Maternity clothes
As maternity clothes (including maternity wear ) garments are designated for women who for the time of pregnancy are intended. They are cut much wider than other items of clothing, often have elastic inserts or can be adjusted in width with buttons, straps or elastic. There are also underwear and swimwear for pregnant women.
history
In earlier times, pregnancy , childbirth and the puerperium were critical phases in a woman's life and were associated with high mortality. Since the pregnancy belly was not socially acceptable, pregnant women hid their changing bodies under the loose-fitting everyday clothes. As clothing became more figure-hugging and therefore closer to the body, women separated the side seams of their dresses during pregnancy to make room for the growing belly.
The first robe to be considered a dress for pregnancy as well was the Adrienne model from the Baroque period , a coat-like dress with no visible waist and lush folds. After that, fashion became more varied. There were dresses and combinations that were very adaptable. At the transition from the 18th to the 19th century, raised waists in the Empire style were modern, so that the dress sagged below the chest.
Special clothes only for pregnancy were only available from the middle of the 19th century. You should continue to hide the embarrassing state of pregnancy in the first place. Such a wardrobe was only worn by higher-ranking women; others also wore simple, shapeless dresses at this time. The belly was still concealed until the end of the 1960s. Among other things, hanging dresses, shirt-blouse dresses and wide-cut coats were popular. When dungarees were no longer exclusively considered workwear in the 1970s, they were also included in the maternity wardrobe.