Lots of people get very freaked out by maternity clothes. The book “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” even quotes a mother-to-be, “I can’t squeeze into my jeans anymore, but I dread buying maternity clothes.”
I, on the other hand, have enjoyed stocking up on some fabulous goods to wear while sporting my baby bump! Before I started shopping, I did come up with a game plan though.
The Plan.
1. Buy transitional items. Items that I will be able to layer for late Winter and also wear into the Spring and Summer.
2. Buy items that will grow with me. I do not want to be out trying to buy clothes in June.
3. Plan for big events during your pregnancy. Best friend’s shower, my baby shower, friend’s baby shower, Best friend’s rehearsal dinner. Business dinners. Holidays. Birthdays. Babymoon. (I’m the world’s worst at waiting until the late minute to buy a dress or outfit for something & I know it will be harder to do with a growing belly so I’m stocking the closet early to avoid fashion-drama.)
4. Don’t forget your daily routine. I no longer work in an office so thankfully I don’t have to worry about work clothes but I knew I needed to make sure I had lots of leggings, jeans, t-shirts (long sleeve & short), tank tops for layering and gym clothes.
5. Barefoot & Pregnant? I don’t think so. Shoes are important. They need to be comfortable, versatile and not too tall. Balance quickly becomes a problem (or at least for me it did) and I don’t need to increase my chances of falling so I’ve been sticking to my Revas and riding boots most days. But of course it’s not a bad idea to have a pair of comfy heels in the closet for date nights or dinner parties.
My Pregnancy Basics.
1. Black Wrap Dress aka The Early/After Dress. Mine is by Japanese Weekend. With different jewelry and shoes, you can wear this to everything from church to a cocktail party.
2. Additional Classic Dress. I own the navy dress to the right by A Pea in the Pod. This dress fits great and I know it would come in handy when I’m dressing for showers and parties.
3. Bold Piece. Treat yourself to a trendy item that you fall in love with. I found this Maternal America kimono dress at a local boutique in Kirkwood, MO but it’s also available on Nordstom.com. This dress is a great example of a transitional item. Wear the dress with leggings and a black long sleeve tee under it for a casual dinner during Winter months. When the temperatures starts rising, wear it with bare arms and legs with a cute sandal by day and peep-toe and bangles by night.
4. Splurge Item. Designer denim. It’s worth it. Most people can wear the same pair throughout their entire pregnancy. I purchased these Kelly Bootcut jeans by Citizens of Humanity with the (trademarked) Secret Fit Belly panel at Destination Maternity. I had my tailor adjust the length with original hem and I would be lost without them. They are comfortable. They make me feel great and they work for daytime with tshirts and dinners out with cute tops. I also plan to order a pair of skinny ankle jeans for Spring and also a pair of white jeans. No need to explain. I also love the True Religion maternity jeans. I will tell you I purchased a pair of Rock & Republic “early/after” jeans and I hated them! Just embrace the belly panel, you’ll thank yourself over and over again. I have to thank Erin for the advice to find the closest Destination Maternity and to not leave without a pair of Citizens! Thanks, friend!
5. Leggings. God’s gift to pregnant women. Okay, all women! My two favorites: The (trademarked) Secret Fit Belly leggings at Destination Maternity (I own in black & gray) & the BeMaternity Seamless leggings.
6. Tunics. I own these two by Michael Stars. I found the cowlneck dress (mine is bright pink) at the boutique in Kirkwood but you can find it here at Belly Dance Maternity. I adore the girls at Belly Dance, they are just as sweet as can be! The cowlneck tunic in Spice can be purchased here at Destination Maternity.
7. Tees & Tanks. I have a few from A Pea in the Pod, one from Destination Maternity, a couple from Liz Lange for Target but my #1 pick for tees and tanks is the American favorite The Gap! I have to thank my newest friend, Colleen over at Pink Holidaze for giving me the 411 on her favorite maternity items (one being Gap tees), infant seats and her hairdresser!
8. Gym clothes. Each to their own but I’m not wearing my husband’s pants to work out in or ever for that matter (okay, I will wear his fleece pajama pants from time to time but inside my house and that’s it). Lucky for me, Zulily had Fit2bMom on giant sale a few weeks ago and I landed these three items for near to nothing. Again, hoodie for now. Tank for later.
