[amicamom]

Has anyone else had trouble finding maternity bottoms that fit a pear-shaped woman who is a size 14 unpregnant?

I'm currently 11 weeks pregnant with baby #5. There are five years between this pregnancy and the last one so I gave all my maternity clothes away. I'm finding that that styles have certainly changed! It is impossible to find attractive bottoms for a pear-shaped pregnant woman (pre-pregnancy size on bottom is 14). All of the styles are close fitting and they look great on thin women with a cute little baby bump. Unfortunately, I have a bump on both sides and I gain weight everywhere!! From my chest to my knees is as wide as the sea. I feel huge and I'm not even showing yet. The shirts work fine but the skirts/pants are all too tight - even XL. I've purchased several skirts on eBay that say XL on the tag but are still tight around my hips. I don't want to look like a frump but I also don't want to "show off" my backside.

HELP!!

If you want to see what I look like...click here...I'm holding my sister-in-law's twin girls who were born a year ago.

Does anyone have any ideas? Are there any brands that are better than others? Do you know of anyone selling their maternity clothes?

 

[lotus.blossom]

I'm an 8 or 10 on the bottom. I have a very curvy butt!

and I find that I am most comfortable in workout pants with foldover waists. I can wear them up or folded and they don't slide off. Otherwise I feel like my legs are like sausages. I have a couple pairs of Old Navy jeans in a size M that fit and a pair of Motherhood in a size L that are still a bit too big. Skirts are certainly a must. I like broomstick skirts and even wrap skirts!

 

[brandyk]

You might have luck with the lane bryant maternity clothes. Maybe not at 11 weeks, but as you progress. Also try Old Navy in XXL & larger gap maternity sizes (16,18). If you can get bottoms sized right you can grow into shirts. Don't freak out about buying maternity 16 or 18 if you need it. You might find that you could wear the stuff all the way until you deliver! Also try jersey knits etc in XL instead of stiff fabrics. Oh and JC penney has a lot of great stuff too - especially check out their clearance section.

the week of dec 14-20 should be great for online discounts (especially early in the week).

 

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I'm a bit smaller size-wise, but also pear-shaped. I, too, have the worst time finding maternity clothes that are attractive and well-fitting. I always thought that pregnancy might be the one time in my life that I could find clothes that looked nice on my womanly figure, but alas, I was disappointed.

I have a pair of Old Navy jeans that aren't bad, but they aren't great either. They might just be a little too big right now. My last pregnancy, I went the Bella Band route with normal jeans pretty much the entire time. I might be doing that again this time around.

 

[NizhoniTwice]

The most comfortable thing for me is yoga pants (normal, pre-pregnancy size) and I cut off the top part/waist band.

 

[tigermiep]

From your picture, i think we have a similar shape. My thighs and butt have stayed about the same size, my band size has increased from a 34 to a 38, and for the first time since puberty, my waist is no longer 11 inches smaller than my hips!

I have been wearing XL and 1X pants from Motherhood without too much trouble. The secret fit belly jeans kept falling off, so I wouldn't recommend those unless you have enough butt to hold them up (mine hasn't gotten much rounder, but the belly sure did!). The straight-leg yoga style pants have been great, and the velour ones are dressy enough for my business-casual workplace. Other clothes have come from friends. I did not find anything at Old Navy that worked with my body type -- they all seemed to be made for small-thighed women with big waists.

good luck!

 

[TzippityDoulah]

dresses, jumpers and skirts work well for me. I'm curvy all over and I'm a 12-14 normally. and short. so... I always have a hard time finding clothing. this is nothing new to me!

 

[MrsSoup]

Old Navy has been amazing for my large butt and thighs, and the really nice thing is they don't just have S, M, L, XL sizes. They have number sizes (including longs) which make it SOOO much easier to find pants that fit!

 

[amicamom]

Thank you all so much for your help!

: I will try your suggestions. I would love to find some decent skirts as well. I'll let you know how it goes...