When my belly first started growing, many people started telling me that I would have to drastically changed how I dressed – that my ideal bump style was not going to be the bump style that I wanted. I heard horror stories of how when looking for dresses for events such as weddings or showers, there was nothing to be found and I was possibly going to go through the same thing. I fed into the defeat early before I actually could be defeated. I started buying maternity wear that wasn’t my style because the outfits in my style were way too expensive. And I spent most of my time wearing my husband’s pajama pants and t-shirts (which I still do because they are a lot more comfortable to wear now that I’m at the end of my pregnancy). But soon I learned that I didn’t have to fall into that defeat, and that there are ways to wear what you want and “dress to the T” while your pregnant.
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When it comes to finding dresses that are non-maternity, and even tops, it’s all about the waistline and the lining of the dress or top. A high waistline, or empire waistline, is exactly what to look for in order not to limit your selection of clothing. Throughout my pregnancy, I stuck with a selection of stores to shop that were non-maternity and places to shop that were maternity.
To be honest, many of the looks that I wore throughout my pregnancy were non-maternity, so that I could wear most of the outfits that I bought during each and every stage of my pregnancy – no matter the size of my belly – and then even after my pregnancy.
This particular dress is one that I was recommend to wear for an event, and it has fit me during my second and third trimester. The waistline is not tight and it is higher so that it’s not putting pressure on my belly at all. Instead, I can use the belt to create an empire waistline which also helped with keeping the chest area of the the dress closed so that my growing boobs didn’t pop out – something that I never saw myself ever saying in my life until I got pregnant.
Another trick for wearing non-maternity pieces in order not to limit your selection is also to size up. There have been a few looks that I loved where the only thing that I did was purchase a size up. In the end, you can still wear those looks. You can wear tops by cinching them with a belt or getting them altered at some point or another.
Additionally, pick out items with stretch. There’s a little known fact that outfits with stretch are meant to also be worn a size up. For example, if you get a dress or top in a size small but the lining is elastic, a person who is size medium may be able to fit into it as well. This little trick has allowed my sister and I swap clothes every once in awhile without me having to feel as though I am going to get my top or dress back stretched out.
