At Bae. we’re all about making maternity clothes easy. From start to finish and throughout the endless scrolling in between, we want you to feel confident finding what’s right for you - which is why we’re helping you decipher a common question you’ve probably asked yourself: What maternity clothes do I need to invest in during pregnancy?
In short, there are so many factors that differ for everyone, from whether you are going to breastfeed, to how your bod changes during each stage. When it comes to pregnancy, there is no ‘normal’ - it’s all about finding what’s best for you and what your bump needs.
With that in mind, let’s break down our tried and tested maternity clothes for each stage of pregnancy.
First trimester
The first three months can be a mixed bag of emotions, feelings, changes (…and morning sickness!). You may feel like nothing has changed at all, or that your cute lil grape sized bump pops out in the evenings and you find yourself having to un-button your jeans after dinner. If this is you, you’re not alone…and don’t worry, were not just going to recommend carrying a hair-tie around with you everywhere so you can keep your pants up! Maternity leggings are a good place to start because they’re comfy, super stretchy and supportive. They’ll also grow with you so you’ll wear them all the way through maternity and after. Relaxed maternity / nursing tees are also a good idea as they are great for layering and long enough to cover un-buttoned pants!
Second trimester
As you might have already noticed, the size of your bust is likely to have fluctuated and you’re feeling like your regular bra’s are digging-in, in places they never have before. Amongst the many amazing changes happening to your body, throughout the first 3 months of pregnancy is when fat builds up in your breasts and the milk glands increase in size - basically, they’re busy getting ready to feed your baby! Again, everyone is different and some women find their bra size doesn’t change at all - but if you’re one of the lucky one’s that are ready to ditch the under-wire and find a great maternity bra we have just the one for you - try our Set In Motion Nursing Bra or if you’re after more of a sports bra the All About It Nursing Crop. Both are nursing friendly and have all the support you need.
During the second trimester is when you will probably start to feel like more of your clothes are getting snug. This is the perfect time to start browsing at maternity clothes as it’s early enough to get a lot of wear of out of them and now that you’ve likely told everyone, you no longer have to ‘hide your bump’ so it’s time to get comfy and show it off! And, trust us when we tell you, you’ll never look back at your old jeans once you’ve tried our denims. Whether you’re on the look-out for maternity dresses, nursing tops, or activewear we have the basics to get your maternity wardrobe started.
Here are a few of our 5-star review maternity essentials: 1. Walk This Way Jogger, 2. Cross Your Heart Crop, 3. Hidden Treasures Skirt, 4. Serenity Knit Maternity Dress.
Third trimester
Things are gettin’ real and it’s time to think about and what clothes you’ll need for nursing. You may not have even thought about whether you’ll give breastfeeding a go yet, but it’s never too early (or late) to start browsing. Our nursing styles have been engineered to fit your bump and are so discreet that they won’t scream ‘nursing tops’ so you can wear them at any stage of motherhood - yep even after too!
Try these nursing tops and nursing dresses: Me & You Nursing Tops, Perfect Match Nursing Dresses.
Hospital bag essentials
It’s go time…well almost! There’s no hard and fast rule of when to pack your hospital bag, but to avoid any last minute cramming during your last trimester it helps to get this organised around the 30-34 week mark.
These are our best-selling hospital bag must packs:
Rise and Lounge Nursing Dress - wear this to the birthing suite so you can easily do skin-to-skin.
Beating Heart Lounge Pants, our comfiest-ever elastic waist pant to wear after labour.
Run With Me Hoodie, an easy throw on with nursing access.
Plus a nursing bra and nursing tops cos these will be your new live-in clothes for the foreseeable future!