Abayas That G-R-O-W With Your Pregnancy
as salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh
We often receive emails from customers who are pregnant and are looking for abayas that they will be able to use throughout their entire pregnancy and will still fit well as their belly grows. Of course, any abaya that is loose enough can serve as a maternity abaya but certain styles may fit very loose in the early stages of pregnancy and then become too tight around the waist and hips towards the end. There are a few styles in particular that work well as maternity abayas and can also be worn after birth:
1. Bisht Abayas
The open width of the bisht style makes it a great option for pregnant sisters. The bisht style is designed and meant to be worn very loose and usually has a waist measurement of around 100 inches, making it fit both slim and full-figured sisters. This open width will allow the abaya to fit comfortably and loosely throughout your entire pregnancy without you having to worry about alterations.
An added bonus of this style is that the design and abundance of fabric will also help to tone down the size of your belly and make it look smaller. Since the style is purposely designed that wide you will also be able to wear it comfortably after you give birth and later on in life without having to worry about it looking like a maternity style.
Click here to view our Bisht Abaya Styles
2. Butterfly Abayas
If you’ve read our post ‘All About the Butterfly‘, you’ll know that the butterfly style is designed with a seam that is sewn into the fabric which leaves excess fabric on the sides to create the wavy look. It is quite easy to adjust these seams, even for the most novice seamstress, since all it requires is sewing an additional seam either inside or outside the previous seam and then removing the previous seam. This makes the butterfly style another great maternity choice since the seam can be adjusted to provide more room in the waist or hips as needed. It can also easily be taken back in after birth if it is too large.
Both the full and sleeved butterfly styles have an adjustable seam so both would work for pregnant sisters. However, we recommend that full figured sisters opt for the full butterfly style since it has more excess fabric on the sides than the sleeved butterfly style, allowing it to be widened more than the sleeved style.
Click here to view our Butterfly Abaya Styles
3. Shoulder Close Abayas
Last but not least is the shoulder close abaya style which also works very well for pregnancy and is better known than the previous two. This style has an open design with a piece that is wrapped around the front and usually attached at the shoulder to give it a closed look. Since the front is wrapped and the abaya is open, this style is flexible in the waist and hip sizing to a certain extent.
Shoulder close abayas that do not have any means of keeping the front wrapped piece secured can be problematic since as your belly grows the wrapped piece will fall to the side and not stay in place. Our Side Tying Shoulder Close Abaya in particular is great since the front wrapped piece can be tied at one side to keep it in place over your belly. It can also be tied looser as your pregnancy progresses and then be tied normally after birth.
Click here to view our Shoulder Close Styles
4. Overhead Abayas
No doubt overhead abayas are not for everyone and they do take some getting used to but since they are designed wider than other abayas they are still a great option for pregnant sisters. The fact that the abaya is worn on the head as opposed to the shoulders also helps to tone down the size of your baby bump and make it look less obtrusive. If you are new to overhead abayas we suggest going with a style that ties at the back of the head instead of a Saudi style that rests on the head since the Saudi style takes some practice before it feels comfortable.
salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I am currently 7 months pregnant and really like the bisht abayas for wearing as maternity. They have so much room so I dont have to worry about the fit. Also I have the onyx bisht abaya and your right about how they minimize your belly! Jazakallah khayr!
asalamu alalakum i was wondering about abaya’s for nursing with any ideas? if so plz email me thx
as salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh Sister Marwa,
The vast majority of our abayas have a large enough neck opening to accomodate nursing mothers. Our bisht styles have a 9″ zipper opening and most of our butterfly styles have a push-snap neck opening.
Many nursing sisters also use shoulder close abayas since the front is already open so it provides easy access. The only downside to the shoulder close style is that the open front means that you have to be fully dressed underneath.
We are planning to do a post on abayas that are suitable for nursing in the future inshaa’Allaah. BaarakAllaahu Feeki.
Zaynab ~ SunnahStyle.com