There is a lot of ugly maternity wear. A LOT. Well, I shouldn’t say ugly, but definitely boring. And most of it? Is expensive. My thought was so not only are you not going to give me cute patterns, cuts, and prints, but my wallet is going to bleed to get it? No thanks.
Thankfully, I’ve found some great options and tricks along the way to help make it through this summer. Here are some of my favorites.
Used clothes are your friend. No, seriously. There is so much truth in that saying that one man’s trash is another’s treasure. I’ve been finding mine off of two fabulous apps – Poshmark and Mercari. There are others out there, like ThredUp, but Poshmark and Mercari have been my favorite since they tend to have a nice selection of designer brands. I’ve bought a number of items that are non-maternity styles from Anthropologie which work great during pregnancy. If you have friends who can give you some hand-me-downs, even better.
Don’t overdo it on the underbelly styles. There are definitely types of clothing suited for early pregnancy and you want to make sure to not buy a ton of that. I have a pair of Old Navy jeans which were great for early pregnancy, but won’t be put to much use now that my basketball of a belly has popped.
Maternity Photo Shoot in Motherhood Maternity
Splurge on a few nice things. I decided to get one nicer black dress for work, which I can keep interesting by a variety of jackets on top. I’m a big fan of Seraphine. I also splurged on a pair of nice designer jeans – but not full price. I found a great pair of Hudson jeans on Poshmark for $50, so it was almost a guilt-free splurge!
Try on pre-pregnancy clothes before you assume they’ll work. I have a number of longer tops I assumed would obviously work through my pregnancy. It wasn’t until I found myself at work in a few that put my belly band on display that I realized that wasn’t a safe assumption. Try on those shirts in advance and see if they do work. As your belly continues to grow, don’t forget to reassess!
Engagement party celebrations for Joey & Carolann in Asos Maternity
One pair of yoga pants will do. No, seriously. These ones by Ingrid & Isabel. I kept trying on different ones. I bought another pair from Old Navy which are okay, but they are thick, saggy, and bulky. The ones by Ingrid & Isabel are amazing, with a criss-cross in the back and a nice soft bellyband. I bought mine used on Poshmark. They are so comfy, I’ll be putting these to all-purpose use on the weekends.
Save time (and energy) by buying things online. The options of maternity clothing available in-store only continue to decrease. This summer, Gap moved all of their maternity clothes to online only. Instead of fighting this trend, I’ve been embracing it. Amazon Prime has quite an extensive selection of maternity clothing. I have bought all kinds of things from them from dresses to undergarments. It’s one less thing to run around finding in the right color/size. Same is true for just about anything maternity related – clothes, lotions, etc. Between Amazon and other specialty retailers, there’s just no need to overdo it. Save those in-store visits for the baby items, some of which you’ll really want to see in person.
Celebrating “mango week” in one of my Seraphine dresses
Scarfs and jewelry are your friend. I have to admit, I’m used to having more options when it comes to clothes. I’ve been experimenting with different accessory combinations, which helps to keep it more interesting.
The countdown is officially on to the end of my third trimester. Hard to believe the big day is almost here!
If you’re interested in giving one of these shopping apps a try, click below for some discount codes to help get you started.
- Poshmark – use code JOETL to get $5 off your first order
- Mercari – use code XVYUZS to get $2 off your first order
Maternity photo shoot photos from Smitten Chickens. Engagement party photos courtesy of Serena Xu-Ning.
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