What To Wear When You’re Trans and Pregnant
Dressing Comfortably Through Pregnancy
Arlo Dennis
How we express ourselves, through clothing and hairstyle and accessories, matters to nearly everyone-- including and ESPECIALLY trans folks. We often pay a lot of attention to how we are presenting ourselves to the world, and pregnancy can throw a real wrench into that process.
Frustratingly, gender-affirming pregnancy clothing and accessories are practically non-existent. This is hard, given that pregnancy is a time when dysphoria may creep up even more frequently than usual.
What can you do? Here are our suggestions!
Waistband Extenders
A great place to start early in your pregnancy is with tools that extend the life of the clothing you already have. Many manufacturers have created aids that stretch over pants buttons to get a few more inches of wear from them. These can be a subtle way to accommodate size fluctuations. For a bit later on there are a variety of tall elastic bands that come in basic colors such as black and white to cover the area of the buttons and zippers that don’t fit on your favorite jeans. These bands often buy you another month or three.
Layering
Layers are another option to obscure or cover bumps. Many trans folks rely on long undershirts to wear beneath their regular tee shirts as their shirts climb higher up over the months of their pregnancy. Hoodies and jackets over a top can also be the added layer of comfort and coverage that a trans person may be seeking. For a more professional look, layering a sweater or a vest over a button-up can be a wonderful way to keep a shirt tucked in while looking good.
Activewear
For times where casual is acceptable, sports and activewear sections are a great place to look for comfortable and affirming pregnancy wardrobe. Basketball shorts are a staple for many men and nonbinary people even before they’re pregnant, and the elastic waist can be the perfect reason to wear them through the third trimester. Sweatpants are also able to accommodate larger bellies with stretchy bands. Pregnant people of all genders rely on these comfy pieces of wardrobe!
Chef Clothes and Thai Fisherman’s Pants
An unexpected resource for trousers that has been suggested by community members is chef wear. These are pants made of sturdy material in a variety of colors that are also stretchy or tie in the waist similar scrubs worn by medical professionals. This link here gives some great examples of staples that anyone could add to their wardrobe. Thai Fisherman’s Pants are also great because they wrap around the lower hip area.
Busy Prints
A photo of Trystan showing how a print can take the attention off the shape of your body.
Prints (including stripes, darker colours, bold patterns, etc.) are a fashionable way to distract the eye from a belly that you want less attention on. Vintage shops and used clothing stores are wonderful for finding cheap shirts with fun patterns-- especially if you don’t want to spend TOO much money on any pregnancy clothes because you’re likely to grow out of them quickly!
Embracing Your Current Body Shape
There are also many graphic designs that reinforce a masculine pregnancy motif, and sometimes leaning into your current state of pregnancy can help combat dysphoria. T-shirts can be found on online retailers supporting trans pregnancy; these shirts when worn by a pregnant father can bring an air of confidence knowing one is visible and has a community behind them.
Inspo
Pinterest is a social media platform designed to pull resources from all over the internet into one spot. Users create digital ‘boards’ or places to collect images and links from all over the internet. Multiple users have already created boards that highlight gender neutral pregnancy fashion from a variety of retailers.
Mumus and Kaftans
This model is wearing a kaftan available at Linenbee.com
At the late stages of pregnancy, some people find even struggling with a waistband is more than they want to deal with. So they go to international robe-like garments like mumu or kaftan as well as nightshirts and housecoats as ways to take pressure off their midsection in a way that is still affirming. While they may not be what you think of as pregnancy wear at first, they are an innovative solution.
Masculine Pregnancy Clothes
Companies that cater to the masculine of center pregnancy experience, like Alternity are emerging. These are brands often by LGB or Transgender community members. The industry is still very new, but a small list of possible resources can be found here. As the community and demand for products continue to grow, perhaps more companies or products we may have in the future tailor to the transgender man and nonbinary experience during pregnancy.
It is valuable to note that some people, even transgender, and nonbinary people, can feel like pregnancy spurs an interest in things that society may have feminine associations with. This can include style changes and even dresses. There is nothing wrong with developing an interest in things that may be feminine coded at any time in your life, including during pregnancy. In no way does wearing any garment invalidate who you are. Give yourself permission to explore fashion guilt-free. Clothes are genderless and you can express your unique version of your gender however you choose!
Trans Fertility Co. is inspired by the versatility and tenacity of the transgender community. Birth givers are on a journey that can be a struggle at times, and we want to be with you along the way as a caring resource and as a way to help connect community stories. You are always invited to reach out to the team at Trans Fertility Co. to share your story or ask questions at adennis@collaborate.consulting.
