Putting together this blog post was like a walk down memory lane from the last 4 years. I am a mama to two little ones and I recently wrapped up my second pregnancy. My maternity style consisted of a mix of comfort essentials, pieces from trendy maternity lines and non-maternity clothes that I was still able to wear and style with a baby bump.

Dressing for pregnancy was definitely more of a challenge than I expected. I'm not gonna lie, I definitely had days were I just felt so uncomfortable and all I wanted to wear was leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. But with some creativity and trial and error I found some staple pieces that I wore over and over again through both pregnancies.

In this blog post I get into the weeds of the challenges of maternity dressing and I explain how investing in a maternity capsule collection can help you get dressed everyday with a growing bump. I hope that you will find my story informative and relatable because let's be real, pregnancy isn't always a walk in the park.

How to Start Planning Your Pregnancy Capsule Wardrobe

What is a Maternity Capsule Wardrobe?

Looking at the definition of a capsule wardrobe, it’s a collection of clothing that is comprised of complimentary items that can be worn together in many different outfits. The idea is to have the max amount of outfits without having to purchase or own an inordinate amount of clothes.

When it comes to a maternity capsule wardrobe specifically, you need a collection of clothes that will get you through the 9 months of pregnancy, plus several months of postpartum. These clothes need to be able to accommodate a growing baby bump and keep you comfortable while still looking your best.

What are the benefits of a maternity capsule collection?

Once you’ve built an efficient maternity capsule collection, it will make getting dressed effortless and take the frustration out of the pregnancy days. You will already have a blueprint to follow because you’ll know what fits you and what to pair with it.

A maternity capsule wardrobe will also save you money when you’re shopping because you wont end up buying excess items and you’ll maximize the clothes you already own that are pregnancy-friendly.

Capsule wardrobes in general are great space savers in your closet because it helps you prioritize the high performing closet pieces and you can easy identify items that should be donated or put into storage.

During Which Seasons Will You Be Pregnant?

One of the first steps in the process of building your pregnancy capsule wardrobe is figuring out exactly what time of year you’ll be pregnant - specifically your second and third trimester. This will let you know if you need hot weather summer clothes or cold winter maternity clothes. You can use this info to decide on where to invest the most money in shopping for maternity clothes.

Also, don’t forget that postpartum is another phase of pregnancy and does require some consideration as far as what to wear. See my complete guide to labor and delivery plus postpartum dressing on the blog.

When do you start wearing maternity clothes?

For your first pregnancy you may not start showing until your second trimester and you may be able to get away with regular clothes for a few months.

With both my own pregnancies I started retaining water and bloating out as early as 8 weeks and my jeans became too tight in my first trimester. So started wearing maternity jeans and leggings regularly half way through my first trimester. When it comes to tops and dresses, you can most likely wait until you’re at the halfway point before you need to buy maternity specific clothing.

Do you need new clothes for every trimester?

When it comes to maternity jeans, they are not one size fits all for every trimester. I go into more detail about this below but in a nutshell I had to change the type of belly waistband and panel on my jeans and leggings as my bump grew bigger.

You also gain weight as you go along in your pregnancy. So the tops and dresses that fit at 12 weeks may not fit anymore at 35 weeks. I wouldn’t shop too far ahead because you don’t necessarily know how your body will change over the course of the 9 months. It’s not just your baby bump that grows bigger!

So to answer the question, yes I think you should plan on doing a bit of shopping for every trimester. Also, if you live in a city with hot summers and cold winters, you will probably have to shop for the changing seasons.

How much should you budget to spend on maternity clothes?

If you plan on being pregnant only once, then you may not want to invest a lot in clothes you’ll only wear for a year. I myself knew that I wanted at least two kids so I planned on using the same maternity clothes for multiple pregnancies. This gave me good reason to invest in quality clothing that would last for a few years. And if I’m being honest, I wore my maternity clothes for several months postpartum while I was still trying to lose the baby weight.

