It doesn’t have to be summer for a pregnant woman to be thinking about swimwear. Maternity wear now extends to swim suits. Many pregnant women love to exercise in the water and swim to stay active in the later months of pregnancy and this means looking into getting a swimsuit.  Swimming and spending time in the water is a great way for a pregnant woman to feel weightless, even if it’s only temporary. In those last months it is such a treat to take the weight off your poor feet and relax in a warm pool or spa. If it’s hot, then a dip in the ocean or a pool can cool you down in an instant.

Even though your regular bathing suit might stretch around your belly, it might not stretch back to its former glory, so it's best to invest in a maternity swimsuit. With a lovely range of bikinis, tankinis and one-piece costumes, there are many labels that have maternity lines and also labels that focus on maternity wear exclusively.

Another feature of maternity swimwear is that sometimes they will allow for breast-feeding post partum. With flaps and panels you can still enjoy your swimming and poolside fashion while actively feeding your baby. The support and room that a maternity swimsuit will provide will also come in handy after you’ve had the baby. If you’ve gained some weight during pregnancy, a maternity swimsuit will help disguise your flaws.

If you are lucky enough to blessed with a great figure, and have been even luckier to retain it during pregnancy, then a bikini could be a good option for you. Show off your baby belly and give it some sun wearing the latest swimwear fashions.

If stretch marks have become an issue since child birth, you can look into the latest style of swim wear, the tankini. A tankini is a mix between the one piece and the bikini. It is a two-piece suit with bottoms like a bikini except the top gives full coverage and covers your stomach and in the end looks more like a one piece.

For the more modest or traditional or even those who want continue with their lap swimming exercises, then there is no better option than a one piece.  Maternity one-piece suits have plenty of room in the front and usually contain ruching or pleats to flatter the stomach as much as possible.

When choosing maternity swimwear, the same rules apply;

• Black and darker colours for a slimming effect.
• Ruching and panels for extra support and camouflage
• V-necks, key holes and halter necks to draw the eye up ward to bust and face
• Bright colours and prints for the slighter figures
• Single, block colours for a slimming effect
• Ruffles, pleats and embellishments up top to enhance the bust 

Maternity clothes are not what they used to be. Now a pregnant woman can look great during all three trimesters, whether she is out and about, working in an office, swimming at the beach or training at the gym.