Dressing Modestly Through Pregnancy

Most maternity clothing is designed to be worn for four months and thrown away. Modest dressing has an advantage here: loose cuts and empire waists work through pregnancy and after it, so you don't need a separate wardrobe.

What works through all three trimesters

Empire waist dresses. The seam sits under the bust and everything below it falls free. Works at three months and at eight, and still works after.

A-line and fit-and-flare. Room built into the shape rather than added by sizing up.

Elastic and drawstring waists. Adjust as you go rather than replacing.

Open-front abayas. Nothing to fasten across the bump. Layer over whatever fits that week.

Two-piece sets with a longline tunic. The tunic covers, the pants stretch. Look for ones cut with room through the bump rather than just a size up — there's a difference, and you feel it.

What to avoid

Fixed waistbands at the natural waist. Anything that fastens across the middle. Bodycon anything, however forgiving it looks on the model.

Sizing honestly

Don't size up in everything. A dress two sizes too big is wide at the shoulder and short at the front — it rides up as the bump grows, so the hem ends up higher than you want.

Better to buy shapes with room built in at your normal size. An empire-waist maxi at your usual size will work far longer than the same dress two sizes up.

If you're planning to nurse

The thing to understand: an open abaya isn't nursing friendly by itself. It's a layer over what you're already wearing, so whether it works depends entirely on what's underneath.

What actually works:

• Sets that include the inner layer — a three or four-piece with a sleeveless shirt underneath. Because the inner layer comes with it, access is designed in.
• Criss-cross and surplice necklines — coverage that opens.
• Button-front dresses and cardigans — the simplest solution.
• Two-piece sets — lift the top rather than undressing.

If a listing says nursing friendly on an open layer, it's describing something it can't control.

The pieces worth buying

A maxi cardigan with a drawstring, an empire-waist maxi dress, and one two-piece set with the inner layer included. Those three carry you through pregnancy and stay in the wardrobe afterwards.

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