pre-maternity clothes

I am not one to shy away from maternity clothes.  In fact, I often wonder why women are so prone to delaying the inevitable.  A pregnant woman will in fact have a growing belly.  And therefore her clothing will need to be adjusted accordingly.  What's the big deal if you're wearing maternity clothing anyway?  You can't blame fashion anymore.  Sure, back in the 80's the fashion world was dressing up mamas-to-be in those frocks with the huge puffy sleeves making them look more like a giant doll babies than women, but now you can wear the lastest fashions with maternity wear.  So embrace those growing bellies ladies.

As for my current situation, I'm in a small dilema.  We still haven't told anyone our news but my pants are just too uncomfortable to wear.  Around the house I can get away with my comfy pants, but I dread the days I need to go out because I have to find something to wear.  I could wear maternity pants and no one would even notice.  But as I've mentioned I have a housekeeper and I'm trying to keep the secret from her too (Long story, but she will most definitely mention it to the other housekeepers in the family.  I do not want them all to know before family, and also the chance of them mentioning it to family is great.  We want to tell them when we're ready, not have them find out through word of mouth).  So, even though I have some maternity pants stored away, I can't yet wear them (they will be seen in the laundry if I do).

I decided to go out shopping and try to find some things to wear for now.  I had success at H&M.  Jeans with an elastic waist, and flowy tops.  But unfortunately, I couldn't find any of my purchases on their website.  :(  So, I headed over to Old Navy's website and found some examples for you.  Whether you decide to share your news early or later, these styles will work for that growing belly.  And the cool thing is that these can be worn after pregnancy too.  Trust me, a lot of women cannot fit right back into ther pre-pregnancy clothes after giving birth.  So you'll appreciate having clothing with loose waist areas.  Here we go...

Some pretty flowy tops, with room through the belly area...

A feminine dress with the same feature...

Cargos with an elastic waist is comfy on that growing belly...

Leggings are a great choice for the waist area, nice and stretchy...

All of the above items are from Old Navy.

I only found one thing on the H&M website that resembles any of my purchases.  I found a similar style of jeans like the ones below.  Except I'm personally not a fan of the color of these.  Mine are solid (no stripes) and a dark denim color.  The bunching at the ankles had me unsure, but let me tell you that when paired with the right top and some flats, this style is fashion friendly (not to mention very comfy too). 

via

I will be happy once we announce our news.  I have a storage bin of maternity clothes that I can begin to use.  I'm planning to secretly dig through them soon.  I have an upcoming vacation and need some comfy options, especially for our L O N G flight.  :)