My Pregnancy Style | What I’ve Been Wearing While Pregnant

I love dressing the bump! Is that an unpopular opinion? Dressing up and feeling good during pregnancy can feel tricky even at the best of times. The sartorial options are limited, your favourite jeans no long fit, and your shoes feel extra snug. It doesn’t help that even in 2022, maternity wear is still very niche. The available options are often boring, unflattering, or at odds with your growing belly. But things are looking promising – I have witnessed a noticeable shift in the maternity wear industry over the last 3 years. More and more brands are offering pregnant women options to dress up – and I would love to see this trend grow.

Splurging on building a pregnancy wardrobe is a real dilemma. Should you be spending on clothes when your body is in wild transition mode? Its just for a short while, anyway! Right? Well, yes. But also, no. Because it’s not just about the clothes. How you feel in those short 9 months goes beyond superficial and sartorial matters – two pregnancies have confirmed that for me. Pregnancy takes a huge toll on you, mentally, physically, emotionally. Do you deserve to buy that beautiful dress for yourself? Yes, you absolutely do.

With this being our last baby (or so we thought, I am now having second thoughts every time I inhale Aydin’s newness), I wanted to enjoy the pregnancy to the fullest. I spent most of the 9 months in warmer temperatures so my wardrobe was all about big, flowy dresses and skirts. They kept me comfy and sane when the heat and pregnancy hormones got too much. Covid had me working entirely from home so I got to save on office wear.

Towards the end, I was leaning more towards bump enhancing looks. You will not catch me in a body hugging knitted dress at any other time of my life! I love going for dresses with belts or waist cinching styles to really flaunt the bump. Third trimester makes everything uncomfortable and finding clothes that fit well is a challenge. But it’s also when the bump is at its proudest circumference and I just love dressing it.

Thanks to my first pregnancy which helped me to figure out how to navigate maternity style, I was a confident shopper this time around. Here’s some things I have learnt about curating a maternity wardrobe:

1) Do a cleanse of your clothes early on. Remove items that wont support you going forward. Trust me on this.

2) Make non maternity clothes work for you. What if I told you, most of the clothes pictured here are non-maternity?

3) Leggings! Stretchy materials. Oversized shirts. Elasticated waists. Maxi/midi smock dresses. Longline/Longish cardigans. These are the items you need to hold on to/stock up on. They will remain your trustworthy pals during the postpartum journey as well.

4) Simply sizing up doesn’t always do the trick, so…

5)  Shop as you go, not too much in advance. You will be surprised the ways in which your body grows.

6) If you need bigger shoes, that’s normal. Get them!

7) Look for nursing friendly clothes to make the most of your money. If you plan to breastfeed that is.

8) If you plan to breastfeed, get some comfy nursing bras as well. Try to get a professional to help you with the fitting (I love M&S for this). Tip: wait till the very end, when the baby ‘drops’ to get a more accurate measurement.

While we are all trying our best to control fast fashion urges, finding sustainable, affordable options when you are pregnant is a REAL challenge. And so I am sharing a few items that I wore on repeat during my pregnancy, from both maternity and non maternity ranges.

1. ASOS Maternity over the bump culottes
I LIVED in these culottes. The shirred waist is endlessly giving.

2. La Redoute pleated maternity maxi skirts.
The elasticated waists accommodated my growing bump till the very end. I had two of these in black and white, and paired them with Arket tops throughout summer.

3. Arket Crew-neck T-shirts
Perfect for non-pregnant times too. I have these T-shirts in 4 different colours.

4. Mango ribbed knit dress.
The one I bought is sold out so I have shared a similar style.

5. Jojo Maman Bebe knitted maternity dress.
I bought this for my maternity shoot and loved it. I see myself wearing it for multiple winters.

This grey one in the same design is on sale right now.

6. M&S Maternity Bras
As a breastfeeding Mom, I swear by these bras!

I hope this post gave you some comfort and inspiration to enjoy your pregnancy style! For more fashion inspo, check out Mother and Baby magazine’s list of The Top 32 stores to buy maternity clothes in the UK or online.

Happy Bump Flaunting!

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