Maternity Clothes

So I can admit that upon finding out that I was pregnant, there were many fears and concerns, one of the biggest being "WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO WEAR?!" The farther along you get in your pregnancy, when you realize that none of your cute clothes fit you anymore, you begin to realize that it is time to search for maternity clothes. This can be scary for most, especially since there is not a huge selection out there of fashionable maternity clothes. Now this is something that bothers me. Who says just because you're pregnant you have to wear some boring moomoo?! I recently got a job at a very well known maternity store, in fact its probably the "go to" store when it comes to shopping for maternity clothes, but even I can admit that there are very few things that i find match my own "personal style." Of course I make it work and mix and match the maternity pieces with pieces I have from before I was pregnant that I FORCE myself into. This is very frustrating to me. Yes, it is true that when you're pregnant you want to be more modest and comfortable, but that does not mean that you have to look frumpy, boring, and in no way should you have to give up that fashionista in you to hide your bump.

So here is a little list I have made to help women out when it comes to maternity shopping. There are few pregnancy ESSENTIALS that I believe all pregnant women should have in their closets. I have also found some great websites for the fashion forward pregnant lady who wants to rock that baby bump in style.

The first couple months of your pregnancy you should still be able to fit into most of your clothes. As your baby bump grows, there are some things that you will want to get to make you feel comfortable.

1. The belly band: The belly band is an elastic band that you can put over your pre pregnancy pants to hold them up. This is something I loved, I could wear my pants unbuttoned so they would still fit and the belly band went right over it to hold them up. They look like camis underneath your tops and come in white, black, and tan so they can go with pretty much any outfit. Belly bands are perfect for when you're struggling with the pants buttons but aren't quite ready to move onto the full band maternity pants. I am still wearing my band today and I am 8 months preggers.

2. Leggings: Nothing seemed more comfortable to me then a pair of leggings to wear underneath my dress or tunic shirts. This is a must for throughout your entire pregnancy. I find that a lot of women are against the idea, but as soon as they get a pair on they end up living in them for most of their pregnancy.

3. Cami tanks with built in bras: Now your boobs are most likely going to get huge during your pregnancy. At first you will love it, and then you will begin to hate it when you can no longer fit into any of your bras. In fact, my favorite thing to do when I first get home is take off my bra. Cami tanks with built in bras are great because you can wear them underneath your clothes AND GO BRA LESS, something you might want to take advantage of before you begin to nurse.

4. Striped T's: I will be the first to admit that I have a serious stripe addiction. Many pregnant women probably wouldn't think to even go near them but they honestly make the belly bump super cute, and unexpectedly makes you look a lot smaller.

So above are the early term necessities, but once you get farther along you will want to add a good pair of maternity jeans (I preferred an over the belly band for comfort), side rouge T's, a comfy sweat set (valuer is making its comeback), dress pants, and pretty dresses that either have a stretchy band at the waste or a belt to accentuate that belly.


ONLINE SHOPPING! It is very unfortunate that most of the "good" maternity clothes can only be found online, especially since women don't know how much they will be growing during their pregnancy so sizing is always a little weird. I recommend going into a maternity store FIRST and figuring out which size you're by trying on some clothes, pick up the basics while you're there and then get your more stylist pieces online. Most maternity sizes go by your pre pregnancy size, unless you're have twins and would then need to go up a size.

Here are some sites that I found to have ADORABLE maternity clothes, I just wish I found them earlier on in my pregnancy, not much use to me now being a few weeks away from my due date.

Asos Maternity
HATCH
Topshop Maternity
Splendid
GAP maternity
A Pea In the Pod
Shop Bop
Rosie Pope
Isabella Oliver
H&M
Nordstroms Maternity
Dorothy Perkins
American Apparel