What maternity clothes are you planning on buying?

[lmonter]

We have a little bit of extra cash right now, so I want to buy a few things now that I'll need when I start showing and/or not fitting into my regular clothes. I had ds in the fall and I was working in a dressy office (I'm now a sahm), so those clothes won't work this time. I have no idea what will be a waste and what I may end up loving to wear.

Lanna

[1gravidaOK]

I wish I knew what to buy. Obviously, this is my first go 'round and I don't even know what to do in the next couple months when my own clothes are too tight but maternity clothes would be too big. Good luck picking out some new clothes! :)

[celesterra]

:bag: I have to say, I have had so much bloating that, rather than buying new pants in a larger size, I went to Old Navy and found some great maternity capris. They have the short band, and on 2 of the pairs, the band is only in the front. They get rid of the binding feeling of my current pants, and even though I have to pull them up a lot, that's OK! I still look like a normal person in my clothes, but I feel so much better!!! PLUS, they were on sale for just $7 a pair!

Good luck deciding! Some of the others voted for Old Navy a couple of weeks ago, and now that I have had my own success there, I have to cast my own! :thumb

[norasmom]

Also, I just found some awesome deals at Target in the clearance racks. I got two shirts for under $4 ea. They are maternity, but if I don't cover up my pooch I just look bloated & fat!

[duckat]

I, too, was working while pg with ds, so I have to rethink maternity wear.
I think I'm going to keep my eyes out for cheap jeans and khakis and just wear the tops I had for ds.
My uniform when pg with him was some kind of knit/jersey top with black pants. Was good enough for work and comfy.
Now the shirts have all been thru me plus 2 friends, so they're probably only fit for chasing a 2 year old. :LOL

[PheobNFam]

I was working and going to school full time during my last pregnancy (and there was a uniform shirt at school, so my wardrobe was limited)

I've decided after looking around a lot... that I want to find some cute jeans, then I want to make some shirts myself. I want them to be that stretchy lycra material. We'll see how that goes. :D

[celestialdreamer]

I already bought (and I'm wearing right now) some transitional stuff from Target's maternity line. I had to wear dressy clothes the first half of my first pregnancy, but I started showing alot later then also. I'm now a SAHM and already have my belly sticking out some so that stuff won't work. So I'm wearing my pants, skirts, etc from Target (they have the stretchy band all the way around but look like normal clothes) with longer regular shirts, until I fit into my 'real' maternity clothes (which were all purchased at Motherhood, Sears or JcPenney). I guess I'm weird because I prefer the full belly panel when I'm really showing, so I wore fairly basic stuff rather than trendy stuff with my dd. Luckily she was born in May, so the clothes should still fit at the right times of year.

[Tracyn]

With PG #1 I had really good luck with finding stuff at second hand stores. I found reasonable prices at used maternity clothes/used kids stuff stores as well as Goodwill. I found that places like goodwill happened to carry brand name and brand new items for really cheap, but usually I would have to repair a button, sew a seam etc.. (no big deal!). One day I bought 2 nursing bras (each with a strap that had to be fixed, but still with new tags on them), 2 tops and a pair of pants for $25.

I must say, however, Old Navy stuff was my favorite. They especially made really cute '2nd trimester' stuff, that was in style (not that I'm much of a fashion statement!?) and comfy, and helped make me feel sexy! most of the stuff had wide elastic waistbands (personally, I can't stand anything on or over my belly as it gets big, so I'm a 'lowrider' pants woman when I'm PG).

As I got into the last couple of months (I'm normally a size 4, sometimes 6, so fairly small), I had this basketball in front of me - which evolved into a beachball as DS was born at 42 weeks. As a result, I had a harder and harder time finding comfy, cute things, and wore a lot of tie waist pants. I never really liked overalls all that much.

On the otherhand, I like to look at Babystyle catalogs and dream of buying maternity-wear where money is no object (then I head to the sale racks and/or second hand stores!)

I've also bought some things on Ebay, but it's hit or miss, and I really like to try stuff on, and/or look at it in person first.

Sorry for the rambling... I'm looking forward to showing! But, I realize that'll be a while. I didn't show with DS until between 5-6 months!

