Keeping your belly in check - pregnant or not

First off....whether or not you can still fit into those pre-pregnancy pants you still need to keep that belly in check! Which means....when your zipper is fully unzipped to accommodate that growing waistband and hips, there NEEDS to be something that covers up that whole mess. Little do you guys know, in 99% of every outfit my pants are fully unzipped and on the verge of busting...but fashion is pain right? Even during pregnancy. So, as some of you have asked...how the heck do you keep that all covered up and in check...answer....a stretchy tube of knit fabric, whether that is a long tank top, or just a band. It needs to be tight, stretchy and comes in a variety of colors. And possibly something you want to use after words, because these things are amazing regardless you are pregnant or not.

My recommendations:

The tee shirt extender from Blush Accessories - which comes in a variety of colors, and can be for those non-prego ladies too (hence the picture above). It is made with a lighter fabric, making it more unnoticeable. Also, this is a local company and I'm all about supporting that.

The bella band - great for pregnancy because it is VERY stretchy, but it can be a little thick. But I didn't always mind, but it wasn't ideal when I wasn't pregnant.

 

An extra long, tight tank top - can be used, especially when shirt are a little more see through. I will see this is the least favorite of all the options because the fabric tends to ride up and there is a lot of tugging and pulling going on. I love these ones from Nordstrom.

 

DIY: For those of you who have an extra stretchy tank top around that you don't mind destroying, cut it off near the armpit area, in order to make sure it reaches past the bottom of you zipper. And because knit doesn't fray, you don't have to hem. If you are like me and you don't want the end to roll, then hem end up 3/4 of an inch to an inch with a zig zag stitch or a long straight stitch (if you're doing the straight stitch stretch it a lot as you go along). I've also wanted to make a shorter version too, which is nice when you stomach gets really itchy and you don't want anything touching it.