A Long Printed Kimono for the Win

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Sure these baby carriers are great – you can carry baby hands-free all over the place! There’s just one downfall…

When baby’s not in said carrier and you’ve got it strapped on, it looks like you’re into some really kinky things. That’s why I’m so very grateful for this black printed long kimono from Pink Blush Maternity. I can have my carrier on but thanks to trendy maternity clothes like this, I can hide all of the straps of the baby carrier and not look like I’m about to skydive.

Kimonos like this are breezy and comfortable and the pattern allows me to keep the rest of the outfit simple. When you’re strapping 8 pounds to the outside of your body in the summertime, simplicity is good.

Also, I’m a big fan of the kimono vibe – cool and laid back. Like you’re saying to the world, “I just threw this on and now I look amazing, deal with it.” Another big bonus? This is the perfect thing to stock up on with a pregnant belly as it will always fit.

Go check out Pink Blush and see all the great maternity clothes, maternity dresses and kimonos they have to offer. They also have great non-maternity clothes which comes in handy, unless you’ve got 19 more pregnancies to go…

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The Perfect Pre and Post Baby Dress

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Turns out maternity leave involves a lot of sleeping.

Between Jackson’s constant naps and my constant naps hard work around the house, having a day when we put on clothes fit for public consumption is rare. Getting to dress up for a fancy dinner out is a welcome event. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten all gussied up I think my makeup brushes have started updating their LinkedIn profiles.

Really I was looking for any excuse to wear this gorgeous maternity maxi dress from Pink Blush Maternity, so if there wasn’t a nice steak dinner to go to, there was about to be a very well dressed woman walking to her mailbox.

Purple is my favorite color and this shade is just gorgeous. Of course the wrap dress style is classic and flattering on so many people. If you’re breastfeeding you’re going to love having the wrap at the bust-line (for obvious reasons). I loved that the dress was long. Feeling the material swoosh around my legs as I walked was a welcome change from the swoosh of pajama pants.

What’s great about this dress is the fabric is stretchy and forgiving (perfect for baby belly or post-baby body). Also, the sleeve length is great if you want to disguise bigger arms, or if you’re like me and hoping to wear this dress well into cooler weather.

PinkBlush Maternity is a great place to find cute maternity clothes and awesome maternity dresses that can be worn before and after baby (they have a whole non-maternity section as well). I am all about pieces I can get lots of mileage out of and the fact that this classic dress works before AND after baby means it’s a real winner with me. I’ll be looking into the other patterns/colors it comes in for sure…probably during Jackson’s nap time while wearing my pj’s ;)

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The Guide to Building a Cheap and Chic Maternity Wardrobe

So I can’t promise that you’re going to daintily sneeze and pop out the baby, nor can I promise that you’ll have the perfect retort every time someone remarks on your body and how you’re carrying.

Sure, it would be great if there was a preciseness to it and we could know exactly every change before hand, but we can’t. What we do know is that our belly is going to grow and that we’re going to love that child.

Just know your belly’s not going to be that big forever.

I’ve not made it a secret that I was thrilled to have a baby belly and loved every minute of walking around with it even on the days when it felt like it weight 45 pounds all by itself.

Since there’s so much physical change going on and you’ve got that interesting cocktail of hormones swirling around, you want to be as prepared as possible with the outfits you’re going to be wearing while that belly grows and grows.

So I CAN promise that these tips will help you smoothly transition into and out of your maternity wardrobe…

(Going into this pregnancy, by the way, I also gave away the biggest amount of clothes I’ve ever given in my life. I did that to sew a seed so that I would never be frustrated dressing my baby bump. I’m here to say, it worked!)

GAP Shirts and Statement Necklaces

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I am freshly into my 3rd trimester in this picture and wearing one of only 4 shirts that I bought that were actual “maternity” shirts.

I picked up this white shirt, a gray one and a coral one from GAP in order to have basic tees that I could dress up or down. In this pic I’m wearing a simple long striped tank underneath to jazz up the basic white. You can read about that ensemble here.

I paid less than $10 for all three and squeezed every last penny out of them. I wore them with all kinds of necklaces, different pants, under jackets, under sweaters, with skirts…you name it. These went so very far. And because I picked up two of them in neutral colors (gray and white) and a third one in a nice summer color (coral) the options were endless.

Jackets, statement necklaces and sweaters are all things you can keep buying at your original size and rock all throughout the pregnancy and beyond. Since I was biggest in the summer I stocked up mostly on statement necklaces, but when I was believing God for this baby, I stepped up my blazer game and was able to disguise the bump a little with them in the spring when it was still cool outside.

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 Elastic Waist Lines

The only maternity pants I bought were my jeans because being a freak about jeans an avid jean wearer, I knew that I would need at least two pairs to get me through and that’s just what I bought.

However, for business and church I knew I would need more than that, so I stocked up on pants with elastic waist bands. Pictured above are my elastic waist band patterned pants. These came in handy because they added visual interest to my outfit and allowed me more use out of those GAP maternity tops.

Pictured below is a great pair of black pants I got at GAP (from the non-maternity section). They’ve been great for business or dressier events. And because they’re so voluminous I can pair them with a tight fitting maternity top and it all works together. This striped top is the fourth of four tops I bought that are maternity. I picked this up at Motherhood on sale for $20.