Cheers,

[mommabear]

I vote for yoga pants (with a high, soft waist band) and comfy tees for the first trimester. (I also like overalls :bag: ) I got rid of *all* of my mat stuff a few months ago, and of course am popping out really early this time! When I was pg with ds I worked in an office, so a lot of that stuff wouldn't have worked this time anyway. I think month 4 and 5 are usually pretty awkward and the belly bag they give you when trying on clothes in stores (to imagine a bigger belly) aren't really that helpful because they don't account for the growing top and derriere! :wink A friend of mine bought a velour tracksuit at the Gap (regular sizing) that I borrowed and *loved* when I was pg earlier this year, and she said it was perfect for after the baby is born and you still have a bit of a pooch -- so that might be an option (the waistband was really soft, and they felt like wearing your jammies!). Hmmm, what else? Maternity capris in a stretchy fabric are probably good, because depending on where you live they could probably be worn in any weather (except maybe snow!). What about a loose, casual dress in cotton? I'm not much of dress girl myself, but it might be comfy? One thing that I looooooved when I was pg with ds were boot-cut yoga style maternity pants. They were a thick, but soft cotton blend (lycra?), and they had the waist band that you snip the stitching out of to extend the waist. They were pricey, but soooooo comfy and really worked as I went through the different stages of pg. Okay, sorry for the :blah , but I hth!

(Can I just say that, from what you all say, I can't wait to go to Old Navy! :D )

[AdinaL]

My SIL works for Stonewear Designs and I have a boatload of yoga pants that will hold me for a while. Currently, my bras are gonna become the big issue...but right now, I am fine. I can't wear any of my "real" pants, but I can wear my yoga pants. I have a ton of tanks with built in bras also, which is keeping the boobs from too much pain. :)

Stone wear designs website is http://www.stoneweardesigns.com/ They carry plus sizes too. I can't sing their praises enough, all of it is super comfy, and stretchy. As long as my behind doesn't out grow them, I should be able to hang out in the Stonewear Pants for a while. I will likely buy a pair of jeans and some overalls and some sweaters later too. Just so I am not always in yoga pants. :LOL

[lmonter]

Okay, so I'm thinking in the right direction. :) With (22mo) ds I started showing around 16 weeks (I had to tell everybody so I could finally start wearing maternity clothes to work), and just a month ago got back to my pre-preg weight, but not shape. The only things I've got that would work this time are my old full-panel home-modified slacks and panties. I just ordered some bras from Blue Canoe, so I think I'm set there (my bravados are really making me mad).

So here's my current shopping list, what do you think?

Gap
1 or 2 pairs roll panel knit pants (lazy days and for the gym - plus I've heard they hold up great)

Old Navy
2 pairs jeans
4 tank tops
1 scoop neck cami
(and the iffy stuff, depending on what fits and is comfortable - may get one or two more of what works)
1 scoop neck tee
1 johnny collar shirt
1 v-neck tee
1 layering cami
1 (maternity) shawl collared sweater
1 (plus-sized) nubby knit cardigan

We're probably going to have one heck of a winter this year (we're due for the horrible 10-yr winter, and the last 3 have been super mild), and we have wood heat inside the house (our house is usually 74-80 degrees in the dead of winter), hence the tank tops because it's easier for me to move around/nurse ds and all.

Shoes I think I've got covered. My feet shrank a while after ds. So much so that my hiking shoes from college are loose. Oh, I almost forgot I have a few shelf-bra camis from ds... but I don't know if they can hold in the girls anymore... But with ds I just wore them by themselves around town because it was 100+ and nobody was going to say anything to an annoyed-looking pregnant woman. ;)

[KKmama]

My only advice is to buy as you go if you haven't done this before. ;) I found that there are times that I cannot stand to have anything elastic-y over my belly (like some of the panel pants), but I have a hard time finding "under the belly" pants which work (due to a lack of hips ;)). The drawstring pants often bug me, too. :LOL (I found that even though I don't particularly like to wear dresses when not pg, they offer some relief during pg). Even though I hate the look of "flowy" tops, I can't really deal with how snug tops feel on my tummy, either. :bag:

I'm pretty picky about the Old Navy stuff... there's some there to like, a lot which drives me nuts.

Secondhand is good. :thumb So is passing through friends, except make sure there is good understanding about whether the clothes are to be returned, in what condition, etc. I loaned my pg clothes to a "friend" after ds1, and I told her that we were definitely having a couple more kids and would be starting to ttc 2 years after he was born (pretty friggin' specific). Without telling me or asking me, she loaned them to a friend, who loaned them to a friend, who loaned them to a pg teenager (nothing against teenagers, except they haven't necessarily learned social rules yet, though obviously my 45 y.o. friend hadn't, either). I got less than half back, in bad condition. Most of my favorites were gone, gone, gone.

I can get away with first wearing my pants unbuttoned (with an elastic hair dealy holding the button closed under my untucked shirt), then wearing pants a size larger, then my dh's pants through about 5 months. I love, love, love babies, but I don't really like pregnancy, and I loathe maternity clothes, so I put them off as long as I can. (And I guarantee that I'll reach my 42nd week with this baby, too.)

