4 Pieces of Maternity Clothing You Absolutely Need
The clothes you wear while pregnant essentially have two purposes. The first is obvious… they need to cover your body. The second is to make you comfortable! Our body is changing during pregnancy and with that may come changes to the way we perceive our body image. As our body changes, we may want to buy new clothes to make ourselves more comfortable. We pregnant women may also fear that we will no longer fit into our “regular” clothes. In fact, there are really only four pieces of maternity clothing you actually do need.
See what I have to say about body image here!
There is no reason to go overboard and buy a full maternity wardrobe.
In fact, more than likely, you can get away with wearing items already in your closet. You have “regular clothes” that will still work on your new perfect pregnant body! Flowy maxi dresses or t-shirt dresses in the summer, loose tops in the spring, and larger sweaters in the fall are always easy go-tos for maternity wear. However, there are a few maternity pieces that may make your wardrobe a little bit more pregnancy-friendly.
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Maternity Jeans or Pants
First and foremost, a pair of maternity pants is essential. Your regular pants or jeans won’t buckle around your belly for long. Depending on the apparel you are required to wear to work, the pant style you will need varies. I originally bought two pairs of jeans, since I am allowed to wear them to work. However, I ended up working from home very early on in my pregnancy and was able to return one pair. These from Target were my favorite. I loved the support of the belly band, as opposed to the kind with stretching on the side.
Maternity Leggings
Next up on my list is leggings. Everyone needs a pair of maternity leggings. I was able to wear mine to work with sneakers or boots throughout my entire pregnancy. In all honestly, I did buy 3 pairs, since these from Nordstrom Rack were super inexpensive. I also could have worn them out, since they were super easy to dress up with a nicer sweater or oversized blazer. However, due to COVID, I wasn’t going out much.
Nursing Bras
Boobs are such a huge part of your changing body during pregnancy. We need to support them differently when we are pregnant (and after the baby is born!). From the moment I hit ten weeks pregnant, I ONLY wore nursing bras. Other than my baby shower and maternity photoshoot, I did not put on a regular bra for over 12 months.
These from Amazon are what I wore my entire pregnancy!
These Target bras fit me significantly better once my milk came in. I went from a DDD to a G or H cup and refused to get measured, so I wore the size XXL nursing bra. The same brand makes these camis, but I felt they gave me way too much cleavage and not quite enough support. I also love the SKIMS ones and these sportier ones off Amazon! All of these options clip and unclip, making breastfeeding and whipping a boob out super easy!
Maternity Underwear
Maternity underwear seems silly. But once my bump popped, I really appreciated the extra support these gave my belly. These were super inexpensive and totally worth it. Plus they were super comfy to sleep in! I will be honest, I still sleep in them sometimes.
Bonus item:
There are a few items that are a maybe, depending on how your belly grows and what you plan to do during your pregnancy. One is a maternity t-shirt or long sleeve tee. I never bought one, instead opting to buy regular t-shirts in a size larger. Another is a swimsuit! If you are going on a beach vacation or live by the beach and don’t want your belly out in the sun, a maternity swimsuit is essential. Lucky for me, I stayed far away from the beach while pregnant!
There are so many pieces in your regular wardrobe that could be worn during pregnancy!
Like I mentioned above, there are things you can pull out of your wardrobe and continue to wear while pregnant. These include:
- T-shirt Dresses
- Maxi dresses
- Sweater dresses
- Sweaters
- Cardigans
- Joggers (I wore these non-maternity ones up until week 36!)
- Tshirts
- Skirts
- and even non-maternity leggings
The Lululemon Align leggings were a key staple during my pregnancy.
My size 10 Lululemon Aligns fit nearly the entire time!
Overall, dressing during pregnancy is entirely about feeling comfortable. There are plenty of maternity sites to check out if you do want a full maternity wardrobe. If you are trying not to save money and only buy a few pieces, stick to this list of 4 essential maternity wardrobe pieces.
