Let’s be honest – maternity clothes are darling. Until I have to wear them, & then some black hole sucks all the cute & I’m stuck wearing cheap fabric draped like a tent over swollen ankles.
My maternity style back in 2009 was terrible; I’m not going to make any excuses for it or claim that I am a reformed now-fashionista, but I did learn valuable lessons to carry into my next pregnancy:
1) Embrace leggings. Being a tall gal (5’10″) I ran into a BIG problem in the third trimester – the dresses that properly covered me in the second trimester now rode high on my belly & exposed…well, everything. So I purchased capri leggings to wear under my work dresses, & unfortunately this was long before leggings became cute fashion staples.
2) Invest in good clothes that I love. There are two types of maternity-wearers – those that refuse to spend money since it’s a short “season” of clothing, & those that view it as a fashion opportunity. I fell under the first group & rocked many shapeless shirts I found on the $5.99 clearance rack. By the end of the pregnancy, I splurged for good pieces that fit my new body & I felt much prettier.
3) Rock the elastic. I want to find out who decided that pants should have buttons & zippers instead of elastic…& punch them in the face. Elastic is comfy & I have decided to start a petition for all pants & skirts to be made with elastic from here on out. I was in maternity pants around 5 weeks pregnant with Harrison & wore them until 12 weeks postpartum.
4) Play up the accessories. This past year, I’ve really worked on putting scarves & cardigans & cute shoes into my closet to complement more “plain” pieces, like basic t-shirts, jeans, and black shift dresses. I think it would be smart to create a maternity wardrobe with a few classic, quality pieces & build the fun & color with the accessories. 
Do you “toss in the towel” with maternity clothes & figure it’s 6 months of frump? Or do you invest in good pieces? Or were you like me & you’ve changed your mind after pregnancy?
Check out the Huggies Mommy Answers Facebook app!
Find more posts from bloggers sharing their experiences of motherhood on the Huggies page on BlogHer.com.



Because that shiz is IMPRESSIVE. That’s 9:30am, folks. I seriously might cry because you could GO SWIMMING IN MY ANKLE there is so much fluid. Compression hosiery, here I come…because nothing says “sexy” like dressing like your Grandma Doris.


