Maternity clothing

lovesclimbing

I seem to recall seeing another thread on this, but can't find it in the first couple pages, so I thought I'd start a new one because I'm just now switching to maternity clothing at about 16 weeks. Here are some questions to get us going.

-What are your favorite brands and places to shop?
-What are styles and types of clothing that are good or bad?
-Any deals or sales going on right now?

lovesclimbing

To answer my own questions:

I don't have favorite brands or places to shop because I haven't done enough of it! I do like the clothing at Target, particularly the Liz Lange for Target line.

Based on my limited use of maternity clothing and hearing from others, shirts that are stretchy or are gathered under the belly are best. Ones that are just drapey and hang straight down over the bump are kind of annoying and a pain and you get drafts under there.

Right now I'm looking on Motherhood Maternity and they have an extra 50% off some of their clearance styles.

alm52386

My friend is sending me all her clothes from 3 pregnancies!! Hoping I won't have to buy a lot! We'll see if she has anything good haha

awillis13

I prefer more fitted shirts for a few reasons.  The ones you listed, and....I feel like the flow-y ones just make me look like a giant cow until I'm obviously showing.  

In terms of pants, I often skip the side panel pants and go right to the full panel or under belly pants.  The side panels have such a short life until they don't fit right anymore.  I like the full panel because those smooth everything out, but when your belly starts to stretch I feel like sometimes it makes the itching worse.

Old Navy is great for basic staples - leggings,  t-shirts, tanks, etc.  They have a decent sale going on.  Clearance is super cheap, jeans are 30% off right now.  I'm down about 10 lbs so I need to actually go in and try things on because I'm finding I can't just order the size I would expect to be online, it's all too big now.

JC Penney is another great place for decently priced clothes.  I've also had a lot of luck at local consignment stores, and you can often get good deals on name brand stuff.  I love the way Gap maternity stuff fits, but I have a hard time spending the $ on something I'm going to wear for less than a year, especially since this is almost certainly going to be my last baby. 

Xath

As an FYI, Motherhood, Pea in the Pod, and Destination Maternity are having a 50% off clearance items sale right now.  I scored 3 dresses and 2 pairs of pants for $75.

jennas312

I went to three stores today looking! Going to have to go to actual maternity stores for more. I ended up with two pairs of pants for work and one pair of jeans...that's it out of Old Navy, Kohls, and Target. Will it come to that I need ALL maternity tops and bottoms (or leggings , skirts, dresses, of course)?

Mtnmommy

I go for leggings, full panel pants, fitted tunics, and fitted tops. I like Old Navy and Target for basics and more casual stuff. I like Motherhood for nicer pants and tops for work. H&M has some super cute stuff too. I like their maternity jeans the best.

LOTON01

I have really like Motherhoods leggings and long shirts.
I bought jeans from kohls and target and hated them. Ended up getting the Jessica Simpson brand and I love them.

lizerspitz

Since I have Ann Taylor rewards, I got a couple things from the loft maternity online, but doing more shopping it looks like they are highly overpriced compared to some of the other shops with similar styles. Im a store loyalists and they have petites that fit so I trust them first. I'll have to try motherhood maternity though. They're much more affordable.

lovesclimbing

I forgot to mention about pants. I have full belly jeans. I just can't see the shorter paneled ones or the side panel ones staying up very well, and anecdotal evidence from my friends backs that up. The full panel is slightly itchy, but I think I'll get used to it. 

JessyKV

I love splurging on a few basics at Gap.  Their leggings are so so soft.  Also their jeans are in actual sizes and come in longs.  If you wait for one of their 50% off sales it's not so bad and I end up wearing maternity stuff for the first 2 months after baby so I get a lot of use out of my stuff.  

I found a lot of cute tunics and stretchy shirts at motherhood maternity.  

I feel like target and old navy are a little more hit or miss for me for sizing and quality.  

I try to get away with a pretty basic minimal maternity wardrobe and wear the heck out of my stuff so I've had to buy some new each pregnancy.  Things get so stretched by the end!

I agree that the full panel pants are my fav.  The smooth and make you look more pregnant vs chubby.  They stay up and have support.  They can be itchy or cut in at the end but let's be honest, nothing is comfortable at 9 months pregnant! 

I also usally buy all my nursing tanks and bras at target but found some nice padded nursing tanks at motherhood I'm trying this time.  Less nipping! 

