How I kept wearing my regular wardrobe into my third trimester

Now I know what you’re thinking, impossible, but hear me out.

I am what I would consider one of the fortunate ones that got pregnant in the Winter and delivered in the Summer, sounds hot right?! But here’s the thing, From December to April I could basically wear all my same wardrobe without changing much. I did of course buy the occasional maternity top to accentuate my bump but that was more rare.

I did it by planning out clothes that would fit my inevitable growing body years before I even got pregnant. If you are already pregnant and reading this that’s okay. Just be mindful that things you buy will need to either, one stretch to accommodate your bump and enlarged breasts or two, that you are comfortable going up a size or two so that you can wear it pre-pregnancy into your second and hopefully third trimester and postpartum.

Belly Bands:

I understand that not everyone can do this because sometimes pregnancy makes you gain weight in more than just your belly, but I wore my pre-pregnancy jeans throughout my whole pregnancy. Don’t let me fool you I couldn’t do them up of course. But my 25$ belly bands saved my life and my bank account. I wore all of my old jeans and made it work. Believe it or not I only bought one pair of maternity jeans and I barely wore them because I actually preferred my belly bands.

Dresses/One Pieces:

I also must have magically known that I’d be later into my pregnancy in the Summer because I loaded up on stretchy dresses, rompers and jumpers. Anything made of cotton or spandex were my best friends. I had a lot of loose fitting rompers and jumpers that were perfect once the heat picked up and I was carrying a baby the size of a cantaloupe. I also lived in shift dresses. The key to planning the perfect dress is something that you can foresee fitting a basketball, no joke, under it without exposing the rest of your goodies. Ensure the waist band is under your bust, the length is between a long mini-midi dress and that there is no slip underneath, as this will become too tight while the outer fabric could remain loose enough. The other hack I used weekly, at least, was wearing all my same bodycon dresses but as tops. Don’t get me wrong I wore them as dresses too but when you’re working with a limited wardrobe this provides a great solution. I would simply fold the bottom half of the dress underneath itself and then it would double as a fitted top complementing my bump perfectly!

Jackets:

The nice thing about your regular blazers, jean/leather jackets and cardigans is that these will still fit. They’re the perfect pairing to any outfit and help to dress up whatever you’re wearing. If you’re into the over-sized boyfriend fit as well, these are perfect as they are already meant to be over-sized.

Okay now that you’ve made it this far you may be wondering why, other than not wanting to break the bank, I didn’t just go out and buy a whole new maternity wardrobe. Well that’s simple, I love fashion and I didn’t want to restrict my self for what I could and couldn’t wear in certain stages of my life. Yes, as of right now my husband and I plan on having more than one baby, but that’s not the point. The point is, why buy something that is only useful a handful of times in a certain season of life? I would rather make meaningful purchases that I can continue to wear pre and post babies.

“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak” - Rachel Zoe