We are not big believers in right and wrong, but, doing maternity fashion right, for you, is not only possible, but, easy.  Are we over promising?  No.  We don't do that.

Sometimes we moms spend so much time taking care of our wee ones that, oops, we have been known to forget to take care of the most important person in that wee one’s life-us! We can, at times, admit it, get less than stellar at getting ourselves dressed in the morning. 

Why It is Hard

Pregnancy is exhausting.  The first trimester particularly so, then you get a little energy back and boom! your body starts morphing.

A mom of a two year old, who was 12 weeks pregnant with baby number two came in the other day and said “I am so tired I can’t stand it, and yet, somehow or other, I get up and get dressed every morning.  I used to go places and look good, put together, cute.  Now if I get there, I’m like ’Hey, I got here!”  So, today I got here. You made me cute last time.  Can we do it again?!”

How to Make it Easy

With a little effort and choosing the right styles we got her from tired and, well, we won’t say frumpy, but there were sweatpants that didn’t do her any favors and a sweatshirt involved, and that was pretty much it.  We got her into fashion focused easy pieces that even if she put them on inside out- because that's a thing when you’re a mom-she looked great, and felt like herself again. 

But What Does Style Mean?!

Style does matter. What is Maternity Fashion?  Mom Fashion?  It’s just fashion, with an extra dose of fabulous, and an extra challenge of hormones, exhaustion and less time! Every mom deserves to go from frump to fashion and feel better. SAHMs and probably at least half of our moms who work outside the home live the casual life.  So, here are the best MOM fashion basics that make maternity fashion that much more fabulous,, bump and beyond.

Get started with the following basics and every day of 2018 will be just a little bit better, bump & beyond. Remember-who''s number one?  You!  Without a happy you, the rest is just harder.  

Styles That Work and Why:

1. Longer Tops

It doesn't have to be a full on tunic, but...length matters. A top that covers the bump and the bum are a legging’s bff. Pair them and off you go-  Easy.  Done. Bye bye sweats.Hello Style.

Slightly longer tops flatter your figure because creating a horizontal line that widens your bum or bump is just not perhaps your best choice.  Your everyday wardrobe of grab and go pieces should be, well, easy!  And chic!

 

2. Dresses

For work or play, dresses are key. You may not think of dresses as casual or easy, but, time for an attitude change. Dresses are the ultimate one and done, you literally throw on one piece of clothing and you’re done.  This is, therefore, the ultimate mom fashion that works as maternity too.  Footwear is a thing, and that’s what can take a dress from office wear to mom wear. More on shoes later. This mom fashion style is simple and successful and you can find a style to flatter your own figure type. Particularly in the later weeks of the third trimester, it’s okay to get into an intimate relationship with dresses.  Not sure what silhouette is best?  Any and every.  Throw an open button down shirt (Got a spouse?  Steal a shirt)over any fitted dress for a truly wow mom style that everyone will love, and that celebrates that bumped up body that you’re rocking!

3. Fitted Tops

Wearing ill fitting tops will make any mom feel negative about her appearance. We see moms who come in looking swell, and we see moms coming in not feeling so swell.  A well fitted fitted top is often the cure to the negativity. A little maternity fashion in the form of a well fitting top goes along way. Swap out one top and boom! Better. Take a tank, grab that button down, button under the bust and over the bump- it’s the perfect open curtain for the perfect pregnant silhouette. 

4. Jackets and Cardigans

Stock up on anything that accentuates the vertical-say hello long jackets and cardigans!  No matter what the season, layering a less structured jacket or cardigan over a fitted piece is instant happy making. Hate your hips?  Make sure that they are covered so you feel good, but that doesn't always mean a big over sized top, embrace the bump while covering the bum!

5. Skinny Jeans

What can we say  that we haven’t said before.  When genes matter, jeans matter. Skinny jeans can instantly make you look younger and stylish, darker colors can disguise those great child bearing hips and provide a more polished, dressed up look. Grab a couple of these to take you from first trimester to last and then for the trip back down.  Tip: go under the bump-they’ll make you feel so much more human, not pregnant, for the trip back down. 

6. Leggings

Leggings are perhaps the best maternity fashion style. They are extremely comfortable and move with you everywhere you go.  Tunic, boots or booties and go. Can you see through the bum?  Don't do it.  Just. No. Got time for a scarf or a necklace?  Yes.   

  

7. Jumpsuits

Want to be totally on trend and totally comfortable and totally cute?  Jumpsuits are a boom with or without a bump for the ultimate in maternity and mom fashion and style.  It’s one and done like a dress, but, woo hoo, it’s pants!

All that added weight(it’s a baby, so don’t fret over it) can make feet even more tired, and then there can be swelling, there can be cankles, there can be all sorts of not fun stuff.  It’s important to take care of the tootsies. Take some time out for yourself and buy comfortable, cute shoes. Ideally not online. Shoes and jeans-it’s important to try them on even when you’re not pregnant.  Pregnant-twice as important.  Saggy but jeans and puffy miserable feet will just not do.  Slides and boots are your best bet these days. No pesky trying to reach your shoes to tie laces and though hard to believe until you’ve had a child, but, back to that mom above, the time saved not lacing shoes can mean the difference between getting there even remotely on time, and not getting there at all. So, in our humble opinion, it’s time to get new shoes.   

Now you know the secrets. Go, get out there! Look in the mirror, and give yourself a deserving thumbs up for style and smarts.