All your clothese are supposed to fit in the first trimester, then why am I struggling with my wardrobe?

They say women who are pregnant for the first time usually don’t begin to show before 12 to 16 weeks. In case it’s your second pregnancy, you may start showing a bit early on since your abdominal muscles are already somewhat weak.

One would assume that when you begin to show is when you really need those maternity clothes and some of your existing wardrobe becomes redundant for the time being. My body doesn’t seem to be following the rule book. I am 9 weeks pregnant and although I don’t really show according to family and friends I feel all bloated and round, and this is not some feeling that exists in my head. The first casualty of my pregnancy was my skinny jeans and for someone who is used to living in jeans that just felt like a huge handicap.

My jeans felt too snug around my belly making me feel uncomfortable. Hence I had to say bye to three of my favorite pairs at least for the next few months. So here I am in an awkward phase when my existing wardrobe choices have been narrowed down by my body which seems to have a rule book of its own and it’s just too soon to be shopping for maternity wear.

Leggings and tunics are my new knight in shining armour- leggings sit comfortably over my little bloated belly and tunics make me feel less round. I pair them with nice and colorful flat sandals, juttis or loafers to complete the look.

I absolutely love shoes and am of the opinion that a good shoe could make or break an outfit. Although I have had to say bye to those “Hot” stilettoes & high heels but I am not too bothered because unlike clothes all my shoes still FIT (unlike clothes). So I derive this strange sense of comfort from my shoe wardrobe (I know that sounds a little crazy :)).

My primary concern these days is comfort not that I am willing to sacrifice “looking good” for comfort. So I prefer to wear smart Indian wear to office over western casuals. Indian wear keeps me more comfortable through a busy day than western formals for the same reason that my trousers feel quite snug because of all that bloating. I recently went shopping in Delhi to Kilol & cotton world in GK and picked up some beautiful summery pieces that help me both look good and be comfortable.

Due to my wardrobe constrains I was too scared to step on to the weighing scale. I was sure I would have piled on kilos since my last doctor’s appointment. This morning I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped on to that weighing scale - I haven’t gained weight at all (In normal circumstances I would have been quite happy about it, not too sure if its good news at this stage) I realized it was simply all that bloating that had restricted my wardrobe choices.

I guess the wardrobe battle shall only get tougher as the weeks progress. Hopefully the mind shall also get more creative to combat the wardrobe struggles :)

One can never have too many shoes! My recent shoe haul to compliment those pretty tunics and Indian wear. Although the black one looks least appealing I call them my "walking on cloud shoes" thats because they are insanely comfortable.