Introduction

Many things change rapidly as soon as a woman finds out she’s pregnant: the infamous morning sickness, swollen feet, overwhelming emotions, intense fatigue, strange food cravings, harsh diet restrictions, frequent bathroom visits and last but not least, tremendous physical transformation.

The magnificent mystery, magic and wonder of carrying another little human being inside oneself do not come without some serious ‘side-effects’, which come in the form of significant body changes and massive weight gain, which leads to new wardrobe requirements.

As the body changes and the regular pre-pregnancy clothes start to feel tight, restrictive, uncomfortable and eventually totally unwearable, the typical expectant lady will feel the need to replace them with new ones as soon as possible.

Under such circumstances, daily dressing routine can quickly turn into a daunting, time-consuming and tedious task as well as a huge fashion challenge, since even the trendiest and chicest women will find it difficult to know which pieces in their wardrobe are going to fit the next day and which ones will have to be abandoned and put aside for months to come.

The practical solution comes in the form of maternity wear, which is specifically designed to be used by mommies to be, during their pregnancy.
These garments are made with a loose, comfortable cut that allows the abdominal area to expand as the woman’s belly gradually grows.

Furthermore, these clothes need to be light, loose fitted and extremely comfortable, without restricting the body nor its free movement ability.
Many items are elastic, stretchable, include tabs or offer other easy methods of garment expansion for maximum convenience.
In addition, they offer ample room and flexibility especially at the strategic bust and belly areas.

Even after delivering their baby, many fresh moms keep wearing their maternity clothes for a few more months, until completely losing the additional weight they gained and getting back to their original pre-pregnancy shape.

Past vs Present Trends

In the old days, many women did not even consider buying special maternity clothes that would get them through their pregnancy and instead chose to wear old or improvised items that they found in their existing wardrobe.
In addition, back then, the clothing industry used to produce collections which were pretty dull, baggy, too casual, unattractive and pretty generic.

However, in direct response to transition in women’s lifestyle, social and technological changes, celebrity mom influence as well as increasing market demand for more fashionable, well-designed and comfortable wear, this retail landscape has totally changed.

Nowadays, when so many expectant women work, socialize, exercise and sometimes even travel abroad, either for business or pleasure, there is an increasing need to stay comfortable as well as look professional and attractive during the entire pregnancy period.

In today’s modern fashion world, women have endless choices for quality and affordable maternity wear than ever before.

Maternity Clothing Styles

While in the past, many moms-to-be invested a lot of effort, energy and financial resources in trying to conceal or cover up their pregnancy, this popular norm has totally changed.
Instead, modern styles embrace the idea of the fashionable and elegant pregnant woman as well as her new curves and show off the evolving tummy with pride.

The market offers new and exciting well-cut, form-fitting clothes that celebrate the new figure and accentuate the baby bump rather than hide it.

What Do Maternity Apparel Websites Offer?

Online maternity stores offer comfortable, fashionable and stylish wear, which is available in a broad variety of colors, fabrics, textures and designs.
In fact, maternity apparel can be found either at niche stores which focus solely on this target market or in large mainstream clothing stores and retail chains that have significant maternity sections.

In essence, almost any common piece of clothing can be successfully transformed into maternity wear: from tops, bottoms, skirts and dresses to T-shirts, underwear and even sexy lingerie.

Here are common types of maternity clothes that can be found in any major website:

• Tank Tops
• T-Shirts
• Shirts & Blouses
• Cardigans
• Sweaters
• Hoodies & Sweatshirts
• Outerwear
• Jackets & Coats
• Leggings
• Jeans
• Pants
• Dresses (casual, baby shower, for work, formal, etc)
• Swimwear
• Activewear
• Underwear

Paying for Maternity Clothes with PayPal

Many popular maternity ecommerce sites in the market accept PayPal and take a variety of other payment methods such as credit cards, debit cards, wire transfers, gift cards and more.