When I found out I was pregnant, I had no idea what it would mean for my wardrobe over the coming nine months–I have some friends who went all-out on maternity clothes when they were expecting, while others made their normal clothes work the entire time with just a few “hacks” here and there. I think a maternity wardrobe depends a lot on the type of clothes a person wears when they’re not pregnant (fitted vs. flowy being the main differentiator!), and I fell pretty solidly in the middle–I can still wear a handful of pre-pregnancy tops and dresses, but I definitely had to supplement my closet a bit. I’ve been keeping close track of what I’ve bought this year to wear during pregnancy, and wanted to share what has worked for me! Split out by trimester, here’s what I’ve bought/worn:

See this outfit here!

First trimester (January-March):
– Flowy shirts
– Normal jeans with a hair tie around the button
– Shorts with a stretchy waist band (I bought these in my pre-pregnancy size–they’re now on sale for $15!)
– Normal leggings
– Comfy workout shorts a size up from normal (I’m obsessed with Krass & Co. shorts and bought a pair in a medium that I am still living in at 35 weeks)

Second trimester (April-June):
– Belly band
– Shift dresses/swing dresses (my most worn: this, similar to this, two of this)
– Maternity shorts
– Nursing bras
– Maternity t-shirts (from Old Navy and ASOS)

See this outfit here!

Third trimester (July-September):
– Pretty much everything from my second trimester, plus…
– Large t-shirts (mostly stolen from Dave, but I also bought a tank top and a super soft t-shirt)
– Pajama shorts a size up from my normal size

I tried to save as much as possible on most true maternity clothes, and I didn’t mind spending a little more on non-maternity clothes that I’ll still get plenty of use of when I’m not pregnant. Altogether, I spent about $220 on actual maternity clothes (one pair of shorts, one belly band, four tees, three bras, one tank top, and two dresses) and was gifted one pair of shorts and one pair of leggings. As for everything else (non-maternity clothes I could wear), that amount was not too drastically different than what I normally spend on clothes over eight months.

Since, Lord willing, this won’t be our only child, I definitely think I’ll have pregnancy wearability in the back of my mind when I’m making purchases for my normal wardrobe. Here’s hoping that should keep this cost down in the future, even if I’m pregnant during the opposite time of year!

Mama friends, what did/do you wear throughout pregnancy? I’d be so interested to know if your list is very similar or very different than mine!