My fave maternity brands, tips, and affordable wardrobe/wishlist

My fave maternity brands, tips, and affordable wardrobe/wishlist

• 4.09.2020

My first pregnancy, I was too thrifty and didn't get many nice maternity pieces that I felt good in. Not this time!! I'm still shopping affordable sources but I've bought myself four new pairs of jeans that I love (big upgrade from the super cheap ones I had before), made sure I had enough maternity yoga pants, and am enjoying some pieces I can wear after pregnancy too (like comfy but cute wide shoes).

I've had some questions about my fave brands for maternity pieces, too. Sharing those and the pieces I have/love or am considering in this post!

Best affordable maternity clothing brands

First, favorite brands. There are a lot of cheap quality options for maternity clothes out there! Yes, you only wear them for a few months, but most of us stick to a capsule wardrobe for maternity which means we wear each piece a lot. They need to hold up to a lot of washing! I didn't love the quality of a lot of the ones I had last time.

I've been disappointed in the maternity jeans from Target, but ordered several pairs from a few different places and ended up keeping 4 pairs from Gap! I still like Target for tees and other basics, but I really recommend Gap for bottoms and things that need to be a little sturdier.

I also like sticking to non-maternity pieces for accessories, jackets, vests, sweaters, etc. (this works unless you're very pregnant during a cold winter). It's just not worth it to me to invest in a whole new set of quilted zipper vests when my non-maternity ones work fine just not zippered, over a maternity button-up for work.

This spring, since I'm only 21 weeks pregnant right now I've been wearing non-maternity tees and sweatshirts just fine. That'll change this summer, for sure, so I'm making sure I have enough basic v-neck tees and tanks. There comes a point in pregnancy (will be pretty soon for me) when non-maternity tops fit, technically, but are just NOT flattering!

Jeans/shoes/top is old and won't fit much longer!

Another spring/summer consideration: last pregnancy I was wearing maternity jeans December through April, so the full panel style that adds an extra layer on the belly was welcome. This time around it'll be August when baby comes, so I ordered demi-panel (wide covered elastic band low rise) and inset panel (triangles of exposed elastic at the sides, very low rise) jeans and they have been super comfy!

I'm working from home this spring so dress pretty normally on top most days but wear yoga pants basically every day!! I have three pairs of capris and two pairs of full-length ones. Maternity yoga pants are the most comfortable pants ever. I like these in full-panel because it helps them stay in place better (they're stretchy and move around by nature).

Here are the four jeans I bought and love, some great cute/comfy sneakers (I wear wide widths all the time but that's extra important in pregnancy when your feet can get wider!), and more that are filling out my maternity wardrobe this spring/summer.

Hope this helps! Take it from me the second time around, it is worth it to buy a few pieces that you love and make you feel good. Nine months is a long time (even if it's just 6-7 months in maternity pants and maybe 4-5 in maternity tops) and you don't want to hate getting dressed every day that whole time. Good luck!