My Bookmarks of Maternity Shops:
Target Maternity: Online carries other brands the store does not. i.e., Moody Mamas, Cocoon Maternity, BeMaternity
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I have to disagree with buying for events early…between weeks 22 and 27 my bump has changed dramatically! The dress I bought at 23w for my shower this weekend 27w no longer fits correctly! Same situation, different dress, for a charity event I had last week. I much prefer to just go shop the week before. I think the jeans also totally depend on your body type, too. The over bump Rock & Republics are still much more comfortable and flattering than my panel Sevens. I’m also still rocking my Louboutin heels for as long as possible!
I’m not pregnant right now, but thanks for the recommendations! When the time comes, these will be super helpful
I’m so thankful that there are so many cute maternity clothes out there now! I remember when my mom was pregnant with my sister and all that she had to wear were those tent dresses with the big bow at the neck 
Nina,
although, I stil have a little pouch but, we are trying for baby #2 so I hope to use some of your tips soon again.
This is such great advice! when I was pregnant last year I did the same..bought versatile pieces that can mix and match day to night! and then wear after the baby b/c for a few months after you still want comfy clothes…after a few months I was back in my size 6 jeans and now I even bought a size 4 and was so happy
Feel well!
That’s it. I really am going to hire you to pick all my clothes for me the next time I get pregnant. You’re always impeccable, but you are making maternity look fan-freaking-tastic. I think the main thing I found with my maternity wear was that you really get what you pay for. I also couldn’t wrap my brain around people avoiding maternity wear. Hello? STRETCHY pants. That are socially acceptable to wear! What’s not to love?
Love this post, Nina! This is my second pregnancy and unfortunately, we don’t have much to choose from when it comes to shopping for maternity clothes! You have great taste and given me some great ideas and wonderful resources for shopping on-line. Thanks for sharing, hope you are feeling well!
I agree with Chas on the event wear! With my first pregnancy, I tried that and it was a failure. With my second, i bought no sooner than two weeks out and everything fit flawlessly.
I also refuse to pay the price for many of those brands, when I’ll wear most of them only a couple of months. But like you said, to each his own!
I had the paige maternity jeans that had the adjustable waist band and LOVED them! I wore my regular jeans until around 26 weeks though. I also got a lesser expensive pair at gap that were cute too.
And I didn’t really need maternity clothes until later, so I didn’t buy too much until about midway. And I was due in June, so I waited until closer to time of showers, etc to buy. While my belly didn’t get “huge”, my chest was – so it was good that I didn’t buy too far in advance
Great post! You are a super stylish momma-to-be! Thanks for sharing your favorites so far. I really need to splurge on a pair of good jeans, I am using my Bella Band with my non-maternity jeans currently. It works okay, but not the most comfortable. Last pregnancy I was able to wear my regular Joe’s Jeans and 7 for All Mankind jeans throughout the whole thing, but I think I am carrying differently this time around. Also the husband clothing comment made me laugh, I think it was about the 7th month last time when I gave in and started wearing his t-shirts to bed. That’s as far as it went though!
thanks for all the tips! I am 25 weeks and am on the hunt this weekend for jeans so i appreciate the inside scoop!
Erin- email or tweet (bmds99) me your email address and ill send you a friends and family in march for gap
Not even pregnant, but I am so impressed with all the cute choices out there!!
You always look so adorable in your tweets showing your bump; I think you’ve got the whole pregnancy style thing mastered! I’m sending this page to my pregnant friend ASAP.
I TOTALLY agree with buying the Kelly Bootcut Citizens Jeans…I bought them and seriously wore them ALL the time! It’s amazing what a great pair of designer jeans can do for a preggy girl’s style needs!!! Well worth it!!! I would wait till you are closer to each event b/c it’s amazing how your body changes from month to month…I did not get near as big as I thought I would! You will look amazing no matter what…you have the best style! I am a huge fan of your blog and am so happy that you are entering into Mommyland!! Pickles and IceCream is where I got ALL of my dresses…so cute!