What did you wear during your 3rd trimester?

[SashaBreeze]

So as of today I am 26 weeks and also as of today I have one pair of maternity pants that still fit me.

What did you guys find to wear towards the end of your pregnancy? I really dont want to go out and buy.... I dont know... like super super plus size maternity clothes or something because it seems kind of wasteful also I dont think that they would really fit "right" anyway.

I am not a super duper seamstress or anything but if you ended up having to make some things to wear and the pattern/idea is not too complicated then I would even be up to making some things. I am just tired of either wearing the same outfit everyday or my nightgowns.

[MamaChicken]

Hand-me-down maternity clothes from a friend who is 100+ lbs heavier than me. I gained 50 lbs but it was ALL belly! Dresses seemed more forgiving. I wore the same 2-3 outfits for 2 months.

[Tway]

In my last 2 months, I wore the same black preggo leggings to work--and the same black skort (it was summer) when I got home and on weekends. I did a lot of washing.

[SashaBreeze]

I was afraid I would get those answers. I guess all along I have been trying to prepare myself for this inevitability, I just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Today I tried to mix things up a bit and folded the top of a dress down to look like a skirt with a top... this is going to be a long next few months.

[DeerMother]

At the very end, I could only wear xl sweats or pj pants, even xl maternity was uncomfortable. I'm a small/med size not pregnant.

Are there used children's consignment stores in your area? They often have maternity. Also, sometimes twin clubs have sales. September is a big month for group sales around here.

One of my preg (with a singleton) wears a lot of wrap skirts. Aren't there ways to make those shirts and dresses too?

[childsplay]

I had about four outfits that I just rotated.

One in particular was really cool because not only was it desisgned to wear during the pregnancy but could be worn afterwards to. (in fact I could wear it today if I wanted to relive the memories of thirty extra pounds attatched to my midsection) It was a dress, cotton, nice earthy colors and it tied on the side to the width I needed.

I also had a pair of white maternity capris that I bought at a thrift shop and a few peasant blouses.

One maternity jumper, beige, (again with expandable sides.)

One black t-shirt dress - wasn't maternity but I'd stretched it all to heck carrying DS so it just ended up stretching some more. ( DH used to joke when I wore it - "and they say black is slimming!" )

I also had a few sarongs that I could tie over my belly as a skirt. ( and they were awesome nursing covers and makeshift slings after the babes came.

OP- Have you tried sarongs? Just wear a regular tank top and tie a colorful sarong just under your breasts. You can safety pin it further down to keep it from opening. They look beautiful and feminine.

Also, if it's warm where you are could you wear gym shorts low, under your belly and a t-shirt?

I agree with the PP check out the children's consignment shops, they usually have lots to choose from- and usually really nice stuff!

[gmvh]

Shirts were a definite problem. I made skirts and they were very simple. I bought 2-2.5 yards of fabric. I wrapped the length of it around me, under my belly. I cut a few inches off to make them long but not so long that I'd trip. I then hemmed all the edges that needed hemming and sewed a 3-4 inch wide piece of elastic in the waist. Worked like a charm, super comfortable, and I could even wear them post-pregnancy. Honestly, at home, I ended up in a sports bra most of the time and that was it but it was summer and we had no a/c in the Midwest. I was 7-8-9 months pregnant and didn't care who saw me - I was hot!

[3belles]

I bought two smocked elastic top dresses that kind of just 'hung' from the chest. I was giant. I wore them every day. when they were born, I used it for nursing. By the time it got cold again, I was able to wear human sized clothing.

[Molliejo]

I wore mainly pajamas.. Yoga pants if I had to go somewhere and look nice.

[dividedsky]

yoga pants and XL size ribbed american apparel tanks - i only went to 32wks though, so who knows how long that would have lasted

also, maternity leggings w/ a knit maternity dress on top and boots. i wore the few dresses i had PP and was happy for the roomy comfiness!

[Lilypie32]

I bought stuff from the maternity shops a few times and never outgrew anything. I only gained 20 lbs and lost 2 lbs a week before giving birth. I also got some stuff at consignment shops, thrift shops, and rummage sales.

[Letitia]

I wore my overalls as much as I possibly could. Annoying in the bathroom, but otherwise loved them.