:blah

[lmonter]

I'm pretty picky about the Old Navy stuff... there's some there to like, a lot which drives me nuts.
:nod
Yup, I take advantage of the return policy so I can see what fits (and looks normal!). Our local ON only carries maybe 10 styles of maternity stuff, so my only option is online. And unfortunately I'm the only one of my local friends my size having kids - everyone else is skinnier than me. So I'm on my own with clothes (oh, and the local consignment shop wants more for brand name maternty things like Gap, ON, BR, MM, etc. than brand new on sale items at the actual store - my area sucks for things like this).

[kyle98sean02]

I just bought a few brand new tanks on ebay for .99 and a tan dress for $1.99. My sil has all my maternity clothes from Sean, but I almost weigh what I did when I had him so I dont know if they would do me much good anyways. I dont usually wear dresses, but I hate anything tight on my tummy when I am pregnant, so I tend to wear them more. I am not poking out yet, but I can not wear anything that lays on my tummy at all. Its so uncomfy.

[Two Spunky Monkeys]

I've been buying off clearance racks since the stick turned pink. :)

I have about 5 pairs of jeans (I stay home all day with the kids), 2 pairs of khakis, black & grey dressier pants, 3 pairs of capris, about 10 short-sleeve shirts and about 7-8 long-sleeve shirts, 2 dresses, 1 2-pc skirt set (pretty dressy - it was a holiday party outfit when I was pg before), and 2 pants sets. Oh - I think I have 3 sweaters too - from previous pregnancies - but I won't wear them because I get so stinkin' hot when I am pg. LOL

I work in the evenings, so I need to have nicer clothes for work. I haven't spent all that much on maternity - less than $200 - and I think my wardrobe is pretty complete - I'll only add stuff as I feel I need to at this point. I have the basics.

And I *think* I have my maternity underwear in the basement somewhere from the other pregnancies too. I'll have to look for them.

[AdinaL]

Ugh...i have to think about maternity underwear???!!!


Time to start going commando.

:LOL

[KKmama]

You don't *have* to wear maternity underwear. I never have. I wear bikini underwear (not the string bikini, but certainly not hiphuggers). They just go under the belly instead of over, like the nasty maternity underwear. My butt doesn't get much bigger, so I can get away with this. I also wear my normal 2 piece swimming suit (again, it's not a bikini, it's a speedo 2 piece). I'd probably choose commando over maternity underwear, though. :bag:

[duckat]

Maternity underwear:
I never got any with ds, I just bought a bigger size of my regular bikinis...worked fine. Or I wore dh's tighty-whities that he has for working out. Super comfy. :LOL

[lmonter]

Time to start going commando.
:LOL

Hey, it's less laundry!

With ds I thought I was going to do the bikini thing and under-the-belly pants. Nope. Didn't like my belly hanging out naked for everyone to see (I'm still a bit modest about my flabby stretch-marky belly, just not my big boobs - go figure), and I needed it harnessed.

[BerniceH]

*looks at her butt*
:duh It's going to get bigger? :angry :irked:
Well df will love that.

This is where being a very depressed teenager comes in. I had 0 self esteem until I was almost 19.. So my clothes are all MONSTEROUS. I even took some of my sisters 3X clothing when I moved out. I've never been above a sixteen, but all of my clothes were 20, 22's. I'm at a 8/10 now, not for long though!! I have tons of stuff I haven't tossed yet, as memories. I've always been very curvy, and got the comment at 14 that I have birthing hips!

I also *love* Goodwill, and stores like that. Not only am I buying things I need, but I'm helping a charity. I always get awesome finds.

DF says I've been losing weight, which I have, but that my tummy and hips 'feel like a rock' ... :confused:

[kyle98sean02]

For underwear, I love those low rise undies made to go under those low rise jeans. Perfect for preggo bellies!

[lithoG]

My favorite maternity bottoms have been the Japanese Weekend capris I found at a local maternity resale shop. They're super pricey ($60-$80) if you get them from the web-store, but I got them for $12-$15 a pair!

Underwear??? I forgot that I even had any until I gave birth and remembered I would need them for post-pardum momma issues...now I'm doing it all over again! :wink

[Black Orchid]

I just bought a ton of sutff today... I wore out the stuff that I had with DD and the one thing I'm going to do differently is buy quality stuff that truly fits. I ended up with a ton of stuff that didn't fit well and so the few things that did, I wore out.

I bought a pair of jeans and a jean skirt, a few cute tops that could be dressy or casual and a pair of black and khaki pants that I could wear for work. And a dressy dress for fomal business meetings. I work FT, so I have to have stuff that can be worn for a variety of occasions. I went to Japanese weekend maternity and bought a bunch of clearance stuff because the clothes from last time that truly fit were that brand. It is pricey, but nice and the clearance deals are pretty good!