No baby yet, peeps! Today is my due date but nothin so far. I go in tomorrow to see where things are at and to make a plan for possible induction. That stuff is icky and personal and, you know, MY BODY, so NOPE I’m not posting it on social media. Text me tomorrow afternoon if you want deets, though and I’ll be happy to spill. Sierra will be here blogging for me and then I’ll have guest posts up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the end of the month! Hopefully I’ll be jumping in on some of the days to give you guys some (tasteful) blog updates. Keep sending me good vibes, please, and follow along on Instagram and Twitter for real time info on Baby Girl Holdy!

Anyways. Enough of that.

As this pregnancy draws to a close I could not be more sick of my maternity wear. Yes, I know, I know, I’ll be wearing it for a while longer while I deflate and (hopefully) nurse off some of these extra lbs. Seriously 6 weeks or whenever they clear me to exercise cannot come soon enough – I didn’t realize I’d crave and want to be dripping sweat and panting in the gym this badly! I will definitely take the time to soak up those magical first hours and days and weeks with my pretty little babe and I want my body to have the time and rest to heal itself. It’s worked SO hard and done a miraculous job. But once it’s ready I want to take care of it some more with some cardio, weights and a LOT of dancing. (And Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide with my girl E… which I may regret…)

A few of my friends are pregnant, and two recently so. I have gotten a few questions about what I wore and where I got my clothes and how I still “looked cute” which we all know is a complete lie but a very nice one. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and maternity blogs, and unfortunately a lot of time standing in my closet and trying not to cry so…. Anyways. A lot of this I’ve said before, but thought now would be a good time to sum up what I’ve learned about this whole pregnancy fashion world.

My favorite maternity look ^

#1 – It’s worth it.

So many of my friends and blogs I read said things like “I don’t want to waste money on temporary clothing” or “It’s expensive” or “How do I know what size I’ll even wear??” which lead them, and many others, probably, to avoid buying maternity clothes.

That’s crap. There are cheap options. You don’t need to spend a fortune. There are items that can be worn all throughout pregnancy, in the awkward stage and even afterwards! And just because it won’t fit your third trimester body doesn’t mean it isn’t a good option for the first, second and postpartum!

I was working for almost all of my pregnancy, so looking presentable 5 days a week was a necessity. I knew I would need “real” clothes to wear that fit and that made me feel professional. I’m also vain, so whatever. But still, even these last two weeks of unemployment and being super pregnant… some days you just need to shower and JUST SAY NO to the third leggings-and-sweater combo you’ve been rocking for 72 hours.

There’s one pair of jeans I bought that fit great into my second trimester and then started to get tight and uncomfortable. At first I was like “UGH what a waste.” But now I’m realizing what a big gap there is between the size large stretchy jeggings I’m currently wearing and the medium size of regular buttoned jeans I was wearing a year ago. Those first few pairs of maternity pants I bought may not have worked for the WHOLE pregnancy, but I’ll have a baby step between my elephant clothes and my regular attire.

Maternity-Specific Staples You Really Do Need

• A pair of jeans you LOVE. Whichever cut you wear most often – I like jeggings for a casual look and dark flares for a dressier look. Skinny girls you should definitely get some of the boyfriend jeans because they look so great!
• At least one dress which can be casual or dressy. I’ve already blogged about this dress from Target, and I highly recommend something like it. It was stretchy and plain, so I wore it with slip on cheetah sneaks to a BBQ in the summer and with heels and a blazer for a parent meeting at school last month. Yeah, it worked the ENTIRE PREGNANCY. Yahtzee.
• Full-panel leggings. As many as you can get your hands on.
• Belly band for the awkwardness that is your midsection for 9 months. It lets you leave tight pants unbuttoned, extends shirts/tanks that no longer reach past your belly button, smooths underwear and garment lines under tight dresses, and weirdly provides support to that bump.
• 3-4 maternity tees and/or tanks in your main colors. For me that was mostly black, gray and olive green. My blazers, cardigans and sweaters, for the most part, still fit and could be layered over these longer, ruched versions of basics for a ton of combinations. (above)
• A few pairs of undies a size or two ahead. You may not need these, but I did and I waited to buy them until the waistband of my usual pairs was digging and sliding down and generally making me feel like a sausage casing. Don’t be a sausage casing.
• Old Navy was my MVP. H&M close second. Target third. Online clearance at Destination and Motherhood Maternity were also awesome. ASOS is slightly more expensive but really good for an investment piece or two, such as a dress or nice sweater. Tunics, empire waists, and stretchy materials from any store or section will work great too!

