Maternity: Third Trimester Style

It's kind of hard to be thinking about maternity once the baby is born, but I wanted to be thorough for a resource on maternity wear. I started this a while back and let it sit because I was sure I had forgotten something.

If you’re like me, by the time you get to about 7 months, you start to dream of getting back into your non pregnancy wardrobe or at least you feel less inclined to want to purchase new maternity clothing. It starts to seem like a waste to purchase clothing for two months of wear. (Actually, there’s a good chance you will be wearing your maternity wardrobe for several months after the baby is born, especially if it’s not your first baby.) The thing to keep in mind is that the third trimester is when you will be huge and you don’t want to run the risk of suddenly growing out of everything you own and not having anything at all to wear. At about 6 or 7 months (depending on how large you are) you will want to prepare for that day. These are the things you should particularly look for keeping in mind that that they need to be both uber comfy and stylish (hopefully better than just acceptable to wear out of the house). These are the things that you need so that you can be assured of having something to wear, but I’m not saying you will necessarily need to abandon the rest of your maternity capsule.
• Pair of pants—I purchased a pair of straight leg maternity jeans a size too big because they were out of stock of the correct size. I decided to keep them anyway and was I glad I did when that last trimester came.
• Several long tops—no matter how tall you are, no top will seem long enough in that last trimester so focus on length when purchasing maternity tops. Shoot for mid thigh length or longer. Beware the maternity tops that have plenty of girth but are still too short. (I really don’t understand this.)
• Stretchy dresses—comfortable and guaranteed to provide the requred coverage. Keep them sleek so that you don’t look like a tent.
• Comfy shoes, preferable slip on. At some point you really won’t be able to see your feet and getting around your belly to put shoes on is not an easy task. I abandoned heels the last couple of months, but getting any shoe on other than a thong style or ballet flat was downright comical.
• Underwear. At about this time your underwear may need be the worse for wear, uncomfortable or even too small.
Things to keep in mind when dressing your third trimester body.
• Pant fit—One of the biggest problems I had was fitting pants. Over the belly style added extra weight to my already sagging belly and was uncomfortable. Under belly style slips down because I had no waist for the pants to hang onto. The other issue was that the size that fit my legs and hips was too constricting to the underside of my belly with my quickly shrinking rise (think 2” or so). My solution was to mostly abandon maternity denim and go back to non-maternity denim sized up and worn with the fly wide open and covered by a bella band. No one every figured it out (well, except for my chiropractor).
• Getting dressed is quite an undertaking. I was always comfortable once I was dressed—I was pregnant after all, but getting there with all the adjustments to work with a huge belly and make sure everything is in its proper place so there will be no outfit failure took at least 15 to 20 minutes. For me it was worth it. I felt fabulous every day. And I realized this effort justified some vanity. If you’re going to make this effort—once you’re done, stop for a few minutes and admire yourself in the mirror. It will help you accept and adjust to your huge belly and hopefully contribute to a great state of mind.
• Carry that Tide to go pen. The bump catches everything.
• Schedule a last hair cut and other grooming needs so you don’t have to think about it in those first weeks.
This is also the time to think about a few things you might want to have for after the birth
• Something pretty for you to wear right after the birth (I’m talking loungewear, nightgowns, etc.)
• Something sweet for your baby to wear (What will your child’s first fashion moment be?)
• Super comfortable and large lounging bras. If you’re going to nurse, I don’t really think you should be fitted for bras until a week or two after your baby is born. In the meantime, when your milk comes in, your breasts will balloon and be very sore. You will need something to hold you over until the swelling goes down.

15 years ago

Tanya

Veteran

What a great post! I have saved this on my computer in case I ever have a baby.

taylor

Fabulous...Thank you for all your time and energy putting this together....,how did you find the time!!

Alecia and all the other mom's to be will find this invaluable!!!

RoseandJoan

You could write a book on this topic Patience, I love the tips for self confidence and well being. I don't think it vanity at all to admire your pregnant form, it is such a precious time and every moment you can digest is so precious.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What a brilliant write-up. Thanks for expending the extra energy when you clearly ahe both hands very full. YOu rock Patinece.

The pants and jeans thing is real. Many of my pregant clients and friends abandoned jeans from 7 months onwards as dresses were SO much more comfortable.

