I know it's early, but clothes!

TNChick

I know you probably aren't thinking about maternity clothes any time soon, but I bought a ton of stuff on thredup before, and I see that they have maternity! If you wait until a 50% off sale (google a coupon), you can get their stuff so cheap, and I have never gotten an item that wasn't in great condition. 

Just a suggestion for those of you who are interested, or those of you (like me) who have uteruses that apparently remember what they are supposed to do and are already expanding!

Happy shopping!

emilyalso

Thanks for the info! I was actually poking around online today looking just for fun. I've heard that 2nd baby bumps can pop earlier than first, so I'm scared to guess how much room I might need until I see how it goes. 

hartmich

For you STMs, how early would be comfortable buying things like pants? I know they say just go with your pre-pregnancy size but I assume there are women whose butts/thighs expand as well, and maybe they'd need a bigger size. What's your experience?

pshaortao

@hartmich It's different for every mom. I didn't grow anywhere but the belly with my first so I was able to stay in my pant size. I did live in mostly yoga pants and maxi whenever I didn't have to work. I waited until I was getting uncomfortable in my non-maternity pants before splurging on 2 pairs for work. Since I'm a SAHM this time around, I will probably just stick to leggings and maxi

MrsN092714

When it comes to maternity pants my one recommendation is to skip the low panel and go right for the full panel pants.  The low is really only good while your bloated, as soon as the belly appears it just pushed it down.   Maternity jeans are so comfy!  My thighs and ass grew, buy what's comfortable now, most clothes stretch as you go.  I wore the same jeans throughout... 

2babes3angels

I agree on the full panel pants!! With both my kids, I started off in small pants and by the end of them was wearing a medium comfortably. This time around, I'm not even 6 weeks and I'm already wearing maternity stuff bc I don't have the emotional energy to try & suck it in all day 

2babes3angels

@TNChick thx for the tip!! 

Kipperoo

With my first, I found maternity pants (especially full panel) to be an absolute necessity, but didn't really buy maternity shirts and dresses. I found that with today's styles, most shirts are oversized and most fabric is stretchy. I liked the look of more mainstream fashion vs the "tie the bow above the bump to show you are pregnant" maternity tops. The prints mostly seemed outdated and I felt very...ick...when trying them on in stores. :-) 

psherman42wwsa

I may be the only one but I disliked the full panel pants. When my belly was smaller I liked them but once it got bigger I preferred the low panel. I didn't like anything pressing against my belly.

thanks for the tip about the website!

flychick-2

I started off my last pregnancy in a maternity size small and ended in barely being able to squeeze into a maternity size large. I'm one of those ones who gains a ton of weight all over. I'm really hoping to avoid it this time but I've now had 2 pregnancies where I've gained 60 lbs so I doubt this one will be much different.

slam1110

I concur with @lrwardrop I hated the full panel pants on my belly, I would always fold the panel down.
And for the FTM while you're waiting to pop, and don't feel like you "look" pregnant,  I always used the rubber band trick on my pants and could get to wear them for longer.   

TresGatos

Did any of the STMs use Bebands before? I bought 2 at Target when they had a 25% off coupon 2 weeks ago. With my last pregnancy, I went straight to maternity pants at 13 weeks but I figured I would try the Bebands this time to see if they'll help me extend the usage of my work pants. But I'm iffy on how they'll actually work to hold up unbuttoned pants. Any thoughts? I can still return them if they seem like they're a waste.

sarah0985

Stm 's: how did you go about deciding what kind of pants to do? I don't need them yet but did you just buy one pair at a time and wear it for a week and decide if you like it? And then if you liked it, bought more or chose other ones? I don't know how I'll feel about full panel, side panels, low panels. I'm so confused where to even start. 

also. Bras. I've been the same size for like 10 years. I'm already overflowing. My friend at work (she's the only one who knows) commented on it today. I'm only about to be 7 weeks. I obviously have no idea how big I'll get but when did you buy new ones? I don't want to buy a few new ones and surpass those quickly and have it be a waste of money. But I already have massive side boob coming out. How many did you buy when you bought new ones?

