Just because you are pregnant does not mean that you have to give up on being fabulous and stylish. If anything, pregnancy is the one time in a woman’s life when she should indulge herself. Taking care of your growing little one (and your own growing body) is no easy feat, so why not pamper yourself with some good old fashioned TLC?
Our mothers and grandmothers would probably say that we have got it easy these days. Independent, mainstream and even high-end retailers now have stylish maternity wear that can help us look great even when we are bloated, swollen, or nauseous and just not feeling as great as we should be.
Whether you take inspiration from the glossy pages of the latest fashion magazine, your favorite Instagram moms, or Pinterest boards, there is a world of fashion to be explored when you are expecting. But, when it comes to maternity wear and dressing for your new body, you are bound to run into challenges. The following 15 pics show the worst or the worst maternity fashion pitfalls. So look closely and use them as a guide on what not to wear when you are expecting!
15 Can You Spot The Bump?
While the phrase, “Show, don’t tell” is great advice when you’re writing a story, when it comes to flaunting your baby bump, how about, “Tell, don’t show?” If you’ve been especially waiting for what feels like forever to reach this important milestone, it’s completely understandable that you want to share the exciting news with the entire world. We might roll our eyes after seeing yet another pregnant belly selfie on your Facebook, but at least we can simply (and quickly) scroll by. Walk around with clothing purposely altered to let your bump breath and you’re bound to cause a serious cause of tokophobia (fear of pregnancy and childbirth) in everyone around you. If you really need to show off your bump and give your little one some fresh air., opt for fun in the sun at the beach or poolside, not on your next Target run.
14 Snooki's Sky High Heels
Wearing high heels can be a highly controversial fashion choice to make when pregnant. Safety of the mother and her unborn child immediately comes to mind. But, let’s face it. If your feet are already used to heels, there’s no reason why you have to put away your sexy footwear for 9 months. If you’re a businesswoman you certainly wouldn't pair your suit with sneakers when going to a meeting, right? Likewise, it’s incredibly unreasonable to expect a pregnant mom to wear flats when she’s going to a special event. However, when it comes to to sky high heels, don’t be surprised if you get a few stares -- or even unsolicited advice from friends, family, and strangers. You don’t need to erase your entire stylish identity once you get pregnant, but at the very least consider appropriate footwear for your own safety.
13 When You Don't Want To Wear Maternity Pants
Here’s another pregnancy fashion fail to file under NAGL- Not A Good Look: DIY maternity jeans. Jeans might have been your to go item before you were pregnant. And now with a baby on the way, you might want to wear your favorite pair without altering it. So you do some weird tailoring that allows you to wear your favorite pair of jeans while pregnant. But, in reality the custom job just makes you look awkward. You might be actively trying to avoid the dreaded mom jeans. But the truth is they will flatter you much more than you think. Just do yourself a favor and go for the maternity jeans with the fabric paneling that accommodates a baby bump. At the the very least you’ll be comfortable and your growing little one will have space to kick to their heart’s content!
12 Janet Jackson Goes Too Baggy
During pregnancy, your body goes through tremendous changes. One such change that can be incredibly exciting and frightening is how your body grows to accommodate your growing baby. If you’ve been petite all your life, having to wear bigger clothes can be a shock to you. Likewise, if you’ve been on the heavier side, a growing body may cause you shock as your weight increases over the 9 months. Even if you can call yourself lucky with no weight or image problems in your life, you might not know how to dress your bump. In these cases, you might be ready to throw in the towel and wear anything that fits. Worse still, you might be tempted to camouflage your bump under baby clothes. This is a major DON’T. Not only is it unflattering, you just make yourself look extra wide.
11 Painting The Bump Gone Wrong
Nearly every mama out there wants a physical reminder of her time spent pregnant. Some mamas get artsy crafty and make a plaster mold of their bump towards the end of their pregnancy. Other moms might do a maternity shoot with a beautiful painting on their bump. Other ideas include following in the footsteps of Serena Williams and Demi Moore by doing a tasteful nude photo shoot elegantly showcasing their round baby bump. And then you have moms who go above and beyond with super sexy shots that make everyone uncomfortable. Will somebody please think of the poor photographers? And in the event that your photographer is your husband or a friend, seems like you need to reconsider that relationship if they didn’t try to talk some sense into you.
10 Blac Chyna Goes Too Tight
The newest trend of flaunting that cute little baby bump under a tight dress is probably straight from the world of celebrity mamas sporting tight maternity dresses at red carpets and other events. Why go out the way to buy new pieces when you can stick to what’s already in your closet? But the average mama will tell you, that even though Hollywood makes it look easy, bodycon dresses are a tricky thing to wear when pregnant. Just look at the image above. Her tight dress doesn't flaunt her baby bump and curves in a good way. Some stretchy fabric make your growing bump appear super adorable, while other dresses are simply not flattering at all.
9 The Questionable Patterns
When you’re pregnant, you have to deal with the stress of your daily routine on top of the demands that changes in hormones bring. Your body is changing, everything and everywhere aches, someone ate your lunch at work and on top of that and they discontinued your favorite lipstick. To cheer yourself up on a day like that you might instinctively reach for your favorite funky print top… but be careful! Some patterns just don’t look good on pregnant women. Here’s one example; Border print can make your body and bump look too wide. That’s not the kind of first impression that you want to make, right? Instead of unflattering patterns and prints, opt for textured fabrics and playful prints to show off your personality and bring a little smile to you.
