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I was talking to a friend the other day about being pregnant and how it felt like the longest and shortest 9 months of my life. When it comes to clothing, it’s such a weird time in your life because you’re body is constantly changing and you need clothes that actually fit, but you don’t want to spend that much money on something you can only wear for a few weeks. However, there were some pieces that became my hero pieces during my pregnancy. These were pieces that stretched with me and lasted the majority of my pregnancy. I would suggest these pieces to any pregnant woman and they aren’t expensive so you don’t have to feel like you’re throwing money out the window.
(PS I know I said I wasn’t going to turn this into a maternity/pregnancy blog and I’m not going to. But after sending this list over to a few friends, I knew that I needed to share it here.)
My Maternity Must Haves
Dresses and Jumpsuits
Amazon Sleeveless Dress
My favorite hack for finding good maternity clothes? Amazon. I discovered that if you type in “maternity sweaters” or “maternity dresses” that it’ll not only pull up the specific maternity pieces, but it will also pull up any items that reviews said were great for maternity. That was how I stumbled upon this dress that was absolutely perfect for summer. It was nice and light weight, but with plenty of room to grow. I ended up buying it in two colors and wore them on rotation!
Amazon Short Sleeve Dress
This is basically the same dress as above, but with sleeves. This was perfect for when the temperatures started to cool, but I still felt overheated all of the time. Again, with plenty of room to grow, I wore this for most of my pregnancy.
Cable Knit Sweater Dress
I didn’t have a lot of occasions that I needed to dress up for, but when I was eight months pregnant, I was on a networking panel for my alma mater. I knew I could let things slide because I was pregnant, but frankly, I didn’t really want to. While this dress looks like it would never fit a pregnant person, trust me, it did. It’s a great option for work or any networking events.
Ingrid & Isabel Dress
I think I had a total of two splurges on clothing during my pregnancy. The first one was this dress. I went back and forth about getting it, but the fabric was so soft that I couldn’t resist. I loved it because it was a basic black dress that I could wear to whatever, but it also looked nice enough that I was able to wear it to a wedding!
Nom Jumpsuit
If I had bought this full price, I would have also considered it a splurge, but when I saw it on ThredUp for $30, I snatched it up right away. While it could be a little annoying to undo if you really had to pee, in general, it was amazing. I wore it to work, I wore it on the weekends, I wore the heck out of it. Again, at it’s full price ($128), it’s a bit too much, but if you can find it second hand, it’s a steal.
Sweaters, Tees, and Tanks
Striped Sweater
Sweaters were probably the thing I hated looking for the most. A lot of maternity sweaters are overpriced and it was really frustrating for me. I came across this (non-maternity) sweater on Amazon and it ended up being so good that I bought it in two colors. The knit is so soft that you would never know that it was $40 from Amazon. Plus, it has slits up the side that aren’t super high, but they’re just high enough that they give you room to grow.
Amazon V-Neck Tees
If there is anything that you have too many options for while you’re pregnant, it’s t-shirts. I felt like I was on an endless journey looking for the best tees. For short sleeves, this 3-pack from Amazon was my best find. The material was nice and light, I didn’t feel like I was pregnant wearing them, and I was able to wear them through the end. The color selection isn’t amazing, but 3 tees for $36 is a good enough deal that I was fine with it.
Long Sleeve Shirts
When I’m not pregnant, J.Crew’s long sleeve tops are my favorite, but for maternity, Old Navy was the long sleeve winner. I had a wide variety of colors to pick from and the price was great too. I don’t know if these tops would last more than one pregnancy (especially with how much I wore them), but for the price, that’s okay.
Tanks
Normally I prefer to wear tees underneath my sweaters, but I was so overheated during my pregnancy that a t-shirt and a sweater seemed like too much. (Between being overheated and DC’s warm-ish weather, I basically didn’t wear a coat while I was pregnant). These tanks were a good and inexpensive solution to that problem (they come in packs of two!). One of the things that I really liked about them was that they didn’t have the ruge-ing on the side to help it stretchy. It was sewn normally and then stretchy on it’s own, so I could feel like I was wearing a regular tank.
Bottoms
Palazzo Pants
I had the hardest time finding good pants, but these were perfect for work or just going out. While they aren’t maternity specific, they’re super stretchy which makes them an excellent option.
Zella Joggers
These pants are magic. I don’t understand them at all, but they’re absolutely magic. I actually got these years ago as regular joggers, but then ended up wearing them throughout my entire pregnancy because they still fit and were SO COMFORTABLE. In fact, when I lost my first pair, I ended up buying a second pair right away because I didn’t want to be without these.
Underwear
Target Bra
Does anyone actually like shopping for bras? Next to underwear and swimsuits, it’s the worst thing to try. But it’s annoyingly also the most necessary. I tried a lot of different bras during pregnancy, but these $16 bras from Target were the ones that worked the best. They were comfortable, inexpensive, and I didn’t have to figure out my ever changing cup size (yay for s/m/l sizing). Plus, it’s also a nursing bra, so it’s perfect for after you give birth.
Amazon Underwear
Since we just covered bras, it’s time to cover underwear. This six pack from Amazon was absolutely perfect. They’re cut low enough that your stomach isn’t bothered, but you still feel like you have enough coverage.
Bodily Underwear
If I had known about this underwear while I was pregnant, I would have snatched it up in a second. Instead, I found it while I was postpartum and searching for underwear that wouldn’t irritate my c-section scar. This underwear is so soft, it feels like a luxury piece. If I end up having another baby, you can bet that I’ll wear them throughout my pregnancy.
Labor/Hospital Gown
Okay, technically I wore this after I gave birth, but since you would need to order it while you’re pregnant, it still counts. This gown is a must have for your hospital stay. Let’s be honest, the hospital gowns are not comfortable and no one wants their butt hanging out for the world to see. This gown is perfect because it has all of the snaps you could ever need. Whether you need to nurse or something else needs to be checked, you can simply unsnap those specific parts of the dress and leave the rest snapped up. If I could have only worn one thing for my hospital stay, it would have been this.
Shoes
Kizik Sneakers
Okay, I admit that these shoes are a bit of a splurge, but they’re 100% worth it. I didn’t splurge on these until the end of my second trimester and I wish I had bought them sooner. Why? Well, they’re sneakers that you don’t need to bend down to put on. The back of them bends down so you can easily slide your foot in and out! I was nervous that my foot would slide right out of them while I was walking, but that never happened. I ended up wearing these so much that I bought a second pair. By my third trimester, they were the only shoes that fit me (I had E in December, so sandals weren’t an option any more). I also continued to wear them postpartum (and still wear them), so I’m still getting plenty of use out of them.
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