It is absolutely crazy to me that I am 31 weeks pregnant! That second trimester absolutely few by. It has been the sweetest and wildest thing watching my belly grow. With it growing, I’ve been having to figure out how to dress this new body of mine, which has been fun but also a little tricky/ frustrating at times. I just wanted to write a post and share what I’ve found helpful for dressing myself while pregnant and the pieces I’ve been loving.
Obviously my body’s been changing and definitely looks different than it did 8 months ago. I am soooo grateful to be pregnant and truly have been enjoying it immensely, but its simultaneously plain weird seeing your body change! With the changes I’ve just worked on being super positive and upbeat about it. I focus on the absolute miracle it is to have a human inside of me. I focus on him being healthy. And I don’t allow my mind to entertain any negative thoughts about my body, much less speak them out loud.
Secondly, this sounds simple enough, but I’ve just been dressing myself in what makes me feel comfortable. I’ve just been learning what I personally like the best on me, and don’t force other things. I’ve got about 15 pieces of clothing right now that I just cycle through. I don’t worry about wearing the same thing multiple times a week- if I like it I just wear it! I feel like you get a pass for a lot of things while pregnant haha, but really just in the past year or so I’ve been learning what I really like and I don’t care how often I wear it or if its a little “different” than what most people are wearing.
So that would be my advice for dressing your new body: don’t entertain any negative thoughts that might creep in, and then dress in what makes you feel good! I just want to share some of the pieces that I have been enjoying and have been in that weekly rotation I was talking about!
I’ve actually only bought 3 maternity pieces. A couple of brands have been so sweet to send me some pieces to try, but most of the basics I’ve been wearing so far are just normal clothes that I’ll be able to wear after the baby is born. Any clothes I’ve bought I can wear now while pregnant and also after the baby. Another thing is I buy a lot of my clothes secondhand. I just think its so fun and I love a good deal! Poshmark and Thredup are awesome. I’ve found some really good pieces for a great prices on there. So with that…
I say “workout clothes” but these are just comfy, casual clothes that are super easy to throw on, whether you’re working out or not. We lived at our summer camp for 2 1/2 months and along with oversized t-shirts this was literally all I wore. The Lulu Lemon Tracker Shorts have been great. I’ve been wearing my pre-pregnancy ones, they just sit a little lower on my waist now. The waistband is super stretchy and wide and can give a lot. Someone recommended the Lulu Lemon Hotty Hot short for pregnancy, but I was not a fan. Maybe its because I bought the long version, but to me the waistband was not as comfortable as the one on the tracker shorts. (I wear a size 6 (which is equivalent to a size small) in all Lulu Lemon pieces I talk about)
For tops the Lulu Lemon Swiftly Tech Short Sleeve Shirt has been a favorite. I’m normally not a huge fan of fitted shirts, but wow I love this shirt. It is so soft, thin (but not see-through), breathable, and I think really cute. It’s rather long and goes down past my bump- so I totally see this fitting till the end of my pregnancy. This was the best shirt at camp when it was SO hot outside.
I’m putting these pants under “workout” but while these are joggers I can totally see these being dressed up if you want. These are THE perfect pant. I wonder what I used to wear before them ha! I hate to say that and sound dramatic lol, but I honestly am so passionate about these. They’re the Lulu Lemon Align Jogger. If you’ve been keeping up with my “bump-dates” on my Instagram stories, these are the pants I’m wearing in nearly all of them ha. Basically if I’m not wearing these it’s because they’re in the washing machine. I have these in the dark olive.
When the weather cools off I’ll probably end up buying a pair of the Align Leggings since my leggings no longer fit. They’re the same material as the jogger! (In Lulu’s leggings I always go for the 25″ crop version! They are the perfect length for me being 5’4.”) I’d much rather buy these and be able to get use out of them after the baby is born than buy maternity ones.
I bought one tunic that I actually wear more as a dress, but I’ll place it under tops. Its the We the Free Summer Daydream Buttondown. Its a good cover-up over a swimsuit as well, so this top has come in handy as its really versatile. I have basically 3 casual shirts I switch between (when I need to dress nicer I wear a jumpsuit or a dress). Not much to explain about these… they’re just basic tees! I wear clothes more oversized in general, so these have been great from no bump to a 30 week bump, and I’ll still wear them after the baby. There’s this white Free People tee. This grey Free People tee. This striped tee from Clad and Cloth.