Waiting4Fred

I like the Motherhood jeans and the Pea in the Pod leggings (I would wear the leggings every day all day if I could)! 

zseirecarg

Motherhood has been my go to since they have had some awesome sales this holiday season. Jessica Simpson jeans with the full panel, motherhood leggings (cyber Monday they were on sale for $10) and a few of their "Bumpstart" long sleeve tops. 

ladylolly89

Most of my maternity clothing is from Gap or Old Navy because they are some of the few places that carry maternity for petites, plus consistently having awesome sales! I still have to size down in Gap maternity jeans but at least those fit most of the way through (last time until about 8 months).
 I love LOFT when not pregnant, but have not been very fond of their maternity selection so far. A lot their tops are short and wide - not the most flattering! I do like the leggings, though.
 
I only wear full panel; anything less feels like it's cutting into my belly and just hurts after awhile. 

roo1381

Swap.com!

onaed

I get bottoms from Old Navy, buy primarily do my shopping on Asos.com. Shipping is free and quick so I order a ton and return what I don't want once I've tried them on in the comfort of my own home. This has been good for dresses and tops and there's a good range in prices. 

anitamargarita_82

I bought a couple pairs of jeans.  1 from motherhood maternity and 2 from target.  I will say the target pants are much more comfortable. I have the full belly pants and the under the bump kind.  I always feel like the full belly pants are like wearing spanx a bit and I'll agree they can be itchy.  Anyone bought stuff from Pink blush?  Is it good quality?  

lmudra

I've also wondered about Pink Blush.  I'm normally plus sized anyway so I'm a little stumped as to what might fit as this belly gets bigger.  Pink Blush is one of the few places I've seen that has plus size 

GoodWitchoftheNorth

@Wearmi1 @lmudra I ordered my baby shower dress from there a few years back and LOVED it. Good quality, super comfy, and was able to wear it when breastfeeding. 

lovesclimbing

My sister has a couple pink blush shirts (none purchases from there. All acquired second hand) and she really likes them. She's looked on their site, too, and says they have some really cute stuff. 

doodleoodle

I love Motherhood for jeans, dress slacks, undies and nursing bras. I haven't found a go-to spot for shirts or undershirts. I have a lot of t-shirts from Victoria's Secret from pre-pregnancy that I was somehow able to still wear at 9 months pregnant with DD, even though they were size small. I only have one long sleeve t from there so I'm thinking about getting more that way I can wear it afterwards and it not be a total waste. 

ETA I really want to splurge on good quality nursing pajamas that will help me feel like less of a disaster in those first few months. Any tips?

kfry22

There is a really good multiple page maternity clothing thread over in July. I lurker there a lot and have browsed that one as well. Those ladies have some good ideas as well if anyone is interested in reading more about maternity clothes 

semicolon

My maternity pants consist of a lot of LuLaRoe leggings. Most of my shirts are from Target's maternity section. I am a big, lumpy person, but still prefer rouched and fitted things, so as to show that I am pregnant and not just a circus tent.

mamaelle27

@doodleoodle- they're not maternity/nursing, but Soma makes an awesome pajama that's great for nursing and forgiving on a new mom's body. The bottom is a flowy pant and the top is a thick strap cami with a shelf bra. It was easy to slip the strap off to nurse and enough support to hold nursing pads. You can also get button down or sweater style tops to go over that. They come in a million patterns. Highly recommend. I bought 2 pairs as my hospital outifts and wore them for months. 

brooklynmama718

I bought some jeans and tops from h&m and the gap. I'm a stitch fix subscriber and updated profile to pregnant. I've gotten some cute stuff from them that I've kept. Wearing my work slacks with the help of belly band. My bras are New since I've grown one cup size (maybe 1.5). I got Victoria secret wireless. 

Big question: my bump isn't big and my pants with big cotton waste are falling down. Will they stay up once bump arrives?

mamaelle27

@NYCProf- The over belly pants should stay up once your bump grows, so long as they're the right size. Right now they should be stretchy but not huge (mine stay up if I tug at them periodically), otherwise you may want to size down. They say to order your regular pant size so aside from the belly band, do the pants fit as usual?

ETA: What are the maternity price points on Stitch Fix?

brooklynmama718

mamaelle27 said:

@NYCProf- The over belly pants should stay up once your bump grows, so long as they're the right size. Right now they should be stretchy but not huge (mine stay up if I tug at them periodically), otherwise you may want to size down. They say to order your regular pant size so aside from the belly band, do the pants fit as usual?

ETA: What are the maternity price points on Stitch Fix?

Thanks for the info.! Stitch fix is $20 a month "stylist fee" but as long as you buy something, they deduct it. I'm attaching my receipt. I went overboard this time and the flats are Toms. You fill out your profile and your price point. Prices range....e.

