My Zero Waste Maternity Wardrobe

Here I’m wearing a cotton dress I purchased second hand.

When I first found out I was pregnant I was immediately overwhelmed with so many thoughts and things that had to be accomplished before my little one’s due date. How on earth was I going to get through this the most sustainable way as possible? Of course with my lack of experience, I, like so many others, thought that I was going to have to purchase a completely new wardrobe to accommodate my growing belly — and everything else. I realized that I was wrong. It was possible to get through the entire pregnancy without purchasing proprietary maternity clothing that would get worn a few times and then shoved to the back of the closet. Below, are the 3 rules I followed to keep my clothing within my zero waste values:

1. Utilize what I already have for as long as I can.

I found that I already had clothing that would “grow” with me. baggier t-shirts, cardigans, button up shirts, dresses, and so on. Yes, my wardrobe options were a lot fewer towards the end but ultimately that was the last thing on my mind as I was wattling from my bed to the bathroom a billion times a day. I think I wore the same 2 dresses nearly every day for the last couple of weeks – no one noticed – or no one dared to say anything about it! But seriously though….

There’s also a pretty fantastic piece that I was able to get from a friend that allowed me to wear my same pants and shorts up until the very end. Belly Bands – have you heard of these things?! Basically, they go around your unbuttoned pants to make it appear as if you are just wearing a layered shirt. I think for the $10 price tag versus the ungodly expensive maternity jeans is a pretty good deal!

2. Buy second hand or borrow.

 

Like I mentioned above for my Belly Band – I got it from a friend as well as a postpartum belly wrap. If you need to get additional maternity pants or shirts I would opt to get them second hand or borrow them rather than buy new. Why? Maternity clothing is EXPENSIVE and incredibly wasteful considering the amount of resources go into each peice and the amount of time they are worn. In every thrift store I’ve been in there has always been an overflowing maternity section. Save your money.

There are also some online thrift/consignment sites that have second hand maternity clothing like ThredUP and Motherhood Closet.

3. Buy sustainable pieces that can transition with you to an “after baby” body.

As a last resort, buy clothing that you can transition into once you begin your deflation after baby. At the very beginning I bought a pair of black yoga pants that I wore up until I gave birth as well as a couple nursing bras, tank tops, and dresses from Boob Maternity – a sustainable, organic maternity site that sells “nursing” clothing that will work pre and post baby – this was important since I planned on breastfeeding. I hate buying new but in this case, I opted to support a sustainable and ethical company that does not support poor working conditions and clothing waste. I love that I will be able to keep these pieces in my wardrobe for years to come.

You’d be surprised what actually will still fit you as you progress through pregnancy. I have to slowly retire clothing as to not stretch them out while I got bigger so towards the end I was pretty much living in a true minimalist capsule wardrobe of about 20+ items – and I actually loved it! I can’t wait to start that project in the future!

Below are a few items that I wore throughout my pregnancy that I will continue to wear afterward. With the addition of button up shirts and cardigans, I was able to pull off new outfits nearly every day using the same handful of items. Out of these 12 pieces, I only purchased or borrowed 4 of them. The rest I already had in my closet.