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Dresses – Stretch, Midi, Maxi

So I realize not everyone will have the weather to wear a maxi dress when the bump is at its biggest, but while you can, buy them and wear them because they’re something that will work later on so you don’t have to buy them from the maternity section. I got several from Ross (like this one pictured) that were $12. And really you can throw a regular jacket over them and wear them a little into fall if you’d like.

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If you are going to buy a maternity dress, get one that you can do a lot with. Pictured below is the only maternity dress I bought (this one’s from Target) and I have worn the HECK out of it. Plus when I’m pregnant again, this pattern is a classic so I won’t mind pulling it back out.

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Midi length is so popular right now and is a great option for preggo’s because the bump makes the dress shorter, and with a dress at a midi length that’s not a problem.

When I found one I liked I bought others in the same shape but in a different pattern and wore them all different ways. I got these at H&M and have worn them every which way – most of which included a belt so I carved out that waistline and looked less like a big prego blob.

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Kimonos and Long Tees

It’s great that kimono’s are on trend right now because they’re going to help you jazz up a simple outfit. They helped me get miles more out of simple dresses and tops and also helped to streamline my shape which made me look less big and pregnant (I’ve got one on from Target with the striped dress above and a leopard one from TJMaxx in the picture directly above this).

However, they are seasonally appropriate for summer and that’s about it. So if your bump is growing well into the fall, add lots of open waterfall sweaters to your wardrobe as these will produce the same affect and allow you to spend more on something you’ll get use out of later on when you’re not pregnant.

Long t-shirts in bigger sizes helped me out greatly when it came to dressing down. In fact, honestly if I was going to panic about anything it would have been about what I was going to wear casually, but I found several great shirts from TJMaxx, Ross and Forever21 for less than $20 that weren’t maternity and fit over my bump. Then for just around the house or running errands, I went to AC Moore and picked up several $4 plain Gildan tees to wear with workout pants and sweats.

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All of these tips will help you feel more beautiful and less frustrated when you get dressed with your baby bump. Plus they’ll fill your closet with pieces you’ll be able to wear long after that little one comes out into the world!

Working on a little baby bump? See what I wore for that here!

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Maternity Fashion – For the Beginning Bump

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Dressing around a growing bump doesn’t have to be frustrating in the least bit. I never once had a moment of panic and/or annoyance that I had nothing to wear (and I only purchased 7 maternity pieces). All it takes is some careful planning and creativity.

I’m hear to offer help with both…

No matter how fast or slow you show, you’ll go through that transition period of looking kiiinda pregnant. These tips are for when you’re barely showing and I’ll cover a full on baby belly in another post.

Elastic Waist Bands

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This is me at 20 weeks. I had just enough of a pooch poking out that it was starting to get uncomfortable in jeans. This skirt helped because it could sit below my pooch and be comfortable.

Whether it be a skirt or pants, elastic waist bands help you to wear non-maternity items throughout your pregnancy. Do keep in mind that they’ll sit lower as your belly grows, so make sure they’re not so long that you have to wear them with heels later on if you don’t want to.

Empire Waists

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One thing you’re going to have to give up for a little while are dresses with regular waist lines. They’re going to cut you right where you’re starting to show, so be sure to pick up either shift dresses with no waist, or dresses with an empire waist.

This was my Easter dress at which point I was 22 weeks and the waist line was just perfectly comfortable. I’ve even tried this dress on a couple weeks ago when I was around 34 weeks and it still works (psst: it’s not maternity).

The empire waist is perfect because it will define the line between your growing boobs and belly. Keeping that line defined is going to be your numero uno goal throughout this whole process because that’s going to help you look slimmer overall. If you ever put on something where the three become one, you’re going to look like one giant blob, or at the very least a lot more pregnant than one could ever physically be.

Always look to carve out a waistline.

Piko Tops

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Piko tops are going to help disguise your belly now AND later after you’ve given birth. Their loose fit is perfect for both phases.

Here I am on Mother’s Day at 27 weeks. I have now transitioned to maternity jeans (these are from Motherhood) and these loose fitting (non-maternity) tops have been perfect for all the stages leading up to full on belly. If you’ll pick them up in several different colors, you can change up the look of them by adding different statement necklaces (I’ve got a gold one on but you can’t see it) or scarves if the weather is cooler.

Piko tops come in long sleeve, quarter sleeve and tunic form, so stock up because you will get so much use out of them!

When you wear a top like this, though, make sure that your pants don’t have a lot of volume since these tops do. You don’t want to add volume on top of volume when wearing these.

If you’ll get your Piko tops from this link and enter “thespiff” at checkout, you’ll get 10% off!

Check back in the coming days to see my maternity fashion plan for as my belly got bigger!

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Maternity Photo Session

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The name “Jackson” means, “God has shown favor.” And that couldn’t be more accurate.

He is our answer to prayer, the manifestation of the biggest faith project of our lives.

It was exciting to take pictures to show off my baby bump, but it’s going to be even more exciting when he’s smiling along with us. This gal did a great job capturing us and our excitement. I highly recommend her!

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My sister and I also took pictures together (because she’s pregnant too!!). I’ll be sharing those later so stay tuned :)

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