Lets start a good intelligent discussion!!!

charleyklee22

CLOTHES!!!! Lol.... I am going into week 12 on Thursday and I'm starting to fill out (my hips) and I've lost 13 pounds since I've become pregnant. Went to put on my jeans that are normally a size to big and I can barely button them. Really want to by maxi dresses so I can wear again (and I have to be dressy for work) but since we will all be pregnant and big mostly in the winter (live where it snows) will I look stupid for wearing and maxi dress and what shoes would I wear???? If I buy maternity jeans now will it just be a waste of money for when I get bigger? This is my first so I don't know how the jeans work.

BBEA2006

My maternity jeans have always lasted me throughout the entire pregnancy.  Old Navy has cute ones that stretch quite a bit as you get bigger.  They are a little big in the beginning, right now, but better than putting a hair tie on my regular pants and still feeling bloated.  However, they also make me look bigger than what I a actually am b/c they round out the fat (or at least in me), so if you are trying still hide it, you may to do the hair tie trick.

Topits

Following! I feel like maxi dresses are perfect... I've been living in them and the stretchy maxi skirts I found at Target. Unfortunately, it will not last for long, since most of our pregnancy will be in the Fall/Winter. Maternity jeans just sound so uncomfortable! I don't know where to start either, FTM. Are there any cute, go to shops (even online?).

brushesnbrunch

Buy a Bellaband first. You will not be disappointed! It has definitely been a game changer for me so far. I can continue to wear my pre-pregnancy pants, and I don't have to zip or button them. It's been so relaxing and freeing!

ETA: I did the hairband trick before the bellaband and it put way too much pressure on my stomach area and was so uncomfortable.

MsAmandaSt

Has anyone tried out the bella band (or something similar)? I've heard it's good for this transaition period.

mruda

I have been thinking about the same thing. Even though I have lost weight, my pants are tight. I was looking at different articles on how to avoid purchasing maternity clothes and the answer everywhere are maxi dresses. They are great for summer but I am not sure about wearing them in Feb with a few feet of snow outside. Have you tried any of the maternity bands? I purchased two from Zulily. They work with some pants but not all. I am not sure about buying maternity pants yet, either. Maybe some second+ time moms have ideas?

Jellybelly119

Same boat here! I'm in New England and don't want to waste a ton of money on maternity clothes that won't work in the dead of winter. My game plan (for now) is all maxi dresses all the time. They can totally take you through until there's snow actually on the ground with flats and cardigans or blazers layered over (check Pinterest for some cute ideas.)
I ordered some maternity jeans/pants from H&M that were relatively cheap. They run small and don't seem to have a ton of extra give except in the belly, but I'm comfortable having to order one more round a size or two up come late fall/early winter.

ashcody2

1. Bellaband - I'm using one right now and did with my first pregnancy til about 20 weeks. 

2. Maternity jeans - I've also invested in some of these, I only like the full panel ones though.

3. Maxi dress may be OK in winter - just add a little cardigan, I live in Iowa and can tell you with my first pregnancy (son was due in January so was huge in Winter) I didn't even bother with a winter coat, I was ALWAYS hot. 

4. I plan on wearing a ton of leggings + tunics this winter and I think even some summer dresses would work well with leggings too. 

I also bought the maternity jeans a little big since I know I will grow into them, in the hip area. My favorite store is Motherhood Maternity, they are reasonably priced and have nice work attire as well as comfy clothing. My original plan was to buy used maternity clothing and I have, unfortunately a lot of it does not fit since sizing can be very different, depending on brand. 

strlitemiss

Honestly I've just been tucking the parts of my shorts inwards once fall comes i will invest because I have no idea what size maternity closes to buy.

VitaLuna

I would probably hold off a little on the maternity jeans if you can. Your hips may widen a little, and I found that the full panel were best, which doesn't really work at this stage. The hairtie trick worked great for me until I was closer to 20 wks and needing maternity jeans.