Moral of the Story: Just do it. Go buy some maternity clothes. You’ll feel so much better having something that actually fits on that inevitable day when you can’t zip those pants and your shirt rides up and your boobs are falling out. TMI, but true.

#2 – Buy some accent belts

A big day for me was when my belly actually equaled my boobs. Before that it was just giant boobs and possible pudge. Cinching a cute belt under those bubs really helps you define all the lady lumps (hate that I just used that phrase) intentionally. My cheetah belt was the MVP, but a skinny black belt and this cute green leather bow belt were tied for second. Thick ones are miserable, BTW, so stick with the skinny ones. Bonus points for elastic.

#3 – Still wear/buy the stuff you like!

Don’t be afraid to rock something that’s tight, as long as it doesn’t pinch or feel gross, obviously. Knot your favorite tee over a maxi just under your boobs (above). Your go-to dress or tunic might work as a shirt now (below)!  Try wearing a skirt above or under the bump. My favorite plaid button down wouldn’t button anymore, but was a great layering jacket. Groopdealz is my favorite for cheap tunics. I swear they have 4 new styles up every day. They’re meant to be for those skinny little girls who can wear leggings 24/7, but they work great with my bump and will be an easy transitional piece that I can wear into spring and summer.

Also, if you see something that definitely won’t fit but you LOVE (ESPECIALLY if the deal is significant) buy it! I have a super cut pair of floral pants that I was only able to wear once – I keep them hanging in the front of my closet now as fitness/nutrition motivation. Some days it was nice to have the reminder that one day I will be able to wear a cute flowy white button top again. Probably covered in sticky fingerprints. But. You get the idea. I bought it.

#4 – Treat yo Self to Extras

The advice above is kind of misleading, because I didn’t buy tons of clothes. It wasn’t fun. It’s really hard because you’re this weird new shape and size, no idea how much bigger you’ll get or what you’re gonna look like when this is all over. You’re gonna start crying in your closet. You’re gonna start crying when even stretchy leggings feel like the impending doom of hell. You’re gonna start crying when you open a door up into your bulbous belly. it’s ok. It really is. Buying clothes normally would solve my emotional issues, but not these ones. Instead when I got a birthday gift card or needed some retail therapy I invested in stuff that always fit and made me feel like I could spice up outfits and still look good!

• Pendant necklaces help elongate your figure.
• Cute earrings distract from that messy bun when you never do your hair.
• Better yet – buy some cute headbands and bows for the dry shampoo days!
• Shoes might get tight by the third trimester, but for the most part they’ll fit and make you feel fancy. Also make sure you invest in a nice pair of semi-presentable, socially-acceptable slipons such as fluffy moccasins (winter) or a cushy pair of nice leather flip flops (summer).
• Scarves worked particularly well for me since I was pregnant all fall/winter.
• I bought a Kate Spade purse, even though I knew I’d be the diaper bag purse mom pretty soon. It made me feel grown up and classy and professional. It’s a very nice and timeless bag, and there WILL be some times where I’m not toting around a peanut-butter-smeared Petunia Pickle Bottom or SO HELP ME.

Just remember to BE YOU. You’re still you. I’m still Danica. I still wore black and cheetah print and Star Wars tees and maxi skirts. Even on my “fat” days I could feel ok about myself if I could just put on something that made me feel like I was more than just a baby factory.

Don’t give up on you. It’s only 9 months. You can do it, and you can look fabulous WHILE you do it.

Now someone come tell me that I can actually do this whole labor thing and that one day I’ll look normal again?