Muumuu No More

Our-mom-to-be looks at how far maternity wear has come since the days of floral-print feed sacks.

By Meagan Francis

Pregnant women often have a love-hate relationship with their maternity clothes. I know I do. Love: streamlined, comfy items with a great design that shows off my belly but minimizes spread in other places. Hate: Horizontal stripes, weird collars, and pants without pockets (what is it with maternity pants that have no pockets? Do designers think we suddenly stop carrying around lip balm and loose change?)

Of course, I have to say that women who've gotten pregnant for the first time within, say, the last five years are lucky, comparatively speaking. When I was first pregnant over 11 years ago, I basically had two options: shop at an expensive boutique, or spend nine months wearing items that resembled floral-print feed sacks. I remember crying in a Sears dressing room after a particularly bad try-on session (okay, I'm noticing a pattern here: me + pregnancy hormones= crying over everything from bad food to tent-shaped shirts). Maternity clothing has a ways to go, but ladies, it's gotten a whole lot better.

• Anyway, pregnant bloggers are abuzz about their maternity wardrobes. Jonniker, for example, is not a fan of most maternity clothes and tells us in no uncertain (but certainly hilarious) terms why not. She also takes a moment to ponder the eternal question: does one need a maternity coat? (In my experience, absolutely, and the Japanese Weekend MamaCoat is a great one. I could use a new one, but dang! I know I got mine for a whole lot less than $248 three pregnancies ago.  Check e-Bay.
• On her second pregnancy, Self-Made Mom unpacks her maternity wardrobe and shudders.  Did she really pack away something covered in stains, not to mention that plaid skirt that resembles a Catholic school uniform for teens in trouble?
• Jennie at She Likes Purple would prefer to  avoid maternity wear altogether, but isn't sure if the dress she's picked out for her baby shower is actually attractive or not. What do you think?
• Big Preg is also not a fan of maternity stores in general (by the way, Big Preg, I totally agree: Motherhood Maternity is a ridiculously redundant name!) and this post explains why--along with a great shot of her rocking a non-maternity shirt at 25 weeks along.
• For those of you baffled by the whole world of maternity clothes (those shirts that look like they belong to circus clowns! 85 different incarnations of belly panels!), the Pregnancy Hut has a step-by-step guide to shopping for maternity wear.

Enjoy!

Already had your baby and amazed by his cute factor? Stop over and enter the WEtv.com Cutest Baby On The Block contest. You could win $5000--enough for a fabulous post-baby wardrobe--or, okay, a good start on a college savings plan.