When I got pregnant for the first time, I was so excited to shop for maternity clothes. I made a visit to Motherhood Maternity only to find one tiny little section with clothes in my size. I bought a couple of pairs of jeans and a couple of tops, but no where near enough to build a maternity wardrobe! I quickly realized that there were basically no other retailers that even carried my size in their stores, and that online shopping would be my friend.
Unfortunately, even those options are limited! I made the mistake of wearing some of my non-maternity bottoms for a little too long, which led to stretched out dress pants, yoga pants and all of my underwear. Whoops.
Now that I’m pregnant again, I’m no longer working so most of the maternity clothes from my first pregnancy are obsolete (and you won’t catch me wearing the horrible maternity flare jeans I wore during my last pregnancy, what the heck, four years ago self.) What I’ve found is that I can create a great maternity wardrobe by mixing a few actual maternity items (jeans, a few tops for the hugeness of third trimester) with items already in my closet.
Here are my tips for where to shop and what normal wardrobe staples you can make work during your pregnancy.
Where to Shop
- Motherhood Maternity online and in stores (FYI if they don’t have your size in store they can order it online and ship it to your house for free.)
- Target online and in stores (up to size XXL)
- JCPenney online (up to 3XL)
- Old Navy/Gap online (up to XXL, Gap offers free shipping and free returns)
- Kohls online (small selection of items up to 3XL)
- Sears online (small selection of items up to 3XL)
- Walmart online and in stores (up to 3XL)
- Loft online (a few options in XXL)
- pinkblushmaternity.com (bonus, they offer free shipping on all U.S. orders!)
- Zulily.com (I have on occasion seen plus size maternity clothes on there, but the catch is no returns)
- LuLaRoe (Not maternity clothes per se, but they sell up to 3XL in all styles. You’ll need to find a LLR consultant to buy from.)
Non-maternity wear that still works!
- Skirts/Dresses: Maxi skirts and dresses don’t have to be maternity wear to fit and look flattering! They are my go-to for the summer. I always find great ones at Ross and Marshalls.
- Shirts: Long plus size tops can work through most of your pregnancy. I also wear long camis under not as long shirts.
- Swimsuits: Long tankinis with side rouching can get you through pregnancy without buying a maternity suit you’ll never wear again.
- Underwear: While I opted for maternity underwear this time, you can also just size up from what you usually wear, saving your pre-pregnancy underwear from getting stretched out!
- Cardigans: I will often wear one of the cardigans out of my closet over a maxi dress or a maternity shirt.
A great resource for plus sized pregnant women is the website Plus Size Birth. There you’ll find articles about choosing a size friendly birth professional, plus size breastfeeding and babywearing, and a photo gallery of other plus size baby bumps. I absolutely love the message of body love that Jen McClellan shares through her work.