Six Tips to Take Away the Fear of Maternity Bathing Suits

We set out to write some pointers on buying a maternity swimsuit and came across an existing article that was nearly perfect by Amy Jarman, owner of an online maternity shop. Here are her tips. For those of you in North Carolina, at Cravings, we offer a wide selection of styles from both designers mentioned below, PregO Swimwear and Maternal America.

"If you are going to be swimming or to the beach when you are pregnant, the one piece of clothing you will want is the maternity swimsuit. You may be able to wear your pre-pregnancy swimsuit for a while but after some months. It’s just not going to fit right and you may look like some Hollywood movie start wearing a regular bikini because they are in denial that they are pregnant.

Here are five suggestions when buying a maternity swimwear.

1) Look for something that is extra stretchy especially in the stomach, chest and hips. Your chest size will increase so you will need the extra room. Make sure that you have enough support in the bust though. PregOMaternity Swimwear has suits with a high Lycra content which is what you need. Make sure you hand wash and never through in the dryer high Lycra clothes. It will destroy the Lycra and make the items look like they belong to your husband.

2) Look for suits with adequate bust support if you are larger up top. Suits with wide shoulders straps and are adjustable are particularly helpful. The higher the swimsuit back or even with an added bra-like clip support in the back will help to support you more in the bust. Even if you are already big up top, your bust size is also likely to increase up a full cup size when you are pregnant. Maternity swimwear with a bit of padding in the cup will smooth out your shape and hide unwanted sights when it gets wet.

3) If you are a bit hippier, look for a bikini that ties on the side. This works well if you are different sizes on the top and the bottom.

4) One-piece maternity swimwear is great if you are doing regular swimmer. By far, the most supportive and a great option for the pool, whether it is lap swimming or water exercise, is the Empire Tank by PregO Maternity. Remember that regular halter or tank style swimwear won’t provide the necessary support for active motion.

5) Remember to get some swimsuit accessories. Cover-ups are a great fashion item and something you will like to throw on when you get out of the pool or return from the beach. After you have your baby, you can even use the cover-up for a great piece of loungewear. Look for cover-ups by Maternal America or the up and coming ones by PregO Maternity. They often double as great maternity tunics. Also, think about board shorts that can be worn over bikini bottoms.

6) Buy your maternity bathing suit early in your pregnancy. Make sure you order a little bigger than you need. It doesn’t need to be so big that it falls off or sags in the water. You also need to make sure it has enough bust support so it should be a tight fit up top. You are most likely going to start filling in the extra space as your pregnancy progresses.

Try not to let the idea of wearing a maternity swimsuit prevent you from going to the beach or the pool. Be confident in your new body and find a suit that will flatter your figure and style. In the end, you will definitely enjoy it!"