Today I'm so excited to be doing a preggers fashion show with some of my favorite pregnant bloggers. What a great excuse to talk about clothes! And pregnancy!
Here's the big disclaimer. I know pretty much nothing about maternity clothes. This is pregnancy #2 and I feel like I am still majorly struggling in the what to wear department. Also I am pregnant in a totally different season as last go around, so what I did learn last time has pretty much been useless this time. Last pregnancy I was super pregnant May- July so I didn't buy one pair of pants or leggings and basically lived in sundresses, maxi skirts, and my maternity swimsuit. It's just a taaaaad different this time around.
This pregnancy my clothes have also started to feel wildly uncomfortable way earlier than last pregnancy. I'm 25 weeks now and I can't even think about wearing something if it's not either maternity or two sizes two big. The other night I tried to put on one of my normal v neck tshirts and it was like a basketball was trying to rip bust right through that fabric. It ain't pretty!
There are a few things I know, but like I said, a lot of things I still don't know about dressing a pregnant body. So I'll share those both with you and you can share what you know with me and hopefully by the end of this we are all the wiser for it!
WHAT I KNOW:
1. Buy MATERNITY clothes dang it! I don't know how some women do it without buying maternity clothes. I also do not know why. I think some women take a certain pride in not buying maternity clothes, and that is absolutely mind boggling to me. I'll sometimes see a picture on social media of a pregnant acquaintance or friend and she'll say something something like "this isn't even maternity and I'm 32 weeks!" and all I can think is "you poor, sad, soul. How uncomfortable you must be." Here's the deal with not buying maternity clothes- you are saving a hundred or two hundred dollars, maybe, but you are SO UNCOMFORTABLE for 4 or 5 months as a result.
Your body during pregnancy is a majorly different shape than any other time in your life. You can't just buy a size or two up because then it is also big in the shoulders and the thighs and arms. And you never want to wear a shirt that is two sizes too big when you're not pregnant so it's not like you get use out of it postpartum anyway. I just haaaate wearing clothes that are 1 or 2 sizes too big. They are uncomfortable! They fall off of me! They are hot! I feel like I am drowning in fabric and walking around wearing a tent! Your clothes should fit!!!
I know some women disagree with me and they try to go their whole dang pregnancy fitting into their husbands gross tshirts and their jeans from their aunt who is two sizes bigger. Just give it up. I know you hate it. Once I finally sold out to the maternity clothing world I have not looked back once. It sucks having to fork over the money, but for me it is so worth it to have clothes that 1) you feel comfortable in 2) that fit your weird shape body correctly and 3) make you feel pretty.
2. Maternity dresses are the best thing that happened to pregnant women everywhere. Last pregnancy I wore a lot of dresses as I was teaching every day up until 34 weeks. This time I'll be teaching right on up to 40 weeks (oh Hallelujah) so comfortable maternity dresses are pretty much mandatory for me. Which is great because I happen to think they are the most 1) comfortable thing to wear and 2) flattering thing to wear.
Last pregnancy I bought my favorite black maternity dress from Old Navy that I wore at least once or twice a week. This year on labor day I bought three more maternity dresses from Old Navy again for killer deals (all 50% off) and I wish I would have bought more, honestly. I also have one from Target that I love. I've been really pleased with Old Navy's maternity section- affordable but still cute and form flattering. My favorite dresses are here here here and here.
I prefer the dresses that have the ruching on the side to the more free flowing dresses- once I am sporting maternity clothes I like it to be clear that I am pregnant and not just covering up extra pounds of ice cream. I have one free flowing maternity dress that I got from Target and every time I wear it I just feel like I look super fat. (Trick- if I put a belt on right above my belly I feel like it makes it look a little better because it accentuates the bump instead of just looking like a huge tent dress).
^^^ This is the form fitting with ruching dress that I LOVE from Target. Contrast it with the picture below- the more free flowing dress maternity dress also from Target. I feel like the first one is so much more flattering to pregnancy shape than the second one.
3. White maternity tee + any cardigan + leggings = pregnancy happy place. I feel like the perfect winter pregnant outfit is a white tee with leggings and then some kind of cardigan or button up shirt to go over that. It's nice because you don't have to buy a whole bunch of new maternity sweaters, you just buy the white maternity tshirt and make a million different outfits out of it. (For white pregnancy tee I gotta say Old Navy for the win on this one again. I bought three white maternity tees this pregnancy for $8 each.) This whole idea is new to me this pregnancy, but I feel like I can use a lot of what I already have in my closet with this system. Pregnant fashion for the winter is actually a little more challenging than in the summer I think. Who wudda thunk? I think I thought it would be easier because I could just throw on a big sweater and call it good but my belly is already stretching out my favorite sweaters so I've stopped wearing those. That's where the cardigans and button up shirts are so important- you can keep wearing them all the way up to 40 weeks without stretching them at all.