You can't go wrong with fold over skirts and maxi skirts/dresses for summer. Old navy has them cheap.

skschnake

I have seen some super cute things on Zulilly.com as far as maternity clothes goes. May want to check it out

HBirdie

I've been living in leggings. I always like finding cheap stretchy t-shirts at Target and pairing them with maternity jeans and leggings and skirts. I also think you can rock dresses year round! I live in a really mild climate, though, and rarely even need a coat in the winter, so that definitely makes a difference.

g8trkim

Maxi dresses are a good idea. Leggings and maxi skirts too. Buy maternity jeans in your normal size. They are designed to fit as you grow. I'm in Florida so I wear sandals all the time.

DaisyTortilla

My jeans have lasted through most of my pregnancy. However the last month or so, they start to fit tighter. Usually the last month in all about dresses and leggings. Lol. I think investing in jeans is a good idea, try consignment stores, that's where I have bought all of mine.

charliegoldengirl

I wore maxi dresses in winter last year (lots of freezing cold and snow here too) I would just wear them with boots til I got to work then switched to flats. I obviously wore them with sweaters of all kinds! I also wore shorter dresses with leggings, boots, and sweaters. I found a couple short dresses at TJ max that weren't maternity but were super stretchy and gathered under the boob area for plenty of room for growth!

Alynicada

I'm sticking to leggings with longer shirts considering the temperature changes that will come with winter. My cousin used hair ties because she insisted she didn't want to spend money on maternity clothes because she only wanted one kid. I personally I haven't tried that method yet as I'm not showing at this moment. Also, I got a nice stretchy dress from Motherhood Maternity that has a band around the middle so it will grow with you. It's super comfy! And that store always has great sales.

charleyklee22

Thank u all for responding. I'm deff going to check out all these things!

Bohemama22

Jilmce19 said:

Same boat here! I'm in New England and don't want to waste a ton of money on maternity clothes that won't work in the dead of winter. My game plan (for now) is all maxi dresses all the time. They can totally take you through until there's snow actually on the ground with flats and cardigans or blazers layered over (check Pinterest for some cute ideas.)
I ordered some maternity jeans/pants from H&M that were relatively cheap. They run small and don't seem to have a ton of extra give except in the belly, but I'm comfortable having to order one more round a size or two up come late fall/early winter.

Just tried some H&M maternity jeans on as well and found they ran small! Fine on hips and belly but tight on legs and hard to pull up!

MamaFroFro

Motherhood maternity makes some leggings with the stretch stomach. I finally broke down and bought some. They will fit me now and they will still fit at 9 months and will be perfect for postpartum. They were $22 per pair at macys. I paired with cute loose fitting tops and will switch to oversized sweaters in the fall/winter.

Edit to add link: https://www.amazon.com/Motherhood-Secret-Belly-Maternity-Leggings/dp/B00C3EXTDQ
I believe these are the ones, so comfortable!

wisco29

I just bought two dresses today, one specifically for winter when I am showing a lot! I plan on just wearing a cardigan over it and wearing flats.

With dd I only wore leggings and sweatpants but we didn't go out ever where we lived so I am going to need to buy some maternity pants, at least one nice pair and then some cute tops to pair with leggings.

purplepenguin3

i might be the minority, but i didn't like the bella band. to me it was too weird having my pants unbuttoned, and sometimes it would not stay put so it just got irritating.  I have a couple of pair of maternity jeans that aren't full panel that i wear at the beginning.  I got them at Old Navy.  Then I have to have full panel as i get bigger.  I can't stand the pushing from the elastic.  I guess i'm pregnant pants picky  

I also agree with others.  you should buy the size maternity pants that you are when you're not pregnant.  They might be a bit tight at the end but just live with it our wear leggings  Simple solutions  

Pernicious

ashcody2 said:

1. Bellaband - I'm using one right now and did with my first pregnancy til about 20 weeks. 

2. Maternity jeans - I've also invested in some of these, I only like the full panel ones though.

3. Maxi dress may be OK in winter - just add a little cardigan, I live in Iowa and can tell you with my first pregnancy (son was due in January so was huge in Winter) I didn't even bother with a winter coat, I was ALWAYS hot. 

4. I plan on wearing a ton of leggings + tunics this winter and I think even some summer dresses would work well with leggings too. 