Whenever I need to dress a little nicer I always go for a jumpsuit or dress. I have 2 Hatch jumpsuits that are SO easy to throw on and I always reach for in my closet. These are more investment pieces- I know they’ll be in my closet for years and because they’re basics I’ll wear them during any future pregnancies. The cool thing about this company is their pieces can be worn with a bump or without a bump. This one is slightly more casual, and then this one I wear when I’m dressing up. This one is new, and I don’t have it but it’s part of their collaboration with J. Crew and lower-priced!
A Pea in the Pod sent me these maternity overalls and I love them! I love them so much that I just put my normal go-to black overalls in storage because I plan on wearing these even after baby is born!
This romper has been awesome. I sized up for my bump. This may not fit towards the end, but has been easy to wear so far! They’re sold out of the color I have, but they have several color options and sleeve lengths to choose from.
I haven’t had a ton of need of pants since I’ve been pregnant through the summer, but I have really liked these and think they’ll be great to finish my pregnancy out in. If I worked in an office and was dressing nice everyday I would probably wear these every. single. day. Here’s another option!
Oversized Free People dresses have been my jam. Incredible because they can be worn before, during, and after pregnancy. This is the dress I wore to my shower. I switch between small and xs in Free People dresses and in this dress was still about to wear an xs even with a bump because its roomy. I have another shower coming up and am thinking I’ll wear this one (such a good Poshmark score whoop whoop). An xs works in this as well. My friend wore this pregnant and it looked so cute on her! It comes in lots of colors.
Seraphine was so sweet to send me some pieces and I love this dress! It shows off a bump so sweetly.
Ok you can obviously wear pretty much whatever shoes while pregnant ha, but I just wanted to share what I’ve found to be so comfortable! For sneakers I switch between my Adidas and my Hokas, but lately have landed on the Hokas because they’re like walking on clouds. I wear these 6/7 days a week, because when I’m at home I’m wearing these while I run around the house. ***Something about wearing sneakers at home makes me more productive!
Birkenstocks, in my opinion, are the most comfortable, supportive, everyday sandals. I, pre-pregnancy, have some back problems, and these help so much. These are my the ones I wear most often.
When I’m dressing up mules have been great! Mine are from Roolee and the exact pair I wear is sold out, but they have lots of other options. They’re flat for when I don’t want to wear a heel, and with the closed toe, I feel like they look a little nicer.
Lastly, I’ve loved these platform shoes. Its like a heel without really being a heel haha.
Before being pregnant I really wasn’t much of a bikini-wearer, but I have found myself most comfortable in bikinis. It feels good to get a little sun on my belly and just kind of let it breathe a bit. I ended up pulling out one of my only bikinis (my mom gave me for Christmas several years ago) and I went from never wearing it, to solely wearing it. The brand is Boys and Arrows, with the “Raz” bottom and the “Dizzy Izzy” top. I found another in a different print on Poshmark so I now have two since I’m in a swimsuit about every other day ha. What I love about this swimsuit is it’s seamless. It doesn’t cut in on my skin so it is incredibly comfortable.
I’ve gotten a couple pair of Eberjey pajamas for birthday and Christmas gifts and they are all I sleep in now. I am happy to report they are working out awesome as pregnancy pajamas.
I’m not quite sure where to place this outfit, so I’ll put it here! I have loved this little set. It’s technically loungewear but I wear it pretty much wherever. It’s a sweet little set and makes me feel a little more put together even though its casual. *Also just so you know the price shows up in Australian currency, so it’s actually less in USD.
So there you have it! I hope this is helpful for those of you who have been asking where I’m finding clothes for my pregnancy. I looked at different blogs and reviews and to other pregnant mamas to help figure out what I could wear pregnant. This is just somewhat of a compilation of all that. I’m not saying you need
Love the advice, Mary Kate! I’m nowhere near ready to have a baby yet, but still, I’m going to use the simple tip of just not thinking anything negative about my body. As long as I’m taking care of it, that’s all I need to worry about :).
By the way, I used Kotryna Bass! Love love love everything about her templates! I’ve been blogging for years but just now changed to blogger, so it looks like my site just got started… It’s still in progress, but I have a second post on the way, and I’d love for you to check it out! Let me know what you think if you do!
spiritsongblog.blogspot.com
Did you have to size up on any of the lulu pieces? I’m normally a size 6 in lulu but thinking about getting an 8 for my growing belly?