I have purchased one single maternity item this pregnancy and it was a crewneck t-shirt. I’ve worn it exactly twice. It’s my fourth pregnancy and I remember back in my first go-round, I fell into the trap of “needing” a bunch of maternity clothing. I bought multiple pairs of pants, a handful of tops and dresses, a bunch of activewear and everything that had the label “MATERNITY” slapped across it. I noticed the items tended to be more ill-fitting and uncomfortable than items I already had in my wardrobe, were often more expensive and I only needed them for about three or four months of the pregnancy. No thank you.

Here are the outfit formulas I reach for most in my pregnancies to avoid buying maternity clothing completely and how you can do the same. First things first, I technically bought one maternity dress this pregnancy, but it’s from a brand that is made to be worn post-pregnancy as well. This dress is maybe the most comfortable thing I’ve ever put on my body and I’ll wear it while nursing (something it was made for) and long after. I have purchased a few maxi dresses this pregnancy- non-maternity -because it’s the item I wear most often, hands down. The dress above is from one of my favorite dress brands of all time. I must own six or seven dresses from them and I rotate them all throughout these ten months. I’ll link some other dresses that I’ve declared “favorite” and ‘essential for myself in pregnancy and here are a couple more examples of dresses from my last maternity season:

The first formula is a denim or field jacket over a great rotation of tanks and stretchy pants. I’ve worn my elastic waistband non-maternity pants even up until now at 34 weeks just below my belly. This is a great spot for a maternity tank if you have or need one, but I find that athletic tanks tend to work well without having to be maternity specific and I never have that icky moment of realizing my belly has been hanging out of my shirt.

Uniform One: O’s denim jacket (this is the exact one and I can’t recommend it enough.) + a white tank top (in the photo I’m wearing an old Lululemon one but this perfect tank is similar-long enough to cover a bump while wearing before and after pregnancy-version here) + my favorite pants to put on my body this pregnancy.


This next one is a formula that works for everyone, pregnant or not pregnant: A maxi dress paired with something you feel great in. I personally don’t looovveee having my arms out later in pregnancy because things are just softer than I’m comfortable with. An oversized cardigan did the trick for the winter months, but I’ve swapped it out for some form of button-down now that we’re in Spring and Summer.

Outfit 2: A maxi dress (this one is identical) layered under an oversized button down (can’t get enough of these exact H&M ones for years now.)

The next formula is a button down + your version of “perfect pants.” We’ll talk about my own perfect pants below, but this might be the most essential item in your entire wardrobe and as bold as that statement is, it’s true.

Outfit 3: My all-time favorite button down four years running + My favorite pants in both photos.

See what I mean? Technically, the pants in both photos are pajama pants. Well, not technically, literally. And yet I wear them a few times a week “dressed up” and no one would be able to tell. I’m so itchy and stretched at this stage that I can’t imagine putting anything on my body that isn’t comfortable, you know? I haven’t worn jeans in months and haven’t purchased maternity jeans since my first pregnancy. Life’s too short to buy jeans you only wear for three months.


Lastly, a matching linen set is something you just can’t go wrong with. It makes you look pulled together and makes getting dressed completely effortless.

Outfit 4: In the photo, I’m wearing this top and these bottoms. They’re super inexpensive and I have them in three colors. This set is a splurge, but if you’re pregnant in the summer, it’s kind of life changing.