One Dress – Two Very Different Bodies

I often find myself missing my pregnancy body. I know! It’s CRAZY that I am saying that, especially since I was NOT loving my 1st trimester or 3rd trimester to say the least. But when it came to my pregnancy shape, I really truly loved it. I embraced my new found curves and loved dressing up my bump with maternity and non-maternity clothes!

This Non Maternity Dress

Today’s post is about this dress that I wore when I was pregnant and can still wear now! It’s not a maternity dress, but I found that it worked perfectly with my big belly. It’s so fun to compare these two photos. I’m wearing the same dress (in different colors obvi – I loved it so much that I had to get it in two colors) but it looks great on my two very different body types. What I love about this dress is it is something pregnant woman can buy knowing that they will still be able to wear it post baby. Or a non -pregnant woman can buy, knowing she will be able to wear it if she does get pregnant!

But You’ll Need Maternity Clothes…Trust Me

Let’s face it, maternity clothes are expensive, so it definitely makes sense to buy  some non-maternity clothes that work with a big belly so you can wear them for years to come! But trust me, you WILL need some maternity clothes. Like leggings and tanks. Regular clothes just wont cut it when you are 39 weeks pregnant and you feel like your as big as a house. Ha! I remember those days like they were yesterday!

And the great thing about this dress for me? I can wear it when I get pregnant again. That’s right my friends. There will be a baby number 2. Not quite yet. But I see another pregnancy in my future – in the next year or so. So crazy to think about!

Get details on both these looks under each photo below!

 

Maternity Dress

1) BLUE DRESS 2) SILVER NECKLACE 3) SIMILAR SILVER NECKLACE 4) HEELS 5) RING ONE 6) RING TWO

Maternity Fashion

1) RED DRESS 2) GOLD CHOKER 3) HEELS 4) SUNNIES

Save

Save

Save

Save

27 Thoughts

27 thoughts on “One Dress – Two Very Different Bodies

    1. Love you Ali! Thank you for these wonderful style ideas. I love that you share where to find all items you’re wearing.

  1. You look great! I had my son, Jack, on July 9th.. Just a few days after you had your sweet girl! What are you doing to lose the pregnancy weight? Share your secrets!

    1. Breastfeeding is helping a TON! And I don’t drink nearly as much alcohol as I did pre baby. I really think those are the two major things that have helped me

  2. My little girl Aven is just a couple of weeks younger than Miss Molly and I miss my belly like crazy! I felt so super beautiful and confident..so I SO know what you mean. Pregnancy was pretty good to me..or maybe I’m just forgetting the 10 weeks of daily headaches! I was down to pre preg weight after..10 days and now am 5 lbs below… breastfeeding is the best cardio! You look wonderful!!!
    P.S check out Sweet Sofia Bows on Instagram and Etsy.. based out here in Toronto but super super cute bows and I’m obsessed !

    1. Cute bows! Thanks for sharing!

      And I agree with you about the breastfeeding! I eat WAY more than normal and still got down to within a few pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. But I still have some belly fat that I need to work on. Regardless I feel lucky.

  3. I wish stores would give discounts for buying the same item in all the colours! I love this dress for both bodies! So flattering!

  4. Ali,

    When I was little, I found the bodies of pregnant women unsightly … I must confess that it was thanks to your pregnancy I started to pay attention especially to you (before you were quite discreet) and the beauty of the pregnant woman. I look forward to see you pregnant again. Your curves will be deployed in all their splendor, highlighting the beauty and femininity of the woman in general …

  5. Aww!!! I love pregnant bellies! You look adorable in both pics. I love when women and mommies to be embrace their pregnancy belly. I’m in my last year of nursing school and my goal is to work on Labor & Delivery – my FAVORITE unit! I’ve rotated between a few units but L&D has my heart!

      1. ahh! that makes me so happy!!! I’ve been on the postpartum floor a few times and I love it there too! I had an internship this summer at the hospital I hope to work at. I did a maternal-child health rotation. I was on Postpartum, High risk OB, labor & delivery, and the NICU. Such an amazing experience

  6. I had a baby girl 3 weeks before you had Molly! I miss my cute pregnant belly too but I don’t miss feeling sooooo big right there at the end! Molly is so cute ? We bought the same activity gym she has and my Emma loves it!

  7. Ali- I have loved following your story and Molly is so adorable!! Where did you find some of your best non-maternity dresses? Or even the best selection of maternity dresses? It seems you have to order online and see if it fits because not many stores carry a good selection of maternity dresses? Nordstrom has a lot of stuff online but I may have to buy/order 3 or more dresses to find the right one and the right fit! I am 19 weeks (3rd baby!) but I have to find an evening dress for an event in early November. Not looking to spend over $125-$150 (or less!).

  8. You look great pre and post baby! Just curious though…did you wear the same size in both dresses? I’d like to try one of the dresses but not sure what size to order since it’s not technically maternity. I’m 30 weeks pregnant. ?

  9. Hi Ali,

    I enjoy your Blog. What about your 1st trimester did you not enjoy? I am six weeks pregnant and I am having the hardest time with this morning sickness business. Pre-pregnacy I had a sensitive stomach, now everthing is heightened x100. I can’t stand the smell of life! … and I can’t keep anything down. I feel partially guilty because although I am so excited to be expecting, this time is less than desirable. I wish I could just fast forward the next 6 weeks… and to think that some women experience morning sickness throughout their whole pregnancy (I’m praying it is not the case for me). Any advice on morning sickness?

    Thank you.

  10. Still thinking about baby #2 with Molly not sleeping? ? Hehe! Kidding, of course. Maybe..
    my son is 31/2 and was up every 2-3 hours until he was about 19 months old! ? I thought I was doing something wrong because other babies were already sleeping through the night! He is a high needs child and wanted mama milk often and that reassurance that mama was there. It was tough. CIO didn’t work
    For him. Too stubborn. He eventually dropped a feeding at night and nursing was down to 2X a night, which was HUGE! He was 24 months. At 21/2 he FINALLY started sleeping through the night. I say all this as support and encouragement! I picked up the book “healthy sleep
    Habits, happy baby” (I still reference it quite often even with him being 3!) I wouldn’t say I took a lot of advice for sleeping through the night– it does offer a lot– but it helped me realize how much sleep per age he would need and how many naps, etc. You look beautiful even sleep deprived!! ;))

  11. Hi Ali, I saw your post about sleep deprivation and I was in the same boat. I woke up every 2 hrs for a year and then I gave in and hired a sleep trainer. She is amazing and changed my life;) Her website is takingcarababies.com.
    You look amazing btw!!

  12. Loved following your pregnancy! I delivered my 4th baby about a month after you had molly. I even bought this dress! My little guy is 7 weeks and woke up once last night (insert angels singing!) I finally put him on a schedule yesterday and I think that’s what did it. He wasn’t over tired. But I’m so excited for you to have another one!!! I love being a young mom! Seriously the best gift I ever gave my kids is each other.

  13. I will be 22 weeks tomorrow and am really struggling fashion wise! I just feel like I am at such an awkward point. I can’t stand the idea of buying maternity clothes that I will only be able to wear for a few months and then stash away. I’m trying really hard to keep my maternity clothes to the basics; tanks and tees, leggings and maybe a couple pairs of jeans. Michael Stars doesn’t usually fit into my budget but I really think I am going to purchase this dress since it can be worn even after baby gets here this summer! It looks so flattering on you in both pictures! I also love that this is a piece that can be dressed up or down depending on how you style it. Now to decide what color to buy!

Shop Ali's Feed

Click an image to shop
@ali.manno