maternity clothes? « Back to Group Discussions

[timesway]

So how are you getting by with maternity clothes.. are you wearing your old clothes still or are you fully in maternity now? i am mainly wearing normal clothes still but mainly stretchy ones, and my boobs are struggling to fit in anything now (who would think that it would be boobs that make me grow out of my clothes before my tummy?!) i realise im in uk, but i thought this could be a good thread for everyone and i hoped people could come up with some more practical tips to how to wear clothes, and what kind of clothes to wear.. i find it hard to find maternity clothes that fit properly as my frame is a size 6(us size 0 or 2 i think), or xs but nowhere does that size, and in non maternity my boobs wont fit into a size 8 and increasingly not even a size 10.. but then its all too big on my shoulders.. i was wondering about possibly layering clothes, wondering what clothes you find most flattering and or you feel most comfortable in?

[berrymama]

I am still in my normal clothes (22.5 wks).. I wear yoga pants at home with a stretchy waist. When going out, I have tried my maternity jeans on a couple times, and I just can't keep them up yet. I recently dug out a pair of jeans that are one size up from the regular size I wear and that is working for now. I do need to find some maternity shirts (I have 4-5 from previous pregnancy) though, as I have a long torso and shirts are usually short on me anyway. Add that to a bit of a bump and regular shirts are getting really short. I read a blog post somewhere about some basic essentials to get that you can then use with your regular clothes to stretch your wardrobe...basically black/neutral t-shirts layered under whatever cardigans/button downs/sweaters you already have. I am going to try to go that route as long as possible as I hate the idea of having to buy lots of new clothes. I am lucky that I wear scrubs at work, and can just go up a size when I need to (work provides scrubs). 

I also really like the idea of avoiding jeans altogether and wearing longs shirts/sweaters, tunic style with leggings underneath.

I DO need some white or black t-shirts to wear under my scrubs for work and am having a hard time finding basic ones that aren't cut low. So if anyone has a lead on that it would be great! My usual go-to place is old navy...but I am not liking their current styles.

[CoBabyMaker]

I've been in maternity for a long time now and I have so many changes in my body during pregnancy that i am just not one of those women who can wear regular clothes.  My biggest tip is basically what berrymama said:  Get some maternity tanks or tees and layer them with the cardigans you already have.  I love cardigans since they fit pregnant or not (as long as I don't button them.)  As long as you don't need anything fancy I love love love the liz lange maternity tanks tops from Target (Sorry Times, I don't know what's available in the UK).  They are actually long enough and really stretchy.   I have a few other maternity shirts that are already almost too short at 21 weeks but those tanks will last me to the end I think.  

I also have a couple non-maternity knit dresses that work pregnant or not. Those foldover waist maxi skirts are a awesome too!

[BaileyB]

I have a few maternity shirts but mostly I am wearing larger sized regular clothes. I just bought a pair of leggings, a stretchy extra long camisol thing, and a hooded sweatshirt. The only store that carries maternity clothes around here is Motherhood Maternity and I can't bring myself to pay for those clothes. Maybe if I had a job to go to everyday but I can get by cheap stretchy clothes and just have a few nicer outfits to wear when we are going somewhere. It gets so cold here in the winter and I have always been really pregnant in the winter so by the end of my pregnancies I am usually just in sweatpants and sweaters, etc. You usually can't tell what I have on anyway because my maternity coat is knee length and my boots go halfway up my calves...as long as it looks like I got dressed right? haha. I am hoping for a warmer April and May and maybe I can find some dresses I can pull off when I am about due.

[nstewart]

I'm doing a mix of maternity and non-maternity items to stretch out my wardrobe.

For casual clothes, I am pretty much living in non-maternity leggings ('cause they just fit under my belly and are comfy) paired with tunics or a sweater dress, paired with boots to the top of my calf and either a long necklace or scarf.   I can dress this up for work by throwing a long fitting blazer overtop and wearing boots with heels instead of flat boots (or flat boots are fine too).  The sweater dresses I bought at H&M from the non-maternity department.  I bought a size up (medium instead of small) and they're super stretchy so they are still working well (but may not make it to May!).  I also bought one actual maternity one from H&M that was $17Cdn and its super cute and I'm really happy with it (the Maternity stuff is just SO picked over all the time!)

