I struggled so much with what to wear while I was pregnant, but of course, now that I’m not any more, I keep seeing great, easy, comfortable but chic pregnancy clothes!

I love this pregnancy outfit with a dressed down maxi skirt and layers. I’m short, so the maxi is a silhouette that can be a little tricky for me, but I really liked wearing a maxi style while I was pregnant. It was comfy and practical since I could wear a support belt underneath and didn’t have to worry too much about what shoes I was wearing either. I think Hillary Duff’s look is super cute and looks so comfy and practical.

Here’s how I would do it:

• The Ultimate Cardigan by Hatch Collection. A wrap/shawl-style cardigan is the best thing to have around with a newborn so why not invest in a pretty one while you’re pregnant. This one by Hatch Collection is cashmere and it looks gorgeous.
• Foldover Maxi Skirt by Asos. I think you could dress this skirt up or down throughout your pregnancy and really get a ton of use out of it. It’s on sale too!
• Maternity Scoop Neck Vest by TopShop. Some of my best maternity buys while I was pregnant with Louis were from TopShop (here are some of the pieces I loved the most) and this tank looks like it has a great shape
• Diane von Furstenberg Zebra Ballet Flats. Flats are a (pregnant) girl’s best friend and these ones from DvF would be super cute with jeans too!
• Quilted Shopper by Zara. You’re going to be lugging around a huge diaper bag everywhere you go for a looong time, so enjoy some funner bags while you still can! This one is big enough to carry the essentials even if you have a toddler to take of while you’re pregers.
• Rhinestone Bangles by Isharya. Bangles are cute but not very practical with a newborn – wear them now!

For more pregnancy style ideas, click here.

This was the last week of my old existence. The last week of Little A and me spending our days together just the two of us. As of 5pm this evening, we are officially going on summer vaca, and when autumn comes, life will be very different for this little family. Where there were three, there will be four. Little A will be starting nursery school, and I will be spending my days with a newborn. It is both exciting and daunting. Next week we head to the country for a few weeks, but Mini Piccolini will be coming along, so meet back here on Monday! Here are some good links to keep you busy over the weekend:

With all the time I spent freaking out about maternity swimsuits, I don’t know when I will be ready to even think about postpartum suits. If you’re already ready to face it, here is a fabulous guide to some good, forgiving suits!

A GREAT IDEA. Get kids involved in cleaning from an early age. A cute cleaning kit put together just for them should be just the thing to entice them into helping!

Encourage water-drinking without adding to the dishwashing pile with fridge-magnet cups by Made.

Messy outdoor play date ideas by All for the Boys.

If you are also suffering from rainy weather keeping you and your minis indoors, here is a fun activity to try!

This strawberry rhubarb basil crumble sounds and looks so delicious for summer!

And who doesn’t love a no-bake dessert?

Just when I decided that I am done buying maternity clothes for this pregnancy, GlamMom starts selling them!

Just found out you’re pregnant and looking for a cute way to break the good news to the dad-to-be? Here are some very fun ideas.

On Friday I had two highly-anticipated packages arrive. One from J. Crew with three pair of Cece ballet flats and one from Hatch Collection with two dresses and a jumpsuit. Five of the six pieces have moved into my closet and I’m hoping they will save my summer from a pregnancy-fashion perspective!

I have two pairs of J. Crew Cece ballet flats from before and I always get compliments on them (especially the suede ones in “flame”). I have problems with SPD (symphysis pubic dysfunction) so I’m completely banned from high heels for the duration of my pregnancy and only get to wear anything other than proper running shoes for special occasions. I’m short so my (fairly extensive) shoe collection is mostly made up of really high heels so I needed a few pairs of flats to dress up some outfits for summer. I got the Cece ballet flats in sapphire suede, tawny sand leather, and gold brocade.

I couldn’t resist Hatch Collection’s gorgeous pieces, and I ended up ordering three of them, partly hoping that not all would work out as they are definitely not cheap. I’ll be keeping The Jumper in charcoal silk and The Slouch Dress in cobalt silk. I think (but it’s hard to be sure) that both of these will work even post-pregnancy (though definitely not while breastfeeding which is such a shame).

I have at least two events to attend this week and a couple next week and I am hoping that the Hatch pieces will work for all of these. This evening I’ll be wearing the slouch dress (to a very un-slouchy reception). The dress code is summer elegant but I’m not sure the weather will cooperate. I’ll probably pair it with a double-front blazer from 5th Avenue Shoe Repair, Jeffrey Campbell patent flour de lis flats (or the new gold ballet flats to make things feel a little more summery), a chunky gold necklace made out of gold chains from my mother’s family or dangly gold earrings, and a Madonna for H&M black patent leather clutch.

