Styling the bump
tips on how to dress well during your pregnancy
If you love fashion or simply like to look good, shopping for maternity clothes can be a daunting prospect. Your body is growing daily, and in some very unexpected areas (larger feet? Argh). Water retention can turn some women into a ribena berry, while others breeze through pregnancy with nothing more than an adorable bump. It can be hard to navigate through those nine months with your self-confidence intact, so if your goal is to remain stylish as your bump grows here are some tips on how to dress well during your pregnancy.
Shop online
Once you fall pregnant, it is worth getting used to shopping online for clothes. Long days at the shopping mall generally become a thing of the past once you have a baby. Not only that, but the range of maternity clothes available online is (not surprisingly) far greater than in most shops.
The website I frequented the most was undoubtedly ASOS. Other decent websites I’ve used are Glowmama and Angel Maternity. Though in my opinion nothing can beat ASOS on price and range of clothes.
I also love that the ASOS home brand is so cheap you can buy a handful of maternity pieces in this season’s styles, knowing it’s okay to retire them before your next pregnancy. And who doesn’t love free shipping without a minimum spend?
Other well-known brands that do a maternity line are H&M, New Look, and Topshop. I didn’t use these sites much during my pregnancy because of price and cost of shipping, but depending on where you are in the world, they have some great options.
There are also great shops stocking regular clothes that can stretch with your growing bump. My favourites are Witchery (fantastic stretchy singlet tops and gorgeous waterfall cardigans), Metalicus, and Zara.
Be wary of loose clothing
Flowing maternity clothes tend to make a pregnant body look bigger than it actually is. I felt like I was wearing a tent any time I put on a dress that hung from my boobs to my belly and then to my knees. I know some people disagree, but the iconic pregnant woman shape is beautiful and I see no point in hiding it behind reams of material.
If you don’t mind wearing clothes that will outline that beautiful bump, look for descriptions like “body con” and go for dresses and tops made of jersey or a mixture of cotton and nylon. These clothes have the added benefit of being wearable through most stages of your pregnancy, and in some cases you may still be wearing them even after the baby arrives.
To make it appropriate for the office, team a midi-length or knee-length bodycon dress with a blazer or waterfall cardigan, and low heels.
Be wary of maternity pants and shorts
There may be stylish maternity pants and shorts out there that are reasonably priced and comfortable, and if so, please let me know! In my experience, they can be pretty uncomfortable as your bump gets bigger. They are great for the first and second trimester, but by the third trimester I recommend sticking to dresses or stretchy skirts (like these ones from Metalicus). A large bump shifts position when you sit down, and maternity pants that have the “fake waistline” (where the material of the pants end, and the hidden elastic band starts) can dig into the bump when you are sitting down. And as the bump gets bigger, that elastic band can get mighty tight.
J Brand maternity jeans are very popular with celebrities and fashion people, but at around $300 they aren’t cheap. Instead, I used the Belly Belt clothing extender kit on my usual jeans and trousers.
Shop for your current stage of pregnancy
Pregnant bumps can grow in unpredictable ways, not to mention other parts of your body growing out of nowhere. So it is not a good idea to shop for your third trimester while you are still in the first. In my early weeks of pregnancy I was giddy with excitement and made the rookie error of buying up a wardrobe full of maternity clothes that I never actually wore. Some of those clothes were designed for a belly much larger than mine ever became, and others were just too warm for me to wear (growing bumps generate a lot of heat). So be wary of shopping for a shape and temperature of which you have little or no idea. Purchasing just one or two key pieces each month or so should keep you with a decent wardrobe as your body changes shape without risking wasted money.
Shop for your WHOLE body
It is the very lucky woman who has no changes to her body shape except for the bump. The rest of us find that most body parts, if not all, steadily grow over the nine months. In particular, a lot of women’s boobs grow significantly throughout the pregnancy. Cross over dresses, and V-necks can expose a lot more cleavage than intended, and boat-necks or high necklines can make your growing breasts look positively gargantuan. Look for scoop necks as these are generally quite flattering.
A growing bum and thighs are also common during pregnancy, no matter how much you keep up those pregnancy exercises. It is the body’s job to look after that bump and unfortunately this means packing on the kilos around the bum and thighs. Black is an obvious choice to slim you down in these areas, but you can also go for patterns that hide unflattering contours, and horizontal stripes are also good(surprisingly!). Accept that your body is going to grow larger in most places, and shop accordingly.
Good luck in your shopping experiences and if anyone has any more tips or advice I’d love to hear them!