Around the house I was horribly but cheaply dressed - old men's XL T-shirts and regular, worn-out athletic shorts and sweats that had belonged to somebody bigger than me - I just wore them as low-riders.

[annettemarie]

I feel like at this point, I will have to wear a circus tent, LOL!

I lost 40 pounds since my last pregnancy and luckily kept all those maternity clothes. I was drowning in them when I first had to start wearing maternity clothes and am really hoping they'll see me through pretty close to the end of the pregnancy.

[Callimom]

My mum got me a set (I think from Walmart but I don't know) that were grey jersey pants, long straight skirt and short sleeved top. It was the most comfortable set. She also got me two plan classic maternity cardigans - a light blue grey one and a black one. I bought two giantic men's white dress shirts at the thrift store and some men's white cotton undershirt tanks (which I shortened in the shoulders and dyed different colours) and I rotated through that with scarves etc for work. I think I managed to look semi professional without spending tonnes.

I also had a pair of XL maternity overalls and a simple knit jersey maternity dress I wore alot.

I had trouble with shoes. Although my feet didn't swell till the very end I am sure they got significantly wider.

[SunshineH]

Have you tried the maternity pants from Motherhood Maternity? They made some that are all stretchy nylon on the top - no panel. I loved mine. I also bought a couple of maternity tops bigger than I wore in any previous pregnancy, washed a lot, and that worked for me.

I also second the kids' resale shop idea.

[attached2mason]

Ugh. I shudder just thinking back to being where you are. By about 36 weeks I threw a tantrum b/c I couldn't go out anywhere without my pants falling down (they fit me in the legs but my belly was way too big for the panel). It was awful.

The two pair of bottoms that worked toward the end were Lululemon capris and pants in the "Be Still" style (loose in the hip and thigh). Not sure if they have a Lulu store where you are. The pants cost a small fortune but they didn't get stretched out and I still wear them.

Tops were impossible. Sorry, I'm not helping . I just couldn't read and not respond . . .I feel for you. It sucks. But it ends .

[SashaBreeze]

Originally Posted by gmvh

I made skirts and they were very simple. I bought 2-2.5 yards of fabric. I wrapped the length of it around me, under my belly. I cut a few inches off to make them long but not so long that I'd trip. I then hemmed all the edges that needed hemming and sewed a 3-4 inch wide piece of elastic in the waist. Worked like a charm, super comfortable, and I could even wear them post-pregnancy.

I love this idea. Thank you so much, at some point this week I am supposed to make it up to the fabric store so when I do I will hopefully be getting me some fabric to make a handful of skirts over the weekend.

Childsplay, can you explain the sarong to me better please? I think I get the idea, but I am not sure. Would I just use a strip of fabric the correct length and fold/wrap it accordingly or do you have to have the fabric special cut or anything?

I am already plus size so my maternity clothes are already pretty big. The problem I am running into is that I am the size I usually am at 40 weeks now so even my bigger size maternity clothes just are not fitting me anymore. A part of me wants to go and buy more but honestly I just think I would feel super guilty because I dont see them ever being used again and plus size maternity clothes are difficult to come by at thrift stores and tend to be on the pricey end when bought new.

Thank you all for sharing your ideas, if nothing else it really helped to hear that this is a pretty common problem with twin and more pregnancies.

[Julia'sMom]

I also shopped consigment stores. Dresses were about all I could wear for a while at the end. They just kept getting shorter as my stomach expanded and pulled the dress up. At home I would just show the belly between my maternity shirt and maternity pants, that didn't meet in the middle. As far as shoes, whatever could just slip on. There was no way I could put on socks or tie or buckle. My dh even had to help me with underwear by the end.

[annettemarie]

Pants are what are killing me. I can't stand anything with a panel. I can't explain it; it just cuts into me and I actually start to feel crampy and like I am hurting the babies. What I really love are just plain knit pants that I can hike up below my boobs, but I only have a couple pair and they seem hard to come by. Any suggestions where to look? Maybe they don't make them anymore. The ones I have are from my first pregnancy back in '99.

[annettemarie]

Hey, I just found this on Kid Surplus-- they have XXL and it's only 14.95, plus there's a 40% off code on there right now:
http://www.kidsurplus.com/itemDetail...earch-true.asp