Congrats Prego, you feel fat! This phase can be a challenge, because you may still be keeping the pregnancy a secret, and at the very least, you mostly won't look pregnant enough to flaunt it (yet). So, you are right, you are thicker! These are my best tips for surviving the first trimester.

In my first pregnancy's first trimester, I barely wore any maternity clothes, but some of the things I bought while I felt thick through the middle ended up getting tons of use. so they can be good investments! So here are a few things I think work especially well early on, when you may not need actually maternity clothes yet.



1. Use What You Already Have- Not everything will work, but lots of it will. Go for those higher-waisted dresses and stretchy jeans (the time of jeggings is not bad for being pregnant). Both pregnancies, I have stayed in regular jeans until halfway (and longer with the help of a belly band). It's so exciting, it makes sense that you want to be prepared, but hold on to your regular clothes as long as you can, because you have three seasons of pregnancy. It lasts longer than it seems in some ways.

Side note- Do NOT waste money on pants extenders. A hairband will do the same job for no money.

2. Start Getting Maternity Clothes Used- These pieces are worn for such a short time that you can find things in great condition- you can check children's consignment stores, your Buy Nothing Group, or even online consignment like Thred Up. You can save a couple hundred dollars in the course of a pregnancy, and you can get really nice stuff. Fit is trickier with prego clothes, because your body is a moving target, so it actually feels a little less risky. This time, I have done almost all of my shopping secondhand.

3. Buttons up the Front- If you are planning on breastfeeding, consider buying a few loosey goosey tops with buttons, because it can get a second use later as a nursing top. This didn't even occur to me the first time around, but you can prepare for the "fourth trimester" in the first half of your pregnancy. This time, I bought this shirt from Modcloth, and I think it will be so helpful later.



4.  Long and Loose Shirts- Loose and long are good investments if you want to look flowy, and your boobs don't explode. Tunics like this one from Popana and long tanks like the beloved ones from M Rena can give you a little bit of comfy space once you feel thicker through the middle. This phase sucks, because you don't look super pregnant, you just look chunky. At least with some skinny pants, a loose top can make you look flowy instead of bloated.