THINGS I DO NOT KNOW:
1. JEANS. This has been the biggest struggle for me. Where do you guys buy your pregnancy jeans? And do they look normal on anyone? I bought one pair that I HATE. It is full panel and it fits fine on the belly but is weirdly loose on the waist/ butt. It gives me soccer mom butt and is always falling down because of how it doesn't fit right on waist and hips. If I try to just fold the full panel down around my hips then it is even more uncomfortable and gives me plumber's crack.
I have tried on so many pairs of maternity jeans and they were all worse than the pair I eventually bought and described to you above. So that lets you know I'm in a sorry state. Please send help. Where did you find a cute and comfortable pair of maternity jeans that fit you. DO THEY EXIST?
2. LEGGINGS. Basically having the same problem as the jeans but on a lesser scale. I decided I don't love full panel but I am having a really hard time finding pairs that aren't full panel. (Do they have a name for those? Half panel?) I don't like pants fabric going all the way up to my boobs. That just don't feel right to me. I have one pair of leggings that I got from Old Navy that I really like but, well, I can't wear that every day!
3. GARMENTS. Probably don't want to talk details on the blog, but if you are Mormon and have figured out a good way to do garments when you're pregnant, EMAIL ME. (thelifeofbon@gmail.com) I am in a bad state right now. I am so uncomfortable night and day. I have tried the maternity garments and found that they leave much to be desired.
Here's the big disclaimer. I know pretty much nothing about maternity clothes. This is pregnancy #2 and I feel like I am still majorly struggling in the what to wear department. Also I am pregnant in a totally different season as last go around, so what I did learn last time has pretty much been useless this time. Last pregnancy I was super pregnant May- July so I didn't buy one pair of pants or leggings and basically lived in sundresses, maxi skirts, and my maternity swimsuit. It's just a taaaaad different this time around.
This pregnancy my clothes have also started to feel wildly uncomfortable way earlier than last pregnancy. I'm 25 weeks now and I can't even think about wearing something if it's not either maternity or two sizes two big. The other night I tried to put on one of my normal v neck tshirts and it was like a basketball was trying to rip bust right through that fabric. It ain't pretty!
There are a few things I know, but like I said, a lot of things I still don't know about dressing a pregnant body. So I'll share those both with you and you can share what you know with me and hopefully by the end of this we are all the wiser for it!
#21weeks. Maternity shirt from Old Navy.
WHAT I KNOW:
1. Buy MATERNITY clothes dang it! I don't know how some women do it without buying maternity clothes. I also do not know why. I think some women take a certain pride in not buying maternity clothes, and that is absolutely mind boggling to me. I'll sometimes see a picture on social media of a pregnant acquaintance or friend and she'll say something something like "this isn't even maternity and I'm 32 weeks!" and all I can think is "you poor, sad, soul. How uncomfortable you must be." Here's the deal with not buying maternity clothes- you are saving a hundred or two hundred dollars, maybe, but you are SO UNCOMFORTABLE for 4 or 5 months as a result.
Your body during pregnancy is a majorly different shape than any other time in your life. You can't just buy a size or two up because then it is also big in the shoulders and the thighs and arms. And you never want to wear a shirt that is two sizes too big when you're not pregnant so it's not like you get use out of it postpartum anyway. I just haaaate wearing clothes that are 1 or 2 sizes too big. They are uncomfortable! They fall off of me! They are hot! I feel like I am drowning in fabric and walking around wearing a tent! Your clothes should fit!!!
I know some women disagree with me and they try to go their whole dang pregnancy fitting into their husbands gross tshirts and their jeans from their aunt who is two sizes bigger. Just give it up. I know you hate it. Once I finally sold out to the maternity clothing world I have not looked back once. It sucks having to fork over the money, but for me it is so worth it to have clothes that 1) you feel comfortable in 2) that fit your weird shape body correctly and 3) make you feel pretty.
This skirt is NOT maternity. It took me one look at this picture of non-maternity clothes on my very maternity body to realize that maternity clothes are crucial. #20weeks
2. Maternity dresses are the best thing that happened to pregnant women everywhere. Last pregnancy I wore a lot of dresses as I was teaching every day up until 34 weeks. This time I'll be teaching right on up to 40 weeks (oh Hallelujah) so comfortable maternity dresses are pretty much mandatory for me. Which is great because I happen to think they are the most 1) comfortable thing to wear and 2) flattering thing to wear.
