Pregnant Peeps! I Tried A Maternity Styling Service & Here's Why You Should, Too

Soooo, I’m pregnant. Not for the first time, not for the second time, but for the third time. And while the saying goes, “The third time’s the charm”—that’s anything but the case when it comes to pregnancy clothes. You’d think by now I’d have this maternity fashion thing nailed down, but there are a slew of factors that make shopping with a baby bump a slippery slope.

For one, every pregnancy is totally different on your body—I didn’t start showing until I was almost five months along the first time around, and I swear I had a bump five days in this time. Second, it’s likely you’re different sizes during different seasons with each pregnancy (unless all of your kids happen to be born on the same day)—so some pregnancies require maternity parkas and puffers, while others have you sifting through pregnancy swimsuits (which is never, ever fun). Also, your life changes. I worked full-time and needed professional-esque clothes for my first two pregnancies, and now I work from home and am needing tanks and flowy dresses to get me through the summer.

Given the severe lack of brick-and-mortar maternity retailers across the country, most pregnant ladies like myself are resigned to online shopping when it comes to clothing their bump, which is one of my least favorite tasks. My biggest gripe? There’s not a plethora of brands out there offering cute, quality maternity wear. Also: Every brand sizes maternity differently, so I typically resort to ordering multiple sizes of everything…while racking up an enormous credit card bill.

So, when I heard that online styling service Stitch Fix now stocks 50+ maternity brands, I was stoked. Why? Because I needed help—I needed someone to navigate brands and styles and sizes, and to save me hours of endless online shopping. And given that I am already mama bear to little kids, I don’t have time to go to the mall and meet with a stylist—nor is my life fancy enough to justify something like that.

Enter: Stitch Fix! Like its other counterparts for women, plus-size and men, the maternity section of the site has customers fill out a 10-minute style profile, which covers everything from your size and weight to style, color and budget preferences. Once you’ve completed the profile, a stylist then takes all of your preferences into account and selects five on-trend items (from tops and dresses to jeans, pants and more) they think you’ll enjoy. My box arrived in a few days—bearing with it five adorable pieces that I never, ever would have discovered on my own. The best part? Each ranged between $40 and $70. My favorite items were a navy-blue eyelet dress from Skies are Blue Maternity ($68) and distressed jean shorts from Liverpool ($48) that I’ve literally worn every other day for the past two months.

In terms of pricing, a $20 stylist fee is applied as a credit toward anything you purchase. If you opt to buy all five items, you receive a 25-percent discount on the total. My five pieces, for example, would have cost $184 if I had bought the entire lot. The brand’s policy is that you return anything you don’t like for free, and I sent back two adorable shirts because they were too tight.

Final thoughts: Stitch Fix is a great resource for preggies looking for cute pieces that are affordable and will survive 9+ months of constant wear. Yes, Old Navy, Gap and Target are where it’s at if you’re looking for tanks, tees and other basics, but Stitch Fix is amazing in that it introduces you to new labels without all the hassel typically involved with maternity shopping. Because we pregnant ladies don’t have time for hassles, #amiright?

SIGN UP HERE: Stitch Fix