Alright ladies – it’s time to talk bathing suits.  I’ve said this before, but pregnancy is weird.  You don’t feel like your “normal” self, your clothes don’t fit, and trying to decide what to do for dinner….forget about it.  OH, and did I mention, not only do my clothes not fit anymore, but my shoes do not fit either!  Yes, my shoes!  And I’m not just talking about from the swelling either, my feet have actually gotten bigger (which I’ve done a lot of reading about, and sometimes they don’t go back 🙁 .)

When I first started thinking about buying a bathing suit for the summer, I didn’t think it would be that hard.  I’ve always loved being in a bathing suit and throughout various phases of my life, whether I was plus 15 lbs here or there, I’ve always felt confident in a bathing suit….until…..it was time to try on maternity bathing suits.  That is a whole different story, my friends.  I quickly realized buying maternity bathing suits is very different than buying regular bathing suits.  I’ve listed some of my tips for buying maternity bathing suits to help get you through the awkwardness:

1. Don’t rush it – you probably won’t be in Target buying diapers, frozen pizza, and make up remover and happen to walk by the maternity section and find a cute suit.  It takes time to find the “right one.”  Start looking early, and plan on there being several duds before finding one you like.
2. Browse online, and then actually go to the store and try them on.  I was naive in the beginning and thought I would stay the cute, fit girl with the pregnant belly being the only change with my body.  Well, I realized very quickly that was wrong – unless you are the online models for these maternity sites, you will probably gain weight in your arms, booty, legs, face, etc.  It happens.  Trying on suits in the store will give you a real depiction of what to expect, instead of trying to compare what you look like to the internet pregnancy models.
3. Bring accessories into the dressing room with you.  You may not feel as good as you did last summer after finishing three rounds of BBG and training for that half marathon, so find what gives you confidence – cute earrings, hat, wedges, etc.
4.  If number 2 is not viable for you, due to time constraints or the bathing suit being from an online site only, order several sizes and several different styles.  You’ll have to turn your bathroom into the dressing room.  Incorporate #1 and #3.  But, be careful of return policies.  Also, keep in mind the summer last several months, so how you look right now might not be how you look later in the summer.
5. Be real with yourself.  Your primary goal at this point in life is to house your baby (or babies!)  Do not, I repeat, do not get down on yourself about how you look.  Speaking from experience, this is hard to do.  You might have cellulite in places you’re not used to, stretch marks might be appearing, and overall, you might just be in a funk.  This is normal, and temporary.  Like I said, your primary concern should be keeping your baby (or babies – I just really like saying that) healthy.

When all else fails, find a super cute cover up.  It is amazing how a sheer cover up (even though you can see straight through it) will help boost your confidence a little bit.

I’ve linked some of my favorite maternity bathing suits and accessories below for you to look at.  Happy Shopping!

Cheers – MP