Maternity sizing already accounts for the bump. A maternity medium is cut for someone who was a medium before getting pregnant. If you size up because you feel bigger, you get a garment that is too wide at the shoulders, too long in the sleeve and baggy everywhere the bump is not, and it will look like you are wearing a tent rather than clothes that fit.
The exception is weight gain that is not the bump. If you have gone up a size in your ribcage, hips or arms, size up. Reacting to belly size alone is what produces the wardrobe of things that never quite worked.
One caveat specific to buying apparel online: sizing varies enormously between brands, far more than in regular clothing, because maternity ranges are made by dozens of small labels with no shared standard. Read the reviews for run-small and run-large before ordering, and order from somewhere with easy returns.
There is no week when this happens. Most people switch somewhere between 12 and 20 weeks, first pregnancies tend to be later, and second and subsequent pregnancies are often noticeably earlier because the abdominal muscles have been stretched before.
The signal is not a date. It is the waistband. When you are unbuttoning your jeans in the car, when a hairband looped through the buttonhole has stopped being enough, when sitting through a meeting is uncomfortable in a way that is entirely about clothing, that is the point.
Before then, a belly band over unbuttoned jeans genuinely buys you a few weeks, and so do the stretchier things you already own. There is no benefit to switching early.
Nearly every pair of maternity leggings, pants or shorts is one or the other, and people buy the wrong one constantly because nobody explains the trade-off.
Over-belly has a wide stretch panel that comes up over the bump. It stays put, gives light support, does not roll down, and is what most people prefer from the second trimester onwards. In hot weather it is an extra layer over your middle, and some people find it too warm or too enclosing in early pregnancy when there is not much bump to hold.
Under-belly sits below the bump on the hips. Cooler, less fabric, better for people who dislike anything over their stomach, and often more comfortable in the last few weeks when pressure on the bump is unwelcome. The trade-off is that it rolls or slides down and needs adjusting, especially as the bump gets heavier.
Plenty of people end up wanting one of each at different points. If you are buying a single pair and are past the first trimester, over-belly is the safer default.
You will wear these clothes for roughly four to five months. That should shape how much you spend.
Worth owning: two pairs of leggings, because you will live in them and wash them constantly. A few stretchy tops long enough to cover the bump, since regular tops ride up as pregnancy progresses. One thing you feel good in for an occasion, if you have an occasion.
Not worth buying maternity versions of: most of the rest. Loose dresses, oversized shirts, wrap tops, stretchy skirts and cardigans from your existing wardrobe, or a size up in regular clothes, cover a lot of ground for a lot less money.
Worth buying secondhand. Maternity clothes are worn for a few months by someone who was not doing hard wear in them, so they come back onto the market barely used. This is one of the few categories where buying used is straightforwardly better value with almost no downside, and we would rather say that than pretend everything on this page needs to be new.
A ruffled off-shoulder gown is worn once, photographed, and put away. That is not a criticism, and if a maternity shoot matters to you the dress is part of it. But be clear with yourself that you are buying a costume for an afternoon rather than a piece of clothing.
Many photographers keep a client wardrobe and will lend you a gown, and rental services exist for exactly this. Ask before you buy. If you do buy, a maxi dress you would actually wear again gets you most of the same photographs and does not sit in a wardrobe afterwards.
This is the most commonly wasted money in the whole category. Breasts do most of their growing by around 36 weeks, which is why fitters consistently advise waiting until roughly 33 to 38 weeks to buy anything fitted. Buy at 20 weeks and there is a good chance you buy again later.
Until then, soft wireless bras in stretchy fabric with some size tolerance are the sensible purchase. Then get properly measured in the last few weeks.
You will read that a badly fitting bra causes blocked ducts and mastitis. The honest version: the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine's mastitis protocol does recommend wearing an appropriately fitting supportive bra, but it grades that recommendation at its lower evidence tier, and other clinicians have publicly questioned whether it belongs there at all. So get a bra that fits and is not digging in, and do not let anyone frighten you about it. Comfort is the reason, not disease prevention.
Worth knowing before you spend, because it changes what is good value.
Over-belly leggings stay useful for months postpartum, when the belly is soft and nothing with a firm waistband is comfortable. Nursing-accessible tops, nightgowns and robes get more wear after the birth than before, particularly in hospital and the first weeks at home. Anything designed purely to display a bump does not.
For the wider picture, see the pregnancy essentials collection, or pregnancy support and comfort for belly bands, pillows and compression socks.
Your pre-pregnancy size. Maternity sizing is designed with the bump already accounted for, so a maternity medium is cut for someone who was a medium before pregnancy. Sizing up because you feel bigger gives you a garment that is too wide at the shoulders and baggy everywhere the bump is not. The exception is weight gain elsewhere: if your ribcage, hips or arms have gone up a size, size up.
Most people switch between about 12 and 20 weeks, but there is no fixed point. First pregnancies tend to be later and subsequent ones earlier, because abdominal muscles that have stretched before stretch again sooner. The signal is your waistband rather than a week number. A belly band worn over unbuttoned jeans buys a few extra weeks, and there is no advantage to switching early.
Over-belly has a stretch panel covering the bump: it stays put, gives light support and does not roll down, which suits most people from the second trimester onwards. Under-belly sits below the bump on the hips, is cooler and less enclosing, and is often more comfortable in the final weeks, but it slides down and needs adjusting. If you are buying one pair and are past the first trimester, over-belly is the safer default.
Neither consistently, and that is the problem. Maternity ranges are made by many small labels with no shared sizing standard, so variation between brands is much wider than in regular clothing. Check reviews for run-small and run-large comments on the specific item, and buy from somewhere with straightforward returns rather than assuming your usual size translates across brands.
Fewer than most lists suggest. Two pairs of leggings, a few stretchy tops long enough to cover the bump, and one thing you feel good in for an occasion covers most of it. Loose dresses, oversized shirts, wrap tops and cardigans from your existing wardrobe fill the rest. You will wear these for roughly four to five months, which is worth remembering before spending heavily.
Yes, and this is one of the categories where used is straightforwardly better value. Maternity clothes are worn for a few months, usually gently, and come back onto the market in good condition. Given the short wearing window and the price of new maternity items, buying secondhand has very little downside.
Around 33 to 38 weeks. Breasts do most of their growing by roughly 36 weeks, so a bra bought in the second trimester often does not fit when you actually need it, and you end up buying twice. Before then, soft wireless bras with some stretch and size tolerance are the sensible purchase. Get measured properly in the last few weeks of pregnancy.
The honest answer is that the evidence is weaker than the warnings suggest. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine's mastitis protocol does recommend wearing an appropriately fitting supportive bra, but grades that recommendation at its lower evidence tier, and other clinicians have publicly questioned whether it belongs in the protocol. Wear a bra that fits and is not digging in, for comfort. Do not treat it as a disease-prevention measure or let it worry you.
Not necessarily. A photoshoot gown is typically worn once and put away, so it is worth knowing you are buying a costume for an afternoon. Many photographers keep a client wardrobe and will lend you a gown, and rental services exist. If you do buy, a maxi dress you would wear again gets you most of the same photographs without sitting unused afterwards.
Over-belly leggings stay useful for months postpartum, when the belly is soft and firm waistbands are uncomfortable. Nursing-accessible tops, nightgowns and robes often get more wear after the birth than before, particularly in hospital and the early weeks at home. Anything designed purely to display a bump does not carry over.
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The content on Awaiting the Stork™ is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified physician or healthcare professional to address your unique health needs and circumstances.
