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Pregnancy Style: Second Trimester Fashion Tips

Pregnancy Style: Second Trimester Fashion Tips
Carly Jacobs

I promise Smaggle isn’t going to turn into a pregnancy style blog, so don’t stress. I know MOST people who read Smaggle (or indeed most people in general) aren’t pregnant right now so it’s not overly relevant but the whole pregnancy thing will inevitably pop up every now and then over the coming months. My fashion posts have always reflected what’s happening in my life though. Simple, easy to wash outfits for when I was a special needs teacher. VERY simple and very easy to wash outfits for when I was a jewellery student and up to my elbows in chemicals all day. Less practical but way more fabulous outfits whenever I’ve had an office gig. Casual but still public appropriate outfits when I transitioned to working from home full time. And now that I have a new fashion challenge, I’m slowly navigating how to deal with my changing body and work my wardrobe around it and always, I like to share my findings on this kind of stuff!

pregnancy style

Wearing

Dress from Supre

Tights from Columbine

Clogs from Funkis

Origami Shoulder Cosy made by me – Pattern and full crochet lessons available at Crochet Coach

I’m almost 20 weeks pregnant and not looking very pregnant at all. I’m tall, with a long torso so I suspect it’s going to be a while before I look properly up the duff. This is terribly convenient because I’m a few days away from being halfway through my pregnancy and I haven’t even had to buy a maternity bra, let alone clothing. How lucky is that? I know I’m going to look like I ate a basketball soon so I’m going to enjoy my modest bump while I can. Here are a few things that I think have been helping with my pregnancy style thus far…

1. Stop wearing pre-pregnancy pants and jeans

The one thing I can’t wear anymore is my pre-pregnancy jeans. I’m fine standing up, but sitting down is painful. Pants are the first thing to go when your belly is growing so unless they have an elastic waist, replace them with maternity pants or just stock up on stretch dresses with lots of tummy room.

2. Speaking of dresses, embrace dresses 

I’ve always been a dress gal and all of my dresses still fit but if you wear dresses, amping it up in the second trimester is a good idea. If you get dresses in jersey style fabrics they’re comfortable and will stretch as your body grows. My stomach has always been my ‘trouble’ area so when I put on weight, it goes straight to my midsection which means my wardrobe is full of pregnancy appropriate dresses already. Win. My natural body shape is first trimester pregnant, so when it comes to legit pregnancy style it’s my time to shine people!

pregnancy style

3. Long singlets are a godsend

Pregnant bellies are heavy, even though mine is quite small at the moment that extra bit of support is really helping me out. It’s also great for extra warmth if it happens to be winter where you are. They’re also great for sleeping because with shorter singlets they ride up and your belly pops out! I’m still wearing my ten-year-old ones from the early 00s when super long tops were in fashion but if anyone knows where I can get super long singlets, hook me up!

4. Don’t feel the need to swamp yourself in huge clothes 

I’ve always been quite self-conscious about my stomach but now that it’s firm and round, I’m kind of digging it. What used to be a spare tire (and the bane of my existence) has been replaced with a smooth, round little bump that is unmistakably (when I’m sitting down) a baby bump. It still just looks like I ate a big lunch when I’m standing up. I tried to hide it in my first weeks because I didn’t want to go public with my pregnancy just yet but now I don’t give a shit. I know a lot of women aren’t comfortable with their bodies during pregnancy but I think pregnant bodies are pretty cool, so if you feel down with it, flaunt that bump.

5. Get used to feeling like you never look pregnant enough or you look too pregnant 

That’s been the conversation I’ve had in my head most mornings for the past few weeks. If I had a meeting with someone I wasn’t ready to tell I’d be worried I looked too pregnant. If I was going to see someone I hadn’t seen in ages who was keen to ‘meet the bump’ I’d be worried I didn’t look pregnant enough. I’ll be honest, I never look SUPER pregnant but I’ve also figured out I look different almost every day. Sometimes the bump is sticking right out and sometimes it’s having a quiet one. It’s different all the time, which is totally cool and also why jersey dresses are life for me right now.

