Simple Tips for Figuring Out Your Maternity Size

     Pregnancy can be one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can be filled with lots of obstacles when you first decide to purchase maternity clothes. The difficult phases of maternity shopping during your first, second and third trimester can be overwhelming─ your body isn’t quite large enough for maternity clothes, or it’s the exact opposite.  Trying to figure out your maternity size can be a tricky thing, but here are a few good tips that I used during my first pregnancy that I wanted to share with you to keep in mind before you start:

●Stick to Your Size─ In most cases, your size will be the same as your pre-pregnancy size, since many maternity clothes available today are scaled down to fit your growing belly.  Depending upon how you carry your baby, though, you may find that you will need to move up or down a size.  There's no trick to it, really. Just know what your pre-pregnancy size is when you begin your search for maternity wear. Here’s a chart to keep in mind:

Petite = 2 to 4
Small = 4 to 6
Medium = 8 to 10
Large = 12 to14
X-Large = 14 to16

     Whatever pre-pregnancy category that you fit into from the chart above, will simply determine the size of maternity clothes you'll need. If you normally wear a size 10 (medium), look for corresponding maternity clothes in the same size. And remember, when in doubt, go one size up.