Hello friends! I'm popping on here today to share a few bump pictures and my favorite hacks for building a maternity wardrobe! I'm pulling pictures from both pregnancies.
I have not yet figured out the art of taking professional-looking selfies, so please excuse the mirror shots and distracting backgrounds! I'll start and end the post though with a couple of professional pictures taken by my sis in love at the maternity session she did for me last week!
Here are a few hacks that have helped me in building up a maternity wardrobe that I love.
1) Shop thrifted.
Unfortunately, it does seem that by the time many maternity clothes are donated to thrift stores, they are mostly shot. I find that pilling is the biggest issue, but also stretching and stains are common as well. I think this is because many maternity brands simply are not high quality. I'm also guessing some of it is due to the fact that mamas just wear their clothes out!
However, just because much of the thrifted maternity selection is worn out, doesn't mean I don't check in case! I always check if a thrift/consignment store has a maternity selection, whether I'm pregnant or not. With my favorite maternity brands, I know my size, and so I can easily pick something up even without trying it on.
(even when I'm not pregnant) Most of my maternity wardrobe has been purchased used, and has come from always looking and finding various pieces now and then. Over time, it adds up! Garage sales are also a great place to find used maternity clothing!
One of my favorite consignment stores,
Clothes Mentor, started carrying maternity clothing at the beginning of my pregnancy with Axton. I'm not sure if all of them do, or just certain areas, but if you have a Clothes Mentor near you, it is definitely worth while to check if they carry maternity! They are very picky about what they sell, and so there I never have to worry about quality, which is so nice. If you haven't shopped at Clothes Mentor before, I would highly encourage you to click on the above link and check out their store locator to see if you have one near you!
2) Shop sales and off season.
I don't prefer to shop new, but I had to this spring when all the stores were closed during quarantine and there were a few items I really needed. I found that signing up for a few mailing lists of my favorite stores/brands was a great way to stay up on current sales, coupons, etc. One of my favorite deals of the spring was a gorgeous Gap velvet dress that was normally $59.95 and I got it on a "sale upon sale" deal for just $7.95! That's even better than thrifted pricing!
3) Find several maternity brands that you love and buy those whenever possible.
Favorites will vary from person to person, I'm sure. For me, I have found that Gap's maternity line is one of the best when it comes to quality! I also am a big fan of their fit and styles. Old Navy and A Pea in the Pod are two others that I also especially love. I'm personally not a big fan of Motherhood Maternity-their clothes wear out fast and I also don't care for their styles quite as much. This doesn't mean I don't have anything Motherhood-I do have quite a bit, actually, as you'll see through this post! But I am never willing to pay as much for their clothes as I am for Gap brand, for example, because I know that in my experience, Motherhood doesn't last as long as Gap.
What is most important is to find several brands that you love and that work well for you and then watch for those whenever you can!
(Note: I realized after doing this post that I didn't have any bump pictures with any of my Gap or Old Navy tops. So much for raving about the brands! I do have a number that I love and wear repeatedly, I just clearly haven't done a good job taking pictures in them this pregnancy!)
4) Know your favorite styles and colors and watch for those.
I discovered early in my pregnancy with Axton that I simply couldn't stand the typical maternity pants/skirts that have the big elastic "layer" over the tummy. Some mamas have to have that fit for comfort, but it drives me crazy! I am way more comfortable in styles that fit under the tummy. That means demi or side panel maternity jeans, and regular elastic waist knit skirts. I only have one true maternity skirt, all of the rest are elastic waist skirts that I can wear during and after pregnancy. And then I just always get demi or side panel pants. They are a little harder to find than the regular style, but I watch for them and have been successful in finding what I needed.
I also tend to prefer the look of fitted tops instead of more "blousy" ones. I do have both styles, but mainly buy fitted ones because those are my favorite.
5) Be creative in finding non-maternity clothing that also works for maternity.
I actually did this more with my current pregnancy than with my last one. For example, I had about four Old Navy brand swing dresses of varying lengths that I had gotten at various times.
(two were gifted, the others I found used) I ended up wearing them the entire way through this pregnancy! With no waistband, they were super comfortable. They were also flattering and just worked so well with a bump. Because they were swing and "flowy" style, my bump didn't stretch them out either, so they will work just fine once I'm not pregnant again. Watching for styles like this that can work for both pregnancy and non pregnancy is a winner idea!
Okay! Now on to a few of my outfits!
This was an outfit I wore when pregnant with Axton. I don't remember the brand of the maternity shirt. (I totally wore it out and it has since passed on =)) The skirt wasn't maternity, just an elastic waist maxi skirt. Both items were thrifted.
Some of you will remember this dress from our pregnancy announcement with Axton. It is the
Vanilla Bay Wrap Dress in White Multi. I got it years before I got married and I don't think it is technically maternity, but it worked great with a baby bump, as you can see! I loved the quality and style of this dress-definitely one of my favorite purchases and maternity dresses.
In this picture, I was wearing a black Motherhood maternity shirt that I thrifted, along with a non- maternity crochet vest (Maurices brand) and a non-maternity burgundy maxi skirt. (Inherit Co brand)
I took this picture while on a shopping trip to the afore mentioned Clothes Mentor. The shirt was non-maternity actually but I found that it looked great for maternity when I styled it with a belt. The whole outfit was thrifted except for my shoes-those were
these shoes (in the gold color) that I wore for my wedding, and the earrings which were a gift from my sister.
This was one of my early bump pictures with Axton's pregnancy. Cowboy boots, Gap maternity jeans, cream lace cardigan, and a Mossimo brand tunic dress. Only the jeans were maternity.
