Dressing the Bump: A Maternity Shopping Guide

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Congratulations! You're pregnant! You've just started to notice that little bump appearing in your midsection and suddenly... nothing fits anymore! You're searching for maternity clothes everywhere you go, but you just don't know the best places to find what you need.

Here I come to help you!



Disclaimer: Many of the links below are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click or purchase through my links.

ASOS Maternity has a HUGE variety of maternity clothing. While some of it is on the trendier side (maternity overalls? maternity romper?), they've got tons of gorgeous items (their dresses especially) at a wide variety of price points, so you should be able to find something in your budget, no matter what it may be! They also currently stock my all-time favorite nursing bra (although it's cheaper on Amazon), and I've tried tons of different ones!

HM Mama is sometimes available in H&M stores, but you'll find a much better selection on their website. Their nursing tanks are the best I've ever tried, and I've tried a lot (and nursed a lot of babies)! I love their "Conscious" line, made with organic cotton, and you can find great basics for low prices through H&M.

Motherhood Maternity (Destination Maternity) was, for a long time, basically your only option for maternity clothing. While they've improved from when I first started shopping for maternity clothes, I think other clothing companies have picked up the slack! Their mailing list (which you have to jump through hoops to opt out of) and clothing quality leave much to be desired. That said, I've found some of my all-time favorite maternity items there! It's just such a frustrating, unpleasant checkout experience that I try to buy their brands through Macy's instead of their store or website.


I've had this dress from Motherhood for ages - since my first pregnancy! Similar one here.

Ann Taylor Loft Maternity has a small selection of simple, on-trend maternity items that don't scream "I'm wearing a tent!" It looks like quite a bit of their maternity section could easy transition into post-partum wear for the first few months without being obviously maternity - very few empire waists in sight, and many of the styles are simply maternity versions of their regular styles.

Gap Maternity can be hit-or-miss for me, much like Gap in general. Some seasons they're NAILING the styles, and some seasons... they're offering cutoff denim jumpers and awkward culottes. This season they're totally on and their prints are to die for! I find their basics are a little bit thicker and last longer than similar styles from Old Navy, so I'm usually willing to pay a little more for Gap products because I know they'll last me longer. They've got pretty frequent sales, so definitely wait around to avoid paying full-price for an item unless you can't live without it!

This Gap jersey skirt has been on repeat through two pregnancies, and the Old Navy tank has seen heavy use through three!
Old Navy Maternity no longer makes my all-time favorite maternity tank top, but their shirred tank looks promising. I like them for inexpensive basics and occasional on-trend pieces. Their items haven't lasted me more than 2-3 pregnancies, but they're useful for what they are, and their sales are so frequent you can score some pretty excellent deals if you shop smart!

Isabella Oliver has been a style crush of mine forever, but it's definitely on the high-end when it comes to price. Friends who buy their styles say they hold up wonderfully, and their dresses are definitely figure-flattering!

A Pea In the Pod (Destination Maternity) is Motherhood Maternity's big sister - better quality, more on-trend, but definitely a higher price point. I prefer the shopping experience at their stores, but again, you can also find their lines at Macy's if you want to avoid having to give out your phone number and address!

Pink Blush Maternity offers a variety of maternity (including plus-sized!), nursing, and regular styles of clothing and accessories. I find that they're a little more fashion-forward than many other maternity brands, which is really nice if you just want to do a quick refresh of your maternity wardrobe with a few pieces that might carry over well into post-partum as well.

Dress c/o Pink Blush Maternity
Figure 8 Maternity sells a wide variety of maternity and nursing clothing (really, a HUGE selection of nursing tops) at a fairly large range of price points. Their extensive selection of dresses is worth checking out, particularly if you have a special occasion coming up!

ThredUp Maternity can be hit-or-miss - I've scored some amazing deals on basic pieces, but there's also a fair amount of off-season stuff to sift through. Their filters are great, so if you use them wisely your searching goes pretty quickly. And you can always find non-maternity items and kids' clothes as well, to help you get over the threshold for free shipping!

JoJo Maman Bebe sells super-cute maternity basics (stripes! So many stripes! I love stripes!) and nursing-wear, as well as absolutely adorable children's clothing. It's a European brand that has started being offered fairly recently in the US. I have one piece from them that has proven to be very good quality and has held up quite well!

Seraphine Maternity sells celebrity-inspired maternity fashions - you'll find it's generally on the pricier side, but some pieces might be worth the splurge for you, especially if you want to dress like British royalty when you're pregnant!

Stitch Fix offers maternity fixes, and can customize your fixes to post-partum/nursing and early maternity preferences so that you get items that will work for your body at the stage you're currently in! You can see my maternity review here. And here's $50 credit towards your first fix!

One of my very favorite maternity finds this pregnancy, this floral top from Stitch Fix.

Amazon! Believe it or not, you can find some great items on Amazon if you just search for "Maternity" followed by the clothing item you're looking for. Definitely read the reviews carefully (there's some shoddy stuff out there), but give it a try if you haven't - their clothing selection is changing all the time!

Found this dress for a steal on Amazon!

What do you think? Did I miss any? I would have LOVED a resource like this when I was first pregnant, so I hope you find it helpful!

P.S. Many of these stores participate in Ebates rewards, which gives you cash back for online purchases. Definitely worth trying out if you haven't already been using it!

P.P.S. If you need more maternity fashion advice, try these posts:

Fashion in the First Trimester and Fourth Trimester
Nursing-Friendly Dresses

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