I don’t know about you ladies out there, but the idea of maternity clothes has always sent me running for the hills. The hideous waist bands, the ruching and general style of most maternity clothes send chills down my spine. I have to admit that I been pretty lucky and for the majority of my pregnancy and have been able to wear my normal clothes, but as I entered the third trimester, things have stopped fitting as well and I knew I needed to add some pregnancy pieces to my wardrobe.

I remember my mom and I set out on my birthday to find me some cute maternity clothes and it was SO FRUSTRATING! None of the stores we went to carried maternity clothing in store, you had to order it online. We ended up at Motherhood Maternity and I literally wanted to cry. All I wanted was a nice pair of faux leather leggings to go with some oversized sweaters and I was met with a hideous barrage of ruched statement T’s, gawd awful ‘denim print jeggings’ and these disgusting floral prints that looked like they were designed by Anne of Green Gables.

One of the issues I have with maternity clothes in general is I would only be needing them for about 3 months tops, so dropping a couple of hundred dollars for a single item at places like Hatch seemed completely impractical to me. Especially when I had so many other things I needed to buy to get ready for the baby like a crib, car seat, stroller etc. Ultimately I decided to hunt for pieces that I could wear during and after pregnancy. In many cases that simply meant sizing up one or two sizes. Today I am sharing my favorite non-maternity wardrobe staples that have carried me through in style.

Leggings, Leggings and More Leggings

I am 34 weeks pregnant and have been living in my pre-pregnancy adidas high-rise leggings for the majority of my pregnancy and they have been AH-mazing. I love athleisure and feel sporty and put together and the best part is that they still fit now and I am 34 weeks, I’m not saying that to brag – I am telling you this because they are like the jeans in that Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants because they are super stretchy, durable and will get you through your entire pregnancy. I love paring them with an oversized tie-dye sweatshirt and star covered faux leather jacket and feel super cute and on trend.

During my maternity clothes shopping spree with my mama, we ended up at Aerie and found some really cute leopard print leggings that I absolutely adore as well so I got them in a few colors and sized up so they would fit throughout the entire third trimester. They look really cute with oversized chunky knit sweaters.

Boho Dresses Galore

As much as I love my leggings, I didn’t just want to limit myself to one look. Before quarantine and COVID-19 had reared it’s ugly head, I had just come back from an extended stay in Palm Desert and am obsessed with the boho vibes of Spell the Gypsy and Johnny Was so I decided I wanted to recreate that look with billowy dresses and kimonos. One thing I love about going the flowy dress route is that they are easy to style, they are easy to put on and I can just belt them post pregnancy and they will still look amazing!

As much as I love both brands, I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on pieces that may or may not fit post pregnancy so I took to Amazon and found some really cute dresses by a designer that was featured in the sustainable Cotton Runway show last year at New York Fashion Week. They ended up being so cute that I ordered a few prints, some in medium and some in large. They are so cute and I can’t wait to wear them out and about. I was also channeling my inner Rachel Zoe and found a few caftans as well. They have been so comfy to wear around the house and will look great poolside post pregnancy.

Showing off the Bump

As my bump graduated from a questionable beer belly to a full fledged baby bump, I began to feel more comfortable showing it off! I loved to find dresses that were from fitting but still made me feel like, well…me. Here are a few of my favorites.

Kimono Love

One of my absolute FAVORITE things to wear around the house during pregnancy are kimonos! I wear them all of the time even when I’m not pregnant. They just make me feel extra glamorous and add an extra layer if you get chilly or are leaving the house and want to look semi-put together in under 5 minutes.

I just hit 35 weeks today and am so excited to meet our little Pickle Chip. It is such a crazy time right now with COVID-19 and I am still coming to terms with the fact that this journey hasn’t been quite what I had imagined. Luckily my Doctor assured me that John will be able to be in the delivery room with me, but family and visitors will not be allowed. As much as it breaks my heart, more than anything I hope that we are able to come together and flatten this curve and come out of the other side of this time of uncertainty, stronger and more unified than ever.

I hope you are all staying home, staying safe and staying sane.

xx Jess