Guide to Pregnancy Clothes | What to wear when Pregnant

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Pregnancy clothing and fashion have come a long way. Now you can be stylishly outfitted with on-trend styles and statement pieces even when pregnant. There is so much choice available it is quite easy to get overwhelmed. You can easily overspend too. Not only do you have a lot of options for clothing but you have a lot of options in brands and stores that carry every type of clothing item you can think of in the pregnancy category.

In the final month of pregnancy is when you will see most of your weight gain. This is all from the baby’s weight gain and all the extra fluid in your body. In addition to your belly and hips growing you will also notice your breasts growing as well.

Guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy indicate the following as healthy weight gain figures:

28 to 40 lbs for women who were underweight before pregnancy
15 to 25 lbs for women who were overweight before pregnancy

Average weight gain is around 2 to 4 lbs in the first trimester and a pound per week in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters.

Of course, every pregnancy is different and so you may find that you will gain weight differently than most women. In this case, you have to rely on your current measurements to help you decide what size maternity wear to purchase.

Do You need Maternity Clothes?

Babies are expensive and with one on the way, do you need to be purchasing maternity clothing. The truth is some women can go through their pregnancy without purchasing maternity clothes. But for most others, you need to purchase at least some maternity clothes. As your body changes your clothes need to change so you can remain comfortable and stylish. But we understand the need to save money. Of course, there are ways to purchase maternity clothing and still be able to stay on budget.

What Should You Not Wear While Pregnant?

Before we go shopping, let’s look at what you should not be wearing while you are pregnant. Here are some of the things you shouldn’t wear when pregnant.

Waist Trainers/Tummy Control Garments – Once you find out you are pregnant, you should ditch your regular tummy control garments. There are maternity shapewear that are safe to wear while pregnant. Traditional Waist Trainers on the other hand can become uncomfortable and you really don’t want that added compression on your growing baby..
Pre-pregnancy Bras – most women see changes in their breasts before they know they are pregnant. With growing boobs, your regular bras can become uncomfortable. It is best to invest in a couple of new bras that fit well and offer you complimentary support. You can even get yourself some nursing bras at this stage since you’ll need them afterward anyway.

How Many Sizes Do You Gain when Pregnant?

If you start pregnancy with an average BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 you should gain on average 25 to 35 pounds. So during pregnancy, you may gain 2 sizes up. Remember that this is a very personal thing and it is different for one woman to the next.

Where is the Best Place to Buy Maternity Clothes?

There are a lot of places you can find maternity clothes for sale. Let’s look at some of the more popular ones and what type of maternity clothes you can expect to find from these stores.

For Trendy Maternity Wear

Isabella Oliver
Loyal Hana
Hatch Collection

For Maternity Wear to Work Items

Seraphine
Rosie Pope

For Affordable Maternity Wear

H&M
ASOS
Topshop

For Plus-size Maternity Wear

Motherhood Maternity
Pink Blush
Yours Clothing

For Maternity Wear for the Petite

Old Navy
Loft Maternity

When Should you buy Big Clothes when Pregnant?

For the average pregnant woman, the first trimester doesn’t offer a lot of weight gain and so your regular clothes will suffice. You may need to change to a bigger bra within the 1st trimester but typically you won’t need to purchase bigger clothes until you are around 5 months pregnant.

What Brands make Maternity Clothes?

Nowadays there are a lot of brands catering to pregnant women who want to look their best. While your pregnancy only lasts 9 months and you possibly only need bigger clothes for 5 months out of those, the market is really big. The truth is that many women find they have to wear their maternity clothes after the baby is born. Some may end up wearing these clothes for quite a while after having their baby. So it is a good investment. Here are some of our favorite brands that make maternity clothing.

NOM Maternity – Never heard of them? This brand believes that your maternity wardrobe should reflect quality over quantity. Their clothing is made from the best materials so their clothing will last through all your pregnancies if you hold on to them.
Storq – This brand is known for its offering of basic maternity wear that will take you through all 9 months of pregnancy and beyond.
Hatch Collection – This brand knows how to create maternity wear that is classic and on-trend. They design a line of clothing that will serve women from pregnancy and beyond.
ASOS – This line offers a variety of affordable and trendy pregnancy attire. If you want to get away with maternity clothes shopping this is a great brand to check. With their very affordable prices, you can get a bit of maternity wear at a fraction of the cost of other brands.
Ripe – This brand can help you build a line of maternity essentials for your wardrobe. They offer a variety of clothes perfect for all occasions and seasons/weather conditions.
Isabella Oliver – this brand is ideal for the woman who wants to keep their very feminine tastes in tow for the entire pregnancy. All their items are flattering.
Loyal Hana – this brand offers clothing items that are designed to grow with your growing boobs and your growing belly. They create clothing with hidden zippers so you can wear these into the nursing stage.
H & M – this brand is another affordable and well-known one. They offer a very large line of maternity wear for women who want to stay in touch with their most youthful selves. You will find all types of clothing items for different occasions here from H & M.

Which Stores have Maternity Sections?

You would be surprised to know that a lot of stores have maternity sections. Here are some of the more popular options that you may not know about.

Gap – this store offers the best choices in basic maternity wear
H&M – this store offers the best choices if you are looking for budget maternity wear
Topshop – this store offers you maternity wear that is the most on-trend
LOFT – here you will find some of the best work clothes
Target – their maternity section has some of the best workout clothes you will find
ASOS – here you will find the best maternity wear options for special occasions
Kohl’s – here you will find a nice range of everyday casual maternity attire
Macy’s – this store offers you with the best maternity summer finds

Where can I Buy Maternity Dresses Online?

Most of the stores or brands already mentioned here can be found online. But let’s cover them in this section. For all your maternity dress purchases online, check out the following:

Nordstrom
Old Navy
Isabella Oliver
ASOS
H & M
Target
Amazon
Gap
Macy’s
Boohoo

Conclusion

When you are pregnant you want to be comfortable and you want to look good. With the right maternity clothing in your wardrobe, you can step out confidently. There is no reason you should be finding it hard to source maternity clothes. Not only are there many options out there but there are also affordable options as well. You will notice some stores or brands made it across our different lists. H&M was one of those – there is a good bet for finding maternity clothes that you like at affordable prices so that you can keep up appearances through pregnancy.