TNChick

I gained about 35 pounds both pregnancies (pretty standard gain). I found that I needed a size up in pants and shirts, and by the end,  nothing but leggings would work. So for me, I ordered some things last night. I am normally a medium and a 8/10, so I bought large maternity shirts and size 12 pants. Especially since it is second hand and possibly has some shrinkage. NOTHING is worse than tight clothes on a big belly!!

psherman42wwsa

sarah0985 said:

Stm 's: how did you go about deciding what kind of pants to do? I don't need them yet but did you just buy one pair at a time and wear it for a week and decide if you like it? And then if you liked it, bought more or chose other ones? I don't know how I'll feel about full panel, side panels, low panels. I'm so confused where to even start. 

also. Bras. I've been the same size for like 10 years. I'm already overflowing. My friend at work (she's the only one who knows) commented on it today. I'm only about to be 7 weeks. I obviously have no idea how big I'll get but when did you buy new ones? I don't want to buy a few new ones and surpass those quickly and have it be a waste of money. But I already have massive side boob coming out. How many did you buy when you bought new ones?

I had several types of pants because in different stages of pregnancy you like different things. I preferred the high panel pants early on and then the low panel later. But I just folded down the high panel and it was perfect when I didn't want it. The end of my pregnancy was in August so I just wore yoga shorts at home and dresses to work, I refused to wear any pants lol. Its probably too early to be buying pants so just wait a while and then try some on in the store and see what you like.

I wore comfy bralette type bras my whole pregnancy and basically the whole first year while breastfeeding (and I guess currently since I have one on right now) . Since boobs go up up and up while pregnant and then while breastfeeding they go up and down up and down. They were perfect lol. But I also had average size b/c boobs so it worked well for me.

 https://www.walmart.com/ip/No-Boundaries-Seamless-Cami-Bra-with-Lace/39212529

march2008

I don't think I switched to maternity clothes until I was 4 months the first time. I had some band thing I'd bought at Target and just unbuttoned my pants and put that over the waist. Worked great for me!

I was living in FL back then and it was way too hot to have the full panel inside my clothes. I ended up folding it down. 

ETA: I don't think I had to buy any new bras until the last trimester, but I'm fairly small to begin with. I went up one full cup size the week my daughter was born. The hospital had a small breastfeeding shop and I was able to get fitted there for some great nursing bras.

sarah0985

Thanks @lrwardrop I hadn't considered a bralette. My normal size is a small b so I'm guessing right now I'm only a small c. A bralette should still work. 
I still am good in my regular pants for now but I don't know why I'm so anxious about buying maternity pants. Haha. It's been in my head for a few weeks already. 

babs02

I switched early with my first pregnancy. I tried the belly band and hair tie trick but it was super uncomfortable for me. All maternity pants were different for me. I hated low panel pants. They never stayed up on me. Bralettes are a lifesaver once hour boobs are sore/ start growing. Yoga pants and maxi skirts were amazing too. I never bought maternity ones though. Just went a size up towards the end. I bought maxi dresses a size up in non maternity and I did love maternity t shirt dresses. I loved showing off my growing bump! 

MrsOry5

I'm 6 weeks today and have found that the bloat is my biggest issue with clothes. I haven't gained any weight, but man do I look full in the middle! My boobs are swollen, but it's minor so far. I'm looking the most forward to maternity Ponte pants for work, but really love to tuck my shirt in, so it's going to be strange for a while!  I feel like I'm going to struggle to look put together. 

vrj0522

hartmich said:

For you STMs, how early would be comfortable buying things like pants? I know they say just go with your pre-pregnancy size but I assume there are women whose butts/thighs expand as well, and maybe they'd need a bigger size. What's your experience?

With my son, I gained 35 lbs and was able to stay in a size L, my normal size. When I got pregnant with my daughter I was actually an M at the time but gained 50 lbs and that definitely bumped me to an L. 

I would say if you are in between sizes, start with the smaller size you fit into and expect that you will go up toward the end. If your size fits you well, then you probably won't need a bigger size unless you gain too much weight.

emilyalso

I agree with several pp's that the full panel worked better for me earlier in pregnancy - it was only comfortable when it could fully encompass my bump. When I started to get HUGE, the top of the panel hit right on my belly, and it was VERY uncomfortable. If you see any full panels that are like seamless (I'm not sure that's the right way to describe it), I think they would work much better than ones that have a tighter band at the very top. I also had some linen crops from Gap that just had an elastic waistband and sat down low. I got them in a Small, and bought them again in Medium when I outgrew the first pair. (LOOK FOR SALES!)

