I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how my wardrobe has changed since becoming pregnant so I thought it was time to write a post about clothes, style, fashion, and having a baby. I will discuss the changes, the trends, and why certain styles are terrible when having a baby. These are the 5 Things No One Told Me:

5. Maternity clothes are expensive.

Maternity style does not come cheap. Clothes geared towards maternity are extremely expensive, especially when you consider the amount of time spent wearing said clothes. My strongest suggestion here is to thrift as much as possible and find clothes that can be worn postpartum as well. Most thrift stores have a maternity section and if you can’t find it, don’t be afraid to ask someone. I was searching our thrift store and was about to give up when my husband found the rack all the way in the back of the ladies section. I then tried on everything in my size and bought all the items that fit me well and were my style. Think of it this way – most people wear maternity clothes for about 3-6 months depending on if they are seasonal, times the amount of children they have. That’s way less than I wear most of my clothes which means the clothes are usually still in really good condition and are the same four brands that pretty much corner the market on Maternity-wear.

4. Nursing clothes are both expensive and hard to find.

I honestly have only found one company so far that specializes in nursing clothes that I love and their clothes are expensive. I registered for some nursing tank tops on a big website (I gave birth over the summer) and they served their purpose but were just not the quality I was looking for. It took me a little while to find a company I love and I bought a bunch of clothes from them – dresses, a romper, even a bathing suit – but it cost me a bunch. I tried to wait for sales but I was nursing constantly in the beginning. Then, the more I looked into nursing-wear, the more I found nursing/maternity wear. I was angry. Not because such a thing existed, but because I didn’t know about it until after I gave birth. This dual-purposed clothing would have been awesome to purchase about four or five months before I gave birth! So I have two recommendations here: if you are still early on in your pregnancy, purchase maternity clothes that can also be nursing clothes, and search for good deals on nursing tops even while pregnant so that you’re ready when the time comes. Also, if you have any nursing clothes brands that you love, please let me know about them in the comments!

3. You will live in nursing bras.

This one is obvious if you are nursing, but I also lived in them while pregnant because when my breasts were sore they were the most comfortable thing to wear. I probably bought these super early on in my pregnancy for the comfort factor but I still wear them every day and haven’t gone back to a regular bra yet. My recommendation is to buy at least three so you can rotate them around. I bought a pretty inexpensive three pack of black, tan, and white and they have been lifesavers.

2. Most maternity shirts you buy, you will never wear again.

Okay, so here I’m talking specifically about the nursing shirts that have sayings on them like “Kiss Me, I’m Pregnant” or ” Ready to Pop” – and yes, I had all of these (see photo above for examples). They were adorable, witty, and great photo ops but after I gave birth I had absolutely no need for them. I’m thinking about giving them to a friend of mine who is pregnant now because they are all so super cute and I want someone to get some use out of them. The shirt I have that says “Due in June” though? I have to find someone who is actually due in June to give that one to (to be fair, I bought that on clearance so I don’t feel as bad about that one). Anyway, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on clothes you’ll hardly ever wear again, then skip the cute sayings. I love them but don’t have any use for them now. The clothes I did (and still do) get a lot of use out of are basic solid color shirts. I have 3-4 long sleeved solid shirts and 3-4 short sleeved and they are great for any wardrobe.

1. Maternity pants, on the other hand, you’ll want to wear for the rest of your life.

Okay, I might be exaggerating on this one but they are pretty darn comfy. I am still in my maternity jeans (because who has time to get back into my old jeans with a baby?) and don’t even get me started on maternity yoga pants – talk about the most comfortable pants in the world! I definitely think about two pairs of maternity jeans, maybe two pairs of maternity shorts, and all the yoga pants you care to buy is a good recommendation.

So there you have it – my top 5 things no one told me about fashion before and after having a baby. I hope someone finds this useful, I sure wish I had read it about a year ago but I guess you live and learn! Questions about brands I like or clothes I bought or wish I’d bought? Let me know in the comments!

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