Dressing during pregnancy

Being pregnant can take a huge toll on your self-image. While you are thrilled to be having a baby, you are now faced with at least 7 months of body-changing, weight-gaining, baby-growing growth. For seven months you will be gaining weight in places you didn\’t think baby weight was gained and popping out of your favorite jeans before you thought possible. The prospect of giving up your fashionista clothing for tent dresses and sweats doesn\’t fit with your overall image of dressing for success at the office.

Don\’t fear! With a few tweaks and help you can continue to be a business woman, fashionista or just plain mommy with whatever image you want.

The key to dressing when you are pregnant is to wear the kinds of things that you would wear when you are not pregnant. If you wore a lot of black then don\’t change your colors just because you are pregnant. If you want to feel confident and comfortable in that means wearing some of the same types of clothes as you did before.

Don\’t worry about being shoved into clothing full of big prints and frilly bows. The days of every maternity top and dress adorned with a frilly bow is long gone.

Maternity clothes can also be expensive, especially when you consider that you only wear them for a few short months. For this reason you may be able to find expensive suits and business wear at consignment shops that specialize in maternity clothes. And before you purchase anything consider borrowing it. Many of your friends also have maternity clothes that they only wore for a few short months. People often saved them in preparation for their next pregnancy but too many times the months in which their body has grown into maternity clothing are not the seasons of clothing they own.

Don\’t forget to look through your own closet as well. Especially in the early months when maternity clothes are not necessary but your own clothes may not fit anymore, you can find a few pairs of pants or dresses that you usually wear when you are a few pounds heavier than usual. Any loose tops, pants or skirts will be terrific pieces that will help to get you through that early weight gain prior to your belly actually popping.

In those early months, as your body is changing, you will find that it is your waist that expands first and not your lower belly where the baby is actually growing. In order to extend the life of your favorite pants you can loop rubber bands through the buttonhole and wrapped it around the button. This will give you a few extra inches of breathing room, especially when worn with a shirt that goes over the waist.

And you continue to grow, there are certain styles of dress that are more becoming, such as an A-line or empire waist dress and tops. Pencil skirts that are paired with a larger top also look great on women who are pregnant.

When you are away from the office, or at least not going out in public, you can also raid your husband\’s closet for a larger shirt that you might wear. A man\’s shirt with the sleeves rolled up and buttoned over a tight T-shirts looks great over the top of the stretch pants. It\’s a comfortable look and something you can actually answer the door in.

And don\’t forget the accessories. These can help transform any maternity dress or outfit, especially when you\’re sticking to a few basics. Accessories will also help draw attention away from your body if you are feeling self-conscious. Scarves, purses, jewelry and any other piece of clothing that can be added to your outfit will help to make you feel as dressed up as you want to be.

Remember that you will only be pregnant for a short time and so the outfits, dresses and shirts that you purchase should be able to mix and match so you can get through those last five or six months without breaking your budget.