Otherwise for work I wear maternity dresses (I've bought one new one from H&M but had the others from my last pg) with tights (non-maternity, I just wear tem under my belly) and high heels or boots, and I have non-maternity blazers and cardigans I mix around with those.  I have a short dress (non-maternity) that I'm now wearing as a tunic with leggings and boots and a blazer for work instead of wearing it as a dress.  I bought a maternity pencil skirt, and I bought a non-maternity skirt from GAP with an elastic waist (love how good the sales are at GAP) that I'm wearing with maternity shirts.  I have one pair of maternity jeans, but I don't really love wearing pants in general, and even less so while pregnant.

So, that's my basic uniform.  Leggins or legging pants, sweater dresses or tunics, blazers, boots.  None of those are maternity, just supplementing with one pair of maternity jeans and some maternity tops to mix it up.  (Oh, and at home I am living in yoga or sweat pants and comfy, long sleeve maternity t-shirts).

[MarieWalter]

Can I rant about how at a lot of shops (*cough H&M cough*) ALL the maternity pants are "skinny" style?

I'm trying a new shop downtown today to see if they have maternity pants that are a) not skinny-style (I like to be comfortable...) and b) long enough for me. The Bella Band is still working but I'm getting more and more uncomfortable. I do have a pair of black yoga pants I can wear out of the house in a pinch!

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by MarieWalter 

Can I rant about how at a lot of shops (*cough H&M cough*) ALL the maternity pants are "skinny" style?

I'm trying a new shop downtown today to see if they have maternity pants that are a) not skinny-style (I like to be comfortable...) and b) long enough for me. The Bella Band is still working but I'm getting more and more uncomfortable. I do have a pair of black yoga pants I can wear out of the house in a pinch!

Have you tried Thyme Maternity?  I bought my jeans there (they are skinny, but they had other styles).  How tall are you?  I'm 5'9" and the skinnies are long enough (because they don't have to be as long to be the right length) but I remember having a horrid time finding pants last time (I haven't purchased any except the one pair of jeans this time). 

If you go to more "boutique" maternity stores you'll probably have more luck but you'll pay a major premium too.

[PhilsBabyMama]

I hate hate hate maternity jeans. My problem is I can't find skinny maternity jeans. I have a pair of jeans that are allegedly a size 4 but literally fall off of me. (And I usually wear a 6 when I'm not pregnant.) I have chicken legs and it doesn't matter if I'm pregnant, they don't get any bigger and neither do my butt or thighs. Maternity jeans always sag in the seat and look terrible on me. It's been freezing up here in New York (only 30 miles south of Canada and we get tons of snow) but I usually wear thin stretch maternity leggings instead of maternity jeans because I feel like such a frump in them!

[kimble]

Originally Posted by PhilsBabyMama 

I hate hate hate maternity jeans. My problem is I can't find skinny maternity jeans. I have a pair of jeans that are allegedly a size 4 but literally fall off of me. (And I usually wear a 6 when I'm not pregnant.) I have chicken legs and it doesn't matter if I'm pregnant, they don't get any bigger and neither do my butt or thighs. Maternity jeans always sag in the seat and look terrible on me.

I'm having the same problem with anything that has an over-the-belly band. I'm finally big enough to give the band some traction in the front, but every time I stand up or bend over I can feel the back sag which leads to droopy butt syndrome. Once the elastic in the legs gives out about half way through the day, I have to hike my pants up every few minutes it seems!

So far, I got most of my pants on Craigslist (which has been a crapshoot but at least cheap - last week I picked up about 10 shirts and 8 pairs of pants for $50, so even if I only wear 4 items out of the house it is a deal). Based on this I supplemented with a pair of gray pants with an under-belly band from Amazon of all places. They are now my favorite pants int eh world - a little tight in the waist at times but at least they stay up!