I also bought the maternity jeans a little big since I know I will grow into them, in the hip area. My favorite store is Motherhood Maternity, they are reasonably priced and have nice work attire as well as comfy clothing. My original plan was to buy used maternity clothing and I have, unfortunately a lot of it does not fit since sizing can be very different, depending on brand. 

I live in Iowa as well! And you are right, Motherhood Maternity is sooo nice. I never knew maternity clothes could be so stylish. And the people in there are nice, as well.

Danelle+Miguel

Leggings and long sweater tops is what I'm prepared with for the winter. Also planning on some dresses with leggings for work attire.

lynseydouros

I bought a bellaband a couple weeks ago during the bloat stage and love it! Haven't had to buy new pants yet. I get up and down a lot at work and sometimes have to go to the bathroom to adjust it because my pants start to fall a little bit, but it's wonderful. So comfortable and gives you a little back support  

britsknits11

Leggings and tunics all the way!! Most nonpregnancy leggings are stretchy enough for the whole pregnancy and if you need to there are maternity leggings as well. Plus maternity jeans are super comfortable to me but as pp has said they make your bump look like a bump even when it's actually bloat so if you wanna keep things on the DL for awhile still then they may not be the best idea.

thoughtfulmommy

Maternity leggings or leggings with a wide band are great. You can wear them in the fall and in the winter with boots and afterwards PP. I have a few pairs of maternity jeans but they did get a little small toward the end.

DS was born in August so it was hot. I plan on trying to keep most of my wardrobe and maybe add one maternity sweater for around the holidays.

thoughtfulmommy

Maternity leggings or leggings with a wide band are great. You can wear them in the fall and in the winter with boots and afterwards PP. I have a few pairs of maternity jeans but they did get a little small toward the end.

DS was born in August so it was hot. I plan on trying to keep most of my wardrobe and maybe add one maternity sweater for around the holidays.

HBirdie

Also (it must be said), the thread title is weird for this topic. haha

Quazel

I wasn't comfortable with the Bella band either. It rode up in weird ways. Ditto pp, buy maternity clothes in your normal size. I had a pair of pants or two that didn't work anymore in the last two weeks with DS but otherwise, everything was good. I love, love, love my maternity jeans from Motherhood! Most comfortable jeans ever. I didn't switch to maternity wear until week 18 last time, that was for work clothes only.

I bought some stuff on the awesome Motherhood sale this morning. Another awesome bumpie posted the code GIMMIE20 ($20 off $100) and waves15 (free shipping over $75). Their clearance stuff is B1G1 and B2G1. Plus other sales. I got 4 tops, 2 work pants, and 2 jeans (one capri) for $125. I hope some of it works!

Edited because autocorrect is evil.

jaimeruns

I hate wearing pants so right now just maxi skirts and my shorts that still fit + flowy shirts. Can't wait to just live in leggings this winter! Only thing that blows is I wear a uniform to work and our maternity uniforms are not cute, AT ALL. First thing I do every day when I get home is take mine off.... Yay for no pants!!!!

anotherctg

Thanks @quazel!

feelnSicky

MsAmandaSt said:

Has anyone tried out the bella band (or something similar)? I've heard it's good for this transaition period.

I just bought a Bella band last week. It's so much better than tight pants. Plus you can't even tell you are wearing it if you have a long enough shirt.

cantobean

@Quazel just want to thank you for the tips and the codes! My pull: 2 shirts, 2 cardigans, a maxi skirt, a sweatshirt, and 2 pairs of leggings. All for $94 with free shipping.

bookqueen

I lived in yoga pants for my first pregnancy, I will probably do the same this time. Lol. I'm kind of annoyed at my mom because she went to Cancun and asked me what I wanted as a souvenir, so I said a tank top (because I live in Texas). She got me a sweatshirt...really, mom? I'm gonna be 8 months pregnant when it's cold enough to wear it and definitely won't fit me. Boo so a souvenir that I can wear for like a year and a half. Oh well I guess, at least she got me a mug too since I collect them. Lol