8 Oh Britney
If you own one of these shirts, then it’s safe to say you’re one of those annoying moms who made everybody play equally annoying games at her gender reveal party. In fact, odds are that you either wore one of these t-shirts at your gender reveal party or you wore it as a way to “nonchalantly” announce your pregnancy.
These t-shirts just beg us to ask the million dollar question: why do pregnant women insist on showcasing and flaunting their pregnancy when we can clearly see that they are indeed pregnant? Your little bundle of joy is nothing but a trigger to women who are struggling to conceive or recently suffered a tragic loss. If you really can’t keep your pregnancy a secret, you do you, but be considerate of others. Otherwise you just look tacky.
7 Mom Goes Halloween
Halloween is probably the best time of the year to be pregnant. There’s an endless supply of candy, chips, and other yummy snacks. Halloween is also the perfect opportunity to showcase your creative side by incorporating your bump into a truly iconic and unforgettable Halloween costume. In past years, we’ve seen mamas transform their bumps into gumball machines, an egg sunny side up, and even Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. We’ve even seen a bold mama transform her bump into the super cute BB-8 from The Force Awakens. On the flip side, you have mamas who use Halloween as an excuse to thot up themselves and their bumps.. There’s already plenty of outrage over how women’s Halloween costumes as always just a sexy version of something, so don’t add fuel to the fire by being a pregnant sexy Snow White. Don’t let yourself be that mama this year. Just don’t.
6 Too Little, Too Much
If you are pregnant and your calves and ankles haven’t swollen up and given you unsightly cankles, then you might be feeling a bit sexy and ready to show off a bit of leg. But, be extra wary of mini skirts and short dresses. If you’ve reached a certain point in your pregnancy, your bump will cause the fabric to rise. This problem especially lies with short dresses. While babydoll dresses are a great way to flatter your bump, be sure to get a babydoll dress in a maternity size if you must go short. Maternity size clothing aren’t just bigger, they are especially designed and tailored to accommodate a baby bump. Wear a short dress that’s just a size too big and there won’t be enough fabric under your bump. Which means that you have just set yourself up to flash everyone when the wind blows!
5 Knee High Socks For This Mama
Your footwear is oftentimes the best way to show off your personality. But fashion should be fun, not painful. If you are ever tempted to wear strappy or lace up sandals during the summer, be prepared to end up with feet that look like those in the above photo. You might be tempted to go out in sandals when the temperatures rise but don't risk it. You'll only end up with images of swollen feet that will always come back to haunt you! One of the hardest things about pregnancy is swelling. Unfortunately swelling, or edema, is a normal part of pregnancy. It is caused by additional blood and fluid in hands, face, legs, ankles, and feet. The 3rd trimester can especially bring on swelling, so consider your shoes carefully!
4 A Night Out With The Bump
Walk around looking like you’re headed for a night out at the club and you’re bound to be greeted with a range of looks. You’ll get everything from complete confusion to epic side eye. People might even start to openly question your parenting abilities- and you haven’t even given birth yet! Obviously, it’s not good living your life constantly thinking about what other people think of you. But, when you’re pregnant, you certainly don’t need the extra stress of fluctuating hormones and negative energy. So no matter how hot you think you look in that outfit, ask yourself if the judgement from others is worth it. Otherwise, you’ll constantly be worried if someone is secretly trying to take a photo or video of you to claim as the latest pregnancy fashion fail.
3 Sheer Failure
Those of us who have already been pregnant know all about how the increase in blood flow and extra weight can add to excessive sweating and overheating. So, it’s perfectly understandable and acceptable that you just want to cool off while looking good at the same time. But, maybe you should reconsider wearing that sheer top with the nipple pasties underneath it. You’re just waiting to invite a wardrobe failure like a nip-slip or even worse! What’s worse than being publicly humiliated? Being publicly humiliated and pregnant. How would you even manage to cover up anyway? You’ll always be remembered as that pregnant lady who came to pump gas and ended up flashing everyone. Let’s be real here - since when did sheer clothing look good on anyone, pregnant or otherwise?
2 Kim Kardashian Tries... And Fails
Peplum tops and bottoms are the perfect choice for incorporating a elegant, retro, and ladylike feel to your wardrobe. The only problem is that peplums really only look good on certain body types. Wear a skirt or trouser with a peplum and you run the risk of making yourself look very bottom heavy. On the other hand, go too short and your hips look weird. Legendary designer Christian Dior, frequently used the peplum in his designs to accentuate a tiny waist. But when you’re pregnant, especially as you’re reaching the final weeks, your waist is probably anything but tiny. All a peplum does is add unnecessary volume to your expanding midsection. The result is a fashion faux pas that makes you look bigger than you actually are. Unless you want to really show off that bump and make yourself look extra wide and bulky.
1 Kelly Clarkson's Onesie
We totally get the reasoning behind why you would want to wear a jumpsuit, overalls, or a "onesie" hybrid combination thing. First, of all, it’s an all-in-one ensemble, so there’s no need to worry about coordinating tops and bottoms.On top of that, they’re typically made of comfy material, a godsend when you’re all itchy and swollen. You might be inspired by models on maternity clothing websites but the problem is that they just are nor flattering at all. If you’re still considering a jumpsuit, go for something with a slim fit, not baggy. Otherwise you end up looking like a mess. Besides, with all the extra times you will definitely need to go to the toilet when pregnant, why would you ever think that a jumpsuit is the way to go?