It’s hard enough to get dressed in the morning. No matter how many clothes you have it is always a bit of a challenge to find something to wear. Am I right, ladies?
Throwing a bump into the mix along with massive boobs where perhaps you had none before (RIP, 32Bs) makes things a million times harder, and it is so easy to live in comfortable lycra and baggy tops when you’re feeling lumpy and unattractive. But for me this means I start getting lazy about my appearance, neglecting my hair, eyebrows and moustache, and nobody likes it when mummy looks like Hitler. I find that when I start with making an effort with dressing the bump nicely everything else follows. Even upper lip hair.
Taking things one step further, this time I’ve been trying to document my favourite outfits and posting them on WIWT: do not underestimate the power of taking a photo of yourself and posting it online to motivate yourself towards the makeup. It’s shallow, it’s not clever, but it works for me. I would like to add that on my home days with Elfie you will still find me in jersey and yoga pants, but otherwise I am trying. Really really trying.
So far, my pregnancy essentials have been:
– A decent pair of maternity jeans (mine are these from TopShop)
– Maternity vests, which allows my normal clothes to still be worn over the bump (I prefer Mamas & Papas or TopShop’s camisoles).
– Low-slung skinny jeans (my pre-pregnancy jeans luckily still fit under the bump)
– Comfortable pyjamas
– Long-sleeved jersey tops a couple of sizes bigger than normal (Primark are good for these and I have them in black, white, grey and stripy – I’m wearing one here with an Aubin & Wills tshirt over the top)
– Belts, to nip baggy tops in at the waist (such as here, with an oversized shirt dress on New Years Eve)
So, down to the nitty-gritty. Here’s what I’ve been wearing recently:
1. To my Mother-in-Law’s birthday party, I wore a Tommy Hilfiger sheer shirt (mmm stretchy) with a long black lycra vest underneath. The skinny jeans are from GAP and are pre-pregnancy.
2. To meet the lovely Kaisa Larkas for lunch I wore a Paul by Paul Smith jersey dress with shirt bib detail (classily ironed that morning with my hair straighteners) and a blue and white stripy jacket from TK Maxx.
3. On a day out with Elfie and my mum I wore a silky top from Zara with a Mamas & Papas maternity camisole underneath, Uniqlo pre-pregnancy skinny jeans and shoes and sequinned jacket from TK Maxx.
4. For a Sunday lunch with my mother and Sisters-in-Law I wore a Jack Wills dress, sleeveless cardi from a local boutique, an ASOS belt, shiny American Apparel leggings and boots from Dune at John Lewis.
I expect I will struggle now as the bump expands and I’ll be unable to wear my pre-pregnancy trousers, therefore shrinking my wardrobe down further. However with spring round the corner (did we even have a winter?) there will be more choices with shorter tops and dresses. I wish I’d considered my wardrobe a little more seriously before trying to get pregnant, clothes-wise I think giving birth in August would have been my ideal. I am not even joking.
I’d love to hear from you: what were your favourite maternity clothing choices? Am I missing anything?
You look very glam and pregnant. I couldn’t have lived without my maternity jeans from Next. I was in them quiet early even though I still fitted in my regular jeans just because they were so much more comfy. I’ve also been wearing my regular leggings but starting to find them to be a bit on the tight side now so I have some fab bump hugging ones from H&M. Only have one pair though so think I should get another pair to get through the next three months.
As for tops, I’ve not actually worn any maternity tops yet as most of my regular clothes have fitted me. Because it’s winter I’ve been wearing a lot of baggy jumpers and hoodies anyway. Any new stuff I’ve bought I’ve just bought a size bigger as I’m sure I’ll still have wobbly bits I want to hide after the baby is born so they’ll still get worn.
Biggest concern is coats. I have two winter coats but they’re both getting a bit snug. Really don’t want to be forking out for a maternity coat. Fingers crossed the weather will be warm enough soon to be able to wear stuff undone and I also have a fab mac which was always too big for me so it’d be good to get some wear out of that.
Thanks for your great comment! I don’t normally shop at Next but will certainly take a look there the next time I’m in the city. Will also check out H&M too, are they specific maternity leggings?
I bought a brilliant coat in the GAP sale recently – from £115 to £14.99!!! It’s a grey duffel coat and as I get towards the end of the pregnancy I won’t be able to do it up at the bottom but it’s lovely for now.
I also wear hoodies with my leather jacket over the top (not done up) which seems to work too!
Yes, they are the maternity leggings at H&M. In fact I did go and buy another pair today. So comfy and at £7.99 you can’t really go wrong!
You look stunning! Love the outfits! I lived in a couple of ASOS maternity dresses. I also bought a couple of regular skirts in a size up and wore them under the bump style. otherwise I just wore what I could from my normal clothes for as long as possible!
I agree, wearing normal clothes for as long as posible is a must!
You look fab- one hot mama indeed. I love your choice of maternity clothes- you look stylish and not in the slightest bit frumpy. I lived in maxi dresses and I was lucky that I still managed to get away with my pre-pregnancy jeans until the last minute, i just wore them with layered jumpers and other bits and pieces. x
Thanks Katie! I love maxi dresses, wish I was pregnant further in the summer so I could wear more of them. Sure they’ll be good to hide the post-preg wobble though! x
My first pregnancy was before all the good high street stuff came out, which was rubbish! It was really hard to find anything nice. I spent a bit in a shop call Formes and lived in a skirt, jeans and a few wrap tops. For my second I wore the same stuff for work and also lived in my new Topshop maternity skinny jeans, vests and cardigans. I got away with my normal winter coat, unbuttoned, both times.
My third, I was pregnant over the summer and I went a bit shopping mad in Topshop and ASOS. I wore a lot more dresses (mostly Topshop) third time round, which were comfortable and looked nice. And of course the old faithful skinny jeans, vests and cardigans.
Topshop maternity lingerie is lovely too – I’ve bought quite a lot and they can all be used for nursing too.
Anyway, you look brill!
Yes! Finally something about pokemon trade evolution.
my web page … dead frontier maps
For many decades during the 20th century, maternity wear was considered a “fashion backwater.” Pinafores were the most common style and were often sold through nursery shops. Maternity clothing hasn’t generally been considered a potentially profitable area for most major clothing manufacturers.,’`..
Please do go look at our own internet page <http://healthdigest101.comgo