Dressing (well) for Pregnancy

I don't know about the rest of you, but the thought of dropping hundreds of dollars on maternity clothing that I would only wear for 3-4 months made me cringe. I learned quickly that these clothes are NOT cheap, despite their short life. $70 for a pair of jeans? I rarely will spend that on normal jeans. I decided to approach dressing for pregnancy as a challenge: I wanted to get the most bang for my buck, minimize the actual 'maternity clothes', and still feel like I liked what I was wearing.

My must have maternity items:

jean shorts  // leggings // shirt dress // maxi dress //

red maxi skirt

I did cave and buy a few items, that I would splurge on again. My absolute top purchase was my Jessica Simpson jean shorts. I wrestled with spending $40 on such a short lived item for weeks, and my biggest regret is that I didn't purchase them right away. I LIVED in these. They looked nothing like maternity shorts, and the stretchy belly panel felt heaven sent after weeks of the hair-tie on my shorts trick. If you are expecting in the summer, buy them. When it's 90 degrees and humid and you are 7 months pregnant, being comfortable AND looking cute in these shorts will make your day.

I also bought a few maternity dresses I would absolutely purchase again. They grew well with me and my belly, and were dressy enough that I could wear them to work. I also got mine on sale (Old Navy always has great coupons/promotions) so I don't cry when I look at what I spent.

Living in a cold weather state, I found a few pairs of maternity leggings to be a must. I got mine at the Gap, and absolutely love them. They fit below the belly, and are so comfortable and soft. Best of all, they transitioned well through pregnancy, fitting well when I merely felt bloated up until my final days of the basketball bump.

For the final months of my pregnancy, I literally lived in maxi skirts and maxi dresses. The jersey material is so soft and stretchy, I purchased a ton in different colors and have been able to try them all out post baby as well! I highly recommend maxi dresses from alloyapparel.com, as a tall girl the extended lengths were heaven sent!  Throw on a cute cardigan or your favorite jean jacket and you are business casual ready (maybe I was pushing it with the jean jacket, but I think people hesitate to scold a pregnant person for pushing the dress code limits, and I definitely took advantage). I also loved sprucing my looks up with a necklace or skinny belt, the dresses/skirts are so basic that the possibilities are endless!

Overall, dressing for pregnancy was kind of fun. I loved having an excuse to wear stretchy dresses every day, and never did I have to worry about 'sucking it in'. I also consider myself lucky to have been at my 'largest' during the summer; a lot of people say how terrible it is to be pregnant during the hot, sticky summer. However, I would much rather be pregnant when skirts and sundresses are acceptable. Maybe it is the tall girl in me who hates pants shopping in the first place (36 inch inseam, what up!) but I will pass on being pregnant when it requires bundling up in restricting pants and layers.

Now, I to pack away the maternity clothes and rediscover my closet..after months of being ignored, it feels like a brand new wardrobe and I am thrilled to be wearing my 'old' clothes again!