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The only maternity specific clothing I bought was jeans. I was very wait and see, especially with my first pregnancy when I worked in an office. I ended up buying a few stretchy knit H&M dresses as time went on, but from their regular line, just a size up. I didn't like wearing maternity pants, so I lived in stretchy dresses and skirts at work. I was able to make most of my regular tops work and most of them didn't stretch out. Just about all of my clothes were fine PP.

For me it was:
For Fall/Winter pregnancy:
1. a good pair of jeans (ones that could be worn to work or out) I basically lived in them. Maternity ones were a necessity.
2. a lot of long tunics/sweaters
3. Leggings

For Summer:
1. All the maxi dresses. There was seriously nothing better or easier! I could get away with non-maternity ones, if they were empire waisted.

I lived in maternity leggings and a pair of skinny maternity work pants. I also bought like 5 maternity solid color shirts that I rotated.

Maternity tank tops from Old Navy! You can dress them up or down and wear them alone or with a cardigan/sweatshirt.

I wore existing leggings with dresses a lot in the beginning. My favorite tanks were actually the plain ones they sell at Costco - they are long and stretchy - that I already owned. I wore them under everything to smooth things out.

I couldn't stand underwires on my ribcage as soon as 2nd trimester hit, so I switched to either slippin cutlets into my tanks or wearing Coobie bras.

As far as legit maternity wear, I bought a few plain, cheap v-neck tops from Old Navy and Target. I had a black jersey foldover skirt both in long and short lengths (Gap and Old Navy) and some gauchos for lounging around in (Old Navy). I also had 3 pairs of maternity pants in black - the under the belly kind with the wide soft waist band - that I wore to work. I had 1 pair of jeans - the under-the-belly Old Navy ones with the elastic panels on the side that look more like real jeans. I wore a lot of loose open cardigans over everything. They have served me for both pregnancies and they were in opposite seasons. (I've just worn a coat over my clothes this pregnancy).

I bought 1 pair each of full panel yoga pants and leggings for the 3rd trimester and post-partum. I mostly just wore big t-shirts and PJs at home.

The biggest expense was probably shoes. I was pregnant in the summer the first time and took a tumble here and there in my existing shoes, so I bought a pair of black Dansko sandals with adjustable buckles and a low, solid heel so that I could stay cool, accommodate my feet swelling, and still have a professional work shoe. They were adjustable so I could wear them after the baby too and they are super comfortable and worth the $100 I spent on them. For this pregnancy, its been cold so I've been wearing $50 fur-lined Crocs to work and then change into a comfy closed-toe wedge that I keep at my desk if I have to walk around the office.

My due date with my first was the end of August (delivered in early September); for a summer pregnancy where I didn't really need maternity clothes until about 18-19 weeks (end of March?), in the South, with a really casual work environment (academia), my staples were:
- 1 pair of navy ponte pants (Minnie pants from J.Crew)
- 2 pairs regular denim maternity jeans (one JBrand, one Topshop)
- 2 pairs colored denim maternity jeans (grey from Topshop, navy from H&M)
- 1 pair white maternity jeans (Jbrand I think?)
- 2 pairs maternity shorts (white denim and navy/blue print, both from Gap)
- 4-5 maxi dresses (2 print, 3 solid; from Gap, Splendid via Shopbop, and Asos, I think)
- 3 knit knee-length dresses (army green, black, both Splendid via Shopbop; bright blue Rosie Pope - splurge from Shopbop for my shower)
- 2 jersey skirts, one knee-length (Gap), one maxi (Splendid)
- 3-4 solid knit tank tops (Target maternity section, Gap)
- 3-4 print short-sleeve or 3/4 sleeve tops (Gap, H&M, Old Navy)
- a few solid short-sleeve shirts from Gap
- bras (I went up three cup sizes during my pregnancy but I like a structured bra, so I just got cheapo bras from the VS Pink line)
- 2 bikinis to wear on our babymoon (due to boob growth I couldn't wear my old ones - just got cheapo ones from VS up a few sizes - I liked the ones sized like bras)

pretty much everything except for the bras/bikinis I wore in the maternity version of my pre-pregnancy size. I went to two weddings when I was around 7 months pregnant and just went up a size in a regular (not maternity) jersey dress.

Things I didn't buy were:
- leggings (I don't really wear leggings except to exercise and rarely in the summer) or yoga pants (my regular lululemons fit fine under the bump)
- any exercise clothes (Nike tempo shorts underneath the bump worked just fine + stretchy tops from lululemon, gap, etc. or my husband's t-shirts)
- cardigans or blazers/jackets (my regular ones fit just fine open even through 41 weeks, so I was able to stretch my options by wearing maternity tanks/shirts with my regular cardigans, my regular denim jacket over a dress, etc.)
- underwear (regular underwear fit fine throughout, although of course I got some large granny panties for PP)
- shoes (my feet never swelled thank goodness!)
- any cold weather items (sweaters, coat, jackets, etc.)
- any work clothes (except the ponte pants to wear to a conference I organized right when I started needing maternity clothes and freaked out!)

Hand down my favorite, most worn items I purchased. Haven't worn any other bras since July, bought another 3 pack in October. The tank tops are cute, stretch a LOT, and perfect for maternity, nursing, and after.

The only things that really were/are essentials for me with a Feb and a June baby are tank tops and maternity jeans. The tanks you could stock up on at any point. The jeans you should wait till you need them and go try them in person. Everyone likes something different.

Fwiw - I wouldn't count leggings as a staple if you aren't already a leggings person.

For business casual maternity wear (FT WOHM):

- Black and Gray pants.
- One skirt (black or khaki
- 2-3 dresses that could also be mixed for weekend wear
- 2-3 summer casual dresses (I was pregnant during summer)
- 3-4 tank tops
- 6-8 maternity tops (to wear to work but also on weekends)
- 1 pair of jeans
- 2 pairs of shorts

I like Asos- they have some maternity packs. I got a couple with leggings, a dress, a skirt, and a long tank. All black and intermixable. I got some blouses, a jeggings, and some cute Ts. It's been great! First time around I hardly got anything except some jeans, and shirts.