Sunday, September 11, 2011

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:


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

19 comments:

  1. Great summary of all the outfits! Hope these last few days for you will go smoothly :)

    katattack2000@wordpress.com

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  2. I'm so excited for you and the arrival of baby girl! Great compilation of the last 9 months... I'm still in awe how you easily hid the baby bump. I'll have to bookmark this post for future reference ;)

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  3. I'll have to bookmark this....and hopefully 10 years later your page is still here!

    Aren't you glad that in our generation, that showing the belly bump is "in"? I remember when my mom was pregnant with my baby sister (born circa '86) her preggy clothing (floral long dress one-size fits all thing) was soooo hideous!!!!!!!!!!! Or maybe my mom had horrible fashion sense...

    If baby girl holds out 12 more days she can share my same bday!!! :D Which would be super awesome of course but maybe not for you!!

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  4. So organized! I love this post even though it is highly irrelevant to me at this point. LOL It seems like just yesterday that you announced your pregnancy. Time sure flies, doesn't it? : ) Best of luck with the birth! Hope it doesn't hurt too much! LOL I can't imagine the pain mothers must go through... but I guess I'll experience this in the future. : )

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  5. Ohhh.. Cant wait to meet your baby :) Awesome post and loved watching you grow here :-D

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  6. Thank you for compiling this post...not that I plan to become pregnant (ever!) but in the event that I should find myself in that situation I will definitely rely on your post for advice.

    Can't wait to meet baby SPG!

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  7. Wow, this is something I hope I will need soon.. Thank you for advices :)

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  8. I love this post! You didn't put on any extra weight! Good luck dear! Can't wait to see your baby girl!
    Xx
    http://dontcallmefashionblogger.blogspot.com/

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  9. You did an amazing job throughout the pregnancy! Plus you look fit and healthy too!
    Aesthetic Lounge

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  10. OMG I love all the looks throughout the pregnancy! So fashionable while preggy- LOVE it! I will def referring back when I have my first baby! Hehehe

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  11. Wow, I like the presentation of this. very chic and stylish looks. Can't wait to meet Baby Girl.

    Patience
    www.justpatience.com

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  12. such great tips!! you are such the stylish preggy lady!

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  13. Thanks for all these great tips!!! These outfits look great pregnant or not! I already have clothes saved for the occasion! Muahahahaha. Hopefully I won't have to buy any maternity clothes! (And, I don't intend to wear pants either!) ^_~

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  14. Ooooo the baby still has not yet arrived? I saw your comment and first thing was, I wonder if she ventured to target for the missoni line, lol, JK! Glad to see you are doing well, and these are some great ideas for pregnant ladies for wardrobe ideas! You still look stylish :) Hope you are doing good!

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  15. This is such an awesome post. I've saved it into my gmail for future reference. Hahaha, I'm not pregnant (yet), but my husband and I did sing a duet of "You're having my baby" (from Paul Anka/Glee) tonight. ;D

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  16. Such a great idea to share these. All your outfits are super cute and comfy. <3

    Yay, I'm so excited for your baby girl to come out. Hope everything goes well and I can't wait to see more pictures!

    XoXo, Bree
    http://vivalabreee.blogspot.com/
    Tweet me: Viva_La_Breee

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  17. Kat - Thanks so much!

    Cee - Thank you! There will also be bump hiding afterwards. If I remember correctly, the post baby bump didn't go away until probably 4 or 5 months afterwards :)

    Lor - LOL about needing this in a decade :) Yes, definitely about the belly bump - muu muus are evil!

    Jessy - Thanks! Time definitely has gone by quickly, though these last few days of Baby Watch seem a little slow because I'm so intently watching for any little sign of her arrival :) And the pain isn't bad! I went completely unmedicated with my son (and will for Baby Girl too) and it is very manageable - just trust your body.

    Newpetite - Thank you! I actually really enjoyed putting this together and seeing the progression myself - something to add to the baby scrapbook! :)

    Elle - Aww, thanks! I can't wait to meet her either! So excited!!

    Marina - No problem! Best of luck to you!

    Francesca - Thank you for your warm wishes!

    Mimi - Aww, thank you! Being on a diabetic diet definitely helps keep the weight gain down :)

    Annie - Thanks so much doll! Ohmigosh, you'd be the CUTEST, most GLAM preggy ever!

    Patience - Thanks so much! I had fun putting together various things with this pregnancy :)

    Kileen - Thank you!! You'll definitely be one too! :)

    LePetiteLemon - Aww, thank you! So great that you're already prepared wardrobe wise! :)

    Bravoe Runway - Thanks so much! No Baby yet :) Playing the good old fashioned waiting game! I went to check out the website and it was completely crashed (I was beyond bummed) but hubby was sweet enough to pick me up a few things. Thankfully, we live in an area where people aren't quite as nutty about picking the shelves clean.

    QFFS - Thank you! Are you both karaoke fans? Hubby and I are! We have about every single karaoke game out there :)

    Bree - Thank you for the well wishes! I'll definitely post an update when she arrives :)

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  18. Ooooo so how are you doing?? I was thinking of you today as I saw a very expectant lady walking down the street. Hope you are hanging in there...

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  19. I love seeing an outfit recap like this - it really makes your style very obvious, which is helpful when people want to learn from you.

    Since you haven't posted in over a week I can only reach one conclusion: you're a mommy x2!

    An early congratulations to you - I'm sure you looked incredibly stylish in your hospital gown. :)

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