Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Putting on your old clothes probably feels like stuffing sausage into casing, but you’re still swimming in maternity wear that feels a bit ridiculous. It can be an absolute nightmare to get dressed at this stage of the pregnancy, but there are some options.

There’s a great product on the market called the Bella Band. It’s essentially a tube top-looking piece of material that goes over your regular pants so you can then leave them unzipped and unbuttoned. For $25, it’s a good investment. You can find them at BabyStyle.

Try to avoid buying clothing that’s too big. It will only make you feel and look frumpy. You can, in most cases, shop at regular retailers. You just have to know what to look for: elastic waistbands on pants and empire seaming on shirts. A clothing brand called Sanctuary sells cute pants with elastic waistbands. These came in handy after the baby was born too. I found a lot of fun shirts in great colors that floated away from my body to accommodate the baby at Anthropologie.

I also bought several white tank tops and wore them underneath my regular shirts, which were beginning to shrink up over my bulging belly. The tanks were long enough to cover my stomach and extend the life of my shirts. I also bought cotton dresses with empire seaming from the Old Navy and Gap. 

I spent maybe $250 and was able to wear almost everything in to the start of my seventh month. I then retired the clothes until after the baby was born. There’s nothing worse than having to wear maternity clothes postpartum, so having regular clothes that looked normal was a Godsend.