Something we don’t talk about enough is just how wild dressing a pregnant body can feel: you have a completely new shape that’s growing and changing so rapidly it can be hard to keep up. At eight months pregnant with my second child, I’ve learned pregnancy requires you to reinvent your look a little at a time when you might not feel at your best. All this while keeping your normal day job, life and relationships on track. Like I said… wild.

During the first trimester of my pregnancy, I felt nauseated and low-energy, like the worst version of myself. Almost immediately, 80% of my wardrobe felt unwearable, so I spent a good part of those first few months wearing an outsized Gap chambray shirt over a pair of wide-leg, low-slung jeans that I had bought in a bigger size. I learned that those early days, when I chose not to tell anyone I was pregnant (all the while battling morning sickness), were all about survival, and an easy throw-on uniform of oversized pieces was essential.

I wasn’t stuck in survival mode when it came to my clothes forever. As soon as I had a minute to breathe and think about the options available to me, I started to have a great time with my pregnancy dressing, and I want to share some key pieces that worked here, so you can get on board with feeling sartorially great (if not necessarily physically great) straight away.

Thankfully, the days of hiding away in smocks are long gone, and so many women in the public eye are dressing to celebrate their changing bodies. Just look at Rihanna’s amazing pregnancy looks (I’m thinking of the bold red boiler suit she wore to perform at the Super Bowl, in particular), while Sienna Miller and Adwoa Aboah both wore gloriously cool, bump-baring looks on the red carpet. Of course, dressing for the red carpet and dressing for the office and the Sainsbury’s shop are not the same, but it is galvanising to see pregnant women looking fabulous and celebrating their form for all to see.

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