We all want to look cute when we’re pregnant, right?!? Keyword: want! But sometimes that feels so difficult to achieve with all of the changes to our bodies. I mean, we are growing a new life! A human being!! It’s the most amazing thing in the world, but comes with some not-so-amazing side effects sometimes.
I remember how “easy” my first pregnancy was. I did everything right. I was blessed to not have any terrible symptoms, weight gain etc. I worked out daily because that’s what I was doing already, and I had the time. I had time to plan my meals and truly focus on me; and to be honest, I fit into my regular clothes until about 31 weeks with the exception of a few bottoms that I had to get in maternity. Most of my clothes were pretty fitted, and the pants were just not comfortable! But HELLO maternity bands on pants!! I mean, I could wear them for every holiday from now – pregnant or not. I have to admit that I was pretty opposed to wearing maternity clothes the first time I was pregnant and was “proud” of myself for still fitting into all of my regular clothes. I didn’t really put much thought or effort into maternity clothes because our Hunter surprised us with his arrival at only 36 weeks. I seriously felt pregnant for maybe all of 2 months…don’t hate me too much – it’s caught up to me with pregnancies 2 & 3 😉
So fast forward to baby #2 born just 22 months later, and you can imagine that pregnancy was slightly different. I still had 5 lbs to lose from Hunter’s pregnancy, I was chasing a 13-22 month old around the whole time (HOLY TIRED), working full time and was just so hot and miserable in the New Orleans summer heat – Fun fact: Gage is a September baby … doesn’t get much hotter than that! Not to mention that your body is just quicker to lose shape the second go-round, at least in my experience. We also had a miscarriage prior to Gage, so I was really hesitant to do any type of strenuous activity. It ballooned from there, and I just felt “blah” for a lot of the pregnancy.
I wasn’t taking care of myself from the food that I ate to the lack of exercise. This, in turn, made me feel even less motivated, and the cycle just spun downward from there. You probably know what I’m talking about 🙁 As moms, we’re so busy giving to our families that sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. It wasn’t until it was too late really for me to undo what was already done. As the third trimester approached and things were just spiraling out of hand, I paid more attention to my nutrition, but I didn’t want to take on too much strenuous activity or be in a calorie-deficit while still growing a baby. I knew it was just something I’d deal with after baby was out.
But as you can imagine, I did not fit into my regular clothes much at all for my second pregnancy! I was breaking out those maternity leggings at 9 weeks – no joke! So then I had to work harder to find clothes that fit me but still made me feel okay on the inside. I’m also pretty stingy financially sometimes, so I just wasn’t willing to spend a fortune on maternity clothes knowing that I would only wear them for a short period of time! I spent some time researching different brands that offered maternity options or brands that had clothing pieces that I could easily size up in without it being too baggy and ill-fitting. It’s also great if you can find items that will work well post-delivery for nursing, c-section scars (think dresses!) and all of the other fun post-delivery challenges that may arise.
Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize – long necklaces, scarves, purses, shoes, sweaters/jackets, etc are all great ways to change up a look using your staple pieces! You can totally use what you already have or use this as an excuse to go buy some new ones 😉
So I wanted to gather some of the pieces I found that I really liked and thought were fairly priced (and a few worthwhile splurges!). Also, most of them aren’t super trendy. You can always change out accessories to keep things looking fresh 🙂 I hope you find this helpful as you embrace this new life you’re creating – You’re doing amazing, momma!!
H&M
H&M is one of my favorites shops for chic maternity fashion all around. They have both staple and trendy pieces all reasonably priced. Unfortunately, I didn’t discover them until a bit later on because H&M has never been one of my highly shopped brands. Their tanks and t-shirts are some of my maternity favorites, though, from the way they fit to the way they feel. I only have the black and white, but they come in multiple colors. Black and white, for me, are such easy colors to change up in other ways. I promise you can’t go wrong with any colors of this shirt, though! These basic cotton jersey dresses are awesome, too! I mean, obviously, you can tell that I love these staples. They are just so comfortable, look great on their own or pair well with other items to change things up! They also have these super cute 3-piece sets that come with a tank, short-sleeve top and pants – super great for post delivery/nursing, too!
They also have these great tops that are a little fancier and more colorful but still pair well with a variety of bottoms and work for various situations. This top is a beautiful pale green color with a flowy look to it. You can pair with shorts, jeans, leggings, or throw a sweater over it! This blue top is perfect to pair with black bottoms and some leopard print shoes/accessories. It would also look super cute with white shorts/jeans. It has the perfect little amount of frill around the top to be feminine. This linen top comes in some great colors and can be used as either a staple or a pop of color!
