The most common advice is to wait until you're showing. It's not wrong, but it's not the whole picture.
Here's a more useful way to think about it.
The physical timeline Most women start to feel their regular clothes becoming uncomfortable between weeks 12 and 16, not always visibly showing, but waistbands start to dig in, certain cuts stop sitting right, and anything fitted across the belly becomes annoying. This varies significantly depending on your body and whether it's your first pregnancy.
By week 20, most women are in full maternity mode. If you wait until week 20 to start looking, you're shopping in a hurry, with reduced energy, and less time to return things that don't work.
The practical case for shopping earlier Buying one or two transitional pieces in the first trimester, wide-leg pants, relaxed tops that have room to grow, means you're not caught short when the changes happen fast. These pieces don't need to scream maternity. They just need to have the design features that work across pregnancy: stretch waistbands, extra length, some ease in the body.
What to buy first Bottoms first. The waistband problem hits earlier and more suddenly than the rest. A good pair of overbelly pants that you can wear from trimester one through postpartum is the single best maternity purchase you can make. Everything else can be added as needed.
What to save for later Nursing-specific pieces, feeding bras, nursing tops, are better bought in the third trimester or early postpartum, when you have a clearer sense of your size and feeding plans.
The women who found pregnancy easiest, clothing-wise, were the ones who made a few early, considered decisions rather than many last-minute ones. You don't need a full maternity wardrobe in week ten. You just need to not be starting from zero in week twenty-two.
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