10 MATERNITY CLOTHES ESSENTIALS

My baby is over 6 months and this post has been in my drafts for...well, over 6 months haha.
But no more excuses, let's do this!

I don't believe you should get a lot of maternity clothes. But  at the same time, I know you want to look cute and show off your growing bump while feeling comfortable.

My main issue with maternity clothes is that they fit RIGHT by the third trimester.  I personally love dressing in flowy things, so I had a lot of dresses and tees that worked until the end.  So let me share a few of the pieces I got that I loved and wore throughout my pregnancy.




1) Maternity jeans
Ok, I recommend getting two styles of maternity jeans depending on your style. It can be a pair of black skinny jeans + a pair of boyfriend jeans. I also ended up getting a pair of flared maternity jeans that I loved. You will find pairs with the elastic waistband and some without it. I think it's a personal choice, try them on and see what feels more comfortable.

Maternity jeans styles: Flared, skinny and boyfriend (from left to right).

2) Maternity leggings
I don't seem to have pictures of me wearing my maternity black leggings but they were a lifesaver for every day wear- like at home doing jigsaw puzzles while waiting for baby.  However, I also got this fun pair of plaid leggings that were as comfortable as regular leggings but they also made me feel chic and fashionable.

3)Maternity LBD
Oh YES! A little black dress is just a must-have in regular clothes as in maternity life.  You can dress it up and down. Wear it with a hat during the summer; or add tights and a jacket for the colder days. You can add a statement necklace and cute heels for a date night or a jean jacket to do errands. I wore this dress like crazy, specially when I didn't know what to wear.

4) Fun floral dress
I love a good floral dress, specially because I was in my third trimester during Spring. This dress was also one of my favorites. I wore it with leather jackets, jean jackets, by itself. It was such a fun dress and I always got compliments.

5) Another fun print dress
I've always love polka dots and they were a huge hit the season I was pregnant. Go for your favorite print: plaid, stripes, dots... With this dress, you are definitely building a cute maternity capsule wardrobe. And same, wear it with jackets, with sneakers, boots, heels...it works with anything!

6) Cute message tee
I love rocker tees and tees with messages. I saw a lot of "preggers" that were adorable but this one that said "Le Bump" stole  my heart. I also got a few tees in the plus size section of department stores...or even men's shirts work!

7) Swimsuit
I guess this is more for summer babies...but if you live in a warm-weather city like Miami it is a must. I wore a few of my bathing suits until the third trimester, but I loved sporting one that showed off my belly as it was designed for it!

8) Stretchy body-con dresses
I'm not a big fan of body-con dresses- not pregnant and not when I was super "fit". I just don't feel comfortable BUT they are the best way to show off your bump. This is the only body con stretchy dress I had and I wore it a few times. For these types of dresses to be very flattering, you should add another layer ( a jacket or a cardigan)...it ends up a classic "Kardashian pregnancy style" but I get why they do it: it's sexy, shows off the bump, and fun.

I chose this dress for our maternity shot because I felt it was the piece in my closet that REALLY showed the bump. Now looking back, I wish I would have worn more dresses like this one. It's true that it's nice to look back and be reminiscent.

9) Comfy Pjs
If there is anything I used like crazy during my pregnancy was a pair of PJs I got that said "Preggasaurius" and they had little dinosaurs on it. It was the PJ that I used in so many of my bump selfies.  You'll spend a lot of time in PJs napping (well, I did and you should too)

10) A dressier dress
This could be the dress for your BABY SHOWER or for any special event. But definitely plan to get one beforehand so you are not running around trying to find a cute maternity dress for an unexpected dressy event.

 WHAT DID I MISS? Let me know in the comments.