And tomorrow I think I will debut the jumper at a less formal family reception. I’ll probably pair it with a cute little cream Club Monaco blazer with asymmetrical zipper and shoulder pads that I’ve had since right before Little A was born and maybe the new blue ballet flats. I’ll have Little A with me (what will he wear??) so I’ll be carrying my diaper bag…

Last time, I had an awesome maternity swimsuit from H&M that got me through my whole pregnancy and the first couple of months thereafter. Unfortunately I wore it out and H&M hasn’t had any swimsuits in their maternity collection this time around.

I’ve bought three swimsuits now so I should be set for the rest of my summer pregnancy and for the months of nursing to come:

1. GAP MATERNITY TANKINI. It’s a two-piece but with good coverage.

2. BOOB FAST FOOD SWIMSUIT. I hate that it’s called “fast food” and it is probably not the most flattering suit I will ever wear, but I love that it has nursing functionality.

3. TOP SHOP STRIPED SWIMSUIT. Remember my maternity finds from TopShop?

Courtney at Babyccino Kids raved about Koka Mama’s leggings so now I totally want a pair too. I like the look of some of their other pieces as well, like the shirt dress, but they don’t ship to Sweden! The leggings look great, but I can’t decide if these leggings are going to be worth the logistics of getting an order from London to Stockholm…

Pregnancy Style Week continues!

As I’ve said before – one of the maternity options I have been searching the hardest for is the perfect maternity dress. Once you’re nursing, dresses are very hard to wear and I miss wearing dresses!

Here are the dresses that have worked for me, or that I hope are going to work for me:

1. Top Shop Maternity Stripe Tunic. Remember my 3-for-3 shopping success from Top Shop recently? I have used the striped tunic dress a few times already and I like it. It doesn’t photograph really well (beach ball warning), but it’s cute and comfy for everyday.
2. Top Shop Maternity Bodycon Tunic. Since the striped tunic dress worked so well, I’m considering getting this grey one as well.
3. Banana Republic Annie Faux Wrap Dress. I bought this a while back, in black (petite). As soon as I tried it one I realized it would be a great maternity dress so I put it away for a pregnant day and it has worked quite well.
4. Hatch Collection Slouch Dress. I just ordered this hoping it will work well to dress up for evenings or dress down over leggings for everyday. I love the v-neck and the sapphire silk.
5. Hatch Collection Gown. The silhouette of this dress looks quite flattering as a more formal gown – at least if you’re not pregers. I’m hoping it will be cute even with a bump. We have a wedding to pop into a couple of weeks after delivery and since it’s hard to foresee what size and shape I will be then, I’m hoping this will work for that occasion as well as for a couple of formal and semi-formal events that we have to go to during the last month or so of this pregnancy.
6. Koka Mama Shirt Dress with Tie. This looks cute so I might get it.

So it appears I am the only one on the planet who can’t find a great maternity dress – check out these great inspiration pics from my Pinterest board Pregnant in Style!

Original photo sources: Pregnant in Style

Here is some everyday pregnancy style inspiration from my Pinterest board Pregnant in Style!

I love love love pretty much EVERYTHING that I see in Hatch‘s Shop.

None of it is cheap, but there is that alluring promise that these styles will even work post-pregnancy. It’s so hard to gage looking at model pictures, but it does look like these clothes might be wearable past maternity days…

They ship internationally, but international sales are final, so I really have to think about what I buy. But I am definitely going to order a couple of pieces. Yes, I only have a couple of months left of this pregnancy, but during that time we have a couple of big dress-up events to attend. And just a couple of weeks after the birth, we have a wedding that we will try to stop in at for at least part of – and who knows what I will be able to get into then? “The Gown” is definitely a tempting option!

I have been on a mad search for maternity dresses since I got pregnant. I didn’t really find any good ones during my last pregnancy and this time around I feel like I have ordered, tried on, and returned every single maternity dress I have come across. I love wearing dresses for everyday – it’s such an easy way to dress, and I really missed wearing dresses during my last pregnancy and then between pregnancies when I was breastfeeding. I have only found one ok dress this time around but it is really only appropriate for casual wear.

Hatch has several really great dress options that would work for day and night and can be dressed up or down. I especially like The Slouch Dress with the v-neck and The Datenight Dress is cool with it’s 3/4 sleeves with cutouts.

I don’t know if I could pull it off, pregnant or not, but I love the idea of this jumpsuit!

There are also a few great tops and a hoodie in the collection, but I can’t really fathom spending that much on a top. If we weren’t heading right into summer, I would get this coat though!

The whole topic of a stylish pregnancy sort of gives me heart palpitations. I’m not the most stylish in my regular body, so dressing a bump feels like a daunting prospect.

I didn’t succeed wonderfully during my last pregnancy but I also lived an even more low-key life at that time, and I got away with jeans and couple of cute tops for almost everything I had to attend.

This time around, we have a few more events to attend and I find myself very pregnant with a long-awaited summer stretching out in front of me. And nothing to wear. So even though it seems late in the game (several weeks into the third trimester) to get this under control, it has to be done.

I hereby declare this week: Pregnancy Style Week!

Images: Pregnant in Style on Pinterest