Maternity Clothes that aren't ugly...

Maternity clothes are usually synonymous with UGLY. I've been there...twice. You walk past maternity stores and see the one really cute outfit in the window when you're not pregnant, and you yearn for the day you can wear such "cute maternity clothes". Then you get pregnant and you have to shop in those maternity stores...Too bad you can't wear that same one cute outfit that season every day!

When I was pregnant the first time I was very frugal when buying clothes. I shopped at those big box maternity stores, I tried to say with the stuff on sale. I also had the good fortune of having a Target that was remodeling. For those of you who haven't had the good fortune of a Target remodel, there are AWESOME deals to be had on the clearance rack. I found the staple of my wardrobe there. Two pairs of black dress pants. I wore them until they fell apart at the end of my pregnancy. They were stretchy and comfy and they weren't ugly! They looked nice with a sweater, and worked with a black suit coat for work.

The one thing I couldn't find was a good pair of jeans. I had 2 pairs of jeans and I hated them both. When I got pregnant with B I knew I needed a pair of jeans that actually fit me. So, I went to the Gap and bought a full price pair of jeans (insert jaw dropping gasp here). I loved them. I wore them all the time. Because I had bought such cheap clothing my first pregnancy and hated it all (and it all shrunk or fell apart) I decided to do things differently this time. I wanted to make sure my clothes actually looked good, because when you look good you FEEL good! I didn't want to miss a moment of this pregnancy, and I sure didn't want to regret a thing! Even though I was on a budget, I didn't want to LOOK like I was on a budget. How did I accomplish this? I'll tell you..

After I bought my jeans I found some basic style tops on sale. I shopped at Target for tees and tanks. I bought a lot of GREAT basic pieces from Ann Taylor Loft. I am not lucky enough to have an Ann Taylor Loft with a maternity section close, but their website has free shipping for exchanges on Maternity items. So, I waited for good sales, watched the pieces I want, and most importantly I signed up for their email newsletter. I got an email from them every week letting me know what was on sale, so I could keep an eye on what I wanted and buy when I felt it was good timing. I got another good pair of jeans from Ann Taylor for only $12! Imagine my surprise when 2 weeks later those SAME EXACT PANTS were back in stock, at regular price for over $50! Wow!

I am proud to say that I avoided the big box maternity stores this pregnancy and my clothes still look great! There are 2 shirts that the seams are coming out of, and they were shirts I spent less than $10 on at Old Navy. The rest of the clothes are in great condition for pregnancy #3. I figure when I am done having children I can pass them on to someone who could use them or sell them on eBay or Craigslist, depending on their condition. If I do manage to loose the weight I gained with A and I am smaller to start my next pregnancy I'll put them on Craigslist or eBay and recoup some of the money I spent. I didn't pay full price for anything anyway.

I also bought a few pieces that were not maternity, just larger than my normal size and they worked very well. One of my favorite pairs of capris from last summer had an elastic waist and I wore them below the belly. They'll probably be a little big this summer, but I'll still be able to wear them if my smaller pants are still too small!

The best way to stock your maternity wardrobe is to cover your basics and accessorize from there. Buy quality pieces on sale so that they will withstand the wear and tear of 9 months, and think outside the box. Find non-maternity pieces that will work with your expanding waist line. The better you look the better you'll feel, and you deserve to feel good during your pregnancy!