“I wish I was one of those cute pregnant girls who wear skinny jeans throughout their pregnancies. But I just gain weight.” - Jennifer Garner

 

I feel you, Jennifer. Heh. Hello! I’ve been neglecting this space for too long, I know. How’s Ramadan treating you so far? Alhamdulillah it’s not too bad for me, now at 26 weeks. Managed to only ponteng once and that’s only because I missed sahur and the last I ate was during buka puasa the day before, so I reckoned it would be better for the baby if I skip for the day. Islam does not impose fasting on pregnant and nursing moms anyways; some school of thoughts even believe that pregnant and nursing women shall not fast, and tak perlupun qadha later, cuma bayar fidyah. I am however berpegang pada Imam Shafie’s school of thought that there is rukhsah; you can skip puasa if it is better for you to do so, but you shall pay fidyah and qadha once you are able. Enlighten me if I’m wrong.

Anyways yeah, after puasa, comes raya dan ya, memang menyedihkan misi mencari baju raya in this bumpy situation (geddit? Bumpy?) Heh. Mom made me a cotton maxi dress (she’s the best!) and as at now, that is the only baju raya I have. I’m eyeing the Basic Fatihah dress from Love To Dress but isn’t sure if it is worth my RM160.00. What do you think? Their Royal Iman range seems to be pregnant-friendly as well; the very pregnant Aishah Amin even looks good in it, but the bottom part is too princessy for me I guess.

I like to browse and go blog-hopping cari muslimah maternity style, so I feel like sharing mine here, just to give ideas where to buy maternity clothing if you’re into a more simple look like myself. Although I like the idea of wearing sleeveless dress or tunic with blazer or cardigan, who I am kidding? I’m too lazy for that, and in this hot Malaysian weather? I’d rather not. If you’re looking for pregnant-friendly blouses instead of maternity blouses (sebab boleh pakai semula post-pregnancy), I’d suggest empire-cut blouses with enough gathers to fit your baby bump. Blouses from stretchy material is a good choice too as it stretches to fit your bump.
 

Here’s myself in The Pop Look Fiffy which stretches to fit your bump. My maternity jeans is from Pumpkin Patch, bought in Oz for only $19.90, super cheap. No heels for me though, I envy you preggers who are still able to strut in your cute heels. These days, these comfy pair of ballerina flats from Hush Puppies are my feet’s best friends.

If you don’t feel like buying maternity jeans/pants, you can always get yourself those stretchy pants and palazzo. Or get one of these belly belts, a simple creation that actually works! My friend Jaja gave hers to me and I’ve been using them for my normal work pants up until now. Showed it to my mom and she was like, “Benda ni pun boleh jual ya? Simple sangat nak buat.” Bukan setakat boleh jual, the combo kit is quite pricey too! But it works, jadi berbaloilah RM70.

The Pop Look tunic, my first ever purchase from them which was a loooooong time ago. Walaupun dah pakai beribu kali, I think it’s still wearable so yeay to the material quality. And fits my bump, so double yeay.

A couple of my East India Company blouses; they have many long sleeve, empire waist blouses FYI. I have a few actually, since Metrojaya carries the brand jadi senang nak membeli. EIC price range is not that murahlah but I usually only buy them when they’re on 40-70% sale. I have another pregnant-friendly blouse from Sommerset Bay which I wear to work dengan tersangatlah kerap but surprisingly I don’t seem to have a picture of me in it. 

Oh MNG carries many pregnant-friendly (and Shariah-compliant) tunic/dress as well! But of course, I only buy them when they're on sale. Cheapskate like that lah.
 

My first maternity blouse for this round of pregnancy. It’s from Summerglitz and adalah affordable. Too bad many of its other pretty blouses don’t seem to fit me. Jadi kalau nak beli, better check the measurement betul-betul ya. Bust area seems to be smaller as most of their blouses are from Taiwan and Korea, so yeah, go figure. 

Other maternity brands that I'd recommend (tried them when I was pregnant with Hadi) are Motherclub and 9 Months. Jusco Scarlet pun quite OK kalau pandai cari, and very affordable too.

Do share your ideas on simple maternity wear that works for you. If you’re into strict maternity fashion, go read 35+ Rules of Pregnancy Fashion - http://www.parenting.com/gallery/35-rules-pregnancy-fashion - but with my limited budget and patience, I’d rather stick with my simple, comfy style. Har har. 


P/S: I think Kate Middleton and Irma Hasmie are public figures with the most flawless maternity style for 2013. Kim Kardashian however should fire her stylist.