I knew it was coming, but somehow I was still squeezing into my more fitted dresses up until about a week ago. Suddenly the baby bumpy really popped out, and my “waist” started inching north. Which means that all my dresses, tailored to fit my (pre-pregnancy) waist pretty closely, suddenly will not zip. Period. Not to mention drinking the amount of water I do daily, occasional bouts of bloating and whatnot make wearing anything that doesn’t stretch a bit uncomfortable. For the first time in my life, I really (really!) love elastic waists and knits.
I’ve been trying to thrift every week lately in hopes of amassing some sort of pile of maternity-friendly clothes, or at least ones I can alter. Most actual maternity clothes leave me a bit cold style-wise, and I’m not falling all over myself to start sewing quite yet (since I know the bump is going to get really big soon, and some other areas have rounded out a bit; I’m waiting a few weeks). So obviously the old “make do and mend” is coming into play! I have been pretty pleased with the few things I’ve found and redone a bit to work within my wardrobe. I’m having a bit of a style crisis at the moment though: one day I want to dress very girlie, vintage inspired. The next I’m itching to wear long, hippie skirts and bohemian jewelry. This outfit is some weird in-between stage. Is this what all these hormones are doing to me? lol.
So all this to introduce you to the first of my maternity outfit series. I’m hoping to document an outfit a week, up until the little Blueberry makes his/her arrival. This is my week 13 outfit, and one I cobbled together with a new-to-me thrifted skirt and pieces I already had. I have a black and white polka dot skirt (this one is navy blue), but can a girl ever really have too many polka dots in her life? I think not! I find it really comical how different the bump already looks in just a little over a week (the announcement photos we taken the day I officially hit 12 weeks)! I feel so big at this point, and yet I know it’s only the start! hehe. Dressing this is going to be a challenge, but one I’m up for! That and posing for outfit photos… I suddenly don’t know how to position my “new” figure anymore! lol.
And because what outfit post would be complete without a Maverick photobomb? The perspective is throwing his size off a little bit, but he is pretty big at this point! (Like around 70lbs big… I have a horse for a dog.)
Silly dog not turning around to face the camera. 
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Lol, you’re going to feel even bigger later on, although I will say for 13 weeks that is some baby bump. But everyone’s different, and I’ve seen a few girls do that, have a really prominent baby bump early on that settles into a more “normal” (whatever that is) baby bump.
Meanwhile, you look ADORABLE! I’m really excited to see how you manage with the maternity stuff, because, let’s face it, Maternity clothes from the past were like a little girl’s, and Maternity clothes from now still look odd to me. I guess because in the past it was “pretend there’s nothing there”, and right now we’re in a let me wear regular clothes thing. I don’t think either one suits.
<3
You are too cute! I can’t believe how much more of a bump you have already.
I really like the navy with the kelly green.
I love your baby belly
. The clothes look great on you, I love your style. Can’t wait to see your baby 
.
love,
Jip.
Hi Casey, You look really gorgeous with your little bump! As for your problems in dressing: you should check out C&C’s blog about blogging. She posted some really handy-dandy outfitpost for pregnant ladies, some of wich I’m keeping in mind for when we decide to have our own little ones.
This is her site: http://cottonandcurls.blogspot.be/
One of my favorite post about dressing when pregnant and still using your usual clothing: http://cottonandcurls.blogspot.be/2012/05/keep-your-belly-in-check.html
Love! You are so cute!!! Very excited for you…saw something on pinterest you pinned for baby and wanted to stop by and say congratulations! Can’t wait to see more outfits.
xoxojolleen
When I was pregnant with you, I found several Laura Ashley dresses, which became my staples. Maternity clothes back in the 80′s were not better.
Is that a doggie treat you have in your hand? He looks so attentive!
Enjoy the “bump” while it lasts. At 13 weeks I was finding myself wishing to be showing something. Only all too fast did I get the bulge effect that lasted until he came out at 41 weeks. Elastic anything was amazing because it gets to the point that dressing in the morning is quite a chore. But you look adorable! I am following these posts extra close to save up ideas for Squishy #2 (Ours was a Finding Nemo reference)
Wow I would have loved to have a bump like that to show off so early on. I am very tall and so even at 9months I barely looked pregnant & I felt so dissapointed not to have somthing to show off for all my hard work
This outfit is AMAZING – i love it!
I love your Mum’s comment above lets hope she has kept some of those dresses
My mother-in-law recently gave me a whole ton of 1970s Laura Ashley dresses. She had the worlds tiniest waist so I can’t get into them but hope to use the pretty fabrics for dresses for my two little girls.
Can’t wait to see more x
You are such a beautiful person. Man those photos actually make me miss being pregnant.
oh I understand this well! I am 5 months and up to now fitting a few waistband-y stuff but your waist ends up so high you can’t do them anymore! like you elastic has become my friend….hoping to hold out on buying “maternity” also…though some stretchy jeans for fall are seeing good right now…your bump is sweet!
Casey, I didn’t get a chance to congratulate you yet, I send all sorts of happy thoughts.
