How To Wear Non Maternity Clothing

Pregnancy has come with its many changes and new experiences in my life. I will be a mother for the very first time! I am excited and grateful to have the ability to bring new life into this world. Yet, finding clothes to match my cute pregnant body has been a challenge to say the least. Whenever I would search on the internet for maternity clothes, hoping to find some stylish pieces to add to my wardrobe, I was underwhelmed with the options!

So I began to do some digging around the internet more to hear from real moms how they were styling their bump. What I found was that most pregnant mothers were wearing non maternity clothes! I am going to share with you the details on how these stylish mamas were getting away with wearing non-maternity clothing. The key factors that stood out to me were sizing and material

FIRST: SIZING 

If a pregnant woman wants to wear non maternity clothes, the recommendation from experienced mothers were to go for a size up or two. In my experience, I really wanted to buy some dresses that I knew I could still wear post pregnancy. So I would buy one size up depending on the brand's sizing chart.

Pro tip!  Make sure you read reviews and check whether the brand's clothing runs large, small, or true to size.

For example, I bought a cute fall looking dress online last spring I had been eyeing from the brand STAUD. I found a really great deal on the dress, BUT I was afraid about buying the wrong size. So I read some reviews and looked at the sizing chart to make sure I was actually SIZING UP. Most people had the opinion that this brand’s dresses run small. Long story short, I ended up buying a large instead of a medium. Also, it would be a great idea to measure yourself with a clothing measuring tape to compare size charts that brands use. 

SECOND: MATERIAL 

Next, let's talk about what material to look out for when shopping for non maternity clothes. Stretchy material is the best! Look out for materials on the product description like Spandex, elastane, jersey, nylon, or wool. I read from other moms that leggings that gave some room for growth were a lifesaver! For me personally, anything that I knew I could grow into like stretchy pants with an elastic waistband was a god sent. Pants, leggings, or tops that have any of those materials embedded in them make pregnancy a whole lot easier. But remember as your bump grows, you will want to size up for items like leggings or pants. Side note! I realized through trial and error that wearing jeans is too restrictive for me while being pregnant and I didn’t want to buy maternity jeans because every maternity jean I saw on the market had a strange jean shape or cute that made the lower half of my body look shorter. NO THANKS! 

CONCLUSION 

Sizing and material are the two most important aspects of finding the right bump friendly clothing. Also, it is important to look outside the box for clothing while pregnant. You don’t have to be confined to just wearing clothing that is specifically designed clothing made for pregnant women. I believe you can be pregnant and still wear stylish clothing that makes you feel good! 

If you need outfit ideas for pregnancy. Click on my blog post about how to style yourself for pregnancy during each season. Until next time! Sending peace & love to all you ladies! 

XOXO, Alyssiah