If I had to throw out exact numbers to budget for the bare essential maternity clothes, I would use this guide:

My favorite pair of maternity jeans were from Gap - you can get them on sale for around $50.
Maternity tank top 2-pack set from H&M - $18
Maternity leggings from Old Navy - $25
I lived in my maternity rompers from ASOS - $40 each
Stretchy knit fabric bodycon dress from Isabel Maternity - $25
So far with the maternity bare necessities you’re looking at $160. So in total I would plan for at least $200 to build a maternity capsule wardrobe.

Take Inventory of Your Closet and Put things Into Storage

One of the best ways to save money on maternity clothes is by utilizing clothes you already have in your closet. Many oversized tops and short dresses can repurposed as maternity tunics to cozy your baby bump.

I suggest you use this opportunity to clean out and organize your closet for the upcoming motherhood years. Take everything out of your closet and sort through it . Decide which pieces you want to keep, which ones will possibly work as maternity clothes, which ones you should donate and finally which clothes can go into storage for after the postpartum phase is over.

Planning for any special occasions and Babymoon Vacations while pregnant

A lot of life happens during those 9 months of pregnancy and you may have big events such as weddings and vacations planned. I actually highly recommend taking a babymoon before baby is born (because traveling with a baby is a totally different experience).

For these moments you’ll need to find special maternity clothing pieces that don’t necessarily fall into your minimal maternity capsule collection.

See my specialized maternity shopping recommendations:

ASOS has the best wedding maternity wear including maternity wedding dresses, maternity bridesmaid dresses and special occasion and wedding guest dresses.
You can fine the best online shopping for maternity swimsuits at:

Choosing Neutral and Colorful Color palettes

When you’re building a maternity capsule wardrobe, the idea is that all the pieces can be worn interchangeably for easy dressing and maximizing the most outfits out of your clothes. So you’d want to make sure that the colors of the clothing all work together and nothing is clashing.

Before you begin shopping for maternity clothes, I would decide on a color palette or make the choice to buy neutral colors such as black, nude, white and gray. The last thing you want is to spend money on new maternity clothes and then later realize that you don’t have anything to wear with it.

The Top Maternity Wardrobe Staples You Need in Your Capsule Collection

2 - 3 Maternity Rompers or Jumpers

Maternity rompers are both a blessing and a curse. They are loose and roomy, super comfortable for pregnancy. But the downside is you have to pretty much strip every time you use the restroom (which is a lot!).

Maternity rompers are great because they don't have a waist band so there’s no tight feeling around your belly. Some days when I was pregnant my IBS would flare up and I didn’t want any pressure around my abdomen.

Maternity rompers are also great for postpartum and even lounging around at home. It’s worth it to invest in a couple high quality rompers that you’ll wear for years to come.

2 Pairs of Maternity Leggings

One piece of advise many moms gave me was that I could wear my regular leggings with a stretchy waistband well into my pregnancy. Well everyone's body is different and unfortunately I had to ditch my non-maternity leggings after about 8 weeks because I wouldn't stand the waistband pressure on my belly.

I do highly recommend investing in maternity leggings that have the full belly band. These have saved my life on several occasions when I was so uncomfortable and I couldn't bring myself to wear anything else. Spanx has a great selection of quality maternity leggings and non-chaffing shorts.

2 Fitted Maternity Knit Dresses

The fitted knit style of maternity dresses are very popular nowadays in maternity fashion. I had a black one, a grey one and a white striped one (scroll the blog post to see pictures).

These are great versatile pieces because they can be worn as is or layered with other pieces. I wore mine under jackets, cardigans and loose tie front button down tops.

If you love showing off your baby bump then this dress style is a pregnancy must have in your closet.

2 - 3 Flowy Maxi and Midi Dresses

Maxi dresses are fun to shop for because it doesn't have to necessarily be made for maternity and you can wear it for many years to come. This comfortable dress style will make a great postpartum outfit when you're not quite ready to fit into your pre-pregancy clothes. See my fashion guide to Baby Bump Friendly Boho Dresses.

2 Maternity Mini and Knee Length Dresses

Shorter length dresses that are made for maternity baby bumps are a bit different than your average dress. They are constructed with a lot of extra fabric to give you more coverage and to fit over your dramatic curves. I wore knee and thigh length maternity dresses on especially hot days in the summer when I didn’t want excess fabric around my legs. ASOS has the best selection of trendy maternity mini dresses.