I usually wear a 2 or 4, and I think my maternity pants were like a 6 or 8. I probably gained more weight than I should have, and my thighs and butt were pretty substantial. I also sized up 1 size in most shirts. I can really only remember having 2 pair of jeans (Old Navy), 1 pair of crops (Gap), a handful of short sleeve tees (Old Navy!), a couple of long sleeve tees (Motherhood Maternity), 1 "nice" shirt (Motherhood Maternity), and 1 maxi dress (Macy's) that were specifically maternity wear. 

Yiggle09

I started at 144 and bought small pants and shirts but by late pregnancy my small shirts either shrunk or I got too big - my boobs gained 2 cup sizes and so I would have liked some medium shirts. My small pants or same size pants as pre baby fit great all pregnancy. I did not like full panel, you can see it under shirts and it itches and slides down constantly. 

lildropofheavn23

I LOVED the full panel maternity pants. I can't wait to break them out again. The bloat is real and my pants are already yelling at me. I'll have to start with the hair-tie trick and then break out a belly band.
I'm so excited to be pregnant again at the same time of year! No need to buy more clothes

TNChick

My favorite maternity item was a pair of XL low panel shorts. I am not an extra large, but they were sooooooo comfy! I wore them around the house constantly.

kat81

Count me in as a vote for "full panel" pants. It also depends on whether you can deal with really low rise pants. Some maternity pants are basically super low rise regular pants (no panel). I just don't like things being that low, so that's one reason I like full panel. 

In terms of regular size vs. size up, in general I think that going with your regular size works until maybe the very end or if you gain extra weight. I remember when I bought my first maternity clothes I tried on my regular size (in the XS/S/M/L designation) and was bummed out to find that while it did fit, the boobs were huge. My boobs did grow, but they are small to begin with, and the maternity clothes were assuming boob growth. My point is that maternity clothes assume growth in the belly, obviously, but also in the boobs, and I think a bit in the hips/thigh when going off of your regular size. 

My one recommendation is to be careful if you're tall when it comes to tops and dresses and the end of the pregnancy. I was infuriated to find on a few occasions that my maternity shirt didn't cover my belly length-wise. 

Also, a good product will work with lots of stages of the pregnancy. My personal favorite pregnancy style / design is ruched tops. They even kind of work when you aren't pregnant or post-partum at all. 

You may also wish to consider a bella band, especially for that in between time when the maternity pants fall down because your belly isn't so big, but you can't close your regular pants over your belly.

pghren

Any of you out there gone through having larger bra size pre-pregnancy such that one you need a larger size it isn't carried in stores? I started out as a 32DD (petite tiny ribcage) and they don't tend to make anything larger in a 32 rib measurement. 

Jkp7749

LOVED full panel pants and can't wait to wear them again. Apparently my uterus knows exactly what to do. With my last pregnancy, by 8 weeks I looked pregnant. This time, as ridiculous as it sounds, you can tell at 4w2d. my flowy shirts are fine but my pants are SO uncomfortable. I need some stretchy non maternity clothes for at least a few weeks so I don't look ridiculous wearing maternity by 5 weeks lol 

TNChick

I know what you mean. I have some serious muscle memory apparently also!

psherman42wwsa

allowachick said:

Any of you out there gone through having larger bra size pre-pregnancy such that one you need a larger size it isn't carried in stores? I started out as a 32DD (petite tiny ribcage) and they don't tend to make anything larger in a 32 rib measurement. 

I was smaller too and my ribs grew while I was pregnant. I would have terrible rib pain because it was stretching out making room for baby.  Yours may grow as well.

redheeler

Last time around i only owned 3 maternity shirts and 3 nursing tanks, everything else was longer styles or low rise pants and fit for the duration of my pregnancy. I had to buy new bras often though 

Frostfair

My last pregnancy has ruined me for regular bras with underwires. That's all I would wear, but switched to sports bras when my boobs started to grow and now cannot stand wearing the regular ones anymore. I did go up a cup size and 1-2 band sizes last time, but only ended buying 2 "good" bras. The rest are just sports now and they are a lot more forgiving.

Same with the muscle memory here (or lack thereof?) I'm 7 weeks and I can definitely tell with my pants and my boobs lol I guess my body's like, oh, this again? OK. I'm on it...

Louise_Belcher

Definitely going to check out Thredup! I am firmly with the full panel group. They are AMAZING!!!! I ended up with a big stash of maternity clothes for my last one, mostly because a friend of a friend was selling off her massive stash, but also because shopping is fun. Unfortunately I was biggest during the summer before, so seasons will be off. I ordered a number of dresses from ASOS last time for work, weddings, and the baby shower and loved them. Before I started at a medium and went to a large for the last two months.