Dressing for Pregnancy: Actually Pregnant

And now for that third section of pregnancy: when you actually LOOK pregnant and no longer fit into your normal clothes. I hit this point a couple weeks ago. With Wes it happened much later (bleh) (even though I weigh 5 pounds less now than I did at this point with Wes. It makes no sense).

Let me start off by reminding you to drink a whole ton of water throughout your pregnancy but especially at this point. I've had several friends who have retained massive amounts of water in the 3rd trimester and just swelled everywhere and it turned out that they weren't drinking much water at all because they thought it was just going to make the swelling worse. On the contrary, my swollen friends, drinking water flushes out excess water and helps beat bloating and swelling. Drink up, and you'll look better in and out of your clothes.



Anyway, I think there are a few essentials for when you start rocking a real belly, things I couldn't live without:

1. A good, comfortable, flattering pair of maternity jeans

2. A basic, solid colored maternity skirt to get you through church and anything you might need to dress up a bit for

3. Something that makes you feel pretty



Jeans:

I have a friend who is well into her second pregnancy and, despite many hours of looking, has yet to find a pair of maternity jeans she can live with. She just makes do with her regular jeans and hair ties and bella bands. She admits that she tends to be really uncomfortable in the 3rd trimester, but she deals with it. So you can always do that if push comes to shove and you can't find a pair that suits you. I would be miserable though.

I have one pair of maternity jeans. They're a nice dark wash, the perfect length, and a great cut. The panel goes about halfway up my belly, which I scoffed at early in my first pregnancy but quickly realized the beauty of when I got bigger. It gives a little support while also keeping you covered if your shirt is a little on the shorter side.

Since my first pregnancy took place in an office setting, I own maternity versions of khakis, black pants, and this nice pair of black and white houndstooth pants that got me through a bunch of holiday parties in 2007. I haven't taken any of them out this time around but the jeans have definitely gotten some wear. What you need will obviously depend on what your day to day activities are and right now all I need is some comfy jeans.

Also, I should mention here that this time around I've been wearing leggings like its 1985. I don't think I knew leggings existed when I was pregnant with Wes but I've loved them for Baby 2. They're soft and stretchy and supportive and everything I want for my slightly larger bottom half.


Skirt:

The nice thing about a basic black or brown skirt is you can pair it with whatever shirt calls to you that Sunday. I love dresses and I own a few regular dresses that I can wear while pregnant, but my plain black skirt with a belly panel is my real church workhorse. I can wear it with one of the few maternity tops I own or with a Shade shirt and cardigan or a sweater or whatever and I'm always comfortable.


Something that makes you feel pretty:

For some people pregnancy is a lovely glowy time when they look and feel beautiful. I am really not one of those people. I feel fat and nasty and uncomfortable the vast majority of the time so it's important for me to have something I can put on and feel better about myself.

In my case it's a black, long-sleeved, cowl neck maternity shirt I got from Old Navy for $25. At the time I balked at the price because I am not one who pays full price for things, but it has been worth every penny. I wish I had bought 5. Something about that shirt makes my arms look thin and my neck look long and my belly look smaller. I wore it with my houndstooth pants to all the holiday parties in 2007, I wear it with my jeans while grocery shopping, I wear it with my skirt to church and marvel at the slimming powers of black. I LOVE that shirt. I will die if it gets too ratty before I'm done with it. For one of my friends, her item is this gorgeous deep red dress that flatters her all over and makes her look pink and glowy and so beautiful. You just need something that perks you up when you're feeling like you'll never be thin and pretty again.



Where to get these things:

I've had ridiculously good luck with J.C. Penney. They have this itty bitty maternity section that is smaller than my bathroom but every time I went while pregnant with Wes I found something I really really needed. Both my jeans and my skirt are from there and for that I will love them forever more. My jeans are duo Maternity, which they still carry (I've seen my exact pair in the store but not on the website) and my skirt is Bisou Bisou Maternity and may or may not be this one (I can't tell from the picture). In any event, it seems like J.C. Penney is a good place for those essential bare basics that will make your life a lot easier.

As for my leggings, I've had good luck with Wal Mart, Target and Old Navy. Wal Mart typically has them from $5-$10 (although I was there last week and couldn't find much I would actually wear since they seem to be on a shiny kick) (stink eye to you, Miley Cyrus). I got a really soft black pair at Target this week for $6 (they also had two shades of gray). My friend just told me that Old Navy has a bunch right now for really cheap as well. Plus I'm sure places like Forever 21 would carry some really affordable ones.

