How I’m Dressing For Pregnancy While Managing Body Image Issues

**Trigger warning: This article contains content around body image issues and disordered eating and may be triggering for some readers.

For as long as I can remember, I have suffered from crippling body image issues. At its best, I would pop on an oversized shirt and go about my day, and at its worst, intrusive thoughts would materialise into damaging disordered eating patterns that were hard to shake.

As a TV host for MTV Australia, I reached particular low points in my body image journey after reading the cruel jabs from faceless online trolls who spared no niceties for me. Over the years, thanks to the help of angel-sent therapists and a very supportive inner network, I have managed to control my disordered eating patterns and now have a much healthier outlook on my body image.

That was until I fell pregnant in July this year.

When the two lines immediately turned pink indicating I was pregnant with my first child, I rubbed the 6am sleep from my eyes and ran to my partner to tell him the news. We were happy beyond our wildest dreams — in shock, yes — but nothing compares to the feeling of elation that washed over.

In the months that followed, I suffered from a debilitating bout of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness that results in all-day vomiting and nausea. Luckily by week 16, the symptoms subsided and I was able to resume some semblance of normal life which, much to my delight, included noshing on food all hours of the day. After almost four months of eating dry crackers and mashed potatoes, my palate came alive and I was enjoying all of the flavours under the rainbow.

Now, it may seem extremely obvious, but when you’re pregnant your body changes and grows. I’m not sure why this came as a shock to me but as I began to swell I started to question why I was getting so much bigger. I was falling back into a familiar and dark territory where I beat myself up for looking a certain way, and it really threw me for a loop.

I am now six months pregnant and can safely say that it has been quite a journey up until this point. Rather than reverting back to negative thought patterns and disordered eating, I have dug deep by calling on some tried and tested strategies. I also have someone else very important to be strong for now: my little girl growing inside of me.

Instead of berating myself for my growing body, I’m celebrating the changes because I know it’s all happening to help care for my baby. While managing these body image issues that have crept back in during pregnancy, I’m trying to navigate how to dress. The truth is, I love having fun with fashion but body image issues paired with a growing body has proved slightly challenging when it comes to pulling together a lewk.

If you, like me, have been struggling with dressing through pregnancy, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

Lean Into the Maternity Jeans

I must admit, during the early stages of pregnancy, I was a maternity fashion snob. I made grand declarations that I would never own or wear a pair of elastic-waisted jeans. Oh, how naive I was. When my regular jeans became too snug to function, I bit the bullet and invested in a pair of maternity jeans from Cotton On. And let me tell ya, I’ve never looked back.

Throw the Rule Book Out

Not to give you whiplash, but in complete juxtaposition with point number one, I must boldly say: don’t follow any kind of rules about what you should or shouldn’t wear during pregnancy. If you don’t feel comfortable in maternity jeans, don’t wear them. If you want to wear something midriff, proudly show off that beautiful stomach. I was getting so bogged down in what I thought was an acceptable maternity outfit that I ended up feeling really uncomfortable. Listen to your body and wear what feels good, not what you think you should wear.

Keep Doing You, Just Stretchier

One of my major maternity fashion crisis moments came when I thought I had to give up my style identity. As much as I had struggled with body image issues over the years I felt like I had finally reached a place where I was really happy with the way I dressed (and looked in clothes). Trust me, not an easy feat when you’ve spent the good part of your life tearing yourself apart every time you look in the mirror. When I finally realised that I can still be me and dress like me — albeit in slightly stretchier fabrics — I felt a sense of calm and acceptance wash over me.

Don’t Diminish Yourself

Being pregnant doesn’t mean you need to fade away into the background to hide your beautiful, changing body. In fact, it should be a moment of celebration so I’m going to let my fashion shout it from the rooftops. I am proud of my body and so thankful that it has been able to carry a healthy pregnancy thus far (bar the Hyperemesis). Every day I like to check-in and make sure I’m not diminishing myself — hell yeah, I’m going to wear a bright pink dress or a red fire engine red mini.

Don’t Compare Yourself

One of the biggest challenges has been to block out the unsolicited advice and unintentional commentary that can make you feel unattractive, awkward or different. I was at a girls lunch last week when one of the attendees said (off the back of a friend mentioning how cute my bump is), “oh, I wasn’t showing until the last couple of months and I didn’t really have to buy any new clothes.”

Well, you bet that made me feel pretty crumby. After wallowing for a moment when I got home, I snapped out of it by reminding myself that each pregnancy is different and that is totally okay. We shouldn’t compare ourselves, because as soon as we do, the negative thought patterns will creep on in and that’s not good for anyone, least of all you.

Enjoy the Moment

With all my learnings came a very important ‘ah-ha’ moment that has guided me through all of the challenges of navigating body image issues during my first pregnancy. While all of my feelings and emotions are valid, I realised that I didn’t want to waste another minute worrying about how I looked because one day I will wake up and the beauty of this special time will be gone.

I’m certainly not going to sit here and say I’ve completely nailed maternity dressing — because the truth is it’s an ongoing journey — but if there’s one thing you take away from this I hope you learn that this is your time to make of it what you will. Wear bright colours, keep it sleek in monochrome, avoid the maternity section, buy the entire maternity section! Whatever you feel like — do it, hun! Your baby is going to love and appreciate you for the cushy nine-month vacation no matter what you wear.

Please refer to the below resources if you’re feeling triggered by this content, and feel like you need support in any way:

Call the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673. You can also chat online or email

Contact the women at Pynk Health for considered care for women, by women

If you need to talk to someone urgently, contact the Beyond Blue hotline at 1300 22 4636