What to wear when you are pregnant. Dressing for your changing body shape can be a challenge.
We checked in with our mum-to-be, Louise who is in her second trimester. I wanted to find out how she is dressing her bump. We can also recommend a fantastic maternity wear retailer!
What did you wear in the first trimester to hide your bump before announcing?
I was lucky enough to be wearing thick jumpers and scarves at that time. This meant that I could hide my bump as much as possible. I wanted to wait until the 12-week scan before announcing my pregnancy. During this time, jumpers are what I lived for. Soon into the first trimester, I noticed it didn’t take long for certain clothes not to fit. For that reason, jeans and jumpers became my daily attire.
How do you feel about dressing for your new bump?
I love dressing for my new bump! I must admit that I didn’t enjoy it. To begin with as I didn’t like not being able to fit into my favourite clothes. Some days this got me really worked up because of my hormones. Now, however, in my second trimester, I have totally embraced it!
I am wearing dresses with leggings, jogging bottoms, long tops and baggy ‘mum’ jeans as they are all that fit. As someone who is usually a size 8/10, I am comfortable wearing size 12 underwear, jeans, tops and dresses. I am much happier in clothes that show off my bump. I feel much happier and more confident in myself. If you feel good, you know you look good.
Which clothes are a ‘must-have?‘
I cannot recommend leggings enough. You can wear them with dresses, long tops, jumper dresses, shirt dresses. Jogging bottoms are great because they are so comfy. Long cardigans are warm and comfy too. Pyjama bottoms are getting a little tricky to put on when bending over to pull them up my legs. I have therefore resulted in wearing nightdresses in bed which are great for several reasons. They are cooler at night, easier when going to the toilet during the night and easier to put on when getting dressed. Non-wired bras and bigger pants!
Which clothes should be avoided?
Tight jeans, tight tops, bras that are underwired (I’ll come back to that one. Tights is another one, I’ve learnt first hand. Wearing a nice dress with tights and them riding into your tummy is not comfortable at all. I don’t own a pair but it just came to me that dungarees would not be good to wear. This is because you constantly need the toilet and they’re not easy to get out of. Mini skirts, short dresses, jumpsuits and short tops are others to avoid. Bottom line, you want to feel comfortable and free in what you are wearing and so does your bump. Wear things that come up to the bump. If you wear something that covers your bump, make sure you can sit down comfortably wearing it.
Underwear
I went into M&S to get some new bras as my current ones are a little tight. I spoke to a lovely member of staff who warned me that I shouldn’t be wearing underwired bras during pregnancy. This is because you don’t want it to be uncomfortable against the milk ducts in your breasts. This can affect milk production.
When I heard this I was completely shocked as I had never been told this or heard about this before. I instantly texted Vicky and Vikki (my pregnant sister-in-law and friend and neither of them knew about this.
I’ve worn a non-wired bra since I was 15! They are actually pretty comfortable and there is plenty of room to grow. I was told that when your breasts change size, a general rule is… ‘If you go UP a back size, the size of a cup decreases.’
Therefore, being a 34A, I should have become a 36AA. However, this didn’t fit, so I’m a 36A for now.
What are you doing with your pre-pregnancy clothes?
I spent a whole day organising my clothes a few weekends ago. The clothes I decided to keep for myself and the future are bagged up and will go in the loft. I went through and tried the majority of them on. Then, I made a decision about donating a bag or two of clothes. I also went through my summer clothes and tried them on too. The clothes that didn’t fit went with the pre-pregnancy clothes.
Any shops you can recommend for maternity clothes?
Having spoken to quite a few pregnant ladies, most of them recommended wearing regular clothes but in larger sizes. This is because they are cheaper, comfier, and there is more choice. Some maternity clothes are lovely and fit well but for now, I am sticking to larger sizes of everyday clothes. H&M is a great store that has lots of ‘basics’ clothing including t-shirt dresses, and lots of leggings. Peacocks is another shop I’ve recently been to. I’ve bought several dresses in larger sizes that are comfortable with leggings.
Are you looking for ideas about how to dress anywhere? Where?
I’ve occasionally looked on Pinterest to see what the ‘fashionable’ thing is to wear during pregnancy. There’s a lot of inspiration out there. I am happy to wear anything that is comfortable and makes me feel good. I don’t really follow fashion trends. I’ve always worn whatever I’ve wanted to and I will continue to do that during my pregnancy.
Thank you, Louise, for your tips for other mums-to-be about what to wear when you are pregnant.
At Newborn Love, our two favourite maternity wear stores are:
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