Preggy Chronicles Vol. 4: Dressing for Every Trimester

I'm in the home stretch!  I'm full term and pretty much ready to go whenever Baby Girl would like.  I know some of you have been with me since the beginning but I wanted to do one big post on what you can wear for your entire pregnancy with tips for every trimester.

I'll first say that everyone is different.  I started to develop a baby bump VERY early on (partially because I went on a food free-for-all the moment I found out I was pregnant) and needed to hide it (see belly-hiding tips here) from my coworkers until I was ready to announce my news.  After that, I was able to flaunt my bump :)  Despite this baby bumpitude, I was able to primarily wear normal non-maternity wear except maternity pants in the 3rd trimester.  Underneath every picture is a description of what worked for me plus a link to the original post so you can see the outfit details.

1st Trimester:
1.  Loose wovens mask bellies with volume.  Wear skinny bottoms to offset the flowiness.
2.  Dresses that cinch the natural waist and then flare out also work.
3 & 5.  Tucking a blouse helps define your figure while the fluffing hides any tummy pouches.
4.  Placing your skirt waist directly on the most protrusive part of your bump helps smooth it out.

1. Loose Woven  Top (link)	2. Cinched Waist  w/ Flared Skirt (link)	3. Tucked /  Fluffed Blouse + Blazer (link)	4. Strategic Skirt Placement (link)	5. Tucked / Fluffed  Blouse + Blazer (link)

2nd Trimester:
6.  Once your tummy is officially ready to make its debut - start flaunting it with belting at the empire waist.
7.  Make use of your normal pants by pairing it with a Bella Band (essentially keep your pants undone and the stretchy band will keep it up!) and of course voluminous tops still work.
8.  Elastic-waist skirts are your best friend and you can wear them in every trimester either above, on top of, or beneath your bump.
9 & 10.  Stretchy dresses are super comfortable and allow your belly full freedom :)  Add a belt for more figure definition.

6. Empire Belting (link)	7. Bella Band +  Flowy Top (link)	8. Elastic-Waist Skirt (link)	9. Stretchy Dress  + Empire Belting (link)	10. Stretchy Dress (link)

3rd Trimester:
11.  Maxi dresses are PERFECT for pregnancy.  Most are built with an empire waist so feel free to buy your normal pre-pregnancy size and rock them both during your pregnancy and afterwards too.  Need I say more about belting?  :)
12 & 13.  Stretchy tops + maternity bottoms make for an easy way to wear separates if you are more a pants-type of gal.
14.  Stretchy top + elastic-waist skirt.  Get some mileage out of your existing normal clothes!
15.  Stretchy dress - same kind of deal here :)

11. Belted Maxi (link)	12. Stretchy  Top +  Maternity Pants (link)	13. Stretchy  Top + Blazer +  Maternity Pants (link)	14. Stretchy Top +  Elastic-Waist  Skirt (link)	15. Stretchy Dress (link)

Shoes:  Starting in the 2nd / 3rd trimester, I tended to favor comfy shoes over cute shoes (though I still took photos with the cute ones!).  Flats are probably the shoe of choice since they are both work appropriate and comfortable.  I also love my sandals (particularly shorter platforms since they allow me to stay balanced and don't pitch my weight forward) because they never feel tight on my sometimes swollen feet.  I will add here that I primarily work at my desk and do not need to move around very much.  When I do, I have a pair of extra shoes in my desk to slip on.

All Other Accessories:  Go bold and have fun here!  You have absolutely no restrictions.

Whether or not you decide to go with maternity wear, just be comfortable!  There are no rules so make your own as you go.  I hope this post was helpful :)

See previous Preggy Chronicles here:

• Volume 1:  Hiding the Bump
• Volume 2:  The "Push" Present
• Volume 3:  Preparations for Baby

Of course, can't have a post today without pausing in remembrance of 9/11...