Please don’t make me wear ugly maternity clothes

Sandra Chu
Aug 22, 2017 · 3 min read

When I was trying to get pregnant, I was careful not to get ahead of myself in case it didn’t work out. I had experienced an early miscarriage. But by the time I was approaching my second trimester with my daughter, I was finally able to shop for maternity clothes. I was actually looking forward to embracing pregnancy and the excitement of buying maternity clothes for a new, unfamiliar, growing body.

It didn’t take long to realize how frustrating maternity clothes shopping would be. I couldn’t believe in this modern age the entire world wide web couldn’t offer me reasonably priced but awesomely fashionable maternity wear. I didn’t know what “ruched” meant before, but I did now. It was everywhere. And wrap tops. And bows and frills and colors I would never otherwise wear in my non-pregnant life. There were a few corners of enviable bump style, but at a high cost. I couldn’t justify spending that kind of money for clothes I would only wear for a few months or weeks. I still had baby supplies and clothes to buy! Even when I bit the bullet and bought conventional maternity clothes when I was 20 weeks pregnant, they awkwardly hung on my half-baked baby bump, sagging and sad, and didn’t fit well until the end of my pregnancy.

What saved my dignity turned out to be close to home — my sister’s Los Angeles-based fashion brand, Audrey 3+1. I pulled on maternity leggings and tanks and layered on whatever on-trend samples my sister sent my way. Her non-maternity tunics, dresses, boho blouses, and sweaters fit my bump throughout all 36 weeks and 5 days of my pregnancy.

When I looked for other sources of non-maternity clothes I liked that could accommodate a growing bump, it wasn’t easy. I scoured countless fashion sites, page after page, until I couldn’t take it anymore. There is no search option for “non-maternity but maternity-friendly.” And we have enough to Google every week of our pregnancy, right? (At least the first-timers.)

With Audrey & Olive, I want to offer more choice and inspiration for dressing a bump with current styles that can help us feel a little bit more like ourselves, even when everything else is changing.

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