Can you believe you are growing a human being? Seriously magical.
At this point, you may (or may not!) be noticing a difference in your body so we thought it might be a good time to chat about maternity bra and clothing suggestions! Having had two babies, I have experienced two 1st trimesters and each one was totally different with regards to how my body was changing.
For my first pregnancy, I didn't really need to think about maternity clothes for a while. For my second, my belly popped out pretty much immediately - it’s like my body was like, “oh ya, we know what we’re doing here now!”. For me, being comfortable is the most important thing when it comes to clothing in general, so this of course carried into my pregnancy and postpartum wardrobe. I also try to be thoughtful in my purchases and try to stick to buying things that will last me a long time. The following recommendations are based on my experience as a pregnant person and what I felt best in. I hope it’s helpful for you!
Favorite Clothing Options for Pregnancy & Beyond!
There was definitely a little part of me that was very excited about being pregnant and getting to buy a whole new wardrobe of cute maternity clothes. However, when it came down to it I actually ended up trying to hold off on buying maternity specific clothing for as long as possible because I did not love the idea of buying something that I could only wear when I was pregnant.
Lululemon Super-High-Rise Leggings were already a staple in my closet pre-pregnancy and they were my favorite leggings until I finally accepted that I needed some maternity leggings in my 3rd trimester. I have girlfriends who just sized up in the lululemons and were okay with that, but I tried out these Everyday Maternity Belly Support ones from Blanqi and liked them a lot. They sell the same kind of legging in shorts which was great for summer or under dresses for a little support. The only thing about the Blanqi leggings is that they do pill, but if you have a fabric shaver then it is totally fine.
Free People has a lot of maternity friendly clothing (many of my oversized and flowy tops / dresses are from there) so this was a bonus as I could wear a lot of my regular clothes during pregnancy!
Ethical and sustainable slow fashion is always welcome in my life, and I love Oak Meadow and The Simple Folk for their beautiful clothes that can transition from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy to nursing to plain ol’ regular life!Favorite Bra Options for Pregnancy and beyond!
A proud(ish) member of the small boob club, I was mostly concerned (again) with comfort when it came to my bras. For most of my pregnancy I lived in the Free People Happiness Runs Crop Tank as they were just easy to throw on under anything I was wearing.
Never got to try this next one myself but I’ve heard rave reviews from friends about this bra that is maternity/ nursing friendly.
Once breastfeeding started, I bought a million different bras but I found most to be too uncomfortable or tight or finicky. My fave nursing bra situation ended up being the Medela Nursing Bra and nursing pads. Bamboobies makes disposable and reusable ones and I found both to be useful in different situations.
Final thoughts!
In general, bras and clothing are such a personal thing and the same goes for when you’re pregnant! What I encountered in my search was that someone else’s ‘must-haves’ were not necessarily mine. The main advice here would be to stick to what works for you and try to find items that make you feel your best. If they can last beyond pregnancy - huge sustainability bonus!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine is a mother of two with a Master’s in Early Years Education. She has always been passionate about teaching and working with the tiniest humans. Her goal is to provide her family with healthy and sustainable choices at all times, and to share those tips with you!
