This is actually not just for pregnancy as everything I do/purchase needs to have a longer shelf life than a few months. You can easily incorporate the items on this list as great wardrobe foundation pieces and the beauty items can be incorporated into your beauty routine for truly soft + luminous skin.
My goal with my “maternity” wardrobe is to be able to wear it for longer than my last 3 months, it is going to need to work way post pregnancy. My alternate goal, (which only time will tell if this is realistic) is to actually not buy any true maternity clothes. I tend to wear a ‘uniform’, this is my current one. A well fitting striped shirt is always in my closet, I have these which I upgraded to one size larger than I would normally wear. They have a stretch to them and they seem to be growing with me quite nicely. For the under $15 price tag, I can afford to stock up and the quality seems to be fantastic as both my growing belly and chest have not seemed to phase them and they have maintained their shape. The Belly Bra is pregnancy specific, but it has been one of my best purchases to date. As the name implies it supports your belly, much as your bra supports other things. I wear it under everything even my fitted striped tee’s. It smooths out my newly acquired love handles (help me!), adds extra support to my back and keeps my chest from looking too offensive; basically it creates a nice clean line for me to build on. Treggings, okay I don’t know what the word means but they are extra stretch legging type pants with denim-esque details (mock fly front), rivets, etc. Zipping up your normal jeans when you expand into 3rd trimester is either impossible or impossibly challenging, the treggings give the illusion of a jean but with the comfort of a legging (or sweat pant) without compromising your style (or budget). A wedge bootie is a comfortable way to add height, which you’ll want if you aren’t blessed with Gisele like limbs already. It also hides the place where your ankles once were, mine are definitely looking like cankles! A fitted military style jacket will last you forever and goes with pretty much everything. You can find amazing deals on jackets in the kids section of most stores (buy the largest sizes), especially in stores that indulge in vanity sizing such as Old Navy, Banana Republic & the Gap.
I am a little obsessed with avoiding stretch marks, they are supposedly heredity and my mom has them, but she was also only 85 lbs and had a toddler size baby for a newborn so I am hoping that I will be okay. I read that vitamin e is the key to keeping the stretch marks at bay or at the very least minimizing them. I have been applying Argan oil (super high in vitamin E) and this essential oil blend to my skin multiple times a day. I also dry brush (a form of exfoliation) a few times a week to get rid of excess dry skin + use a non-soap natural body wash to avoid drying my skin out. It’s not enough to just topically apply the vitamin e, I have been eating an avocado a day too! And of course, I am trying to avoid getting more hyper pigmentation when I am out and about so I carry around my powdered sunscreen and re-apply every two hours (I am serious about sunscreen).
Any items I should be adding to the kit for the next round up?
uniform / basic striped tee/ belly bra/ extra stretch treggings/ wedge bootie/ fitted military style jacket
argan oil/ alt. argan oil/body brush/ stretch oil/non-soap body wash/ powder spf
Congratulations, Miss B! So excited for you and the Fancy!
While treggings are amazing, sometimes that baby belly just does not want to be confined! I was a huge fan a little black A-line dress, some tights, and a nice pair of booties. As you get into the homestretch of the 3rd trimester, the dress is a beautiful alternative! :)
Hello Tanya and thank you! Yes, “treggings” may not work for later, but 1st + 2nd going into 3rd freakin’ awesome! I have tried dresses and am having a hard time finding one that is flattering and doesn’t just make me look rolly polly. My chest is as big as my belly (grrr!) so I am trying to find pockets of defined lines, so I don’t look like the Fruit of the Loome apple! And unfortunately the belt over the bump look, not a good one on me!
I think Treggings are Trousers + Leggings.
And I found that the Belly Bra/Belly Band/whatever brand you end up having, will go way past the pregnancy. After baby, I lived in nursing tank tops with a shirt over top, and the belly band underneath helped make sure that the tiger striped belly stayed covered. This combination also really works well if you are going to be comfortable breast feeding in public, because the only skin showing ends up being a tiny bit around the baby’s head. The Target nursing tanks by FAR were my favorites, they lasted about 3 years before I stopped using them and passed them on to a friend who has still been using them, 2 years later.
As for clothing while pregnant, still being nauseous so often, I found that the long tank top maternity shirts that hit mid thigh with jeans/shorts or leggings underneath helped me feel not as sick and were comfortable when leaning over the toilet. Also, there is no way you look rolly polly. Just saying. It’s harder for petite lovelies, I know, but you are adorable no matter what you wear.
Also, I found a need for shoes that you don’t have to tie or lean over to put on. Because Avi was born in January, Uggs were my token shoe of choice a lot. Not stylish but I really didn’t care since I couldn’t see my feet anyways!
