Pregnant in Quarantine: Dressing for the 3rd Trimester

Spoiler alert! Baby Girl surprised us by coming a couple weeks early! The past few days have been a blur of exhaustion, figuring out what parenthood means for me, and being fully obsessed with the absolutely perfect-to-me baby girl that I still can’t believe that I birthed. Add to that the insane amount of changes my own body has gone through from being super pregnant to c-section recovery and the more-complicated-than-I-expected breastfeeding journey. Even though it was less than three weeks ago, I’m already forgetting what it was like to be pregnant, so let’s backtrack a bit to how the third trimester went by outfits.

My goodness, was I round those last few weeks. The nicer people told me I was all belly. A more honest neighbor exclaimed that I looked ready to pop any moment when I still had weeks to go. A week before I went into labor the doctor told me there was no indication of baby getting ready to vacate and several non-doctors agreed because I hadn’t dropped at all. The constant kicks to the ribs and difficulty breathing confirmed this.

We all carry differently, but I think it’s safe to say that discomfort level increases as the due date approaches and clothing, even the maternity pieces, all start to fit a little snugger. My priority was comfort, plus a few moments of trying to look presentable without breaking the bank. I was still in a work-from-home situation, thank goodness. I have so much respect for all the women who continued to commute to the office and wear real clothing until the very end. So. Much. Respect.

Go-to WFH joggers

I hit the third trimester mid-February, traditionally the coldest, most uninspiring outfit creation time during non-COVID, non-pregnant times. At this point I’ve fully embraced both maternity wear and work from home sweats as a way of life. I mentioned the MAMA joggers from H&M in my tri 2 outfit summary and added to my collection even more in tri 3–four pairs total! When you find something that works, stick with it! Not only are they affordable, but I also find them comfy and as flattering as tri 3 can be. They provide a great base to mix and match the top: matching sets, layers, taking advantage of the panel to continue wearing pre-pregnancy sweatshirts—all possible with these joggers! Bonus: they come in about ten colors and are all less than $25 each.

More H&M for the maternity style win

I found myself gravitating to H&M for maternity pieces several times well into the 3rd tri. I found their options to be more trendy and less tent-like than other places. The prices are also super reasonable since the window to wear is very limited. This included several dresses, fancier blouses, and even a pair of maternity jeans.

After months of hardcore dedication to wearing sweats and leggings almost exclusively, I started craving a little dose of “normal” in the form of jeans. I found maternity jean shopping intimidating, even more than regular jean shopping, as I had no idea what size I was and sizes were more general (small, medium, larger, rather than numbered sizes). Finding jeans that really fit is like finding a needle in a haystack. Add a bump and limited options and this felt impossible. I added these MAMA Vintage Straight Jeans to my H&M cart on a whim with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised when they arrived. Were they a perfect fit? No. They were too long, so I cut a rough hem for a better length. They did fulfill my jeans craving and provided an acceptable outfit-building option for those few times I left the house.

Non-maternity wears in the 3rd trimester

Ironically, most of my 3rd tri dresses were non-maternity! I just wasn’t inspired by the maternity styles I found and felt better with the prospect of being able to justify my dress purchases with the possibility of wearing them again postpartum.

Baby shower

I got it in my head that I wanted to wear lavender for the shower, similar to the color we chose for the baby’s nursery. This greatly limited the maternity options, and I found myself researching all pastel purple options I could find from my favorite retailers. That’s how I stumbled upon this Babaton Slit Wrap Dress carried by Aritzia. I have the mini version of this dress and love the fit. This was the literal last dress left so it was super discounted from $128 to $64. I took a gamble as it was a size large when I’m usually a small. Turns out, it worked well with a big bump and was even flattering! I used a piece of double-sided tape to keep the cleavage to a minimum. Once I’m back to my pre-baby size and getting more sleep, I’m hoping I can take this dress to a seamstress to alter down and I can continue wearing it. It’s too pretty to only be worn once.

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Maternity shoot

I learned through this process that photographers provide many of the dresses worn for maternity shoots! Unfortunately, I already did my own obsessive research to find a classic dress to show off the bump before I learned this tidbit. This time, I was stuck on a sleeveless turtleneck style in a neutral color. I was leaning into the bodycon style to really show off the bump—that’s the whole point, right!? This Vince Sleeveless Mock Neck Dress popped up in my Google results and it was another case of super discount or I’d like to think of it as fate! Originally $225 marked down to $68. Again, with this stretchy material, I’m hopeful I can wear this after baby. Funny how a piece to show off the bump one month could turn into a self-conscious of my mom belly piece the next month. Only time will tell if you’ll see this one again. One thing is for sure: I felt really beautiful on this day after not feeling comfortable in my skin through this whole pregnancy.

