Maternity Clothing

For the sake of keeping records, this is an interesting milestone to note: this week (Week 26) of my pregnancy marks the first time that I have worn maternity tops. I have not been wearing maternity tops exclusively yet, but I am getting large enough that they are becoming more comfortable than my roomier, non-maternity tops (with the exception of my regular, every day t-shirts, which are appropriate for neither work nor mass anyway). If I am ever blessed with another pregnancy, it will be interesting to note when I meet little milestones in this pregnancy versus any subsequent pregnancy. I have gotten several comments about how I am not very big yet, but my tummy was measuring right on track at my last appointment.

And now for my brief discussion of maternity clothing, in bulleted format:

- I really like that maternity tops are cut longer than traditional tops! I have always tried to buy shirts that are cut a little longer than seems to be popular because I absolutely cannot stand bending over or reaching for something and feeling my back or tummy exposed - as long as my tummy does not get too big, I should not have a problem with this for the next several months.

- Many otherwise attractive maternity tops and dresses show much more cleavage than I would like to display to the general public. Perhaps I have not looked in the right places, but it did take some searching for me to find a dress, that I liked, to wear to my sister's first holy communion, weddings, and other special occasions this summer.

- Maternity pants and skirts are so comfortable! Even before I was pregant, I was a big fan of comfy clothes, and I have been known to sacrifice style for the sake of being comfortable. Even when J.R. and I were in the earliest stages of our courtship, when most women are busy dressing to impress, I would wear an old t-shirt and pajama bottoms if that was what I felt like wearing.* Thus, I have taken quite naturally to comfy maternity clothes.


*J.R. has admitted, however, that the fact that I did not feel the need to constantly dress to impress him, evidencing that I was not vain or overly concerned with my looks, was actually a quality that attracted him to me even more.