Last pregnancy I bought my favorite black maternity dress from Old Navy that I wore at least once or twice a week. This year on labor day I bought three more maternity dresses from Old Navy again for killer deals (all 50% off) and I wish I would have bought more, honestly. I also have one from Target that I love. I've been really pleased with Old Navy's maternity section- affordable but still cute and form flattering. My favorite dresses are here here here and here.
My favorite maternity dress last go around. I have worn it alot this pregnancy too. This picture is in Germany when I am 35 weeks pregnant and I am the same size as I am now at 25 weeks pregnant. FUN!
20 weeks. Dress from Old Navy.
I prefer the dresses that have the ruching on the side to the more free flowing dresses- once I am sporting maternity clothes I like it to be clear that I am pregnant and not just covering up extra pounds of ice cream. I have one free flowing maternity dress that I got from Target and every time I wear it I just feel like I look super fat. (Trick- if I put a belt on right above my belly I feel like it makes it look a little better because it accentuates the bump instead of just looking like a huge tent dress).
^^^ This is the form fitting with ruching dress that I LOVE from Target. Contrast it with the picture below- the more free flowing dress maternity dress also from Target. I feel like the first one is so much more flattering to pregnancy shape than the second one.
Huge tent dress, no one likes you. Go home.
3. White maternity tee + any cardigan + leggings = pregnancy happy place. I feel like the perfect winter pregnant outfit is a white tee with leggings and then some kind of cardigan or button up shirt to go over that. It's nice because you don't have to buy a whole bunch of new maternity sweaters, you just buy the white maternity tshirt and make a million different outfits out of it. (For white pregnancy tee I gotta say Old Navy for the win on this one again. I bought three white maternity tees this pregnancy for $8 each.) This whole idea is new to me this pregnancy, but I feel like I can use a lot of what I already have in my closet with this system. Pregnant fashion for the winter is actually a little more challenging than in the summer I think. Who wudda thunk? I think I thought it would be easier because I could just throw on a big sweater and call it good but my belly is already stretching out my favorite sweaters so I've stopped wearing those. That's where the cardigans and button up shirts are so important- you can keep wearing them all the way up to 40 weeks without stretching them at all.
White tee with cardigan look. But that tee isn't maternity and so as of last week I am not wearing it anymore. Also the jeans I am wearing are NOT maternity and are being held on with an elastic rubber band. It was very uncomfortable. You can read all about my jean misery below.
White tee from Old Navy. It's da bomb.
24 weeks. White tee from Old Navy.
I'm wearing maternity leggings from Old Navy too, a pair that is semi working for me.
I'm wearing maternity leggings from Old Navy too, a pair that is semi working for me.
THINGS I DO NOT KNOW:
1. JEANS. This has been the biggest struggle for me. Where do you guys buy your pregnancy jeans? And do they look normal on anyone? I bought one pair that I HATE. It is full panel and it fits fine on the belly but is weirdly loose on the waist/ butt. It gives me soccer mom butt and is always falling down because of how it doesn't fit right on waist and hips. If I try to just fold the full panel down around my hips then it is even more uncomfortable and gives me plumber's crack.
I have tried on so many pairs of maternity jeans and they were all worse than the pair I eventually bought and described to you above. So that lets you know I'm in a sorry state. Please send help. Where did you find a cute and comfortable pair of maternity jeans that fit you. DO THEY EXIST?
2. LEGGINGS. Basically having the same problem as the jeans but on a lesser scale. I decided I don't love full panel but I am having a really hard time finding pairs that aren't full panel. (Do they have a name for those? Half panel?) I don't like pants fabric going all the way up to my boobs. That just don't feel right to me. I have one pair of leggings that I got from Old Navy that I really like but, well, I can't wear that every day!
3. GARMENTS. Probably don't want to talk details on the blog, but if you are Mormon and have figured out a good way to do garments when you're pregnant, EMAIL ME. (thelifeofbon@gmail.com) I am in a bad state right now. I am so uncomfortable night and day. I have tried the maternity garments and found that they leave much to be desired.
Maternity shirt from Old Navy.
No part of this post is sponsored by any clothing brand but it should have been. Specifically it should have been sponsored by Old Navy because that is where all my maternity clothes are from. That is really the only place, though, that I've been able to find cute and confortable styles and affordable prices. Maybe some of my friends will have other suggestions for you. The following ladies did the same post I did today on pregnancy fashion so check em out!
Tayler from The Morrell Tale
Danica from Danikan Skywalker
Amy from Amy Elise Allen
Bonnie from The Life of Bon
Emma from Ever Emma
P.S. I've got a few days left of this campaign. Thank you so much to all who have clicked and commented. I love talking about ways to simplify!
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