Sarah

I agree, you should write a book. I know so many mommies and they all gripe about how they felt so dowdy during pregnancy. You always looked so chic and fantastic, and I know you also dressed for comfort. I think a resource like this could be invaluable.

kimlee

Patience, thank you so much for this write up. You have been a source of great inspiration for me....as I navigated my first pregnancy. My husband even commented on how nice it was that I still looked stylish and put together even though I am approaching 35 weeks. I would not have been able to do it without your tips and all the ladies of YLF.

Ruchi

Active Member

Thank for the tips for dressing stylishly during pregnancy.Infact now that I am 31 weeks along,I have taken tips from all your previous posts and implementing them in the third trimester.I bought the maternity jeans a size up as you had mentioned earlier that the size increases in the second trimester.I found that to be true for the third trimester.And those jeans fit perfectly now.
I agree with you that even though maternity tops have girth,they are still too short.I have been fortunate to find maternity jeans that fit and support my sagging belly.The last time around,I bought two pairs of below the belly jeans and they kept slipping.So this time,I decided to buy a full panel one and it has worked well.I wanted to be frugal during this pregnancy(saving up for some big expenses and a pair of boots this year) and your tips have helped me buy only those clothes that I need.I am surprised that I feel so good with few tops and a good pair of jeans.I have been thinking of getting a dress but since the weather is cooler,I will need boots also.I have been looking for a good pair of boots but till I find them,it will be difficult to wear the dress.
Last weekend,I had gone for a personal grooming session(facial,haircut and waxing) and also bought a pair of comfortable flat shoes.I was justifying these expenses to the hubby.You have mentioned the need for these things.With my past pregnancy,it took me months to get a haircut after the baby came.So this time,I am determined to take care of all this before the baby comes.
Thanks for your tips on buying long tops and cute lounge wear.My sister was really sweet to buy me a couple of pairs of cute loungewear(for the weeks after the baby comes) and some cute tummy forgiving tops.I remember wearing ill-fitting tees the last time around and they made me feel so terrible.I cringe when I look at the photos of the time my son was a baby.I spent all my time and energy into dressing him.I am sure that a few good clothes during postpartum will do wonders to my confidence too.I agree with you that it does take a few extra minutes to dress up.But it is so worth it,coz I feel so good after I get dressed.
I have a question regarding the bra size for the first few weeks.The last time,I bought a couple of pairs of nursing bras on the way home from the hospital.But it would be a good idea to have a few regular bras for the initial days.I am currently wearing a size 36B.So should I go a size up and get a few 38B's?

anne

Wonderful advice Patience. You looked so good in your photos too.
I just wanted to add something to the recommendation about having your hair done. I was determined to get this sorted for baby #3 and set an appointment for about 5 days before her birth - and yes you guessed it - she was born 7 days early! Specially relevant for subsequent babies, who are more likely to be early.

Ruchi, your baby will need to have access in the first few days if you are feeding won't it; to stimulate the milk coming in, feed it colostrum ? I am not sure why you would want to wear a regular bra? Although I have a feeling that I didn't bother with a bra until my milk came in - but then I am very small breasted

Hi Anne,I was thinking of getting a few regular bras for the first two weeks and then switching to nursing bras,when the swelling goes down.The last time around,I bought some nursing bras before the milk came in and I didnt feel very comfortable in them.The ones that I got after the milk came in fit better.Maybe I need to look for better nursing bras this time around or maybe forego them at home.

Anonymous

This is very, very sweet Patience. I wish I had known some of this when I had babies. I knew absolutely nothing. All my mother told me is, It hurts really bad, but when you get your baby you forget about the pain. There is so much more to it than that and you have done a service to other young women who may not have any good advice coming from those around them.

Patience

Ruchi, I recommend something like this for the first week or two after the baby:

http://www.target.com/Medela-S.....rds=medela

Definitely a size or two more than you are now and not to be worn out of the house unless you really have no choice. This is nursing friendly. Of course, you can choose to go without a bra at home but I find a little support to be nice and I need something to hold the nursing pads because I leak a lot. Another option would be a nursing tank. Now, more voluptuous women than me may prefer more support and I'm afraid I can't make suggestions.

Anne, for whatever reason, I determined that Luke would be born at the perfect time (which he was) and it was really just luck that I made it to the hair appointment. To be on the safe side, 2 weeks ahead is probably better because you never know when baby will come.

Thank you for the valuable advise,Patience.The sleep bra looks soft and comfy.I will check it out in the store during the weekend.I like to have a little support at home too as I also leak a lot during the initial days.Thanks again.

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