I don't own many maternity tops, but I have a few from Old Navy that I really like. The Gap also has some cute stuff that I've been thinking about picking up for the last bit of gestating Baby 2 since I swear my torso got longer and I need some longer tops to keep covered as I get bigger. The nice thing about Old Navy is that it's cheap. And since I really only wear my maternity clothes for a couple months before packing them away it's hard for me to spend real money on quality pieces that are going to last. I don't need them to last. I need them to make me feel halfway human for a few months, wait in a bin for a couple years and then repeat. Old Navy is good for that.

H&M has a very small but generally decent maternity section. My mom and I picked up a couple cute things for Nikki at the H&M in DC that were pretty affordable (although when I was at the new one in Scottsdale the other day it was literally one small rack and there was nothing even worth trying on). But I've also had really good luck in their regular clothing section.

Also, Target's maternity section can be hit and miss but it's usually my first stop when I'm in need. I think most of my real maternity tops are from their Liz Lange line.

I also have a few things from Goodwill. Because that's how I roll.

I've never bought anything from Motherhood or Pea in the Pod or whatever. Anytime I've gone in they've just seemed really expensive without being anything special. However, it must be pointed out that Merrick's dress in this post is from Motherhood and she looks awesome.

Mostly, I continue to make my normal wardrobe work for my top half with the help of my Shade and Downeast Basics shirts. As long as you're covered, you can get creative with cardigans and necklaces and scarves and all kinds of other stuff. I tend to buy a lot more accessories while I'm pregnant rather than clothing. I really only have a few shirts that I can wear there at the very end and I just add different accessories and make it work. You really don't need much and when you get bored you can just remind yourself that it will all be over soon and you'll be back into your normal clothes in a few months.


And now, a few of my outfits over the past several days to illustrate the above. Anything that's actually maternity will be marked with (M). Granted, I'm only 27 weeks in these pictures so I'll get markedly bigger, but just about everything I'm wearing here will still be working 10ish weeks from now (I assume...it worked just fine up until I had Wes at 34 weeks last time) (watch, I'll be wearing bedsheets around at 38 weeks because nothing I own fits).

Also, every time Aaron took my picture I would think to myself, "Ew, do over. I look fat. Wait...pregnant. Nevermind." :

Please check out the pout on Wes. He was sad because BFF Ashlyn hadn't come to get him yet (15 minutes is ETERNITY to a toddler) and I wouldn't let him wait outside because it was raining. So sad.

And, because Aaron didn't get my boots in his picture and I looove them, a horrid mirror shot with the point and shoot for you:


Sweater: Anchor Blue ($2.50 on the clearance rack!)
Shirt: Downeast Basics Wonder Tee
Necklace: some ridiculously super cheap jewelry store at the mall
Jeans: duo Maternity (M) from JCPenney
Boots: Candie's from Kohls
Very Special Hair: Courtesy of the ridiculously rainy weather we've been having




Shirt: H&M (believe it or not, that is NOT a maternity shirt) (and it has pockets!!)
Leggings: Mossimo from Target (the $6 ones mentioned above)
Necklace: Christmas gift from Nikki
Earrings: CZ studs from Target (the ones I superglued to my ear)
Shoes: gray flats bought ages ago from Target (they don't merit their own picture)


And THIS is what happens when your photographer abandons you for such selfish pursuits as providing for your family. You get horrible mirror pictures.


Shirt: H&M (just a gray vneck, I know you can't really tell)
Jeans: duo Maternity (M) (do you SEE how perfect they are??) (I am so in love with my jeans)
Shoes: Target




Dress: One World from Dillard's (probably my favorite thing in my closet right now, pregnant and not pregnant)
Sweater: Anchor Blue (my other $2.50 find!)
Earrings: Target
Necklace: Goodwill

You get the point. You can make a lot of your current wardrobe work and still be comfortable without spending a whole bunch of money on a complete maternity wardrobe. A few basic pieces will go a long way.


Alright, other moms. Do you have a super secret awesome place that you get maternity clothing? Recommendations for making what you've already got work? Maternity pieces you couldn't live without?