Does Pregnancy equal a New Wardrobe?

So...I'm pregnant!  I'm in my 19th week now and I have just recently started showing.  Remember my huge rib cage?  It loves to act as the host to all of my organs while I'm pregnant, allowing me to just look stacked instead of pregnant for almost the first four months. Who needs to have room in their lungs for breathing or their stomach for eating?...not me apparently ;P.

The question I've been posing to myself lately is "how much does my wardrobe have to change?"  I really hate a lot of my pregnancy clothing that I bought when I was pregnant with Lucy.  It's already outdated, plus I was bigger then overall so they make me look like I'm drowning in clothing.  I don't want to make that same mistake this time.  I don't want to put money into a wardrobe I may never want to touch again.  There are certain staple pieces that I can bring myself to get. These staple pieces include:

• Belly bands (black and white)

And that's it!  That is all I need.  Belly bands or tummy sleeve (motherhood maternity sales them here) are a life savor and help so much in reviving jeans that you think may be beyond you in pregnancy. They also do well at covering up any space between your jeans and a normal shirt that may try to come up.


If you've never used one before let me give you a quick tutorial and a cool trick that my sister taught me that has saved me from buying maternity pants in the past. All you need for this is a rubber band and a tummy sleeve of sorts.

First undo the top button of your jeans. Then take a rubber band and thread it through your button hole:

Loop it through to make a knot.

Put the loop portion and put it around the button.

It works beautifully and even gives you a little stretch when you start getting even bigger. 

Then put the belly band over your jeans and "Voila!" you have your own homemade maternity pants. It's that simple!  

The belly band really helps to smooth out the top of your jeans and helps you look legitimately pregnant, instead of just "muffin topping" it. ;) 

The fact is that I WILL buy clothes while I'm pregnant but they don't have to only work for pregnancy.  There are so many styles out there that work with both pregnant and non-pregnant bodies.  For example, the baby doll shirt or dress, the maxi dress, the crop top and the empire waisted shirts and dresses.  The last example is one that never looks good on me when I am not pregnant (remember those big ribs?) but I happen to have a lot of great tops that people have given to me over the years that are that shape.  Now I can wear them and not have to feel self-conscious because it's okay to look pregnant when you are;).  I am so glad I hung onto them "just in case", now my husband can't hassle me about my clothing excesses ;P.

Now here I am in one of my normal shade shirts, showing that pregnancy doesn't mean wearing egg shaped tops and roomy jeans ;).

(Shade Shirt: forever21 $17, Tank top: Old Navy $5, Jeans: Gap $70 {yikes right?! I will talk about investing in jeans in a later post}, Flats: Urban Outfitters $8)