautiful and I felt that you do put on size when you are pregnant, so therefore why not still look beautiful during your pregnancy. So, I figured that Spirit Wear would be the ideal thing for women to feel glamorous like real women.

?The idea is for women to feel unlike what they usually feel and the whole idea is to keep them looking sexy without revealing too much.?

The owners said the shop is also a bit of an oasis to moms to be and to those who are expecting.

?We are unique and we are open to every and anybody,? said Ms Hamza.

?Mom can come in here with her child that is a little bit restless, who doesn?t want to be shopping on a Saturday afternoon. We have colouring books and crayons and we get down on the floor and colour with them while mom shops.

?So many times our customers have said that they don?t get this kind of service anywhere else.

?It is not just about being a business, it is about feeling comfortable, having some type of relationship with your clients.

?If you are breast feeding, you can stop in, have a cup of tea while you breast feed the baby and then you are on your way.?

Tickets, which can be purchased on the door, are $5 each or free with a purchase from New Additions Boutique. For more information (292-7090 or email newadditionslogic.bm.