6 Style Tips for When You’re Expecting

Pregnancy brings a lot of changes. Having a baby changes your family structure, the operations of your household, and even the physical setup of your home. More importantly, your body will be constantly changing in the next nine months as the baby develops in your womb. As the baby grows, so will the size of your belly. When this happens, you might start scrambling for a new wardrobe that suits your new size. However, this doesn’t mean that you’ll need to settle for ill-fitting maternity wear. 

Stay fashionable and in style while expecting with a few tips and tricks: 

Prioritize Your Comfort

First thing’s first: there’s already a lot of maternity pains that come with being pregnant, so you might as well ease some of it with what you decide to put on. Prioritizing your comfort is one of the best ways to make sure you stay stylish and keep you and your baby safe during pregnancy. 

Dresses will be your best friend during this time, so if you have any loose or flowy dresses on hand, now’s the time to use them. You should also have something to keep your legs warm and protected, so shop for cotton leggings to purchase at a reasonable price. Investing in clothes with stretchable, breathable fabrics helps to ensure that your clothes will continue to fit even when your belly gets bigger. 

Don’t Splurge on Your Closet

As tempting as it may sound to go on an all-out shopping spree, experts actually advise against splurging on your closet while you’re pregnant. This is because you’ll only be wearing maternity clothes for a short period of time, and you might decide never to wear them again. While you can buy a new set of clothes especially when nothing else fits, it’s best to keep your spending at a minimum to avoid purchasing anything you might not really make use of that much later on. 

If there’s anything you do need to splurge on, it might be your underwear. As the most basic layer of clothing and the foundation for the rest of your outfit, you’ll want pieces that will fit you right and keep you comfortable. Get underwear that stretches particularly well so you don’t have to worry about difficulties with moving around. 

Invest in Clothes that Stretch

Light, airy, and loose clothing are your best picks for staying comfortable throughout your pregnancy but some fitted pieces that give a bit of compression can be helpful, too. On top of stretchy underwear, we also recommend investing in outerwear that stretches. This can range from leggings that provide additional support for your belly to wrap dresses whose size you can adjust. The logic behind this is that your body will change drastically within the next nine months. If you’re not going to splurge on your pregnancy, the few clothes that you should have should be able to keep up with your body. 

Clothes that stretch are also very comfortable and breathable, so you won’t have a hard time moving around in them. Moving around when you’re pregnant is already a difficulty as is, so might as well make life a little easier by wearing clothes that don’t feel restrictive. 

Choose Your Shoes Wisely

Say goodbye to your favorite pair of stilettos for the time being. Slip into a good pair of sneakers, stompers, or even slippers, to feel some comfort in your feet. Your feet bear the weight of your body and the plus one inside it, so give them a break. Something padded like sneakers will keep your feet comfortable. Flat footwear can also help you stay stable while walking around with the added weight. 

Don’t fret about looking clunky while wearing sneakers all the time. If you feel too bulky in your attire, opt to pair your sneakers with stretchable clothes like leggings or dresses that don’t flare out, so your silhouette slimmer. 

Accessorize Well

While you don’t want to completely hide your baby bump, styling around it can be difficult. Choosing your accessories well will help you stay confident while pregnant, and also fashionably flaunt your style. Purses can be essential when it comes to accessories during pregnancy. While something that’s too big that it obscures your entire body makes you look clunky, a purse that’s conspicuous enough to subdue your baby bump every now and then would be a welcome choice. 

If you don’t want to draw attention to your belly all the time, you can also try drawing attention to your face by accessorizing with big or eye-catching jewelry, like blocky earrings or statement necklaces. Just don’t overdo this and choose your jewelry according to your outfit’s style. 

Get Inspiration from the Pros

If you’re still having a hard time deciding on your look, you can get inspiration from famous celebrities who’ve rocked a fashionable maternity look. While there may be no fashion runway for pregnancy attire, there’s never a shortage of magazines and interviews with pregnant actresses and fashion icons whose styles can serve as your own lookbook. 

You can also get additional advice from their interviews, like what types of dresses are best and how to transition from pregnancy to post-pregnancy style. These are some of the things you can consider as well when you’re planning your wardrobe. 

Hide or Hug the Bump?

There are plenty of ways you can style yourself during pregnancy, and it really depends on what look you want to achieve when it comes to embracing your baby bump or keeping it on the down-low. Some expectant mothers may go for a tank top and loose pants that completely show off their bump, while others would want to disguise their belly with dark colors and a few layers. 

It also depends on the weather–colder months would require you to put on more than just a muumuu dress, while the warm season will be more comfortable if you shed the extra layers off your clothes. Still, this is, of course, a matter of preference. Comfort is the top priority when it comes to dressing during pregnancy, but confidence comes at a close second. You don’t want to resent your body in these months, so it’s best to choose a style that blends both. If you feel more confident showing off your belly, and also feel that this is more comfortable for you, this is definitely a good style. On the other hand, if you want to keep your bump under wraps—literally and figuratively—this is perfectly fine as well, as long as you don’t feel suffocated underneath it. Taking these into consideration when choosing your maternity clothes will help you set your expectations and develop a style you can enjoy. 

Conclusion

When it comes to styling around and with your baby bump, nothing beats a comfortable outfit that showcases your personality. No one said pregnancy should just be about drab maternity wear and the end of your fashionable days. It is, in fact, another opportunity for you to try on new outfits. You don’t have to splurge on new clothes but you can check your closet for adjustable pieces and invest in new ones that can grow with your body.