My second pregnancy journey: choosing confidence over comfort zones
When I found out I was pregnant with my second I was ecstatic, it was completely planned and I wanted to have another baby for a while at that point, we just never really got around to it. However, this didn’t make the pregnancy any easier, in fact having gained 40kg in my first pregnancy it was somewhat scary for me, as I wasn’t sure if my body was going to react the same way this time around, but it did.
Despite paying close attention to my nutrition, I started gaining weight rapidly and ended up with a total of 32kg weight gain over the course of the 9 months, still slightly better than the first time if you ask me. I was so uncomfortable in my own body the first time I was pregnant, I was almost embarrassed to be seen out in public, this may not my finest moment in terms of women’s movement or body positivity, but it was how I felt which made it legitimate.
In fact, I was so mean to myself I regretted it greatly after I had already given birth and lost all that weight, I promised I would not treat myself so harshly during my second pregnancy, and I didn’t. This time around was going to be different – I was going to prance around with my big belly and equally big backside all over town wearing whatever I liked proudly showing off those pregnancy curves in style – and that I did. Understanding the difference between style and fashion taste becomes even more important when your body is changing.
Building the perfect maternity fashion style wardrobe
I found myself searching for maternity clothes online, which came a long way in the 6-year gap between my pregnancies – a lot of new brands had emerged, but my top priority was comfort. I turned to mamalicious for jeans, seraphine for lingerie and bumpsuit for loungewear and pj’s but while opting for a maternity base I kept the rest of my outfit high fashion.
I went for extra large sizes of already oversized items as I grew bigger, and it worked wonders. I made sure to only go for brands that already had a wide selection of oversized pieces and ones that are known not to run small.
High fashion meets maternity: designer pieces that work
Bernadette dresses were a life saver, Stella McCartney oversized jackets in XL sizes, Hermes kaftan dresses are so roomy that it is not even necessary to go for a bigger size – a French 38 was completely acceptable all throughout my pregnancy. Another great option were the Alaia dresses, due to their stretchy fabric and slip on style I was able to wear some of my original Alaia pieces up to 4,5-5 months of my pregnancy, even though I was already twice my normal size in appearance.
Another great style that served me well were the Jean Paul Gaulthier slip on ribbed stretch-jersey dresses. A great high fashion brand to go for both comfort and style when pregnant is The Row and it was a definite winner for a good part of my pregnancy, as the once again slip on, loose fit jersey dresses looked effortless and chic all at the same time, paired with a cashmere cardigan and loafers it was pretty much an ‘it’ look.
Adapting your maternity fashion style to the seasons
As it got colder I began to abandon the dresses as much as I would have liked to continue wearing them all throughout my pregnancy the weather in London did not leave me any choice, so this was where I turned to all those maternity jeans I bought and paired them with oversized shirts, sweaters, blazers and of course accessorized as I saw fit.
Another great option was the maternity jumpsuit from bumpsuit styled with pretty much any gilet, or blazer, which immediately gave it a chic and sophisticated look, the great thing about these jumpsuits was that you could wear them with a gilet and ballerinas during warmer months, or style them with boots and a cardigan in cold weather and look equally effortlessly stylish and above all (when pregnant) comfortable.
My objective was to purchase only a few key maternity pieces that I would style my existing clothes around, and it worked wonders.
Maternity fashion style: feeling good in your skin
The truth is that great style and fashionable appearance is rarely just the clothes you put on your back. Most of the time it is how you feel in those clothes that translates to stylish or fashionable, and this is a difficult achievement when pregnant, as believe me very few women feel chic when pregnant regardless of how well they are dressed.
As they say, “the woman carries the dress” and the most beautiful dress/outfit can look like a complete disaster if it does not sit well, and the only way an outfit can sit well is if it feels it. Styling myself when pregnant was difficult, simply because I did not feel like myself, and most women don’t, but I found that whether you want to underline your growing body with bodycon styles or hide the changes in loose fitting options, the one thing you should seek above all is comfort and then dress that comfort accordingly.
Links to outfits
