Dressing the Bump: Second & Third Trimester
Dressing the bump is never an easy task! Even though this is my second pregnancy, it’s in a different season so I’ve had to start from scratch as far as my wardrobe. In this post I’ll be sharing how to dress the bump in the second and third trimester, and share what I’ve been buying! In case you missed it, I also have a guide to Dressing the Bump: First Trimester.
Maternity Jeans (under $40!!!)
I was able to wear my belly band with jeans up until about 20 weeks, and at that point is just got so uncomfortable! I had to hunt for a bit to find maternity jeans that were actually cute and didn’t cost $200. Good news though, I found them! The two places that I had the most luck were H&M and Old Navy. The best part is that I spent $40 or less on each pair I’ve bought! That’s a major win, considering it’s pretty tough to find cute maternity jeans.
A few tips:
- Skinny jeans worked best for me. They give you the most bang for your buck, as you can wear them with flats, tuck them into boots, roll up for booties… I could go on and on.
- Go with the full-panel version of any pants you can! A friend gave me that advice with my first pregnancy. Of course, I tried some under-belly jeans. They were falling down after the first hour, and I’ve never bought anything but full-panel since! It might seem weird to have something cover your belly, but it’s way more comfortable than constantly pulling up your pants and having a saggy butt.
This pair above are my favorite from H&M. I usually buy darker wash jeans, unless I’m going for a certain look. They are more slimming 😉 You can see the full post here. Wear them with booties, like I did here.
Pants for Work & Casual
As I mentioned above, I love skinny jeans, so naturally I wear all ankle pants to work! I did even pre-pregnancy, and I like that I can keep my maternity style similar to my personal style. I found THE BEST ankle pants for maternity at Motherhood and they aren’t crazy expensive. As with almost everything I buy, I managed to get them all on sale so I didn’t even pay the list price. I recommend joining email lists a few days before purchasing, or buying on holiday or big shopping days. They always seem to have sales going too!
Here are my favorite (and only) pants I own for work! They come in a bunch of colors so you can have variety, and the fabric is a little dressier. And once again, I can wear them with flats or boots, they’re so versatile!
I also have a pair of these twill pants in burgundy, and I wear them to work and with casual outfits. Check out a great selection of maternity pants here!
Tops
So I haven’t been much of a fan of maternity tops. Mostly because I can’t find the styles that I like in maternity versions. I’ve found that I can usually just size up in tee shirts and blouses and everything still looks ok. Of course, there have been those few times that sizing up makes the sleeves huge or a sweater doesn’t look right. I do like to buy basic maternity tops, that can be styled pretty much any way. Here are my favorite basics (and I wore these during my first pregnancy, too)
H&M has a huge selection of maternity tops here! I own some of these below 🙂 and I’ve loved all of the maternity-wear I purchase there.
I hope you’ve found my guide to Dressing the Bump in the Second & Third Trimester helpful! Don’t forget to check out Dressing the Bump: First Trimester. Please let me know if you have any questions or there’s something else you’d like to see added!