[adventuregirl]

I need this thread! I am in maternity pants, mostly jeans because that's what I have, and trying to stretch my regular tops, especially sweaters as its been frigid here. Although that is quickly fading, all my tops are getting short with the growing bump. I have gotten everything maternity that I have from thrift stores. It is super cheap, but takes going back over and over, and different shops... I am not a patient shopper, but have gone about once a month and since the maternity sections are so small, its not too bad to go thru. I have a bunch of nice tops, which are all nice brands, but they are not quite winter, mostly thin cotton, 3/4 sleeve. So I am looking forward to wearing them, but have been too chilly lately to go there... I tried checking out Target's maternity section this wknd and was terribly disappointed. Not only were most of the clothes totally not my style, what might have worked did not fit - I will never be shaped like a Target model on the bottom - they apparently don't like curves, even for pregnant women. I just don't want to spend a lot of $ on mat clothes since the window of wear is so small and I don't know if I'll have another chance in the future...

Where do you ladies get maternity leggings? I need some of those...I want to wear more skirts, but its just not working out right now with what I have (and the damn weather).

[Kate&Joey]

Repeating what many PPs said....

I bought one pair of maternity skinny jeans as my regular jeans don't fit anymore.  I like them, but I think they will fit better in a few weeks (still a bit of droopy butt syndrome here as well).  I got a black maternity dress for work that I imagine getting lots of use out of.  We're going to a wedding in March so I sucked it up and bought a long maternity dress for that.  But the material is actually quite versatile so I will wear it with flip flops closer to my due date when it gets warm (I'm in the South so by the end of March we're usually closer to spring weather).

Times - I bought that maternity stuff from Boden (UK company)...but I always wait until I get at least a 25% off "everything" and free shippinng offer as their stuff can be pricey.

And no one needs to know that just this morning spent waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much on a pair of maternity leggings and top from this online maternity designer.  You guys won't tell, right?    My excuse is that DH already planned our V-Day date and I need a "going out" outfit for that, plus some other events this winter.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Other than that, I picked up some sweater dresses / tunics (regular, not maternity) in the after Christmas sales that I've been wearing with leggings / tights and boots.  Oh, and a maternity skirt from the Gap that I'm sure I can wear after the baby comes this summer with flip flops (or now with tights for work).

I also recommend buying maternity (or nursing) tanks and layering them under regular cardigans. 

When I was PG with DS, my regular yoga pants fit throughout the entire pregnancy so I'm hoping these do as well for weekend wear. 

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by adventuregirl 

Where do you ladies get maternity leggings? I need some of those...I want to wear more skirts, but its just not working out right now with what I have (and the damn weather).

Do you mean leggings, or tights?

Thyme maternity will have the tights and/or hose. I've been getting by so far with non-maternity worn under the belly.

I've just been wearing non-maternity leggings that are meant to ride low (look in stores that cater to younger shoppers) so that they fit comfortably under the belly.  I've gotten mine at a Canadian chain called Aritzia and the brand I love is Talula.  They are $20 per pair, come in a ton of colours, are REALLY comfy, wash well, and will still be great post-pregnancy (all the pairs I have right now are from pre-pregnancy and fit just fine and comfortably).  I have a pair of "boob" brand maternity leggings that go over the belly from last pregnancy and much prefer my non-maternity ones from a comfort perspective and because they don't make a line that's visable through clothes on my belly.

[PhilsBabyMama]

I bought two pairs of leggings from Motherhood Maternity and they are super comfy and look great under long sweater with boots.

I have an extremely limited selection up here, but my favorite place to get maternity shirts is Target! They are super cute and I bought one maternity shirt that doubles as a nursing top once baby arrives. Pretty sweet. I don't usually wear nursing shirts, just hike up a regular shirt and wear a tank underneath, but this one is really cute. The prices are much more reasonable than most places, too.
Edited by PhilsBabyMama - 1/16/13 at 12:42pm

[PhilsBabyMama]

Oh, so speaking of maternity clothes, my husband has a military ball coming up that I'm expected to go to. ( I hold a volunteer leadership position for his company, so skipping it wasn't an option really, although it was one I briefly entrained! ) I will be 28 weeks pregnant and was getting extremely frustrated looking for formal gowns. They all seemed to look like hideous crosses between muumuus and burqas. I finally found a British company that made awesome maternity dresses and ordered one. I'm a little nervous about it, since I haven't tried it on, but I think the fabric is stretchy and will be pretty forgiving. This is what it hopefully (ha!) looks like:

[Quinalla]

