Pregnancy Fashion

Pregnancy Fashion: Getting Through the Whole Nine Months in Comfort and Style

At one time, shopping for maternity clothing meant choosing between cutesy sweater sets with appliquéd bunnies and A-frame dresses with enormous bows. Thankfully, those looks went out of style around the same time as the infamous maternity girdle.

The modern mom-to-be has an unprecedented choice of maternity fashions—everything from sophisticated career wear to super-comfy sports wear to "wardrobe in a box" kits that allow you to put together multiple looks by mixing and matching basic pieces. With all that choice available to you, you're sure to find a maternity look that suits your fashion sense and your budget and that will carry you through the nine months of pregnancy in comfort and style. Here are a few tips to bear in mind when you are shopping for maternity clothes.

Choose breathable fabrics. Your metabolic rate will increase by 20 percent during pregnancy, so you’re going to be one hot mama during the months ahead.

Go for the layered look. Shop for short-sleeved shirts, and then top that short-sleeved shirt with a sweater. You may find that long-sleeved shirts are too hot to wear, even on the coolest winter day.

Steer clear of tight-fitting styles, and pass on tight belts and waistbands. Anything that is too constraining will be soon be downgraded to least favorite outfit status.

Pick up a pair of maternity support hose. They can help to prevent or minimize varicose veins.

When it comes to underwear, think bikinis. You won’t have to fight the same battle with gravity that you’ll have to fight with regular briefs: they’ll already be down at your hips. Tip: Think cotton. Spending the next nine months in polyester underwear could leave you susceptible to yeast infections, so choose cotton underwear instead.

Beg, borrow, and shop discount or second-hand. Ask similarly-sized girlfriends if they have any maternity clothes they'd be willing to lend out and hit the discount and second-hand stores before you make the rounds at full-price retail outfits. If you can borrow a few items (or pick them up for a fraction of their usual cost), you'll have more dollars left in your budget to invest in a really special item or two.