This week I reached a milestone- I am 28 weeks pregnant! On paper, the reason this is a milestone is because it means I am entering the 3rd trimester. But what does that even mean? Basically to me, it's the time that shit gets real. In 12 weeks (give or take!!) all going well, my husband and I will be bringing a real life baby home from hospital. Apparently that's what all this pregnancy lark is leading up to. A baby. From inside of me. It's crazy man!
In the meantime, I have to get on with the everyday stuff- like getting dressed in the morning. Some days I find this easier than others, I'm not going to lie. You see, your size genuinely does fluctuate from day to day- bloating, fluids and other fun things can all affect the way you look and feel. On top of days when you genuinely do fluctuate, you also have your bog-standard fat days, which may or may not have anything to do with anything that is physically going on. And on top of those days you have days where your feelings about yourself are a direct reflection of comments made by those around you- be they friends or strangers. I have some examples:The not-so-complimentary...
(after touching my belly without asking) 'Your belly is so soft, it's like jelly. When my friend was pregnant her belly was like a rock, but yours is wobbly like jelly'
'How long have you got to go? 3 months??! Are you sure it isn't twins'
'You're only 28 weeks? You're HUGE. I know someone who is 35 weeks and she is VERY neat.'
And the complimentary...
'You look beautiful in that dress, your bump is very cute'
'You have really embraced your new shape'
You can see how one could take such comments on board. It's true to say that there are definitely more positive comments than negative, and I have been particularly encouraged by the lovely comments from strangers and customers where I work. That said, if you are in the wrong mood, one negative comment can instantly overrule 5 positive ones, although most of the time, I really think the 'negative' people just have no idea what they are saying- so it would be silly to take their comments to heart. Think before you speak people!!
So what can make you feel better about your blossoming body? Well I'm not claiming to be an expert, especially as this is only my first pregnancy and I still have 12 weeks to go. I am claiming to be incredibly moody, often insecure about my looks/body, and fussy about what I will and won't wear. Thus, I am in a pretty good position to give advice. Now, you will see, that not all of these tips are strictly fashion-related, but they are super important when it comes to looking good. Feeling good is looking good and all that jazz!
- First and foremost, you need to be comfortable, both physically (obviously) and within yourself, that is, you need to feel like yourself in what you are wearing. For me, that has been the hardest part- I can find clothes that fit me, but finding clothes that fit as well as suiting my individual style has been more of a struggle.
- Comfortable shoes. I can't emphasise these enough, they are very important. You can be bought pretty much to tears by sore legs and feet, so this is not the time to be a slave to footwear fashion- although there are certainly some great non-fugly comfortable shoe options out there.
- Clothing specifically designed for a bump. Yes, theres loads of lovely non-maternity wear out there that is great to invest in and that works really well, but I definitely find that when I am wearing even a basic singlet/vest that is designed to hug a bump, it is usually a lot more flattering.
- A form of exercise that you can actually keep up and enjoy throughout your pregnancy. For me, I started out with some low-impact dance classes. Now, my legs and feet are getting way too sore for that, so I have switched solely to swimming and walking (I can only walk on my days off though, my feet get enough pain at work!). I'll be honest, I don't go as often as I should, but when I do exercise it does indeed make me feel good. Plus, apparently women who exercise have shorter labours, and perhaps unsurprisingly find it easier to shift post-baby weight.
Now for the fun part- the clothes! Here are a few (mostly inexpensive) basics that will get you through:
Surprised as I was, the first things I found I needed were tights (stockings) and leggings. You'd think, because they are stretchy items that regular fit ones would be fine, but I found them really uncomfortable and unflattering. The maternity fit type come right up over your growing tummy without digging in, making it look rounder and feel more comfortable. I did my research and ended up getting tights on Asos- I've found them really comfy and they have a rubbery edge on the top of them that helps them stay up. Invest in one of the packs of 3 to get the best price. I have bought all of my leggings from Penneys/Primark- but purely because you can't beat the pricetag. The fit on these is atrocious! I am normally a size 12 so that's the size I got when I first bought them. I have since returned for smaller and smaller sizes until I settled on size 6 or 8, the smallest size I can get my hands on! So when I say that the fit is atrocious, I mean that while I am happy with the smaller sizes, if you normally take a 6 or 8 then you are screwed and I wouldn't recommend these. If you can deal with the sizing issues, they are an absolute bargain at only €6 a pair. New Look and H&M also offer reasonably priced maternity leggings, so you could always give them a go.
