Congratulations, you’re expecting! But, wait, all of a sudden, nothing is starting to fit! What’s a pregnant girl to do? Don’t shell out hundreds of dollars on maternity clothes you’ll only be wearing for several months. Instead use a keen eye to source out clothes from your everyday favorite shops that can work to accommodate a growing bump and be worn after Baby is here!
Shift dresses – The key to being able to buying a dress during pregnancy that you can wear later is flexibility of the fabric. Think cotton jersey and spandex. Shift dresses are particularly nice because they don’t have that pesky waistband to contend with as your bump grows. They’re all over the shops right now and can go from simple and office appropriate to bright and fun.
Maternity Band – These stretchy suckers let you extend the wear of your regular pants by placing the band on top to hold them up even while unbuttoned and unzipped, and to hide and unsightly bumps. Or, you could go the old-school way and use the ol’ rubberband around the button trick.Just make sure the top you’re wearing is long enough to cover any band from peeking through when you raise your arms.
Leggings – if you buy them a size up, you can often get away with wearing regular leggings throughout most of your pregnancy. Skirts with elastic bands – Lucky for expecting mamas-to-be there have been a plethora of flexible skirt options out there in the “regular” stores. Look for ones with elastic or stretch bands that can either go over a baby bump or comfortably tuck under.
Long tunic-like tops – Or just long shirts in general. Buy them one size up if you want extra room to grow into as your bump grows. The tunic tops are particularly nice because of their naturally flowy shape.
Empire-waist dresses – One doesn’t have to buy a hideously overpriced version of this to make it fit her bump. Most regular empire-waist dresses will work just fine, as along as the fabric is flexible like cotton jersey. Just know that this particular style will really accentuate that baby bump (i.e. not what you want if you’re still trying to hide that bump for some reason.)
Happy shopping!