PaniaO

So I have a funny thing I want to bring up... Apparently old-school generations (i.e. grandparents of the 55+ age) think it's offensive that our generation wears "form-fitting" maternity clothes, as opposed to what I hear is basically a tent-like outfit. I'm not sure I've ever seen a woman wearing this rumored-to-be-appropriate maternity wear. And now I'm irked that I'm offending older folks--especially because I work with the 65+ and old-old crowd. But WTH is that all about? To be specific, a certain MIL complained of the women she works with wearing dresses and she felt she needed to avert her eyes.. (?!?!)

g8trkim

PaniaO said:

So I have a funny thing I want to bring up... Apparently old-school generations (i.e. grandparents of the 55+ age) think it's offensive that our generation wears "form-fitting" maternity clothes, as opposed to what I hear is basically a tent-like outfit. I'm not sure I've ever seen a woman wearing this rumored-to-be-appropriate maternity wear. And now I'm irked that I'm offending older folks--especially because I work with the 65+ and old-old crowd. But WTH is that all about? To be specific, a certain MIL complained of the women she works with wearing dresses and she felt she needed to avert her eyes.. (?!?!)

I think this is specific to certain people not a generational thing. My grandmothers (particularly DH's) don't exactly hold back their words so I think they would have brought this up.

wisco29

@PaniaO I've never heard this one either so maybe it's just your mil?
You can find loose fitting maternity shirts or buy a size up for work if you're worried about offending anyone there.

My great grandma is very outspoken and I've never heard her complain about tight clothes in a bump.

ashcody2

PaniaO said:

So I have a funny thing I want to bring up... Apparently old-school generations (i.e. grandparents of the 55+ age) think it's offensive that our generation wears "form-fitting" maternity clothes, as opposed to what I hear is basically a tent-like outfit. I'm not sure I've ever seen a woman wearing this rumored-to-be-appropriate maternity wear. And now I'm irked that I'm offending older folks--especially because I work with the 65+ and old-old crowd. But WTH is that all about? To be specific, a certain MIL complained of the women she works with wearing dresses and she felt she needed to avert her eyes.. (?!?!)

I had no idea that some felt this way either - no one has ever brought it to my attention, I actually ran across a FB post that said "like if you remeber, these" referring to the tent-like outfits for maternity back in the 50's, maybe? Every single comment was from an older lady who had worn these and claimed that the new age of maternity style was offensive! Blew my mind, I think maternity wear can be very adorable today. I also remember reading about how they just didn't think it was proper to "flaunt your bump". Wish I could find that thread, so I could link it!

inomniaparatus

PaniaO said:

So I have a funny thing I want to bring up... Apparently old-school generations (i.e. grandparents of the 55+ age) think it's offensive that our generation wears "form-fitting" maternity clothes, as opposed to what I hear is basically a tent-like outfit. I'm not sure I've ever seen a woman wearing this rumored-to-be-appropriate maternity wear. And now I'm irked that I'm offending older folks--especially because I work with the 65+ and old-old crowd. But WTH is that all about? To be specific, a certain MIL complained of the women she works with wearing dresses and she felt she needed to avert her eyes.. (?!?!)

My mom is almost 55 and shops at the same stores I do so I don't think that's necessarily true.

PaniaO

Glad it doesn't sound to be a generational thing, but rather seems to be a personal thing. She specifically said a pencil-skirt style dress was horrible, so I was sad. I'm not concerned so much about offending her, specifically, because I'm not going to see her again after this week until the baby is born. But she did have me questioning my plan for professional wardrobe for the coming months. I generally wear really flowy tops anyway, but I was afraid even those weren't "good enough" to count as this tent-style thing... Anyway, I think pencil dresses are cute with a pregnant belly, so I'll stick with that and not give a (hoot).

mruda

When my good friend was pregnant two years ago, I remember the people she worked with commenting all the time about her "figure showing" maternity clothes. At one point they bought her two oversized tent-like tops. I believe they were older women that were complaining. I don't think all of the older generation feels this way, though.

I think, as long as you are still following work dress code, dress however makes you feel the most comfortable. Let people think what they want. Good luck!