No, You Don't Have to Wear Maternity Clothes

When you’ve got a new baby on the way, there’s a lot of exciting things to anticipate, from decorating the nursery to the big arrival day. You’ll have your hands full before the baby even arrives. Your body is undergoing amazing changes, but it can make navigating what to wear during pregnancy tricky.

It’s important to be as comfortable as possible, which for some women means investing in maternity clothes. But, for others, an entirely new wardrobe may not be an option. Luckily, if you don't want to, you don’t have to swap your regular clothes for maternity clothes. We tapped new mother Marianne Theodorsen for her best pregnancy wardrobe advice.

“I didn't want to spend lots of money on maternity wear, so I sorted out the items in my wardrobe that could fit and built my pregnancy wardrobe around that,” she says. Theodorsen's go-tos during her pregnancy included stretchy or oversize pieces such as dresses and pants with elastic waistbands. “My 501s were swapped for baggy low-waist boyfriend jeans,” she shares. The key was to opt for comfortable pieces that eased the pains of pregnancy but didn’t feel like a sacrifice of style. Inspired by Theodosen's suggestions, we rounded up non-maternity clothes that you can wear while pregnant and afterward too.

See? You can absolutely experiment and have fun with clothes during your pregnancy—just flex your creativity and wear what makes you feel confident and excited for your new family addition!