If you’re pregnant and the baby is starting to make itself known, your clothes will only keep shrinking 😉 from now till that baby is out.
My biggest enemies were budget and local options to shop. Any maternity stores that used to be in the area were long closed down. My only options were Target or online and Target only had like half an aisle for all the maternity stuff and the options weren’t great. With online I couldn’t try anything on without obviously ordering it and then having to deal with returns for what didn’t fit which is a hassle.
The budget issue also limited my options to what I could find on Amazon and I splurged a bit on Maurices for a couple items.
It wasn’t all bad though and if you’re in the predicament I was in trying to sort through all the listings, including the ones that aren’t maternity and yet are still coming up in your results, I have compiled a list of some must-have and nice-to-have items that I used in my pregnancy. Some of these I actually got sad to pack away after the baby came because they were so comfortable.
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1. Bearsland Shirts
First on this list are the softest shirts I have ever owned. They are long and stretchy and so comfortable. I only stopped wearing them because I opted for nursing-friendly tops most days but they have made their way back into the rotation since we’ve slowed down on nursing sessions throughout the day.
They come in short sleeve and long sleeve in various colors. I got both for summer and fall when I was most heavily pregnant.
2. Underwear
These were one of the things that I struggled with because I have always been a thong or spandex person but neither were cutting it as my body kept expanding. I did wear these for a little while postpartum while my belly was still pretty big but once things calmed down they were too big.
I am very excited to be pregnant again and be able to pull them out lol
Luckily, I did find some underwear that better suited my postpartum body and I have bought like 3 packs so far and I will make a whole new post for the clothes that got me through postpartum and breastfeeding.
3. Shapewear
The shapewear I got was very comfortable and supportive and were a great tool to have for all sorts of outfits, not just dresses. The ones I got are no longer available but these ones look similar and have a lot of glowing reviews.
Usually, I would like to have tried the exact item I am recommending. However, in this case, I didn’t want to leave shapewear off the list as I felt these were such an important part of my wardrobe that helped me feel more comfortable.
4. Dresses
Speaking of dresses…this black daisy dress was so comfortable and versatile and I wore it on several occasions including my baby shower!
This green one was also a versatile find that I could add a nice cardigan to and look professional or a chunky sweater or by itself to be more casual. It was stretchy and comfortable and I felt great in both of these dresses
5. Light Sweatshirt
I tried a couple of maternity specific hoodies and they weren’t that comfortable and I often opted for my pre-pregnancy baggy hoodies. What I really wanted was a nice stretchy but not baggy zip up.
When I ordered this I actually almost returned it because of how thin it was but I luckily never got around to it because it ended up being my favorite sweatshirt at the end of my pregnancy. It was thin but stretched and was soft and I have still used it during postpartum.
The fact that it was thin actually worked in my favor as it allowed for a light layers situation and provided an easy cover up when the weather became unpredictable.
There were many other things I had bought and hated and some I liked. Some I never ended up wearing…oops! But these items got me through those long months feeling much better in my changing body.