Guide to Maternity Clothes

When I was newly pregnant, I felt totally lost when it came to maternity clothing. It was so overwhelming, especially with my changing body image! You know how you think everyone else's baby belly is cute? You probably won't think yours is cute at all (but it will be, trust me). I hated my belly in all but two outfits at a time. In fact, I have fewer than five full-length photos of me pregnant. What flattered my 30-week belly somehow made me look frumpy at 32 weeks.

It's also rare to try on maternity clothing before you buy, so you are truly taking a shot in the dark. A lot of stores only offer maternity clothing online, or have limited in-store selection; other maternity clothing boutiques only exist online. Sizing also stressed me out way more than it should have. Every brand advises to order your prepregnancy size, which of course differs brand to brand, so how are you supposed to know your size in a brand that doesn't sell non-maternity clothing?

A word about cost. I thought about it way too much, because clearly I am obsessed with finding deals on the best things, and you won't wear maternity clothing forever (hopefully ;). I realized that if I have more than one child, I'd have to wear maternity clothing for quite a while. I decided to invest in some nice, not-too-trendy clothing that I'd love to wear for more than one pregnancy.

Since it's so hard to navigate and to find maternity fashion advice, I'd love to share my maternity fashion finds...

Seraphine is like Shopbop for pregnant women. They make the most gorgeous dresses, and sale prices are reasonable. Catherine Middleton was spotted wearing Seraphine during both of her pregnancies, and those styles sold out quickly! I bought this wrap dress and wore it all the time. I also wore this sweater coat every single day (see photo at the top). I always felt beautiful and put-together when I wore Seraphine.

I also love Ingrid & Isabel, but they don't have sales often. Gilt has the best prices when they have a flash sale; look in the kids' section for maternity and nursing clothing. Like Seraphine, Ingrid & Isabel makes beautiful, stylish dresses. I especially love their maternity workout pants, which you can wear even when you're not pregnant (just fold down the belly panel, which holds in your mommy tummy). Maternity workout pants are unbelievably hard to find, and I highly recommend Ingrid & Isabel's.

Maternity (non-workout) pants are tricky. I preferred pants with two triangular stretch panels at the hips instead of pants with belly panels. My favorite jeans were J Brand, which I bought on sale from a boutique that has since closed, but Amazon has a few styles. My favorite work pants were the J.Crew maternity Minnie pant (see above photo). In J Brand, J.Crew, and Gap, I had to size down in all maternity pants.

I wore Gap's maternity basics constantly. I especially loved their tank top, tights, and panties. Word to the wise: Buy maternity panties so that you don't stretch out your nice ones. I didn't want to splurge on leggings and workout tank tops, so I bought them from Old Navy and was happy. Old Navy and Gap both have sales and discount codes frequently, so wait for a promotion and don't pay full price.

Finally, Hatch is the holy grail of maternity clothing. Expecting celebrities are spotted wearing Hatch all the time. I splurged on a few things on clearance on Gilt, which were still way over budget, but I justified the cost by factoring cost-per-wear. I wore my red shirt dress every week and felt beautiful and glowing in my dinner party dress at a ball:

What did you love wearing during your pregnancy? I'd love to hear!