Others (to cover the bum)

Adding to the casual but can leave the house collection were several oversized tees that cover the bump and the bum and also long cardigans to pull off some layering and more bum coverage. Both went well with the joggers mentioned above and leggings mentioned below. My tees all came from Amazon, but I highly encourage each person to let their personality and interests shine through their tee choices—favorite bands, brand logos, nerdy obsessions….have fun with it! My cardis are Aritzia—more expensive but I intend to get much more wear out of these after the baby arrives.

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MVP items I can’t stop wearing

My absolute must-haves are some of the pieces that carried me through all three trimesters: Lululemon Align leggings and Old Navy French Terry Overalls. Outside of these leggings being my absolute favorite of all time, they’ve also proven to be magic (see magic pictured directly above). How does one pair of leggings fit through every stage of growing a baby and continue to flatter the whole time!? My top two reasons for wearing these overalls at least once a week: 1) No restricting waistband to speak of. What a luxury of comfort! 2) An opportunity to style with different tops. Turtlenecks in February, florals for spring (pictured below with The Nines by Hatch blouse), and short sleeves as it finally starts to warm up. Will I continue to be an overalls enthusiast postpartum? We’ll see!

Honorable mentions

It’s worth mentioning that I went ham on The Nines by Hatch line at Target. I purchased many items in multiple sizes to ensure I got what I wanted and ultimately sent almost all of the pieces back, with the exception of a dress and a blouse. I just didn’t find the pieces very flattering, even though they were reasonably priced. Feeling good in your clothing is still my top priority.

What I kept

A simple black dress is always a good idea. I wore this dress multiple times when the weather allowed. I found this floral shirt to be a bit too tentlike on its own, but it was a great pairing with my trusty overalls pictured below.

What I returned

Full disclosure: I fully intended to wear the short sleeve crepe shirtdress to an outdoor party, but Baby Girl decided to come the day before! Having no need for a maternity dress postpartum, I returned it with the others. The short black dress just felt way too short, especially as the bump grew. The floral chiffon dress was pretty but too much volume on the sleeves, plus I didn’t have much of a reason to have something so fancy.

Amazon is always a possibility for reasonably priced maternity styles. Personally, I find Amazon options overwhelming and the quality could be questionable. I’m not above relying on legit Instagram influencers to do the research and provide the review for me! I was influenced to buy this Naggoo ruffle dress because it looked great on another pregnancy belly and it’s only $25. It’s not my typical style, but a successful experiment in my eyes!

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And then she was here

For nine months I’ve been figuring out how to dress a growing bump, freaking out about labor, and setting up a nursery to be the nicest room in the house. What I didn’t prepare for is what life would look like now that she’s here. How could a new mom know? It’s pretty wonderful, and I’m fully obsessed with her. It’s also exhausting, scary, stinky, etc. but so worth it. I’m also impatiently waiting for my body to be mine again to fit into all my old clothing. The fourth trimester is very real and may even need its own blog post!

To all the other new moms out there: holy crap, you birthed a baby! You’re a superwoman, and I respect the hell out of you. To all the moms-to-be: try to find the joys in the journey and focus on them—it’s all temporary and will be over before you know it! Do it while feeling like a comfy goddess in whatever clothing does that for you.

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The @abercrombie button up is so good, I bought the short sleeve version—currently on sale for $40! Perfect for both running errands and park visits with baby 💕
Every influencer is posting about Nordy Sale fall fashions and I’m here holding on to summer as long as I can! Sneakers and dresses 4E 🌼🖤
Remember that @everlane top from a few posts back? It also comes in dress form and it’s SO GOOD ✨ I pulled the shoulders up a bit and hemmed the length for 5’2” me. I also purchased these Open Edit sandals from @nordstrom after much
Channeling 2019 me because Mama is going out with the girls 🤗 I haven’t shopped at @express in years but I wandered in to a store recently and was pleasantly surprised by the dress options. This one hugged in all the right places and is forg
Super into lightweight, oversized button up shirts lately. Knotted with jeans, over a bathing suit, paired with biker shorts for a family walk. One low maintenance shirt that does some serious multitasking 🙌
Big day for me! I fit into a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans 🕺💃 Feeling more like myself with each pair of jeans 😊