I have been in maternity clothes for a long time, 2nd pregnancy + twins means I popped right away. First just pants, but shirts soon after too. I still have a few non-maternity loose shirts & sweaters I can wear with a maternity tank under and a few yoga pants that I can wear under my belly, but I've stopped wearing any of the shirts but the very biggest as I will start stretching them out soon. I'm very bored with my maternity wardrobe honestly, but my Mom got me a bunch of stuff from Motherhood for Christmas (we celebrated late with my parents this weekend) and three of the shirts worked, the rest I took back and now have a big gift card to spend on stuff. I figure I will get some new nursing bras, maybe one pair of pants, one pair of shorts and the rest shirts. I am trying to buy all shirts that are really long as some of my pre-worn stuff that is a bit shrunk I am already growing out of! Granted, I have a long torso anyway, but yikes.

[kimble]

Originally Posted by PhilsBabyMama 

Oh, so speaking of maternity clothes, my husband has a military ball coming up that I'm expected to go to. ( I hold a volunteer leadership position for his company, so skipping it wasn't an option really, although it was one I briefly entrained! ) I will be 28 weeks pregnant and was getting extremely frustrated looking for formal gowns.

You might want to check out renting a dress from Mine for Nine. I have a company new year party in a couple weeks and was looking at this site as an option for both a formal dress and a business suit. The fancier dresses are two-week rentals, and the nice thing is they give you two sizes in case one doesn't fit!

[eepeepee]

I've been trying to avoid spending money on maternity clothes as much as I can!  So far, I think I've purchased maybe three dresses, a pair of pants and one of those belly band thingies, which I'm in love with.  My NYE dress from Pea in the Pod was my only big splurge so far:

(A totally flattering angle of the belly, I know.)

Even before I got pregnant, I almost always wore dresses and skirts anyway, so I've found a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes are actually pretty pregnancy-friendly.  Tights proved to be a bit of a conundrum, but since maternity tights are so expensive, I've been just cutting the waistbands on my old tights and using the belly band to hold them up.  I figure it's cheaper to buy new regular tights later than a ton of maternity tights now!  

Does anybody else ever check out the maternity stuff on Asos?  They have a lot of really great dresses, skirts, leggings, etc., for not-terrible prices.  PhilsBabyMama - if the dress you ordered doesn't work out (which I hope it does because it's gorgeous), you could take a look there; they sometimes have fancier picks, too.

[PhilsBabyMama]

Originally Posted by kimble 

You might want to check out renting a dress from Mine for Nine. I have a company new year party in a couple weeks and was looking at this site as an option for both a formal dress and a business suit. The fancier dresses are two-week rentals, and the nice thing is they give you two sizes in case one doesn't fit!

. I checked there and several other online rental maternity ware companies. There just seems to be slim pickings if you're looking for floor length maternity dresses and I didn't see anything that would've been quite right.

[PhilsBabyMama]

Originally Posted by eepeepee 

Does anybody else ever check out the maternity stuff on Asos?  They have a lot of really great dresses, skirts, leggings, etc., for not-terrible prices.  PhilsBabyMama - if the dress you ordered doesn't work out (which I hope it does because it's gorgeous), you could take a look there; they sometimes have fancier picks, too.

Thanks! I'll check it out! Love your dress by the way!

[Ghislaine]

Non-maternity wrap dresses in a stretchy fabric can be a good option too.  I picked one up at Dress Barn for my last pregnancy after seeing my cousin's wife wear one for a family holiday party.  Might not be a formal enough option for you, PhilsBabyMama but it's an idea for the rest of you who prefer wearing dresses anyway!

Like PhilsBabyMama I'm near the Canadian border, only in Vermont, so I don't even get a Target!  I still fit in one pair of non-maternity jeans having only recently given up on the other pair.  I can't seem to find my favorites from when i was last pregnant so I placed an online order with Old Navy for a couple pairs of pants.  The khakis I can turn the cuff up on to get it to a good length right now but I am debating shortening the jeans!  The hazards of being short!  I'm going to have to look into the leggings everyone's been talking about!

I'm still wearing non-maternity tops and if they stretch then so be it.  I'm going to be wearing nursing tank tops for probably the three years after the birth anyway!