Dressing for Work While Pregnant: 6 Tips From a Maternity Style Expert

Want to get 100% of the working moms in any room to agree with you? Just mention how hard it is to dress for the office when you're pregnant or nursing.

It’s a challenge to get dressed when your body is changing daily, no matter what the occasion. You may now be sweating more easily and more profusely, your water retention may be off the charts, and unexpected bulges are probably showing up everywhere (wasn't there only supposed to be one bulge?).

On top of that, maternity workwear choices are still shockingly limited. For women in careers like law, business, or politics, it can feel nearly impossible to find maternity clothes that satisfy formal dress codes. Even in 2023, expecting mamas experience judgment and questions about our career commitment when we aren’t able to maintain our usual level of professional polish.

Take heart! Despite a few obstacles, it really is possible to build a maternity (and pumping) wardrobe that lets you go to work feeling like your professional self. Brands like MARION and Seraphine are now making formal maternity work clothes more accessible, and following these simple rules will help you get boss mama fashion just right:

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Go for Quality Over Quantity

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MARION Maternity

Quality, substantial fabrics smooth out bulges and make you feel less exposed as your pregnancy progresses. Think maternity work pants and pencil skirts made with (stretch) suiting materials, dresses made with luxury quality knits, and tops made with premium weight fabrics. The key is to look for cool-touch materials that will stay comfortable while your body temperature goes through wild swings.

Many maternity garments are made with such poor quality material that they pill, stretch, or even tear within a wash or two. A great price isn't worth it if your new maternity dress or pants look worn out in a couple of weeks.

Choose Breathable Fabrics

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Madewell.com

Tencel (sustainably manufactured lyocell) is the new hero of breathable maternity clothing. It’s luxurious, cool to the touch, more wrinkle-resistant than cotton, washable, and manages moisture like a champ. Cotton will always be a great choice, especially if it’s organic and/or sustainably sourced, and linen is also wonderfully airy.

Unfortunately, the majority of maternity clothes on the market are 100% polyester. While polyester doesn't wrinkle easily, it's sweaty, stinky, and does no favors for our planet.

Wear Pregnancy Styles With Shape

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Seraphine

It can be oh-so tempting to hide your growing body in a tent throughout your pregnancy, but dressing in shapeless styles is the least flattering choice expecting mamas can make.
Your usual waistline is gone for now, so the key to feeling confident in your clothes is highlighting your other favorite parts of your body. For example, if you have great legs, invest in a knee-length maternity dress or slim-fit dress pants. Emphasizing your other assets will make it clear that you are still you, just with a baby bump!

Avoid wide leg maternity pants, exaggerated sleeves, and ruffly cuts; the eye won't be able to differentiate between the size of these larger styles and your belly, making you look like you're growing everywhere at once.

Invest in Pieces That Cover All the Phases

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MARION Maternity

It can be hard to justify investing in quality maternity clothes if you can only wear them during pregnancy. Who really wants to pay $250 for a piece you’ll use just a few months? Fortunately, a growing number of brands offer maternity styles that are nursing-friendly and (really!) look great long after pregnancy.

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The Best Maternity Style Is Timeless

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M.M. Lafleur

After your first pregnancy is over, you may swear you’ll never do it again. But the numbers would suggest that the majority of us go back on that promise at least once. Trendy maternity clothes aren't a great investment because most mamas wait a few years between our bundles of joy.

By the second pregnancy, you may find your formerly on-trend maternity pieces to be unwearable. If you go for classic, timeless styles, you'll be practicing sustainability and making great investments, while looking beautifully fashionable during every pregnancy.

Black Maternity Styles Are Favorites for a Reason

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MARION Maternity

Nothing can beat a flattering black maternity dress. When you're feeling bloated and stretched, black is classic and slimming. It naturally looks more put-together than most colors, and it has the added benefit of hiding stains (spills, breast milk, spit-up, oh my!).

Plus, it goes with everything, allowing you to leverage a few core maternity pieces into a versatile wardrobe. The same goes for a quality black work pants or a black maternity pencil skirt — they’re just effortless and always look great.

Bottom Line ...

Putting together a beautiful maternity work wardrobe is possible. These simple tips and a bit of planning will yield professional, flattering outfits you’ll look great in now and later.

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