Spanx
I didn’t discover how awesome Spanx bottoms were until right before I became pregnant with our third. I’ll totally admit I was late to the game on these. I remember many of my friends who were dancers in high school using the shapewear, but actual clothing items didn’t exist at that time. I think the price scared me off honestly when they first started becoming popular; but – oh em gee – are they totally worth the price! They are comfortable, really “suck you in” if you need it (but in a comfortable way!), and hold up well! I have both maternity and non-maternity versions of many of their bottoms. The only thing that’s a bummer is they don’t offer petite sizing in maternity, so they are a little longer on me than my regular Spanx bottoms. I don’t find it to be a huge inconvenience, though, and think that the other benefits far outweigh this drawback! I have the faux leather leggings as one of my bottoms that can easily be paired with heels and dressed up – just gives you a little something to be excited about on a Friday night 😉 I’ll throw on a blazer if it’s a work event or a cute top with them if it’s a weekend social event! I also love, love, love the jeanish leggings and have them in both white and twilight rinse (basically dark jean). I promise you it’s totally worth it to invest in at least one pair of these for your pregnancy. If you’re having a mostly spring/summer pregnancy, definitely go with the white. Remember – you get more hot than normal while pregnant, so lighter colors will be better!
Pinkblush
Pinkblush was actually a boutique find when I started my foray into searching for stylish maternity clothes. If you just simply google “maternity clothes” I find they are always one of the top searches to come up. I don’t know about you, but I’m sometimes skeptical that people are paying to be at the top of the list, and I can’t really trust their products. Well, I tried them out when they had a sale and I really love their stuff. Their customer service is great, too, and their products are high quality. They just have a super cute, comfy, colorful vibe about their inventory! I invested in 3-4 colorful kimonos from them to brighten and change up my black and white staples. This one is a new print and so cute! I also have a few of their dresses. This particular dress is great for multipurpose use and so comfortable! I do prefer a more fitted clothing look in general, but they also offer tons of dresses with a looser fit and feel. I’ve noticed this dress is out of stock frequently, but they continue to restock it year after year because it’s so popular. I also have this ruched, sleeveless dress which was perfect for summertime and easily paired with a kimono. You can totally dress it up or down with heels or cute sneakers. They have so many color options – you can find the right color for your skin tone, hair color, baby shower, maternity photos, season of year, the possibilities are endless!! All of their materials are super comfortable which is so important when you’re already pregnant and uncomfortable in so many other ways. Their prices are fairly reasonable, but I find they run sales pretty often. I would definitely recommend waiting for a sale before purchasing 🙂
Soma
I never truly appreciated a good, comfortable bra until I was pregnant the first time and experienced soooo much breast/nipple tenderness! Sorry to be TMI but I mean, you couldn’t even LOOK at them!! I had tried Soma bras before, but I don’t think I was impressed enough for the price way back when. I was still pretty pro-Victoria’s Secret, but this was around the same time I noticed their quality to not be as good as it once was. I began the search for a new bra and was duly impressed with Soma’s quality, and I guess it had gotten to the point where the price wasn’t as much of a sticker shock since I was working and not a poor college student anymore. Who knows? Maybe I was just desperate for any sort of relief and comfort in that area! Anyway, I love all of their bras and underwear, and it’s honestly all I wear now. My favorite bra while pregnant is the Enbliss Wireless Bra. It’s so soft and just conforms to your body to easily move with you. I’m not as much of a fan of it when I’m not pregnant because I don’t have very large breasts and this bra does not provide a ton of definition in my opinion. I do still wear it sometimes if I’m not wearing a very fitted top because it really is that comfortable! When I’m not pregnant, this bra tends to be more of my go-to because it has better cup definition in my opinion. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention Soma’s amazingly soft sleepwear. I used to just wear big old t-shirts from college when sleeping, nothing special; but I wanted to have some presentable, yet comfy clothes to wear when we started having visitors (and help!) to meet our newest addition. I happened upon a sale at Soma not long before delivery and discovered the Cool Nights collection. I grabbed some t-shirt/pant sets at first and then discovered the sleepshirts shortly after (because I just had to have more!). I actually love the sleepshirts the best because my pants always get messed up at night while sleeping. Dresses are infinitely easier in my opinion, especially when you’re pregnant and post delivery! Make sure to wait until they’re at least “2 for $60” (or better!) to grab yours 😁
And more …
Don’t discount sizing up in normal clothing, especially if you prefer a tighter fit and look. Forever21 was my go to for these types of shirts and dresses if I wanted something a bit trendier. Their prices are so cheap that I didn’t mind if I only wore it a few times during a pregnancy. I’m not going to link anything specific because they change their inventory out extremely frequently, but I felt the store itself was worth a mention!
Other notable stores for everyday items are Old Navy, Gap, The Loft, and Ingrid & Isabel, but I found these to be extremely hit-or-miss and more expensive.
I hope these recommendations help you find your right style and fit for pregnancy … let me know if there are any other must-haves you’ve discovered along the way! We’re all in this together, momma 🙂
