Must-Have Pregnancy Clothing List
It must be pregnancy season or something — I know a whole bunch of ladies having babies lately! Some women use this time as an excuse to “let it all hang out.” Well, my friends – it is not. You should take pride in your look at every point in your life. I know that this can be hard, as sometimes things happen that you have no control over so you don’t always want to wear your best.
Maternity clothes can be expensive but there are tricks for stretching your existing wardrobe and cost-effective ways to add to it. Marisa Moss, founder of MineForNine.com, gave me these secrets to share with all of you.
Save yourself a lot of time and stress by “editing” your closet ASAP in your first trimester.
1. Neatly fold and store all the pants without any stretch
2. Put all the dresses you already have to “suck-in” to wear in the back of the closet
3. Hide all your tailored tops
Now you should have a clear path to the clothes that fit you when you are trying to get ready in the morning and a clear idea of how many outfits you have to choose from.
Disappointed in your selection? Now’s the best time to look for creative combinations of clothes and pull out the accessories! A plain white top will look great if you pair it with a colorful scarf and a pair of pants at the beginning of the week and a cute cardigan and skirt at the end of the week. Then consider buying staple maternity items such as:
1. A pair of black/gray/beige maternity pants
2. A cute black/brown maternity skirt
3. A few different solid colored maternity tops
4. Black leggings
5. A comfortable pair of flats
6. A solid colored wrap dress
7. A pair of dark maternity jeans
8. One black tank top and one white tank top (for layering)
9. A maternity/nursing nightgown (also should go in the overnight bag for the hospital)
10. A couple of maternity bras (but don’t buy nursing bras until after the baby comes because your shape will change once your milk comes in)
If you really like to be prepared, make a list of the important events you have coming up in the next few months — so you can be on the lookout for the perfect outfits:
1. Weddings and parties
2. Business meetings
3. Conference presentations
Mine For Nine is an online boutique that provides women a smart, new way to shop for stylish designer maternity apparel. Mine For Nine allows women to borrow designer maternity clothes at 75% off the retail price instead of investing a fortune in a whole new wardrobe. The site offers a wide range of maternity attire including special occasion dresses and professional apparel.
Fashion Forward Maternity has similar rentals- actually, I like them better because they seem to have more variety and higher quality maternity and nursing clothes (more expensive retail) at a lower price. MFN is good for some stuff, but definately not if you need a whole wardrobe. Either way, renting has been AWESOME and I always get great compliments!
Ooo good one — thanks for the idea Sarah! And for your comment!
When pregnant you totally have to master the art of mix & matching, it will save you…and your wallet! One fellow mom gave me this tip during my last pregnancy – check out Walmart’s website for maternity clothes. Gasp, I know, right? Well I did and actually found a couple of of really cute tops…for like $7-10. Now, of course they’re not the best quality and won’t last forever, but neither will today’s styles so it was money well spent for me.
Gasp is right! That’s a huge money-saving secret! Thanks Angie — I’ll hang on to that one!
I’m not pregnant, yet. But I do plan to have at least one more child and when I do, I will definitely be keeping these tips in mind. I never had so many wardrobe changes in such a short period of time before having a baby. There’s pre-pregnancy, maternity, postpartum, and post-postpartum (where you’re back to pre-pregnancy weight, but with a different body shape and everything fits, but looks terrible). The opportunity to save a little money on all these changes is so great! Thanks for these great ideas! 🙂
Glad you found these tips helpful and that you’ll hang onto them for Baby #2! Thanks for reading!