Life doesn’t stop when you get pregnant, and sometimes it’s hard to accommodate your growing belly. Here are a couple things to think about when you just can’t fit in your jeans anymore and that shirt is looking just a little tight.
Pants and skirts
Tricks like a rubber band through your button hole and wrapped over the button really can stretch the amount of time you can get away with your pre-pregnancy jeans, but if you’re dealing with morning sickness (or all-day sickness) that button will still push into your gut uncomfortably when you sit down.
That’s the same problem you’ll be facing if you use a belly band, which is a stretchy piece of fabric that stretches over your hips and lower belly to look like an undershirt.
Belly bands can hold up unbuttoned jeans, but you’ll still be dealing with the button, which can make an odd-looking bump and can press into your stomach when you sit down. If you’re not nauseated, however, that’s not really a problem, and belly bands are an increasingly popular way to get through the stage where maternity pants feel too big but your regular jeans just don’t fit anymore.
Another option for pants is to buy maternity pants which have a large-paneled, super-stretchy waist, like Motherhood Maternity’s Secret Fit BellyTM. These pants will stay up even when you’re barely showing, but they’re stretchy enough to last you all the way to the end of your pregnancy.
As for skirts, if you’re struggling with the maternity selections, try just grabbing an elastic-waisted skirt a couple sizes bigger than you’d normally wear, and settle it on your hips under your growing belly. Just make sure you wear a shirt long enough to cover your belly and the top of the skirt.
Shirts
Your hubby’s t-shirts aren’t your only non-maternity option. Many styles of “regular” shirts will accommodate a growing belly. Look especially for empire waists, stretchy fabrics, and tunic-style shirts. Look also for long undershirts that will help cover your belly even as your other shirts start looking shorter.
Here are just a few tips to keep that big, beautiful belly covered up and the soon to be mother as comfortable as possible.