<wearing size medium top (you can untie the middle and easily adjust tightness) and small bottoms>
Between my two trips to Florida this past winter, I received a bunch of questions about shopping for swimwear while pregnant. I wanted to compile a post hopefully answering those questions and sharing a few tips and tricks that just happened to work for me during this pregnancy. I will round up and link all my one-pieces and bikinis from both Miami and Naples so you can check those out as well!
<this bikini I previous owned and the fabric and style just happened to work perfectly! wearing a small in both the top and bottom>
Tip 1: Know your changing body – This might seem like a “duh” thing, but I quickly realized I went from being very small chested to having boobs for what felt like the first time in my life. I knew right off the bat that would be my biggest challenge when shopping for new swimwear or making what I already have at home work. With this being said, I also know these girls likely won’t last forever, so I tried to find pieces that were more affordable and not a complete investment. Straps were a must and I also started my search on websites that offered free shipping both ways so I could pull two sizes of tops and easily return whichever didn’t work. After our first warm weather trip, I quickly learned what worked well for my changing body and was better prepared when placing an order the second time around.
<such an affordable bikini, comes in 3 colors…I went with a medium top and small bottoms // coverup I went with the XS>
Tip 2: Mix & Match – This kind of goes with tip #1, but if you don’t want to invest in new tops and bottoms I found that my current bottoms still worked great and it was only the tops that I needed to size up in. While I did find a few bikinis that I wanted both the top and bottoms, I also went through and figured out what basics I already had where I could buy a new top only to match old bottoms.
<favorite maternity one-piece to date! also comes in black. I am wearing a size small and am 32 weeks pregnant here>
Tip 3: Invest in a maternity one-piece, especially towards the end of your pregnancy – I wore my standard one-pieces (that I owned pre-pregnancy) during our trip to Miami, and while the ones I packed worked, it was getting towards the end of their wear as my belly continued to grow. I was more worried about the top slipping down or it not fitting my bump super comfortably (another reason I just love wearing bikinis with a bump). When we decided to go to Naples, I pulled this one-piece from Hatch (a classic style that will work each pregnancy) and absolutely fell in love! It was so comfortable, fit the bump great and allowed me to move around as I would without worrying about things slipping out.
<previously owned this one-piece and it happened to work great! This brand is an investment, but I find their suits extremely flattering and so fun and easy to mix and match. wearing a size small>
Tip 4: Know what doesn’t work and know that is okay! – Your body is changing, you are growing a tiny human…swimwear is going to fit different than it typically does. Embrace your new body, I LOVED being able to let my belly hang out and about, especially after meals ha! For me, I am a huge high waisted bikini fan and quickly learned they look insanely ridiculous with a bump and they are just not an option. RIP until post baby. Knowing this helped narrow down the search and focus on pieces that would work. Also, I haven’t done self tanner much throughout my pregnancy aside from my trips, but apply a pregnancy safe self tanner before trying on swimwear and your trip to have a little extra boost of confidence! I have been using this St. Tropez one.
<another affordable top and bottom option that comes in two colors. sized up to a medium in the top and took my normal size small for the bottoms>
Tip 5: Don’t invest in maternity cover-ups – There are so many cover-ups out there that you can wear pre and post baby that work and aren’t maternity. You all know my motto this entire pregnancy has been less is more with what maternity pieces I have invested in (jeans are a MUST). Look for flowy, stretchy pieces, anything button down that you can wear open, invest in a neutral piece (I gravitate towards white cover-ups) and switch up your accessories (hat, necklaces, etc.).
<a non-maternity one-piece, but at this point I was getting the last use out of it before this growing belly took over! wearing a size small here>
A FEW CUTE + SUPER AFFORDABLE OPTIONS (ALL UNDER $50):