One Pair of Maternity Jeans Per Trimester

A pair of well-fitting maternity jeans is a tricky thing to find and it's a bit of a process. Many women will tell you to get the elastic band or the button clip so you can continue to wear your non-maternity jeans. This did not work for me, at 6 weeks I was already extremely bloated and my regular jeans were way too uncomfortable.

For the first half of my pregnancy I bought maternity jeans that had a 3 inch stretchy waistband. Eventually my belly got too big and it made the band flip down which made them difficult to keep them up on my hips. I found that the jeans with the inserted elastic side panels were the cutest but they never stayed in place and I was constantly pulling them up. I then graduated to a full belly band which worked well. I had to size up two sizes in jeans to allow for all the extra weight I was putting on.

2 Maternity Tank Tops

In the beginning of my pregnancy I thought I could get away with wearing my longer tanks but I quickly learned that was a rookie mistake. They were constantly riding up over my belly and before I knew it my whole stomach was exposed. It's not a cute look, trust me! The best maternity tanks are long and fitted with thick fabric. You want ones with the side ruching so they stay in place and provide belly support.

10 Pairs of Full Bodied Underwear

If your body is anything like mine, you can kiss your sexy panties goodbye for the next 9 months. My hips and butt grew significantly and my big bump made it difficult to even keep my underwear in place. The more body hugging fabric the better, and stick to natural fibers like cotton. You'll thank me later! Shop these favorite intimates.

2 Extra Long sweater Tunics for Winter Pregnancies

For those women who are pregnant during the peak cold winter months, having warm clothes to put over your baby bump can be a challenge. I used extra long and stretchy sweater tunics (or dresses) and paired them with either maternity jeans or maternity leggings. When you’re shopping, make sure the sweater goes all the way down to your upper thigh - this way you know it will cover your baby bump at its fullest.

One Pair of Maternity Shorts for Summer Pregnancies

If you’re going to be pregnant in a hot summer climate, then you’ll need some reliable maternity shorts. I live in Sacramento and in the summer our temperatures peak at 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months. In August and September I lived in my maternity denim shorts and a tank top. You can also find really cute maternity biker shorts to pair with an oversized t-shirt.

One Denim Jacket

I gained a lot of weight in my arms during my pregnancies and I didn't like how they looked exposed. Throwing a denim jacket over pretty much any outfit was an easy way to tie the outfit together and give me more coverage. It's also great because you probably already have one and you can continue to use it long after your pregnancy ends.

2 Pairs of Comfortable Shoes

While my feet didn't actually begin to swell until the last month, I did have a general "achy" feeling in my feet for most of my pregnancy. I found that I wore my most comfortable shoes over and over again, particularly easy to put on flat shoes. Slip on shoes are especially helpful because you don’t have to lean over your big baby bump to tie a strap.

Best Online Places to Shop for Maternity Styles

Maternity Gowns for a Maternity Photoshoot

I highly suggest investing in a maternity photoshoot to document the moment. Pregnancy comes and goes in a flash and I know your little one will want to see photos when they grow up. Nowadays they make all kinds of "maternal goddess" gowns in many styles. From frilly lace to minimal elegance, there's a maternity gown out there for everyone. See my full maternity photos planning guide, including a maternity gown shopping guide.

See More Pregnancy, Baby and Maternity Style Content on the Blog:

Shop Trendy Maternity Styles:

ASOS Maternity Midi Ribbed Dress

Midi dresses are so on point for maternity styles because they easily cover your bump and are so comfortable.

Shop

H&M Maternity Layering Tank Tops

An absolute pregnancy must-have is comfortable maternity cotton tank tops to layer under blouses, sweaters and tunic tops.

Shop

Old Navy Maternity Leggings

On the pregnancy days when you’re feeling especially uncomfortable or tired, you’ll need a reliable pair of maternity leggings to help you get dressed in a snap.

Shop

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How to Build a Maternity Capsule Wardrobe with Pregnancy Clothing Essentials

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