Trousers + leggings, brill! For the life of me I could not figure it out, lol! I will look into the tanks, I have been layering a lot, since my pre-bump shirts are now ‘belly’ shirts which are very inappropriate for me to wear in public without anything underneath, the belly bra has been a back saver for me. Although, the reviews were not great because people were saying it ran small but was hard to get into, if one is used to getting into an athletic bra than they won’t have a problem. I like feeling a little ‘sucked in’ ESPECIALLY with the development of the love handle-ish things, I am not sure what they are, back b**bs, it’s a weird and not flattering phenomenon.Uggs seem to be the Winter shoe of choice, I have some Ugg-ish boots that I like, they might be good since there’s a zipper on the side BUT my ankles are cankles and who knows if I will be able to fit into shoes soon!
Good luck on this!!! I am sure what ever you wear you will be stunning… I guess you might need a rain jacket + Welly’s up in Seattle?!!!
My military jacket has a removable hood, it’s so perfect for Seattle! BUT I am really looking forward to Wellies, even though I may look like a tourist, no one here carries an umbrella or wears rain boots (so I heard) this summer has been STUNNING–sunny every day, perfect blue skies and not too hot, it’s been a bit of paradise after my last summer in hot, humid, insect filled, stormy weather for months on end! I am taking it all in and just reveling in my current good fortune!
If you do end up breaking down and buying leggings I highly recommend the Hue brand of cotton leggings that have the wide waist band. Might be able to find them at JC Penny or something (I’m from Canada so get them from a Canadian dept store here.) They are a bit pricey for leggings but they last a long time. They won’t get holes or tear as easily as cheap leggings and the wide waist band helps so i don’t get that “muffin top” look. :P
I shall look into them! I have more like a muffin body right now, lol. I just bought some leggings from Forever 21, they aren’t terribly expensive but they are nice and opaque. I do worry that they may be TOO comfortable, I don’t want to feel like I can grow into them too much;) Thank you for the tip!
I have a huge fear of stretch marks. I have been using Burt’s Bees Momma’s Bee Body Oil. I’m due Monday and so far (knock on wood) no stretch marks. Plus I like the way it smells.
As far as maternity clothes…….I’m so over them. I didn’t buy very many pieces and bought things I could mix and match. No one told me I would out grown them by the end. (I guess it’s common sense, but I didn’t think about it.) Mine started not fitting about three weeks ago. Now I’m left with one or two dresses for work, a maxi skirt and two t-shirts. And all of those are stretching at the seams. Even my husband’s undershirts that I live in when I’m at home aren’t fitting anymore. I’m done working on Friday and I don’t think I’ll leave the house after that until the baby is born just so I don’t have to get dressed!
Oh, and let’s not forget the shoe situation. My feet now look like ham loaves. I have one pair of flip flops that fit. I’m a hot mess. Pregnancy is starting to make look like a homeless person.
Great suggestions, I’m putting this one in my back pocket for later. ;-) Also … congratulations!!!
Congratulations! I had my babe nine months ago and was lucky not to get a single stretch mark! I used (and still use) an oil called Mother’s Special Blend twice a day on my belly and breasts. I highly recommend it!
ON THE BELLY ISSUE: Stretch marks are genetic. Ask your mother if she had stretch marks, If she did, you will probably have them too. My own mother didn’t, and for both of my pregnancies I never got a single stretch mark. The first preggers I dry brushed, used a special oil blend that I massaged into my belly in a certain direction, etc. The second preggers I didn’t do any of that and I never got a stretch mark. On the flip side, they say if you don’t get stretch marks, you get the line that appears from navel downward. If that appears, don’t sunbath or it can become permeant. I had it mildly both times and it went away. Whew! That’s a bunch of belly talk!!!
I am trying VERY hard to go against genetics, lol. So far, so good, but I have also been very careful with my diet and exercise. I read gaining weight too fast is also a culprit and I am just trying to be all around as healthy as possible. I don’t know if the dry brush works for stretch mark prevention but I love the way my skin feels and the Argan oil is really a nice treat. At least in my head I will be able to feel like I did everything possible. I have never heard that about the line on the belly but it’s good to know and gosh it would be awful if that stayed forever, lol!
I love the dry brush and oil too! Now is the time to totally pamper yourself and honor everything that feels good!! Way to go mama-to-be!
ON A PREGGER SURVIVAL KIT: You have to get The Pregnancy Project by Tracy Anderson. Hands down the most amazing workout you can while pregnant. I was a skeptic at first and now I’m a believer! In my first pregnancy, I only did Yoga, religious, almost everyday. It was great for relaxing and preparing for the big day. However, by month nine I had low back issues, sciata, and the worst was waking up with charlie horse pains in my calf muscles. Granted, that might just have been the pregnancy, but when I did Tracy Anderson Pregnancy Project, I didn’t have these symptoms at all! I did the DVDs, every other day, and when I felt good, every day. 45 minutes made all the difference! It is that amazing! Lastly, I wore Pink leggings, Ash wedge sneakers, and favourite t-shirts. It was awesome! And-makeup always fits!
Love the Bella band products