Taan gave birth to their beautiful child, Noam Sseki, on December 23rd, 2012. Click hear to read about Taan’s fashion adventures in transmasculine preganancy.

I am nearing the end of my 40-weeks of pregnancy. I have loved many components but I’m also ready to regain my body. The little one is feeling very big these days and so is my belly. It amazes me how the tiny being inside me has grown so large. And, this is just the start!

Clothing is getting harder to manage these days. The belly belt no longer expands my pants waist enough. The shirts that had been long enough to cover my belly are too short.  The colorful non-Western cuts are even tight. So, now what?

I went back to a second-hand store. I found even longer shirts to cover my belly from the men’s section; T-shirts and long-sleeves. And, I went to the women’s section to find gender-neutral pants with an expandable waist. As I searched the aisles, I had no luck.  Then, I looked up and said to myself, “wow, look at these, perfect!” I pulled two pairs of pants from the rack and saw an elastic waist. When I looked back to where I had picked up these pants, I saw the sign, “maternity.” Pictures below! (Sonia adds: confirmation, Taan looks great in these!!)





After trying on the army-green cargo pants and the khaki corduroy pants, I thought, “wow, I can do this.” Both of the pants are maternity wear. The concession is comfort, flexibility, a little willingness to bend my gender presentation expectations; but not too much that I feel disconnected with myself.

Lastly, my favorite pair of overalls has done wonders. Between extending the shoulder straps and adding colorful fabric to expand the sides to fit my belly, I can continue to wear the overalls. This clothing choice is a particular favorite of my co-workers.

The moral… Have faith; there is a way to go through pregnancy maintaining your gender identity and presentation!

More pregnant times with Taan: 16-weeks, 26-weeks, and Dapper Q recently had a great masculine maternity-wear post too!

I am back 10 weeks later to share my latest fashion adventures. As a genderqueer transmasculine androgynously dressing person who’s 26 weeks pregnant, it is getting harder. My little one is ever growing, which means my stomach is too. I am noticeably pregnant. And, folks sure do love to talk to me.

Fertile Mind Women’s Maternity Belt, available at Amazon for $19.45 

I have found two solutions to maintain my gender presentation the best I can with my current body shape: the Belly Belt for trousers and non-Western cuts for shirts. My days of fitting into my regular clothing are long over. But I didn’t want to buy a whole new wardrobe just for these few months — too expensive and not practical. A friend of mine recommended the Belly Belt. To my surprise, it is just the adaptation for me! A Belly Belt is an insert with an elastic band with a button on each side and a flap of material that hangs down. Since I can’t button my regular trousers, this elastic extends the waste. I can insert the Belly Belt buttons onto my trousers that I love and the fabric flap hangs down to cover the hole where the zipper is open. And, I get to wear what I want. In fact, I can wear another belt over it, and it covers the part that looks open. I can dress as casually or professionally as I want without spending any money.  

EaonPlus UNISEX Cotton BOHO Dashiki Shirt, available at Fashion Closet for £12.00

Second, non-Western shirts are a great answer for my androgynous style during pregnancy. In my work, there are days when I need to dress up. Non-Western shirts come in larger sizes and they are covered with colorful patterns, which I enjoy. These two adaptations are just the trick for my ever growing little one and my stomach. 

Related posts: Genderqueer Transmasculine and 16-Weeks Pregnant: What To Wear?