Can you wear a regular swimsuit while pregnant?
While you can wear any swimsuit when pregnant, many women find that they require more in the way of support and adjustability at this time.
Although regular swimsuits usually contain elastane and are therefore fairly stretchy, a pregnancy bump will put far more strain on the fabric than it was designed for, which will cause it to become thin and see-through in time.
Maternity swimsuits, however, are designed to adapt to your growing figure as your body changes, so you can wear them throughout your whole pregnancy, safe in the knowledge that they will remain robust and supportive even well into the third trimester.
Is it OK to wear a bikini while pregnant?
The simple answer is that you can wear anything you like during pregnancy! It's your body to dress as you wish and some women find that they prefer their body to feel less constrained than it would be in a one-piece swimsuit.
If you choose to wear a bikini, then the main considerations are that you have adequate support in the chest area, as your bust grows considerably during pregnancy, and that you are aware that your skin is much more sensitive to the sun at this time due to increased hormone levels.
Exposure to the sun is very important during pregnancy, because sunlight helps us to synthesise vitamin D, which is essential for the healthy development of a baby and useful for strengthening the bones of the mother. However, you'll likely be more prone to burning so make sure you wear adequate sunscreen and keep a cover-up handy.
How do I choose a maternity swimsuit?
1. Look for adjustable straps and side ruching which will allow your swimsuit to adapt as your body changes.
2. Wide shoulder straps or V-neck halter designs are great for giving extra support to the chest area as your bust grows.
3. Consider a tankini if you have a longer torso or usually struggle to find a good fit in swimwear. Plus, tankini bottoms may have tie sides which gives added flexibility.
4. Look for soft, comfortable material that has an SPF factor to protect your skin, which will be more sensitive due to pregnancy hormones.
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What size maternity swimsuit should I buy?
Buying swimwear can be tricky because many brands use generic small, medium or large sizing, which is difficult to translate into a dress size. However, all of the online retailers which we recommend provide helpful sizing charts so you can take a few simple measurements and find the exact size for you.
If the swimsuit comes in normal UK dress sizes, simply buy your normal pre-pregnancy size and the swimming costume will adapt to your pregnancy figure.
What is the best maternity swimwear?
We think that the best maternity swimsuit is the Summer Mae V-Neck Maternity Monokini which combines several practical, adjustable features with a floaty, feminine look.
How we chose our recommendations
Because we know that there’s nothing like a real recommendation from a real parent, we first headed to the Mumsnet forums to find out which maternity swimwear discerning Mumsnet users had bought for themselves.
We then did some research across the wider web, looking at which maternity swimwear had won accolades or been featured in ‘best buy’ lists across websites and print media, and what customers reviews said about them.
Having collated all that information, we picked the maternity swimwear we thought would make the best buys in several interest categories.
Why you should trust us
We work hard to provide unbiased, independent advice you can trust. We do sometimes earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. This helps us fund more helpful articles like this one.
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