Maternity Recommendations

When I first started looking for maternity clothes, I was frankly appalled at the options. It seems the maternity clothing choices are prairie dresses, leggins, body con dresses, or, worst of all, shirts that say “mama” on the chest. None of those silhouettes match my style, so it has been a journey to find some options that work. I found maternity dressing particularly hard at first, because I am not someone who loves wearing dresses and I am a big tucked in shirt gal. Thankfully, I got lucky with the timing of my pregnancy. The temperatures started to drop around the time I really started to show, so I’ve been able to get by with a simple formula: maternity jeans (or leggings) + tee + looser cashmere sweaters.

Overall, my approach to maternity is that I still want to feel put together and like myself, but I want to use as much of what I already own. Some well-meaning friends told me to just resign that I would have to wear whatever fits and not feel great while pregnant. I really could not accept that, so I have tried to find ways to feel like myself, while having realistic expectations that I may not have my BEST fashion looks during this period. Dressing with a bump also continues to highlight for me the beauty of buying well-made, timeless accessories. I have been able to get by with far less maternity clothing, because I have jazzed up outfits with pretty scarves, bags, jewelry, and shoes. If you’re looking for a sign to buy beautiful accessories, this is it!!

I have been sharing recommendations here and there on IG stories, but I wanted to put together my maternity recommendations in one place, so that you can refer to it in the future or send to an expecting friend. You can also save these recommendations here via your LTK or ShopMy account.

MATERNITY JEANS

In terms of maternity jeans, it seems some of my friends prefer the over the belly band and others preferred the side panels. The issue with the belly band is that sometimes you can see the darker band through your tops. Some belly bands also are quite tight and uncomfortable. The biggest issue I found with the side panels is that they are often visible if your top is not long enough. One brand even had white side panels which looked especially crazy against denim. Overall, I found that these three jeans worked for me. As a reminder, I am 5’3” so I would recommend these for women 5’5” and below. If you’re taller, I’d at least take a look at these brands and just look for longer inseam maternity options. .

I really liked these jeans too [true to size], but returned them only because I figured one pair of black jeans was enough for a few months.

To save you the trouble, a little PSA of what did not work for me. I found that the Rag & Bone “sweatpants jeans” looked sloppy on and are also meant for tall people. Only one style comes with a drawstring waistband; most come with a button which is uncomfrotable while expecting. I also found Gap jeans to have belly bands that were way too tight. I felt like a stuffed sausage.

PANTS

I recently also discovered these flowy velvet trousers in both black and dark khaki [true to size] and love them. They’re going to be staples for December holiday parties. I plan to just pair them with black turtlenecks/blazers etc.

LEGGINGS

For leggings, I am not entirely sure I’ve cracked the code here. I am a die hard Old Navy leggings fan and have been wearing them for probably 6+ years. I ordered one pair of the maternity leggings, and, while they are okay, they are not great. I sized up one size, and I think that was a mistake. If you want inexpensive leggings, they work but I wouldn’t say they have the absolute T&T approval. Some friends recommended getting the Lululemon Align Leggings in a size up. I tried these ones. They’re comfortable, but, as my stomach grows, I find the band is rolling down. I hate that feeling! I’ll continue to wear them, because I only have about 2 months left so it doesn’t make sense to buy more leggings. I do think they’ll be comfortable postpartum. I am also still wearing my non-maternity leggings to get by. They roll down now that my stomach has popped, but it’s a time contained issue so I’m just going to put up with that minor annoyance.

TEES

When I am wearing a longer sweater, I have just been wearing my tried and true white tees [size down] that I’ve worn for years. However, they don’t work with shorter sweaters. I bought this tank in black and white [true to size]. I also bought this long sleeve tee in black [true to size]; it does have slight ruching on the side, which I don’t love, but I am mostly wearing sweaters over it so it’s not the end of the world. A lot of people online seemed to like this white crewneck tee [true to size]. It does not have ruching, which made me want to try it. It was out of stock for several weeks, but I finally snagged it a week ago. I have to say I do not get the hype. I did not realize until it arrived that it is a cotton/viscose blend. I tend to find viscose traps odors and makes you feel stinky fast! I kept the top because I’d obviously already worn it for a few hours, but I would say it did not live up to the hype.

SWEATERS

So far I have been able to get by wearing the sweaters that I already owned. This Alice Walk sweater is so cozy and, while pricey, is something you can wear after baby [true to size]. They are intentionally a looser fit, so they’ve worked well in pregnancy. In the sub $100 price range, I love this crewneck sweater and own it in black and oatmeal [true to size].

DRESSES

This non-maternity black dress [true to size] has been a work horse for me. I pair it with this Alice Walk shawl + good jewelry and shoes. I also like that I can wear it post baby.

SECONDHAND SHOPPING

Another hack of pregnancy is to shop secondhand in larger non-maternity sizes. For example, I had a wedding to attend in October. I found an amazing Lela Rose two piece set that was about 2 sizes larger than my regular size. I snagged it for a great price, wore it to the wedding, and will either tailor it down postpartum or resell it.

You do want to consider the return policy when shopping secondhand maternity. If you’re shopping on sites like Poshmark, EBay or ThredUp, I would just be sure you know exactly the style/wash/size you need before purchasing unless you’re okay with buying something that does not fit.