I just notice the poster in the back is from La Baule. If you ever came to visit, drop me a line, I live an hour away.
Congrats!! You look so darling! So very excited for you!
xo,
Em
You’re so glowing! Pregnancy really agrees with you. I must admit that, despite my difficult pregnancies, I do miss my bump. You look so lovely.
You look so cute. That color combination was so popular several years ago. I had a dress in those colors that I loved wearing.
Maternity styles weren’t much better in the 70s either:) Have you thought about buying those panel things for the pants and just putting them on some thrifted pants? (Of course it was many years ago that I used those surely they are still available)
Your bump is adorable!! Have you considered getting a belly band? It lets you wear some of your pre-pregnancy jeans a little longer.
Have you thought about trying some of Megan Nielson’s maternity patterns? They look really cute and I’ve definitely liked the look of them though I haven’t purchased any. They seem like they could be really wearable.
I love your outfit! I buy thrifted things thinking I’ll modify them but have quite an amount of stuff in storage…
Only you could look that gorgeous and stylish pregnant! Love the outfit posts – keep the coming.
this is such a sweet outfit!
when i picture myself pregnant there is always maxi dress and boho-ness involved, lol
Love the outfit! I just had a little girl in April and am happy to say that I was able to sew, alter, and borrow enough maternity clothes that I think I only purchased 4 or 5 items. I wore the same things over and over, but you only need real maternity clothes for a couple of months so I didn’t mind. Congrats and enjoy!
I love this outfit! I especially love the long skirt. And your dog is huge! I didn’t realize how big he was until that picture.
Casey — congratulations!!! : ) You and SH must be so excited! (Also, can I just share that I am totally happy that you’re not disclosing yet whether it’s a boy or a girl. For reasons unknown, I am silly about not knowing — it just seems more fun!)
Anyway, I know I’m late with the exclamations, but I did want to pass them along — you look beautiful and glowy, and your baby will be lucky to be born into such a stylish, loving home
Perfect outfit AND the upside is you’ll be able to refashion that skirt once bump is no more and baby is here. Maybe even with enough left over for a cute romper! (or not!)
Px
You are one stylish momma to be! That’s for sure. I think your make-do-and-mend approach is just right because even though I have never shopped for maternity wear, the whole category of clothing is definitely “stiff.”
For a lot of moms, their style changes with each pregnancy. My pregnancy was horrible! I got every pregnancy symptom, even if those symptoms seemed to contradict each other!! I felt gross and horrible and I felt like all my feminity was taken away. Sounds dramatic, but I was a dramatic pregnant lady.
Before I was pregnant, I wore only jeans and t-shirts. Now, I only wear skirts and dresses and have a super girly style. Some moms style don’t change that dramatically, but my style did a complete 180!
Aww… you look lovely
Trust you to get style cravings!! My best friend just told me she’s pregnant and the first thing I thought was, “Ooh I can make her the Megan Nielsen wrapped top!” xx
i absolutely adore the skirt. You’ll get to the point where sadly, style will no longer be relevant as your only desire becomes finding something which doesn’t look like a tent. I actually loved having a bump though – it grows soooo quick, I had no idea how big i was and was constantly trying to squeeze past people and inadvertantly shoving them with my belly!
I’m not too keen on the maternity wear of the 40′s, which basically consisted of tunics i understand. But I do like the dresses which came into fashion in the 60′s, in particular the designs which have a neat pleat down the front which makes it expand neatly as you grow – i recommend you check them out.
Congratulations, you look gorgeous and that’s right a girl can never have too many polka dot anything really! xx
I love this outfit! I don’t like the modern maternity styles at all. I had cute stuff when I had pregnancies. My mom somehow got through her pregnancies without ever getting maternity outfits. She was so thin and no one knew she was pregant. Once we were born (different times) everyone asked whose babies we were.
Laurie
That skirt is beautiful, and you are just radiant.
<3 Melissa
wildflwrchild.blogspot.com
You look awesome. I hope the rest of your pregnancy progresses just as well for you! Megan Nielsen’s patterns for maternity are cute and you could probably tweak a few of them to suit your more eclectic taste – she also has a lot of DIY for maternity wear that might give you a lot of good thrifting ideas!
What a wonderful series! You look so adorable and you have that glow! I’m so excited to see how you dress through the rest of your pregnancy. I have to admit that the thought of being pregnant scares me because of this very reason – what would I wear? So its really wonderful to see new takes on your style as your body evolves through this process. Oh how exciting! You’ll be such an amazing mother!
xoxo, Sunni
Casey your baby bump is just beautiful! Knits will be your best friend from now on lol. I wish I had taken more photos during my pregnancies, It’s always nice to look back. All the best
Love the outfit and the bump! As for positioning your body for photographs, profiles to show off the baby bump.
*squee!!* Look at your little bump! Congratulations!
Omg you are too adorable and the pup is getting so big!!…
OMG…..I have been away from blogging all summer. You are having a BABY!!! yea!!!! I am so excited for you. Blessings, blessings, blessings to all.
Maybe you can go regency inspired with empire waistlines
I have to admit, with my first I wore just larger sized normal clothes because I HATED maternity wear. With my second, I lived in a pair of cords and a maternity t-shirt!
