Thursday, March 25, 2010

Maternity Swimwear Search

Trying to find a maternity bathing suit that I like has proven to be much like finding a quarter among a million dimes and is about as enjoyable as stubbing your toe. It can be done, but the process will take a while and more than likely, it will be painful.

When I was pregnant with Ethan I didn't ever need a suit because he was born on May 25...the very beginning of the summer. But now, not only will I be pregnant most of the (hot) summer, but I have a toddler in tow. And I can't exactly ban him from swimming the entire summer (not that I'd want to). As such, the maternity bathing suit is unavoidable this time. (Plus, I need it for our top secret trip that I'm planning for Casey's 30th birthday. Shhh...)

If you've never had to shop for a maternity swimsuit, count yourself lucky. It's rough. It's not that I'm completely self conscious, but being pregnant does add a different dimension to your body. And (this is my main complaint) the majority of the suits out there are just awful.

First, I had to establish what I wanted. I have found that tankinis are personally my best friend. First of all, they have full coverage. I am not the girl who can sport a bikini while pregnant thanks to stretch marks right around my belly button acquired in the last three weeks of pregnancy with Ethan. (I almost got off without them!). And sometimes tankinis give you the advantage of being able to purchase a different size top than bottom, which is good for me.

Then, while looking for this tankini, I quickly discovered what I do NOT want in a maternity bathing suit, despite the fact that those specific qualities are found in abundance:

1. No dresses or flowing fabric. It's a bathing suit, not a dress (this is my opinion here). I think excess fabric just makes me look bulkier at a time when I certainly don't need that.
2. No crazy prints. Nothing wild, weird, or old-lady-ish. I guess one person's crazy print is another person's ideal suit, but I had a hard time finding a print that suited my tastes.

3. No flimsy tops. I need support. It is a must.

This one is from Old Navy, and it's cute, right? BUT...there is absolutely no padding, cups or support in the top of the suit. This just absolutely will not work for me. Too bad.

The suit I ended up getting looks very much like that one from Old Navy, but it does have support up top. I just lucked out in finding it, I guess. And I'm so glad that job is done. Now I can move onto making my arms look like that chick in photo #2 (the one with the crazy print suit).


6 comments:

Unknown said...

i need to work on my arms, too, thanks for the reminder.

Brooke said...

I bought a Lands End swimsuit for my regular body last summer. It has those strings on the side that you could bunch up the swimsuit when you're thin or spread it out farther if you need the room. I thought it would be good in case I got pregnant. Well, I had no idea that I would wear it at 36 weeks! It worked so much better than the maternity swimsuit that was passed down to me. So sometimes a regular swimsuit that you can wear even at your thinnest can do the trick!

Allison Connor said...

I hear you! I had a really hard time finding a maternity suit last summer too! It was awful. I ended up finding two, but the journey was painful. Glad you found one!

Mary said...

This is so funny!!!

Emily Cade said...

I'm so with you! How hideous are these??? You may as well just find your most outdated sundress and throw it on. Good eye, rachel!

Elizabeth Clark said...

Hi, I am looking for some comfortable maternity swimsuit for me. One of my cousins suggests me to visit a site for getting maternity swimsuit. I also visit here and saw lots of maternity swimsuit collections. But I don't know how are these qualities. Do you have any ideas about this? If you had more insight into it, I would much appreciate it.