I’ve worked through two pregnancies (literally up to the last few days with my first daughter), and found there were several versatile pieces of maternity clothing that I wore every week.

I recommend checking with your friends first. I was the lucky recipient of a friend’s maternity wear collection, as well as a co-worker’s, and then I, in turn, let her borrow my maternity clothes during her two pregnancies.

I live in the South where winters are mild and my daughters were born in March and June, so I could get away with a lot of transitional maternity wear that could easily transition from late winter to early spring with the addition of a cardigan sweater or jacket. One thing I learned was that maternity wear wasn’t always the easiest to find in a wide range of sizes (I am also petite at barely 5 ft. 2), so if you fall in love with an item, such as a blouse or dress, buy it in at least one additional color. I also found that maternity wear favorites were items that I would have actually worn if they came in non-maternity sizing.

Here are some suggestions for maternity work pieces that are great wardrobe staples to build on:

Black pants. I bought a pair of Liz Lange black jersey knit bootcut pants at Target for my first pregnancy and I swear I wore them nearly every week during both pregnancies! These Liz Lange pants from Target would be perfect dressed up or down.

Black skirt. This Liz Lange skirt could be dressed up or down and could be worn with sandals in the spring or summer and a colorful short-sleeved top, such as this swirl print camisole from Ann Taylor LOFT, or boots or pumps and a turtleneck in the fall and winter. I found that bright colors around my face, and darker colors for pants and skirts worked best when I was pregnant.

Little Black Dress. Knit fabric is great because it breathes (you never know when you’re going to start sweating profusely during those crazy hormonal pregnant months). This knit dress from Motherhood would be a great staple and you could add color with fun jewelry.