Not my mom's maternity clothes

As a young pregnant woman in New York, I still want to look good... for me, for my husband, and for everyone else who's ever speculated as to what is going on with my mid-region. I don't want to look or feel any bigger than I already am. That rules out any clothes my mom may have worn in the 80s and 90s (sorry mom). But loose baggy clothes just look awful. Why wear a tent? Plus, I want people to think that I'm pregnant, not that I'm hiding a beer belly.

Here are my essentials:

Skinny jeans - Who am I kidding, at 12 weeks there was no way I was buttoning my jeans. During my first trimester, I used belly bands, basically tube tops for your belly to hold your pants up without buttoning them. Then, I bought two pairs of maternity skinny jeans, one from the Gap and one from Old Navy. They both have the belly panel that comes up to your boobs. They are super comfy and keep their skinny shape. Just because I have a growing belly, doesn’t mean I want a baggy ass too.

Black trousers - aka yoga pants for work. I have one pair of these from Old Navy maternity that I wear a couple times per week at work. They have a loose waist band and still look professional. Considering I’ve worn them so much, they’ve also held up great after multiple washings.

Spring dresses - At the first sign of 60 degree temps, I purchased about five colorful and trendy cotton maternity spring dresses from Old Navy. I think maxi dresses are so cute with a bump. Old Navy has great prices and frequent sales. One time, they were offering 30% off AFTER I had already submitted an order but gave me the discount anyway when I called customer service. Excellent!

Long fitted tops - Kill me if I ever wear a shirt that says ‘bun in the oven’ – seriously, who does that now-a-days? Honestly, I have bought as few tops as possible because during the winter I could easily wear long sweaters and button-up-shirts from pre-pregnancy. Recently, I bought some maternity long ribbed tanks with ruching on the sides to nicely fit the bump. They're great for layering under cardigans or button-up-shirts that you can no longer button. I also love layering tanks or cami’s under normal shirts and they stick out a few extra inches at the bottom for extra coverage. For the first six months, I also wore flowy tops and loose “bubble” dresses that I owned pre-pregnancy.

Leggings - I still wear my normal black leggings. Thank God these are trendy! I purchased 2 great pairs of black leggings with a belly panel from Old Navy but I actually prefer normal leggings now that I’m bigger with a waist band resting under my belly.

Swimwear - There are plenty of cute maternity options out there, one piece or two piece, that don't involve a grandma skirt. For my upcoming babymoon, I purchased a maternity tankini top and a halter bikini top with extra coverage and support to accommodate my growing bust. I'm not afraid to show the belly at this point and luckily I don't have any stretch marks to hide. Otherwise, I've also seen cute cover up dresses and wraps.

While its easy to go into a shopping-frenzy for maternity clothes and baby stuff, my husband's shopping manta has been "do you need it now?". Which I think is a good way to approach maternity clothing. Who knows how fast or how much weight I'll gain throughout my pregnancy, so why buy items too early or items I'll outgrow. Extending the life of my current wardrobe and buying only essential versatile pieces has really paid off. Did I mention I look good too?