Here's my closet currently - all maternity clothes. Nesting is no joke. I quickly became tired of pulling maternity clothes from different piles in our guest room, or digging for a different shirt out of a tub. I was ready to have everything easily accessible and easy to see so that I could quickly grab and go! One day - I took on the task of emptying my entire closet (and figuring out which regular clothes I'd still be able to use while pregnant, and others that I could put away until after Bennett arrives and I'm ready for them). I packed up all of the clothes I didn't need while pregnant and organized them neatly into tubs in the top of my closet and the guest room closet. What a difference it makes being able to see and easily browse through all of the clothes that you can actually wear and that fit!
I was told by many friends when we announced that we were pregnant to be careful with continuing to wear your favorite regular-sized pieces. They shared their experiences with doing that. Of course, with your baby bump continuing to grow - so did your regular clothes. After they had their babies and were able to fit back into non-maternity clothes again, the ones that they continued to wear (for a little while) were stretched and didn't fit nicely anymore. I was thankful for that piece of advice - no need to spend money on maternity clothes so that you actually have some clothes that fit AND needing to spend money replacing old ones that you stretched out throughout your pregnancy.
I'm extremely thankful for hand-me-downs! A few friends and sister-in-laws graciously passed down and offered tons of clothes to choose from and take advantage of, which was and has been a huge help! Especially, while working in an office setting and needing nicer clothes to wear every day to work. (As mentioned above, it's shocking how expensive maternity dress clothes can be!) A huge shout out to Susana! She sent me home one weekend with 2 huge tubs of maternity clothes - I counted them while unpacking them at home, and there were over 100 pieces! :) So definitely take advantage of those hand-me-downs that are offered to you from your amazing friends and family - they are wonderful to have!
While shopping for maternity clothes is extremely exciting, I promised myself early on that I wouldn't go crazy picking out and spending a lot of money on maternity clothes, that let's face it - I wouldn't even be wearing for that long. (Another side note - it's shocking how fast you can grow out of certain items! And amazing how you love certain things in your early months of pregnancy, and as you approach the latter-end of your pregnancy, you have a completely different preference). You don't need much! It's crazy how long certain pieces last you. With a few exceptions of bathing suits and a few shorts, I've been able to make pieces last throughout my entire pregnancy! (Let's hope that this blog post doesn't jinx me...) I'm happy to say that I've stuck to my promise and I've been so happy with those purchases I've made along the way to add to those amazing hand-me-downs that I received!
So - what have been some of my favorite pieces so far?
Full panel bottoms! While in my first and going into my second trimester, I tried to avoid full panel bottoms. I was shocked in how quickly my regular sized pants became so much tighter - so I definitely needed something! I had a couple of pair of shorts that were low-panel, along with a pair of hand-me-down jeans and capris that were low panel (which I loved in the beginning!) I was also able to continue to wear a few capris and work pants with a belly-band (by leaving my pants un-zipped and wearing the belly band-over top) - so that was definitely helpful in the first trimester! After a certain point, the belly-band becomes uncomfortable, as do the low panel bottoms - especially if you're sitting and standing constantly throughout the day (lots of adjusting!) And as your precious little bump starts getting bigger and bigger, the low panel waists are definitely not comfortable anymore. The first time I tried on full panel pants I thought to myself, 'why in the heck did I wait so long?!' They are amazing!
> Bottoms for work - I purchased one pair of black full panel capris and one pair of black full panel dress pants. No need for more than that - you can constantly change up your tops to make different outfits for each week. These capris and dress pants have been some of my favorite purchases because they are not only so comfortable but they look great too! [Tip: My favorite work capris and dress pants came from the Gap - they're constantly having 40% off sales with free shipping - definitely don't try to purchase these items at full price!]
> Bottoms for lounging - My favorite have been from Target! The brand is Be Maternity by Ingrid & Isabel. They not only can be dressed up with certain tops, but they make the perfect lounging around leggings - they're so, so comfortable. And they're not made out of cheap material that you can see through. They also come in low panel and high panel. (Of course, I got the high panel - I never have have to worry about my circulation cutting off or my belly hanging out! They're just so comfortable!) I could live in these pants! Also - constantly check for Cartwheel coupons before buying (there's usually always a 20% off maternity coupon). Even better, they come in capri cut and full-legging cut.