So, if you come up with some super maternity ideas, that would probably be well received- and I know there are some other sewists out there who have designed some PLUS some vintage bloggers that had some cool maternity style
Anyway, you look cute- dress however you feel like it!
You look gorgeous Casey! And your baby belly is soooo cute!
. I also had some maternity jeans that I practically lived in because they were so comfortable. They had elastic in the waist, but a graduation of buttons on each side, so as I got bigger I could let them out more (and then do the opposite after the baby was born). I can’t wait to see your posts each week 
Elastic topped skirts and pants are definitely a pregnant girls best friend
And oh my gosh…..Maverick has grown so much!!!!! He’s like a mini horse!
What a classy outfit! You haven’t lost your fashion style at all, unlike many pregnant women whose fashion sense goes out the window for nine months. ; )
And I think the sideways shots will be so fun for you to look back on to see how much you (and the baby!) grow. : )
Have a lovely week!
~ * ♥ * ~
I love your outfit ~ It’s super sweet and so is Bump! High waists with elastics were my life saver will pregnant, you just have to be comfy while your growing a baby.
xox,
bonita of Depict This!
~ * ♥ * ~
You look so beautiful! I’ve never been pregnant (it’s still an “if” and “maybe”, def “not now”), but I look forward to seeing your maternity outfits =)
Wow, Maverick has grown huge! That’s a lot of dog… Still too cute though! ; )
You look so gorgeous Casey, I hope I look that cute when I’m pregnant!
No matter what stage of her life, a girl can never, ever have too many polka dots, I agree – especially when they look as tremendously cute and stylish in them as you do here.
♥ Jessica
This is such a pretty, femme little outfit and you’re so beautiful!
Congratulations on the pregnancy! And I love the outfit.
What can I say that has not already been written? Your blog is so refreshingly cute. I simply love it and hope mine some day lives up to half the cuteness and refresingness (is that a word, LOL?) It is so bright, white, and clean, LOVE IT, I tell ya.
Wonder how many cyber aunties Blueberry has? Hey readers, we should do something along the lines of guess what he/she is!!! I’m putting my vote in for a little boy after seeing Casey and dad!
You work that maternity wear very well. You are so glamorous in this outfit. I wish that my maternity outfits would look at lovely as yours does at this time. :: sigh ::
You look so cute, Casey! I have been remiss and not offered my congratulations yet, so many warm congratulations!! I am so excited for you and SH! This makes me miss my baby bump (I have two lovely boys, 28 mo. and 10 mo.); I love being pregnant, it’s such an amazing thing to be growing a whole other person inside with their own mind and soul and body. With my first, nicknamed “Thumper” in the womb because he kicked me so hard all the time that sometimes it felt like being beaten up inside, I “popped” rather quickly like you and still ended up getting huge (though swelling was a big issue for me with him since it was very hot weather), but I remember feeling more feminine and sexy, up until the last month or so that is, than I ever had in my life despite it being a difficult pregnancy and being very sick. He was a big fellow though too at 9lb 1oz. My “due date” with him was off by a couple weeks as well, I was further along than we first thought, but it’s really just a “guess date”, baby will come when it’s ready and in God’s appointed time. With my second I didn’t feel quite so attractive even though it was a much easier pregnancy, though I think them only being 18 months apart had something to do with it since all my squishiness hadn’t quite yet departed, it’s like I just grew right back into my squishy belly!
Both times though I found dresses to be my best option since it’s just one piece of clothing and I could look nicely put together without trying to have to find tops and bottoms. I liked the empire waist look and found it really comfortable, eventually that will be the smallest part of you anyway! I really didn’t care for pants or anything around my belly it just felt weird to me. I also liked shirring on the sides to kind of “nip in” so you could see the baby belly and I always liked it when people could tell I was pregnant and not just “hmm, I think she may have had a few too many doughnuts” look. Keep in mind too your bust may increase as well prior to giving birth and towards the end of the pregnancy the hips will widen with all the hormones causing the ligaments to relax prepping for birth, another reason flowy dresses are a best friend so you don’t have to have a whole different wardrobe at the end!
~Valerie~
p.s. You may want to check out the possibility of using a midwife, we did for both our births (we had a natural, unmedicated birth with both, the first was a waterbirth) and were so happy with the care we received. The midwife approach to birth is very different than most ObG’s, much more personalized and focused on the mother and baby and allowing the process to happen as God designed. We also really benefited from the book Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, there are 12 week classes of the Bradley Method as well that are likely available in your area. If you’re interested in anything like this I would be happy to answer any questions, feel free to email me. I am really passionate about birthing and hope to one day become a doula or midwife, once I’m finished having babies myself in a few more years perhaps!
Hi! I’ve been going to your blog for a while now! I found it from your videos on YouTube.
I just wanted to tell you that I LOVE it!!!
I wish vintage style was coming back!
I might not comment very often, but I will be checking back soon!
Congratulations on your baby!!!
Oh yes! And I LOVE your outfit!!!!
The shirt is beautiful!
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