Pretty While Pregnant

Let's face it..... sometimes it is HARD to feel  pretty while pregnant.

Why could that be? While pregnant you are literally growing another human life inside of your body which seems pretty incredible, yet as women everywhere we struggle with personal body image while accomplishing this amazing task! I remember thinking to myself before getting pregnant that I would NEVER be one of those girls that lived in their lounge clothes during pregnancy, but once I found out I was expecting and my body started going through a million crazy changes, I found that staying out of the sweatpants was much easier said than done! It took some real effort and a bit of a mental shift, but after some practice and some real thought I have come to discover this one simple truth:

You CAN feel pretty while pregnant if you are willing to believe it and make it so.

Seems pretty simple right? Sometimes it can be, but like I said before it does take a bit of a change of mind. Before anything else you have to genuinely believe that you are beautiful and amazing just because you are you! Give it a try; say, "I am beautiful at this moment and my body is doing amazing things." This truth was hardest for me to believe during my first trimester. I was SO excited to be having a baby, but between feeling like scum and not being able to really talk to anyone about the pregnancy, it was hard to remember that my body was doing something absolutely incredible and that I needed to give it some credit and recognition. As little as I liked to admit it, I really only got myself ready during those first few weeks when I had an event to attend, and felt so frustrated that even though I was trying desperately to keep the pregnancy a secret that my previously flat stomach just kept popping out like an overstuffed cookie pouch making it impossible to hide in most of my clothing. One week while out with Kyle, he suggested that we check out a store that sold maternity clothes, and I finally caved and bought a maternity shirt and some pants. In that split second my entire perspective changed. At that moment I felt like I was able to fully embrace being pregnant. I had bought a shirt that actually featured my bump rather than trying to hide it, and for the first time in months I actually felt pretty! It really helped to fix my attitude, and showed me just how important it is to invest in your pregnant self. Don't be afraid to feature your baby bump in cute maternity clothes, and don't get trapped in the mindset that your only options are mummsy-looking tents or your significant other's t-shirts when it comes to dressing your new body. There is so much cute maternity clothing out there if you know where to look, and once you find the right maternity boutique to fit your personal style it is a serious life changer! Since I've already had over 28 weeks of pregnancy to look through SO many different maternity shops and find ones that I love, I thought that I'd save you all a little time and share one of my personal favorite maternity pieces for you to add to your wardrobe from PinkBlush Maternity!

The Secret of the Maternity Dress

Ok, so maybe it's not THAT big of a secret, but I am seriously OBSESSED with maternity dresses, especially when they are as adorable as this striped one from PinkBlush Maternity! I love wearing dresses while pregnant because they are ridiculously comfortable (let's face it, no one likes wearing pants while pregnant and this fixes that!), SO versatile, and come in so many options that it is really easy to find one that fits your personal style and body type! PinkBlush Maternity is a great maternity boutique as well because they have so many cute, trendy maternity clothes that are well made, well priced, and have free U.S. shipping! When I got this cute little number in the mail I was able to make at least three completely different looks out of it in less than five minutes, so it's obviously already an absolute favorite!

| dressed up for a night out |

| dressed down for a day of errands |

The most important thing is that whichever clothing items you choose fit your personal style and help you to feel beautiful because you absolutely are! Pregnancy is such an amazing thing and I know that if we as women can embrace the power that comes with it and be willing to invest in ourselves while going through the journey that feeling pretty while pregnant can be possible! Remember, you are beautiful and amazing just because you are you! Embrace it! :)

{ Lots of Love! Chelsea & Baby Girl Pett }