A few maternity dressing hacks I’ve discovered

Maternity wear isn’t for everyone, even for pregnant people – some people just hate it (myself included!). So when I managed to put together an outfit that required no actual maternity items, I was pretty pleased with myself.

I think maybe it’s the idea of being put into a box – you are now pregnant, you need elasticated waists, ill-fitting blouson tops and you won’t care about style.

Admittedly, the High Street is so much better than it used to be and there are some on trend options out there but generally, when I browse online at the Maternity sections of a website, it’s never anything to get excited about.

So I was thinking about what would be your options if you wanted to avoid Maternity clothes altogether? It is possible…and this outfit highlights the possibilities. A few tips on what to look for:

Elasticated waist items: this skirt from M&S still fits quite neatly over the top of my bump and is something I’d loved pre-pregnancy.

Oversized shirts: I bought a great one from H&M last week (here) that I’d definitely wear in the summer over swimsuits.

Knitted dresses: these look great for pregnancy as they have so much stretch.

Loose dresses: thankfully it’s the season of the granny dress, try with trainers and an oversized coat and I swear you’ll feel cool.

Statement coats: no matter what you’re wearing underneath, a cool coat will make you feel great – especially in winter when it’s 70% of your outfit anyway.

Oversized knits: don’t be scared to tuck them in a bit, like I have done here – it’s about owning the bump, not necessarily covering it.

I’ve been hearing a lot about people feeling they lost their identity with pregnancy, and then becoming a mum – and I definitely get it (especially as my ankles disappeared the evening before this shoot!). But I’m hoping to approach it as a challenge – I’ve always loved clothes and hoping this won’t change too much – we’ll see if I can stick to this though and as always, I’m sure it will be a work in progress.