There were times during my pregnancy when I felt gorgeous (not whilst I was vomiting at the beginning or waddling at the end). Once my pregnancy became visible and before I became too huge to fully function, I really wanted to ‘flaunt’ my beautiful bump. I thought a saree, which reveals the midriff, would be the perfect way to do it! How I imagined wearing a saree during my pregnancy was so different from the reality.Thus began a process of trial and error over the course of a couple of months.
The first time I wore a saree with my baby bump, it was Christmas eve and we celebrated it with our German friend, her Indian husband and friends. I wore green and gold, one of my favourite sarees from my mother-in-law’s vast collection. I thought the best way to wear the saree would be under my bump, to really accentuate the roundness of my growing belly. I was wrong. I was carrying very low so the pleats were also extremely low. I kept tripping over them which pulled them down further, revealing my underwear!
The second time, my belly was much bigger and Rohan had become really wiggley. It was my cousin-sister-in-law’s wedding, I wore my pink and orange saree in the centre of my bump. Across my belly button, where I would normally wear it, thinking this would solve my problem. I didn’t want to cover my bump completely but didn’t want a repeat of Christmas eve, especially with so many people around. Sadly, this didn’t work out, Rohan was such an active baby in utero (especially when subjected to the brass band and drums during the marriage procession) my bump was constantly changing shape, causing my saree to fall! I was constantly pulling it up or rearranging my pleats.
The third and final time I wore a saree pregnant, it was a success. It was for my Marathi baby shower (Dohale Jevan) when I was in my third trimester. A gorgeous turquoise and silver banarsi saree. This time, with help from my mother-in-law, I wore it on top of my bump and high on my hips. My bump held it up, no matter how much he wriggled, keeping me from tripping and the saree from falling.
So, from my experience, it turns out the best way to wear a saree with a baby bump is to cover your bump, wrap your baby in silk. A saree really is the perfect item of clothing to wear during pregnancy because it can grow with you (once you figure out how best to wear it that is).
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English Wife, Indian Life 
Amazing. I never tried that. I was under the impression Indian women wore salwar kameez during pregnancy.
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Yes, salwar kameez are also pretty good for pregnancy too, with the slits up the sides! 😀 Most of mine didn’t fit me though because of everything growing at the same time! x
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Hmm…. so this is Rohan undercover LOL. I guess saris are a bit flexible than a skirt or a trouser during this time. You look ravishing like the women from Indian mythology like Shakuntala and Sita, all covered in flowers. We are waiting eagerly for you to fill us up with the details.
Have you been to any temples with Rohan like Sai temple at Shirdi or the Bengali Kali temple you mentioned. This year you will be celebrating all the festivals with Rohan, what fun!!
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Aw, thank you so much! I’ll definitely be writing about the baby shower soon. Very different from a Western style one!
Rohan has been to several temples! He really likes looking at all the idols, as well as the nice vibes, I think it’s great for his sensory development. He really loved the Bengali Kali Mandir, he’s also been to the grand Swaminarayan Mandir, a small Hanuman mandir and Durga mandir!
I’m really excited to celebrate the festivals with Rohan, I know he will really love the colours!
Hope you’re well! 😀
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@lauren
A humble suggestion. Day After Tomorrow is janamashtami the birthday of Lord Krishna. Dress up rohan as little krishna. I think u could find little krishna outfit in the market. He would look cute and post the pics.
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Sometimes its better to keep the bump hidden. Despite what people say, noone likes a lardass. Ok you have a excuse, you are carrying, but still….
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You look beautiful Lauren! Thank you for sharing your experiences with wearing saree during pregnancy. I’m curious to hear about your experience with prenatal & postpartum health care in India vs your expectations for how it would go- but only if you want to share.
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Hi Brujaja,
I had a great OB doctor in Nagpur but whilst in the UK, I was only seen by midwives during my pregnancy and delivery (no docs). I guess this was the biggest difference from my personal experience! 😀
I hope you are well xx
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