Maternity clothes.....
So I just want everyones opinion on Maternity clothes....
Personally, I am soo excited to wear them. The make you look great and cute and everyone knows your pregnant and not just fat when you have them on! They have some GREAT fall styles, and sweaters and I am just sooo excited to start wearing them. Well, my best friend who is currently 35 weeks pregnant maybe only bought a handfull of maternity clothes the whole time, stating its a waste of money, blah blah blah. She has just worn sweats, and big sweaters and always looks frumpy. Everytime I talk about the CUTE maternity clothes I found, or ordered, she puts me down.... I am sooooo excited but I never want to talk about the great finds, because she makes me feel stupid for buying them.... What is everone's thoughts on buying/wearing maternity clothes, or just regular bigger sized clothing?
Re: Maternity clothes.....
I like to look cute, not like a fat ass. I like materinty clothes and have a wardrobe from being pregnant the first time.
I will admit I have a hard time spending money on them because you dont use them very long. It KILLED me the other day to pay $70 for a pair of jeans and a shirt.UUUGH. But I know I need them.
I would rather spend money than look like a hot mess. I just wish I had tons of money to buy the REALLY cute trendy stuff.
If your friend is cool looking like a dump, than so be it, but its not fair for her to judge you for taking some pride in your appearance.
I'd rather buy maternity clothes and be comfortable. The bigger sizes are already not working for me. My belly sticks out of the bottom of regular shirts unless they're tunics.
I am however buying most of my stuff second hand because I don't want to spend a small fortune on clothes I won't wear long.
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I really haven't bought many maternity clothes but I have nothing against maternity clothes - I'm just buying as I grow. I went and bought a lot of non-maternity clothes for the summer/early fall that I could grow into and they are still fitting just fine and I just bought 2 light wrap sweaters for the fally chilly mornings to throw on top of the shirts I bought to grow into. The only maternity items I've purchased so far are 2 pair of maternity jeans (total $36 at JCP) and a dress that I wore to a friends wedding and plan on dressing up for other events and dressing down for work.
I agree that I need to look cute and not like a frumpy pregnant mess, but I'm not going to spend a fortune to do so so I've been doing my regular shopping at Ros & TJMaxx on non maternity items and saving my money for when I'm really big and will need clothes for the winter.
BFP #2 ~ 4/22/2010 ~ EDD 12/29/2010 ~ Born 12/19/2010 ~ My Rainbow Baby
BFP #3 ~ 6/10/2012 ~ EDD 2/20/2013 ~ HB 100bpm @ 9w3d ~ M/C 7/11/2012
BFP #4 ~ 3/16/2013 ~ EDD 11/20/2013 ~ Born 11/17/2013 ~ Rainbow Baby #2
I love maternity clothes too. They are so comfy and your totally right about them making you look pregnant and not frumpy. I try not to buy too much because they will only be worn a limited time.
I thought after DS I would be able to wear them for a little after he was born until I lost some weight but nope, they were way too big. Also I can't wear any of my stuff from my 1st pregnancy because they're all summer stuff, shorts, tank tops and sun dresses. Oh well.
Um I REFUSE to look like a frump during this pregnancy. If Hollywood can still be cute and sexy pregnant, so can I! Unfortunatly, most of the maternity clothes I've found are hideous. Luckily though, a lot of fall styles are those long flowy tunics and sweaters. I already have a closet full, and Victoria's secret has a TON of long comfy stuff. I'm not into maternity jeans yet, but when I am, I am going to Pea in the Pod. That place is $ but there stuff is pretty cute.
I'm determined to wear heels until my cankles can no longer fit into them....well...maybe even then!. I have a cocktail party tonight, and I am already highlighted, curled and slathered in self tanner and I have a precious little black dress that really isn't maternity, but I can get myself in it.. so ITS GOING! I'm not going down without a fight!
I work in a law firm, so I can't look frumpy all the time (not that I would want to!). I haven't bought any yet but I plan on going shopping this weekend. I only need a few pairs of work pants and mainly dresses for work. I am most looking forward to some nice jeans I can wear. I haven't worn my jeans in months, all my pre-prego jeans are skinny jeans and really don't fit around my tummy right now =/
I looked at GAP online and they have some really cute jeans and sweaters. There is a long sleeve striped sweater I'm def buying, on sale for $25!! Go shopping and have some fun and you're friend is probably just jealous that she doesn't look as good you prego!!
Exactly this.
Anyway, the one thing I would recommend is just buying a few things at first, in different styles, and get a sense of what is flattering on you. I had to buy a whole work wardrobe at one time (bc I transitioned from bum law student to lawyer after I was already showing), and a bunch of the shirts I bought on my first maternity shopping trip I just don't think will look very good on me until I'm closer to the third trimester. But I had one shirt I loved, which I look pregnant in but still really cute. So now I'm trying to collect more shirts in similar styles.
At 22 weeks I haven't bought anything, aside from 4 new bras & 1 Bella band. I personally just can't justify spending the money when I could use it for adorable baby items.
That being said I would never be caught dead in big sweats & DHs clothing. I don't do frumpy! I am still fitting in most of my pre-pregnancy tops & all my jeans with the Bella band. So if you can look cute without spending money then I think it's fine.
I wear scrubs to work & they are drawstring/ elastic pants with very loose tops. If I had a more glamorous job I'm sure I would need to buy maternity clothing.
I just went to a large baby/child related consignment sale and got 6 tops and 1 pair of dress pants for just over $50, 2 tops were brand new with the tags still on them. for the new price of just those 2 I got everything. They are a lot more comfortable and if you can find some good deals why not. I know friends who have worn some of the shirts after too till they were able to get back into their pre-pg clothes so why not have a nice variety as long as you don't go overboard on the $ unless you have the extra to spend.
You need to feel good about how you look!
If you are at all self concious about your belly- I am because I feel like I'm in between looking pregnant and just looking like I have been binging- it is worth it to invest in some clothes that make you feel good!
Plus you can always borrow your maternity clothes to friends and family so that they get lots of use or even sell them!!
Ha! Girl, you are right up my alley! I love it. Just because you become a mom doesn't mean that you need to lose your sense of identity or your own personal sense of fashion. (See my fashion blog in signature, dedicated to this very topic) For me, its all about the mix of maternity staple items that can be blended in with non-maternity clothes with the proper cut and fit to cover the bump. I'm a huge fan of H&M for non-maternity clothes. Lots of the clothes right now are tunics, jeggings, oversized sweaters, capes, etc. that can be worn well into the third trimester and also worn post-pregnancy when we are all losing that baby weight. Gap is great for those basic items to be mixed and matched and I'm also a big fan of asos.com and their maternity selection (I believe they are soon opening a US site vs. UK for a quicker shipping time). And honestly, Target has treated me well for some affordable basics, like dresses, tanks and leggings that can be paired with cute bags, shoes, scarves and jewelry. You don't have to spend a ton - you just have to be creative.