Tank tops from Target! These I started wearing early on when my tops starting to get too tight for comfort! I purchased the Long & Lean Tanks made by Mossimo Supply Co. - they come in so many different colors! I'm usually a size medium top, and one size up has worked perfectly! They're regularly about $9 each, but every so often, Target runs a sale where you can get either 2 for $16 or cheaper. (In addition to that - if you're a cartwheel user, there are constantly coupons for women's clothing that will land you even more money off of that!) After coupons and discounts, I probably spent about $5 for each tank, and I've been wearing them from the first trimester and am still continuing to comfortably wear them in my third trimester! Note: They are not maternity - they are found in the regular women's section. It's nice because not only are these tanks so cheap, but you can so easily dress them up or down with whatever you're wearing! Plus - they'll be great to have after you deliver too while you're body is adjusting to no longer carrying your precious baby anymore - they're extremely comfortable and don't look like your typical maternity top. Here are few samples of times I've worn different tanks of these in each trimester:
13 weeks here - navy blue tank!
Purple tank at 19 weeks while Big Brother Tucker is cuddling close!
20 weeks here - white tank, dressed up by a cardigan for work!
Teal tank at 25 weeks (and hubs too!) :)
Same white tank at 27 (almost 28 weeks)
paired with the Gap capris mentioned above!
Maternity underwear! First thoughts? No thanks. I thought they'd look like huge granny panties with tall panels in the front that go over your belly. Boy was I wrong about this too! These were actually recommended to me by my boss - she said don't wait to order yourself a pair and to try them out because they're that comfortable. That's exactly what I did! (I think by this time, I was definitely into my second trimester). My favorite brand? Gap wins again! (Again - keep in mind, they always have sales - most common is 40% off with free shipping, but in addition, they're constantly having sales on their maternity intimates - so take advantage!). Don't get me wrong - I'm still able to wear my regular sized underwear and did so more often in my first and second trimesters, but definitely now that I'm in my third trimester - they're not as comfortable as they were while not pregnant! Here are two of my favorites: Stretch Cotton Thong & Stretch Cotton Bikini.
Other favorites:
> Dresses - Old Navy and Gap have wonderful collections of maternity dresses for all phases. I've loved their pieces but beware while ordering online - definitely read the reviews on sizing. I've found that I've needed much smaller sizes than the size I actually thought I'd be based on the size charts. They have a lot of affordable but high quality pieces that have also lasted! Also - easy to dress up for work, and to make more casual for other occasions.
> Tops - Target has been my go to place to many pieces, especially tops. I love the Liz Lange collection (again, always coupons!) but they are also made of nice quality material. I've been able to find a ton of options on clearance - especially now, lots of tops are on clearance as we're switching seasons. I've stuck with a lot of solid colors. It's easy to add different statement necklaces or scarves now that we're approaching cooler weather - to make more top options.
> Bras - Don't spend a fortune. Your bra size will change a million times. In this category especially, I'm thankful for my hand-me-downs, sports bras and gift certificates! :) It's definitely essential to have a nice-fitting bra - what a difference it makes! But egh, how annoying it is when you're one size one week and two weeks later, you're in need of something new. So don't spend a fortune on a great bra like you're use to doing that will last you for a while - you definitely won't be in the same size for long!
Some items that I continue to wear that I've had from my regular-sized wardrobe: Sweat pants, some yoga pants, t-shirts and tanks that were baggier on me pre-pregnancy, hoodies, cardigans. Also - thank goodness for Eric's wardrobe as well :) He's come home plenty of nights from work to find me in either his work out tees, sweat pants, or taking advantage of his zip up hoodies on cooler days. I'm warned by pregnant friends and family that his comfy gym shorts are next :) Also - I've found a lot of the not-so-form-fitting dresses that I had pre-pregnancy work great as you're growing.
Here's one that I actually wore last on our honeymoon - 14 weeks
And one from 15 weeks, a dress that I last wore while on vacation in Jamaica! (It's fun to be able to re-wear these items while your body is completely different from the last time you wore them!)
You can even dress the more flowy ones up with a cute belt or ribbon. Here's a flowy black dress that I had pre-pregnancy that I'm able to spruce up with a ribbon belt (to help make the once nice looking flowy shape of the dress, look not so frumpy now that there's actually a bump under it! :)
I could go on and on about tips/tricks but I think that these so far are my favorite ones! My best piece of advice - don't go crazy. Honestly, who cares how many different outfits and tops/bottoms/dresses you have? A) They'll only fit for so long B) They're so expensive C) Who cares? All you need to be is comfortable... who do you need to impress? :) If you feel comfortable and are happy - that's all that matters!
