Pregnant in Quarantine: Dressing for the 1st & 2nd Trimesters

Hi everyone! Long time, no write. I figured I’d spare you the endless droning about sweatpants-based work from home outfits. More honestly, I’ve been having a hard time with the combination of new normal and the winter blues. I haven’t been inspired to share much in the realm of outfits. Then I got pregnant, changing my focus in a major way! I wasn’t able to find much content that covered my situation as a first-time mom-to-be figuring out what to wear and how to be comfortable while working from home in quarantine, so I’m sharing my experience for others out there in a similar scenario.

First Trimester

Every single pregnancy is different—some are much worse than mine while other, very lucky, women don’t have any morning sickness symptoms. I can only share my own personal experiences. To me, pregnancy is the single weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced. It feels like an alien is taking over my body in every sense of the meaning—emotionally, physically, and everything in between. The first trimester was absolutely miserable, and that’s the truth. I was in a constant state of nausea and trying to talk myself into eating anything I could muster. Top that with this suffer in silence society we live in and the constant fear that something will go wrong. Googling was terrifying but I also couldn’t talk about it because it was too soon. The one saving grace was the fact that I was stuck at home, so I didn’t have to endure the commute or keeping my secret at the office. 

I found out I was pregnant in September, so I continued to wear dresses as long as the weather allowed. Anything tight around my waist was a no-go. When I did wear real pants (as opposed to sweatpants), it was my looser fitting pants and by October I was already unbuttoning my top button under my shirt. I decided early on—and also quite ignorantly that I wanted to avoid maternity wear purchases as much as possible. I’m hardly leaving the house, it’s temporary, and I didn’t find any of it appealing. 

I grew out of my regular bra size early on and so my first purchase was a full-coverage bra in the next size up. The Incredible by Victoria’s Secret Lightly Lined Full-coverage Bra was my choice for support and shape at a decent price point. And since I’m always honest with you, I only wore that bra when I left the house. I also purchased the Bravado Designs Body Silk Seamless Maternity/Nursing Bra from Nordstrom for daily wear, and it has been the my comfy option ever since.

As the bump started to grow I also got a Maeband Maternity Belly Band from Amazon to extend the wear of my jeans as much as possible. It’s essentially a ~$20 loop of Velcro the connects to your belt loops and covers the open zipper. Because of this strap of fabric I was able to wear my own jeans into December, which was about 16 weeks along. 

This is the day we told my parents I was pregnant! I could hardly eat at this point, but I was already rocking the Maeband to give my belly some extra room and a bra in a next size up.

This is the day we told my parents I was pregnant! I could hardly eat at this point, but I was already rocking the Maeband to give my belly some extra room and a bra in a next size up.

Second Trimester

Leggings

Then came the second trimester, which I welcomed with open arms. Nausea thankfully subsided, and I started feeling like myself again. It also marked the start of the awkward too-small-for-maternity-and-don’t-fit-into-any-of-my-clothes period. I really embraced the tunic/oversized sweater + leggings combo. I caved and bought the Mama Faux Leather Leggings by Spanx and I quickly learned that it was too soon because they were constantly sliding down in the crotch and therefore I was constantly yanking them back up. They’d come back into play once I had a more substantial bump to hold them up though they continued to need a good yanking heading into my third trimester.  I ended up spending most of December and January exclusively in Lululemon Align pants. In fact, I’m about to start the third trimester and the Lulu’s are still in full rotation, turning into my pregnancy MVPs. They are truly the best and totally worth the price. I’m still wearing my true size as they stretch with me.

Week 17 and hiding the bump under a tunic sweater. I’m wearing the Mama Faux Leather Leggings by Spanx but was constantly yanking them up.

Week 17 and hiding the bump under a tunic sweater. I’m wearing the Mama Faux Leather Leggings by Spanx but was constantly yanking them up.

Non-Maternity Wear

Tunic length wasn’t my jam pre-bump, but I justified several new purchases as items that weren’t considered maternity but I’d be able to wear them now and also post-pregnancy. Free People was a consistent go-to for oversized fit items like the Ottoman Slouchy Tunic, Easy Street Tunic, and We The Free Be Free Stripe Tunic. I also tried to mix items I already owned as much as possible. This was honestly a very sobering exercise as things that were once loose-fitting no longer were and things that fit one week no longer did the next. I had the most luck with midi-length skirts with a stretchy waist that could sit above the bump and were still long enough (for example, the Babaton Slip Skirt at Aritzia) and dresses with either no defined waist an empire waist, cinching above the bump (for example, Washable Merino Turtleneck Sweater Dress at Banana Republic or the (Re)sourced Georgette Smocked-Neck Midi Dress at Madewell). These are all items I intend to keep wearing once baby is here!

The No-Waist Option for Winter

Around mid-January I reached a new size where even my wfh sweats weren’t fitting anymore. The waist was either Steve Urkel too high or early 2000s hip hugger...both terrible options. While I do have a few pairs of sweats in rotation that are more forgiving, there are just as many misses that will be packed away until after baby comes. A coworker made the amazing suggestion of bypassing waistbands completely with jumpsuits! I started with the Everlane Luxe Cotton Jumpsuit, which was a pre-pregnant summertime purchase. It’s roomy enough to fit the growing bump. Then I moved onto a few inexpensive options from Old Navy: Maternity French Terry Knotted-Strap Overalls and Maternity V-Neck Tie-Belt Utility Jumpsuit. It is winter so I layered a J.Crew Tissue Turtleneck underneath, which thankfully has great stretch. Winning comfy combo!

This is the Maternity French Terry Knotted-Strap Overalls from Old Navy paired with a J.Crew tissue turtleneck. By far, one of my comfiest options.

This is the Maternity French Terry Knotted-Strap Overalls from Old Navy paired with a J.Crew tissue turtleneck. By far, one of my comfiest options.

Maternity Joggers

By the beginning of February, I completely abandoned my no maternity wear pledge and bought some pants with the over-the-belly panel. When I’m not in the leggings mood or want to wear some of my old sweaters, the maternity joggers have been great. I’m also embracing sharing my new shape and showing it off a bit more rather than covering it up. Some of my favorites come from H&M: MAMA Joggers and MAMA Lyocell-blend Joggers. Both are great options for casual with a pair of sneakers but can also be dressed up with booties.

What I Didn’t Purchase

There are several items I made conscious decisions not to buy at all, or at least yet. Being in quarantine means I didn’t have to worry about dressing for the office, so I was able to completely avoid the business/professional category of bump dressing. All of the maternity jeans options were overwhelming to me and didn’t feel worth it. Around late January I found I could no longer zip up my winter coats. This was fine if I was just going from car to door, but I’ve grown to really enjoy my daily dog walks with Jax. Rather than spend money on a maternity coat for a few months of wear, I stole my husband’s coat! The sleeves are comically oversized and it goes to my knees, but I’m choosing warmth over fashion on this one with zero regrets! I have no intention of purchasing a maternity winter coat—unless I grow out of his! Dresses have not been a real option just yet in this cold weather, but I hope they will make a strong appearance in my future recap of third trimester style strategies!

Definitely choosing warmth over fashion in my husband’s coat! I have no plans of purchasing a maternity coat for winter.

Definitely choosing warmth over fashion in my husband’s coat! I have no plans of purchasing a maternity coat for winter.

To all the other mamas-to-be, I hope you found something here of use. While our experiences are all different, we’re navigating this unique time together. I’d love to hear what items you’ve found have been mainstays through your second trimester and beyond. More to come as the bump continues to grow!

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