My Maternity Wardrobe: Four to Seven Months

During both my pregnancies I've written a few blog posts about my maternity sewing plans, and then during my first pregnancy I wrote a couple of posts about what I actually wore (see the six month one here and the eight month one here). A few lovely readers have commented in recent months that they found these posts really useful for getting their heads round preparing for their own pregnancy wardrobes, and one reader asked me to do an update on what I have been wearing this time round. So here you go: a summary of the (predominantly handmade) items I wore between being four and seven months pregnant during my second pregnancy.

Four months onwards is really the time that I found that only the most smocky, stretchy or over-sized garments in your regular wardrobe still fit. This is the point that you're probably going to need some specific maternity garments, whether they be mass-manufactured or homemade. 

Obviously, one woman's maternity wardrobe requirements may vary wildly from another's. But for me, as a self-employed person-slash-SAHM living in a temperate climate during late spring and summer, these are the items I wore during the four-to-seven month maternity period (plus some jackets and cardigans).

Dresses/tunics (pictured at the top of this post):

The black and nautical short-sleeved jersey dresses were both made during my first pregnancy and based on what was to become my Dolores batwing pattern. They have been leant out to several women over the last few years before coming back to me for my second pregnancy. If I recall correctly, they were made by grading out from a size 12 to a size 14/16 at the side seams from just below the bust. I've worn both on their own as dresses, but also layered on top of my leggings when the weather demanded it.

The stripy faux-Boden tunic was almost always worn with leggings underneath, and I'll probably take all three of these dresses/tunics in at the side seams one day so that they will have new incarnations as post-natal garments. 

I'm not really into wearing full skirts, but I have seen other women wear Vogue 8728 (Jennifer Lauren Handmade highly recommends this one for maternity wear) and the Colette Patterns Moneta dresses during this stage of pregnancy too. 

Tops:

Knit/jersey is always going to feel better, particularly when you're expanding! And that is reflected by how many tops I own for this stage of pregnancy that are made from woven fabric (i.e. one) compared to knit.

The denim Tova top looked great with all the maternity jeans and trousers I borrowed, plus when it was chilly I wore the long-sleeved stripy T-shirt underneath as well.

The long-sleeved stripy T-shirt and bird print T-shirt were made from a self-drafted pattern, but I'm sure the Grainline Lark T-shirt pattern would make a great basis if you're looking to make something similar.

It'll probably come as no surprised that the jazzy print short-sleeved tunic and the Peter Pan collar top are both based on my Dolores batwing pattern, and made by blending out the size at the side seams (as specified on the dress section above).

Leggings:

As I've mentioned before, I tend to prefer garments that sit under my bump rather than over so I developed my own maternity leggings pattern that I hope to release in PDF form one day. I did also wear a rather ratty second hand black pair that a friend leant to me that sat fairly low under my bump, but I stopped wearing those entirely once I'd made these two pairs.

Trousers/jeans:

I had vague plans to refashion some existing jeans into maternity jeans by cutting away the front section and adding a panel of jersey, but I ultimately decided that life is too short. Instead I put a shout out on Facebook in case any of my friends and acquaintances had some maternity trousers or jeans I could borrow. About five lovely ladies stepped up, and I received a total of 15 pairs to use during this pregnancy! I have worn several of the others, but the four pictured above have been the ones I that saw the most action in the four to seven month period. If I had been shopping for maternity bottoms myself, I wouldn't have gravitated towards any of these, either because of their style or colour. But I've really enjoyed wearing each of them, as well as being pushed slightly out of my stylistic comfort zone. 

Rather than making (yes, there are specific maternity trousers sewing patterns out there!) or refashioning maternity trousers or jeans, I really recommend trying to borrow some or, failing that, buying them secondhand (eBay is a great source for secondhand maternity wear).

Other garments:

My navy and mustard Cabernet cardigans have been amazing through out my pregnancy, I'm so glad that I made them. My Woodland stroll cape provided a cosy layer when it was chilly, and my slightly over-sized Sailboat raincoat kept me dry at times too. At night I wore large dude-T-shirts and my usual jammie bottoms. 

Summary:

I'm lucky that my work and childcare responsibilities during this part of my pregnancy meant that I could dress pretty casually. I learnt a lot of lessons from my first pregnancy, like sticking to one predominant colour, in my case blue, so that mix-and-matching is easier, and that no one will notice if you wear the same handful of items in different combinations all the time. And I was able to reuse a number of the items that I made for that first pregnancy too. All the clothes I made during this pregnancy that I wore up until seven months in are either suitable for non-maternity times (like the Tova top and Cabernet cardigans), or can be easily altered to fit a non-pregnant form (all my Dolores dresses and tops and the faux-Boden tunic).

If you're preparing your own pregnancy wardrobe, I wish you a smooth ride and all the best.