When I was pregnant, life seemed to be in XL for a long time. I remember the day I could no longer squeeze into my favourite skirt. I wasn't actually that far along, so it was quite heartbreaking for me. Next came my jeans, and then when my leggings weren't making the stretch I knew it was time to invest in some maternity wear.
All you mums out there know how amazingly comfortable trousers with bump bands can be. But at the same time they are quite embarrassing. I never had to wear elasticated clothing like that before. And sadly now my baby is here, I probably wont until next baby....But I did find lots of great clothing that I am still wearing postpartum.
Maternity vests are my absolute favourite item of clothing right now. They are long and stretchy, so they cover all those tummies that won't flatten after baby. They are great for wearing under almost anything. And best of all, they can be fully laundered! Maternity vests are quite attractive on their own too. Instead of having to stretch them over the bump at the front, they stretch down to cover hips and bums too.
I also had to use my maternity bra for longer than expected. During my final trimester, I got pretty big on top. And they hurt!. When I searched online, I found that maternity bras were really all that were recommended. Little did I know how much I would need them!
I found a website selling a berlei maternity bra that described the situation perfectly. You have to feed your baby, and you can't be stripping everything off to do it. While I initially felt it premature to buy one while I was still pregnant, I found it such a relief I was glad I did it. I was instantly more comfortable and better covered than in my fancy designer bra and brief set.
Feeling cold when you're pregnant is no fun at all. I invested in some oversized jumpers to keep me going. What I didn't realise is that I only needed to go up one or two sizes. The wool would do the rest. Then, after the pregnancy, I would still have a nice long jumper to keep me toasty. With the price of maternity wear, I wish I had known that so many regular sized items could work for a fraction of the cost.
Perhaps the one thing that changed the most were my feet. I was sensible and wore flats while I was pregnant. My balance was all off with the weight being uneven, so it made pretty good sense to me. But after I gave birth, my were never the same. My arches are different, and my feet smaller is that's possible. It's a good job I love shoe shopping!
I did love the chance to buy new clothes when I was pregnant. But in hindsight, I wish I had stuck with fashion that I could have kept. How did you get on with maternity wear while you were pregnant? I've kept all my maternity wear in hope we will have another baby one day...
