This is another post mostly for myself, so again, feel free to skip. But I thought it might be useful to remember what I bought in terms of maternity clothes, what worked, what didn’t, and what I could do without, should the situation arise again. Perhaps you know someone who would find this helpful — in which case, please, pass it on!
The pants
My first official maternity wear purchase was a pair of Liz Lange maternity jeans in a nice dark wash, from Target, for like $30, maybe less. One of the aspects of them I most appreciated over time was that the belly band almost matched the color of the jeans, so if your shirt rides up, or the pants slip down, it isn’t immediately obvious that they’ve done so.
I later supplemented these with two pairs of pants from Destination Maternity — a pair of jeans in a petite size, which didn’t drag on the ground like the Liz Lange ones, but did have the annoying light belly band, and a pair of khaki-colored cordoroys. I didn’t need anything else in terms of “structured” pants, since my favorite pairs of workout pants fit me throughout the pregnancy, without modification: two pair of official Nia Wear pants, and two pair from Prana with fold-over waistbands.
The tops
My favorite purchase was a long sleeved purple sweater, hip-length, from Destination Maternity. On the same trip, back when I was first shopping for maternity clothes, I also got a short-sleeved navy cardigan in a loose knit, a purple sleeveless top with a built-in sports bra for Nia, and a navy tshirt with extra fabric to swaddle the bump. That was about it.
I did pick up some official maternity tank tops from Old Navy online, but I regret ’em — they were 100% cotton, which sounds nice, until the moment you realize they stretch and stretch and stretch, and don’t regain their shape. I was much happier with my regular ole Merona tanks from Target, in a rainbow of colors, with enough stretch in them to keep their shape (and keep things in place) longer.
The dresses
I think I had to go to three weddings while pregnant, so dresses were a high priority on the shopping list. The first two weddings I went to I got away with a non-maternity dress, with just an empire waist and a loose fit, and was happy about it. Then in October, when I was showing quite a bit more, I bought a great grey dress from Ripe Maternity that I LOVED (bought at Hot Mama). I also got a black knit dress from the same maker that became my go-to dress for the rest of the pregnancy, usually with my knee-high Duo boots.
I also bought two dresses on sale from Old Navy, but these were a waste of money. Too long, and the armholes were weirdly big, so they never fit right. Post-partum, I even tried to make one work as a nursing dress, by cutting the straps and pinning them, but they just never looked right.
The extras
The Bella Band rocked. I have two, and I’m still using them, and will no doubt continue to do so to get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes sooner. They even made a pair of yoga pants I love, but always had to pull up, finally work! I also bought a pair of leggings by the same company, which turned a couple of long t-shirts into an acceptable outfit, but unless I tucked the top of them into my bra, they constantly slipped down.
Speaking of bras, I hit Bosom Buddies locally for a bra when I started busting out of my regular ones, and later added two more from Bravado Designs, that were cheap and did the job. I’m super glad I didn’t spend a lot of money on nursing bras.
And I think that about covers it! When I write it all out, it’s not really a lot, because I was able to pair maternity pants with tons of regular tank tops and cardigans, which kept me dressed through the whole pregnancy.
Oh — I can’t forget my ancient J. Crew Barn Jacket, which kept me (relatively) warm!
That’s it!
