So, I’ve been meaning to blog about my maternity wardrobe for a while, but somehow this entire summer and pregnancy flew by and I’ve just got around to it; a few days before we officially hit the last trimester! OMG!
I’m going to warn you now, that I am NOT a fashion blogger, nor do I take great photos. My post is more about my experience in purchasing and building a maternity wardrobe.
So to start off, I was one of the stubborn ones that never bought a bella band or any form of one. I’d read reviews that most of them roll down and end up being more of a hassle than practical, so I decided early on to tough it out and then purchase full on panel pants when needed. (In all honesty, I had a couple of old, but nice tank/strapless bras from Banana Republic that I used as my form of the bella band if/when I needed it!)
I think it was about week 11 or 12, I saw an ad for Motherhood Maternity’s Buy 1 Get 1 free Clearance Sale. So I hopped over to browse and within 30 minutes and $80 later, I’d ordered 4 pair of work pants and 2 pairs of shorts. I work in a business professional attire setting 4 days out of the week, so this was a must! While nonmaternity jeans were still fitting fine (without a rubber band), dress pants were getting a bit uncomfortable at this point.
(The pink and green shorts on the right were a separate purchase from Target $20 total, nonmaternity shorts in a bigger size)
From that week on, I started slowly browsing sales racks whenever I made a trip(s) over to Target, Marshall’s, etc. Before I knew it, I’d racked up non maternity maxi dresses and a couple of maternity maxi skirts ($85 total)
Being that the majority of this pregnancy has been in warmer months, maternity tanks and tees (not pictured) have been an essential part of my maternity wardrobe. I scored each of these at Gap for $6-$10 a piece. (The left two are ribbed like wife beaters, the right three are just smooth cotton tanks.)
My go-to favorites during the summer heatwave were these dresses:
Turquoise dress from Target ($20), Orange wrap dress from Gap ($19), and Nonmaternity print dress from Target ($15)
I’ve definitely purchased more maternity bottoms than tops. These two pairs of capris from Motherhood Maternity are a God-send for me during summer months at our business casual office. I’m usually not a fan of capris, but my company is pretty conservative and the dress shorts on the bottom are not as welcome!)
Khaki capris ($25 at Motherhood Maternity) | Navy capris ($10 at Motherhood Maternity)
Knee-length dress shorts from Gap $10 each
And in the following weeks, I’d pick up something here and there as I needed it. I’ve bought 100% of all my items on sale or clearance. And for the most part I’ve made do with a lot of nonmaternity pieces (just so I can get longer wear out of them and get my money’s worth!) that I already had in looser styles or buying them in larger sizes.
Left to Right: Polka Dot Blouse ($10 at Marshall’s), Floral Print Blouse ($10 at Marshall’s), Floral Print Dress ($15 at H&M)
Left to Right: Skirt from Target ($10), Knit Dress from Loft ($35), Knit Tank from Loft ($15)
There’s a few odds and ends that aren’t pictured, including my go-to pair of maternity leggings! ($20), but that’s the bulk of it!
I’ve also purchased a few flats/sandals due to my minimal wear of my heels these days. But, I think for the most part, I’m all set for the last trimester. While it’ll be cooling down, most of my fall sweaters are baby belly friendly and I’ll probably get by wearing my coats (unzipped). I’ll most likely invest in a couple more pairs of (warmer) leggings, and maybe a pair of maternity jeans (I’ve been lucky enough to feel comfortable in nonmaternity jeans with a rubber band!) but aside from that– I’ve put a pause on maternity wardrobe shopping, as we gear up to round out our registry shopping in the coming weeks.
Happy Tuesday, friends! Back later this week with a week 27 update and 2nd trimester recap! <3
