Pregnancy must-haves

Written By Maria Ristau

The things you need & a few you think you do, but don’t

Your pregnancy closet staples:

  • A pair of lululemon Align leggings. Buy them now in a size or two up from what you’d normally wear. Wear on repeat after jeans don’t fit

  • Stretchy mini skirt to wear over your leggings to be “dressy” I really liked this one a size up from my normal size.

  • Cute /long Kimono and/or sweater (depending on your climate)

  • This dress: EMERY ROSE Solid Ruched Bodycon Dress | SHEIN USA Your normal size will fit for the whole pregnancy if your weight gain is in the typical range. It is very long, so there is plenty of fabric to sill be scrunched over the baby bump. If you’re shorter, I’d go with another brand, like Leith.

  • Long tank tops. I love these BKE core X-Long Scoop Neck Tank Top - Women's Tank Tops in Black | Buckle. Regular size will work if you’re in typical weight gain.

  • Soft comfortable bras without wires - this is more for after baby but if your skin is feeling really sensitive you might want them earlier. I tried several nursing bras & this Target product was my favorite but I hated all of them all in varried ways.

  • A super cute dress to show off your baby bump, especially for a baby shower or maternity photos. If you find one let me know!!

  • Belly support - I’m a little unsure how helpful this really was….but think it is worth mentioning.

  • Maybe stretchy cotton underwear a size larger than you usually wear with a very soft waist, if your sensitivity warrants it.

What not to wear:

  • “Maternity” leggings - The instagram fawning over Blanqi sucked me in to the nearly $100 specialty legging - people love them, I don’t. There’s a unibutt shaping that flattened my already unimpressive derriere. A less costly pair from Amazon was pretty good for the price but in hindsight I would have skipped those to put $ toward another pair of Align leggings.

  • “Maternity” Jeans - no. Just no. If you must though, WAIT until you are about 6 months along to buy these. I bought a pair that fit my 4 month legs & by the time my belly was big enough to justify the funky front panel I had enough fat & fluid in my legs that I couldn’t wear them anyway. Money wasted. Anyway there’s a sensation that they are always just about to slip off of your butt and the price points are pretty high for a product you can’t wear very long

  • “Maternity” tops - any stretchy top is a maternity top if you put your maternity body in it. Layer the extra long tank top underneath if you prefer to keep your bump under cover. I will note though that a few wool sweaters were never the same…. but I’d rather replace with something I can wear for years anyway.

  • Belly covers - just go with the long tank tops instead.

Care items:

Maria Ristau
Next

White Bean Chicken Chili