Another non-maternity maxi skirt, and maternity shirt combo! Skirt was a gift (Inherit Co brand) and the shirt was also a gift. (Motherhood brand)
Here is a picture taken today, in the heat of the summer, and with me looking quite large and expectant, which is exactly what I am at almost three days overdue! I am wearing
this maternity tank in burgundy floral this summer and it has been perfect for these very hot summer days. I love finding pieces like this that are classy and dressy but also very comfortable and easy styling for every day wear. It is long for a maternity top
(which I love) and very flattering!
The same top, a few days ago. I figured I should get another picture of Axton "riding" the bump one last time. =)
Here is a dressier outfit-I played piano for a wedding back in January and wore this maternity dress that I found at Target last year. It is floor length, knit, and simply beautiful, not to mention comfortable! Every mama should have a black maternity dress, and this one definitely fits the bill for me!
Here is an example of a maternity outfit that was comprised totally of non-maternity items. This picture was taken at
our maternity shoot when I was seven months pregnant with Axton. I'm wearing the Aeropostale purple top
(pictured earlier with jeans), leggings, H&M pencil skirt
(pictured down below a few with the rust tunic) a mustard cardigan, and boots. Everything was thrifted except for my boots, which I bought new for a steal of a deal in Mexico five years ago, and my scarf, which I got at Kohls on Black Friday, years ago.
This was a favorite "comfy but classy" outfit during the end of my pregnancy with Axton. The skirt was a thrifted elastic waist Boden brand knit skirt
(I've had it for a couple of years and have worn it through all the life seasons since-pregnancy and non!) Boots are from Target, the shirt was a long-sleeved thrifted Motherhood tee, and the sweater was also thrifted. Leggings were
these buttery soft ones, in black and white paisley. I ADORE these leggings; they are literally my favorite ones that I have ever owned. John got them for me right after we got married and I have worn them countless times. I also have them in a blue paisley print.
(note: since it has been a few years since they've been purchased I believe the print options are different now, but there are still lots of others to chose from!)
Thrifted Gap brand maternity jeans, this
Wine Red Babydoll Maternity Tunic, a thrifted lace cardigan, and
my gold wedding flats again. I LOVE the tunic; I have worn it through both pregnancies and I need to get more in other colors because it is such a great piece to dress an outfit up or down.
I posted this picture a few posts back but am including it again. This is a
non-maternity tunic (I'm wearing the rust color) that I have loved for both pregnancy and postpartum especially. It is very comfortable and flattering.
Here is the full outfit-complete with an elastic waist H&M knit pencil skirt, tights, and a favorite pair of winter boots. (from Target)
This dress! Oh my. Literally one of my absolute favorite pregnancy buys of all my short time! =) I found it on Kohls online at the beginning of my pregnancy with Axton and I got two of them. They were on sale for $5 and $10 which is a steal for brand-new maternity dresses. I have worn them SO many times, through both pregnancies! With Axton, I wore them through the winter, layered with leggings, boots, and cardigans. (and often hats as well!)
Above outfit, the dress in seagreen,
(no longer sold on the website, but it is the Aglow brand for reference) a thrifted cardigan, and
this beanie in mustard.
And then here me wearing the same dress, last week, in 85 degree weather, at an outdoor party we hosted in our backyard! These two pictures should prove how versatile this dress is. If you can find pieces like this for your maternity wardrobe, they will become favorites in no time. It is the coolest and most comfy dress in summer, but makes for super easy layering and coziness in winter!
And then here is the same dress in the olive color, paired with a mustard yellow belt I found on sale at Old Navy, and a thrifted mustard cardigan. In this picture I wore it for a wedding, which shows how it can work for casual or dressy as well.
I've posted about this outfit before too, but it is worth mentioning again! The skirt is from Inherit Co and is actually the only "true maternity" skirt that I own!
(all of my other skirts that I wear during pregnancy are simply regular elastic waist skirts) The floral shirt is from Burlington. It isn't the best quality maternity top I own but I still love it because it is so beautiful and feminine, not to mention flattering. I've gotten so many compliments on it.
My sweet husband bought me this
Red Long Sleeve Knee Length Maternity Dress when I was pregnant with Axton. This picture is from a Christmas date we took the month before Axton was born. If I could style this particular picture over again, I would wear hose instead of the tan tights-I think they made my legs look weird. =) And I would probably wear different shoes. But this gives you the general idea of the dress, which is the main point. It is beautiful and flattering and comes in multiple colors.
I recently got
this dress in red and navy floral for my
brother in laws wedding. It is very comfortable and perfect for summer and I'm guessing I might get another color in the future!
Here is another thrifted outfit, from this pregnancy--a thrifted Motherhood tunic and thrifted Gap brand maternity jeans.
This is an outfit from the other day-thrifted Indigo brand maternity capris, the same floral maternity top mentioned earlier (from Burlington) the same thrifted Maurices crochet vest also mentioned earlier, and a pair of leather flip flops that I got at Ross when I was sixteen. =)
I got
this dress (in purple, size medium) for my maternity photoshoot. It is beautiful and comfortable and comes in tons of colors!
I'll close with a few favorites of my little family and I...
He is going to make the best big brother!
Still kinda can't believe that I get to be mama to TWO babies...anyday now!
(shoutout to my sis in law Sarah for the incredible pictures!)
Now its your turn to share! Where do you like to purchase your maternity clothing? What are your favorite brands, hacks, or ideas? Share in the comment section below!
Also since I'm sure you all are wondering and wanting a baby update...
yes, my due date was Monday the 15th, and no, there is no sign of baby on the way as of yet.
Stay tuned! There will hopefully be a grand little entrance one of these days!
-Chels
(note: all of the items linked in this post are affiliate links to items I have and love! Click here to see my affiliate link disclosure)
