On Maternity Clothes: Intro

I'm starting a maternity series. I've been thinking about it for a while and now I'm really going to do it. Basically just thoughts on pregnancy and motherhood and random things that I want to share. There are always so many things going on in my head that I sometimes have a hard time straightening them out into coherent ramblings but it's something I'm working on. Don't worry though, there will still be plenty of non-baby related ramblings.

One thing I've been thinking about lately is maternity clothes. I know, it's almost a dirty word. Except it doesn't need to be! I'll be honest, living in Japan severely limits my options when it comes to maternity clothes. The only place on base I have to shop has 2 racks of maternity clothes and trust me, they're the ones you'd rather avoid. Off base they don't believe in maternity clothes. Seriously, I see Japanese babies all the time but I've only ever seen 2 or 3 pregnant Japanese women out in public. Explain to me where the babies all come from because I know the stork doesn't deliver here. So my options are online shopping or searching my closet for things that will work.

Luckily my closet is a pretty great place to go for options. At least it is while I'm still small enough to fit into things. I'm going to go on strike from leaving my house when I hit 7 months and no longer fit into anything but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Before I got pregnant I rarely bought/wore clothes that were actually tight on my stomach. I prefer a looser, more freeing look. And the good part of that is Baby Girl fits right up under those shirts that were always flowing before. The tricky part is making myself actually look pregnant and not just like I put on a few extra pounds and I'm trying to hide it.

I in no way claim to be a fashionista. I'm kind of the opposite. I know how to look cute, I even do it occasionally, but I'm such a no-fuss girl most days. I want to share the things I've discovered and the cute outfits I've fashioned myself because every pregnant girl should be able to look good and feel good even if she spent the morning bowing to the porcelain gods.

Since I feel like I've rambled long enough I'm just going to share some pics now. Next time I'll point out some of my tips/tricks to making your baby bump cute. Everything but the jeans come from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. These are both outfits I wore out last week and I got so many compliments both times. It really encouraged me in my attempt to dress like a cute mama and not the tired old lady I feel like most days. And those jeans are my all time favorite maternity purchase. They're so great that they'll get their own post. Another day of course.

dress: forever 21 (about 4 years ago) // shoes: japanese boutique // brooch: jerseymaids // bracelet: jezebel charms

sweater: wet seal // jeans: old navy // shoes: wet seal // belt: who knows // camera necklace: japanese boutique

As a totally random side note, the dress I wore last weekend to the Air Force Ball was not a maternity dress. It was just a pretty thing full of sparkles that I wanted to wear. So I bought it in a size up and let the material hug my baby bump. Embrace the bump!

PS Please ignore my very boring backdrop. I'm not a fashion blogger. Not even a little bit.

xo Sue