 |
| asos maternity tights 50 denier with supportive band, 3 pack €28.57 www.asos.com |
 |
| Penney's/Primark Leggings, available at selected stores, €6 |
Jeans are obviously another really important purchase and an essential part of any maternity wardrobe. You can get away with adding an elastic extension to the button of your regular jeans for a while, but you eventually have to give in- and when you do, you will be all the more comfortable for it. One of the reasons jeans are so important, is because you will probably be able to get away with regular, non-maternity tops for quite a while, but you're going to need something to wear those with. If you are going to be expecting in the warmer months, a pair of denim shorts are a great investment too. I got these shorts from Topshop and was so glad I did. I didn't think they were worth investing in, but we had a particularly good summer and I definitely got great wear out of them. Because they only have the elasticated sides, they won't do you all the way until the end of your pregnancy, but you should still get good mileage out of them. The other thing to get in Topshop is a pair of Leigh jeans. Read the online reviews, and you will find that there are loads of comments about how these are the most comfortable maternity jeans around. I personally found them hard to get used to, as I am used to high waisted jeans- I am constantly pulling them up, but that's mostly because I'm not used to the low waist. I also ended up going down a size in the darker coloured pair (pictured), as the size 12 I got stretched way too much, but I am happy with the size 10.
 |
| Topshop Maternity Moto Denim 'Rosa' Shorts £28.00 (topshop.com) |
 |
| Topshop Maternity Leigh indigo jeans £38.00 (topshop.com) |
 |
| Penney's/Primark Maternity Jeans- available from selected stores, €15.00 (yes, super cheap indeed!!) |
 |
| H&M 'Mama' Slim jeans, €39.99 |
The basics. I have found, again, that Topshop, Penney's and New Look have provided me with the best basic tops, and it kind of feels like you can't have too many of these. The Topshop basic jersey pocket tee in the regular fit did the job for the first few months, and now the maternity fit is perfect on. Again though, I would recommend going down a size, unless you are lucky enough to have giant bazoonga's as a pregnancy side-effect (or just generally!). I got a couple of basic singlets/vests from Penney's in basic plain black and plain white (the only colours they offer in the Galway store) and I have found them great on their own or for layering under more flimsy tops. They were super cheap too at only €4. One of my favourite tops is a basic black and white striped vest/singlet from New Look that was only €7.99. There is something really cute about stripes on a bump! I always feel nice when I wear this top, especially with my H&M jeans.
 |
| 3 pack Maternity Vests, €17.99, New look(newlook.com) |
 |
| Topshop Maternity Stripe Raglan Tee, £16.00 (topshop.com) |
 |
| Topshop Maternity Washed Pocket Tee, SALE PRICE £5.00 (topshop.com) |
 |
| Split-side chiffon tee, £34.00, Topshop(topshop.com) |
 |
| Shift dress, €22.00, boohoo.com |
 |
| Pretty broderie sundress, SALE PRICE £20.00, Topshop(topshop.com) |
 |
| Shift dress, €22.00, boohoo.com |
And here is my last hot tip! You won't look your best if you don't get a good nights sleep. One of the first things I wanted to buy was a special pregnancy support pillow- one of the amazing long ones that you hug- and seem to even spoon you back a little! Well I went into mothercare all excited and left exasperated. The cheapest one was €40! I promptly walked to Penney's and bought 4 cheap, regular pillows and positioned them around me at night. These were fine, but I managed to go up a notch on a recent trip to Ikea. I found a large V-shaped pillow for €8. It's quite long and quite soft, so its easy to manipulate the shape and get it into a comfortable position. Like I said, a good nights sleep could really be the key to looking good during your pregnancy, so buy one asap! Sweet dreams! -Emily
 |
| V-Pillow, Ikea, €8.00 |