This outfit was worn for a big day of client work and market prep because tomorrow I’m going to be at the Fitzroy Markets with a wee little stall of clothes, yarn, crochet kits and bits and pieces. Most clothing is size 14 to 16 and shoes are size 9. There’s also a shite load of yarn and crochet hooks up for grabs! If you’re in the area, I’d love you to stop by!

What is/was your pregnancy style? Any life-changing items I need to know about?

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14 Comments

  1. Reannon 6 years ago

    In all four of my pregnancies I always opted for a fitted look-tight singlets with loose skirts. Tight singlets with shorts. Or an empire line dress for when it was just too damn hot for anything to touch my skin. A long singlet (or 5!) is a MUST for me. And in my last 2 pregnancies Jeanswest maternity shorts were a godsend!
    On a totally different topic, have you written a post about your haircut before? I really need a style instead of the boring shoulder length curls I’m sporting & your hair is my favourite!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      Ive heard amazing things about jeans west maternity clothing! Must check them out! I haven’t done an update on my hair in years but I definitely plan to. I just chop and change what I do all the time it’s hard to pin down exactly what I do!

  2. Jane 6 years ago

    You can get a tube type thing that fits around your waist and hips that’s made out of tshirt material and basically just increases the coverage of your shirts . I don’t know how to explain it except to say that it’s like a leg warmer for your tummy, only about 20 cm wide! So you can continue to wear your stretchy shirts when they are getting a bit short. It keeps you much warmer too, by making sure that kidney area is well covered. I had a couple of them and they were a godsend. Try a maternity shop or online.

    • Connie 6 years ago

      I think Bonds made one too. Something like Belly Band or Belly Tube, I think.
      For singlets you can’t go wrong with a Chesty Bonds Men’s singlet. Nice and long, warm and super comfy. sometimes you find other colours, than the standard navy, grey white or black.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      I’ve seen those! I’m still coping with regular singlets ATM but I’ll look into those when I get a bit bigger.

  3. Vanessa Lawson 6 years ago

    Congrats on your pregnancy. Hope so you enjoy your pregnancy period. I am also a pregnant woman with my first baby. You are stylish women. You look so beautiful in this outfit. I am inspired to see you. I want to get some of these as my maternity cloth. Can you tell me where I can find this? Thanks in advance for your answer.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      Thank you! Enjoying it so far! Hopefully it continues!

  4. KezUnprepared 6 years ago

    I am so with you on the stretchy dress thing! I loved my stretchy dresses. My last pregnancy was tricky because I was pregnant all through the seasons! Winter to mid summer! I show super early so I was really self conscious the first trimester! Apparently my babies have nowhere to hide! Right now I am typing this while my baby sits on my lap haha. Look, basically you will always be told by somebody that you look too pregnant or not pregnant enough. My second pregnancy (once we’d made the announcement) I made a choice to not care. It’s nobody’s business how our unique bodies carry our babies because we are so lucky they do! I can’t give much advice because fashion was very very difficult for me as I had a horribly, fairly rare skin condition during both my pregnancies which made most fabrics awful! xoxo

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      I actually can’t wait until summer so I don’t have to wear tights anymore!

  5. Olivia A 6 years ago

    Said it before, this is super convenient as I’m a similar height and body shape to you and only 2 weeks behind you pregnancy wise. BUT since reading this a few weeks ago I haven’t been able to wear my normal jeans. Not sure if it’s because subconsciously I thought”smuggle is uncomfy in jeans or they’re actually uncomfy! I was just buttoning under my already existing mumtum or putting a hair elastic through the buttonhole to button but now I’ve put them away in favour of oversized jumpers and tights. But I have noticed I’ve going a little single white female on your stule?

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      Ha! Love it! TBH, I find jeans uncomfortable most of the time so it’s not surprising I ditched them quick smart!

  6. Audrey 3 years ago

    Pants and jeans is not suitable for the pregnancy period. I agree with the post. Thank for the post.

  7. Ritika 3 years ago

    Oww as an expecting mom, these fashion tips were just amazing for me. I loved it.

Pingbacks

  1. […] 6 months pregnant. Especially if I’m wearing a sack style dress, it’s not even a thing.  I wrote about this at 20 weeks and now I’m at 25 weeks and not a huge amount as changed. I’m still wearing the same […]

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