Wardrobe Essentials:The Bathing-suit
A Gals Guide
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Since pregnancy lasts over three-quarters of a year, odds are that you will be in some stage of your pregnancy during the warm summer months. That means you will need a bathing suit. If you are lucky enough to be five months pregnant or less during bathing-suit season, you might be able to get away with a larger version of the regular, non-pregnant tank suit that you may already wear. Or, if you are like Winoie Ryder, have beanpole legs, and are in your early twenties, you may even go for the bikini-with-the-belly-pooching-out effect. I've always dreamed of that look, but since my first indication of pregnancy has always been the appearance of cellulite from my waist to my knees, I have traditionally opted for the lift that comes with lots of spandex and suspenders .
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 Belly pooching |
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 Rearview Mirror |
After the five-month mark, the non-maternity suit may not work anymore, even if you are not already forty pounds above your normal weight. The first place it may start to fail you is in an area you may not notice. Yes, I am talking about the rear end again. It's time for another visit to the three-way mirror because, as your belly hogs the fabric it needs to cover its growing self, your behind is left with little coverage. The rear view of a copious bottom with only a small triangle of fabric straining to cover the middle is not a great look . . . It also is not long before the growing belly pulls up the front of the bathing suit so much that the leg holes stretch halfway up to your waist—another alarming sight. | |
| But I have to tell you, it isn't all that bad. Ugly, maybe, but there are some wonderful benefits a maternity bathing suit offers that a regular suit doesn't. For one, they almost always provide a sturdy built-in bra, which can be a relief to women who are tired of carrying those breasts unassisted after all those months. The maternity suits are also cut wider from hip to hip in the back, so that you don't have to sunburn your virgin bottom skin. And then, of course, there is the pouch in front for your pregnant belly. If this pouch fits you as well as mine did, you might be tempted to wear the bathing suit under all your clothes because the support feels so good. |
 Pooch cut and color |
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| Cut, not color is what will make you look bigger or smaller in your maternity bathing suit. So what I would recommend is that you avoid the boring tiny florals and go for a great jewel-tone suit, or maybe even an animal print, and have some fun. | ||
 you looking at me? |
If you are courageous enough to put on a bathing suit when pregnant—and I know that this can be as intimidating as labor itself—then go all the way and commit! Remember the valuable lesson I learned in a waterslide park in Orlando: Pregnant women deserve to swim, and we vow to sit on anyone who looks at us sideways! Or even more liberating, remind yourself that you look perfectly appropriate for someone who is growing a baby inside her and the auditions for Playmate of the Month will have to wait a while. My Girlfriend Donna's favorite part of wearing a bathing suit while she was pregnant was that it was the first time in years that she didn't feel obligated to hold her stomach in. |
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