Our Ultimate Guide to Stylish Maternity Clothes

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While pregnancy is an exciting time of preparing for your baby, it can also be stressful to figure out how to find clothes that fit your growing bump! I’m in my third pregnancy, and I’ve never found a guide to maternity clothes shopping that actually helps. For this week’s Resource of the Week, I decided to create the ultimate guide I needed my first time around!

Do You Need Maternity-Specific Clothing?

Every mama has different preferences for how to dress during pregnancy. Some swear by not having any maternity clothes and finding ways to make their regular wardrobe work. Others buy an entire wardrobe of new clothes, while most of us probably fall in the middle. Here are a few factors to consider:

How many children do you hope to have?
- If you are thinking one or two, you may want to minimize your investment in maternity clothes, since you will only wear them for 4-6 months per pregnancy.
- If you would like more, it could be worth it to spend additional money up front to have a wardrobe you will use several times.
What is your personal wardrobe style? What was your go-to outfit pre-pregnancy (leggings, jeans, dresses, etc)?
What does your daily/weekly routine look like? If you are working, do you need professional attire? Do you dress up for church or frequently attend events that require you to dress up? Are you home most days and fine with wearing anything that fits?

If you would like to stay away from maternity-specific clothes, you can look for looser, longer options at regular stores. Bump-friendly styles include stretchy skirts, smocked dresses, loose sweater dresses, long shirts/tunics, and leggings with a very stretchy waistband. You might be able to get by with a belly band (affiliate link) worn over your regular jeans.

If you are planning to breastfeed your baby, you may want to consider purchasing maternity dresses and shirts that double as nursing wear. And keep in mind that tight dresses with side ruching will not be flattering postpartum. By extending your maternity wear into postpartum or even the first year, they will be worth the investment and you will have a smoother transitional wardrobe post-baby. As a new mom, the last thing you want to worry about is having nothing to wear.

Regardless of how many maternity pieces you choose to purchase, stay true to your personal style and color pallet. This will help you feel like yourself even through the physical changes of motherhood. For example, if you wore mostly neutrals before pregnancy, resist the urge to stock up on bright colors or large prints, even if they are super cheap!

Tips for Saving Money on Maternity Wear

If you are on a tight budget or don’t want to invest much in maternity-specific clothes, try these sources first.

My number one tip is to borrow from friends! If you know any other mamas who have recently been pregnant, consider asking them if you can use some of their maternity clothes. Bonus points if they have a similar style to yours! At least in my experience, maternity sizing seems to be more forgiving, so I’m able to wear clothes that also fit my sister-in-law, who is usually several sizes smaller than me.

Another great way to save money is to buy used clothes online. You’ll find a lot of options on ThredUp, Poshmark, Mercari, or even Facebook Marketplace! These can be harder to try on and return, though. I tend to buy more forgiving items from these sites, like shirts or maternity leggings. Another hack is to find a brand that seems to fit you well, or even a specific item from that brand, and then look for it used.

If you have maternity or baby consignment stores or sales in your area, try looking there for used maternity clothes. For example, Just Between Friends sales usually have a maternity clothes section. Thrift stores are always worth a try as well.

For new clothes, you might get lucky at an Old Navy store. They typically have a (very) small section of maternity, which seem to be the online returns, but they are usually steeply discounted! I’ve found maternity jeans and shirts for just a few dollars. Not every store always has maternity, though, so you may want to call them to ask before making a trip. Watch for sales at many of the other stores on the list below – you can get great deals for buying sale or clearance items.

Think about how you can style clothes from another season. For example, for cold days, layer non-maternity sweaters and cardigans over short sleeve or tank dresses and shirts. Wear a skirt with leggings or tights. Buy overalls or a jumpsuit that can be worn over any sleeve length.

Another tip is to start with staple items. It will be much easier (and cheaper) to get dressed if you have a capsule-type maternity wardrobe of neutrals that can be mixed and matched.

One final tip is to use your HSA, FSA, or HRA to purchase nursing bras to wear during pregnancy, since these are often eligible for reimbursement (please verify for your own situation).

How to Improve Your Success Rate for Online Shopping

The worst part about shopping for maternity clothes is that there are very few brick-and-mortar stores that carry them. Of course, this is a recipe for disaster, since you have a changing body and hardly know your size or what looks flattering on your baby bump. Here are a few hacks on how to make the best of this situation and find maternity clothes you actually want to wear.

#1: Figure out which stores have the easiest return policies.

Seraphine offers free U.S. return shipping within 30 days of delivery for unworn items with tags intact. They make it easy to drop off your package! While Seraphine is more expensive than some of the other brands, they sell high-quality maternity clothes that are investments. You will be able to wear their pieces for a long time, through pregnancy, postpartum, and nursing. Their many options for nursing clothes makes it easy to breastfeed your baby comfortably in public. I like to purchase dresses here, since it is difficult to find stylish dresses that work for both pregnancy and after baby.

Old Navy offers free returns in store in addition to a prepaid shipping label.

While they may not have the highest quality clothing, Old Navy offers lots of options for jeans! They also have plenty of basics and often have sales. As mentioned earlier, check their maternity section in store for an in-person try on experience and deep discounts.

These are just a couple examples of stores that I’ve personally used. Others may have similar return policies that make it easy to send clothes back.

#2: Buy several sizes and return the ones that don’t fit.

This goes along with #1, since it will be easy and free to return those extra sizes that are not a comfortable fit. You also may more easily qualify for free shipping on your order.

#3: Try a certain style before you buy multiples.

If you aren’t sure if you prefer jeans that ride under the bump or over it, try one pair for a couple weeks before you decide. Or go to a Target or Old Navy store and try both styles to see what you like better. There’s no point in having three pairs under the bump if you find that style uncomfortable. Bra sizing is a similar situation.

#4: Earlier in pregnancy, lean towards the larger size if you are in between.

I think everyone hits a certain point at eight or nine months pregnant where not even maternity clothes fit. In order to make it as long as you can, though, buy clothes that are looser in second trimester and have room for your third trimester baby!