Xath

It's also worth noting that there's a discount if you buy all 5 items in your box.  In most cases, if you like 4/5 it's still cheaper to buy the whole thing.  There's an active BST board on Facebook where folks sell or trade their extra pieces.

Ahutch428

I am also doing stitch fix for maternity clothes and I have been surprised at how reasonable the prices have been. I did spend $70 on jeans, but they fit great, and I feel like I will wear them enough. 

caribbeanmama-2

Ahutch428 said:

I am also doing stitch fix for maternity clothes and I have been surprised at how reasonable the prices have been. I did spend $70 on jeans, but they fit great, and I feel like I will wear them enough. 

$70 is a steal for maternity jeans that fit great.  After trying on dozens of jeans that looked horrible and or that were itchy, I finally caved and bought a pair of J brand maternity jeans (last pregnancy).  I wore those jeans 4-5 days a week for months!  Totally worth it - there is no other single item in my closet that has ever gotten more wear.  I can't wait to get my Stitch Fix delivery!  

brooklynmama718

caribbeanmama said:

Ahutch428 said:

I am also doing stitch fix for maternity clothes and I have been surprised at how reasonable the prices have been. I did spend $70 on jeans, but they fit great, and I feel like I will wear them enough. 

$70 is a steal for maternity jeans that fit great.  After trying on dozens of jeans that looked horrible and or that were itchy, I finally caved and bought a pair of J brand maternity jeans (last pregnancy).  I wore those jeans 4-5 days a week for months!  Totally worth it - there is no other single item in my closet that has ever gotten more wear.  I can't wait to get my Stitch Fix delivery!  

You're going to love it!! I do!!

lovesclimbing

I hit Value Village today and scored four tops and a pair of jeans for $27! Two were cotton/more casual and two were dressier. One of the tops was Liz Lange, and I'm really liking that brand more and more. Super cute. One of the dressier ones was Times Maternity. I definitely don't think it will work the whole pregnancy though. It just doesn't seem to have enough room in the belly for my belly to grow a lot more, so we'll see. (Saw so many tops while there that were labeled maternity but didn't look like they had much if any extra belly room. One was Julie's Closet Maternity. The way the belly is on it, it will definitely look better when I'm bigger. I don't know if it was stretched out a bit previously, but it looks like it's just how it was made. It has elastic on the bottom, so it doesn't just kind of naturally shrink at the hips like some maternity fitted t's do. Much more abrupt. Oh well. It's cute and will work better in another month or so. The last was Motherhood Maternity. Pretty drapey, which I'm not a big fan of, but it looks nice. If you order from them, order down a size. When I was looking at size charts on their website, it said I should wear a large, but this top was a medium and fit me well. 

The jeans were Oh Baby by Motherhood. Cute and not trouser leg, which it seems like a lot of maternity jeans have. They were just a regular boot cut. Very little fading or rips or embellishments on the pockets for style purposes, which is how I prefer my jeans (without that). 

alm52386

I got a $40 pair of jeans at Old Navy for $25! They have nearly the whole store on sale/clearance. The maternity section at the one by me is sooo small but they had a decent selection of jeans which is what I needed. 

jennas312

Tried maternity jeans on nye...kept falling down. Tried maternity pants for work....kept falling down. Back to leggings tomorrow until i get bigger I suppose. Belly band on old clothes is annoyingggg.

shmarpler

One thing to keep in mind is that maternity tips that are only a tad liberty in front will not last your whole pregnancy. Last time I was stuck looking for a few new shirts a week away from my due date because they would no longer cover my belly at work. Shirts with rouching are usually much longer. I also like fitted shirts better add they show your bump more, and I feel like I look less like a blimp.

lovesclimbing

jennas312 said:

Tried maternity jeans on nye...kept falling down. Tried maternity pants for work....kept falling down. Back to leggings tomorrow until i get bigger I suppose. Belly band on old clothes is annoyingggg.

I think this is going to be a problem for me the whole pregnancy. The first pair, either they stretched out or I'm slimming down (possible since I haven't gained a pound, and have actually gone down a bit) because they're loose. The second pair, I made sure to purchase tighter, but they still tend to ride down. Hopefully, it'll be better once the bump  is bigger (both are over the belly), but I think it's partially the fact that maternity pants don't really have a waist band. 

Are your pants under the belly or over? For what it's worth, everyone I know who's ever been pregnant says under are considerably worse than over with falling or riding down. 

ClaireCF

PSA: Loft is having a sale with an extra 60% off their clearance items and they have maternity stuff online! Just got a shirt and a work appropriate dress for a whopping $20. 

tjvan

I bought maternity tights at motherhood maternity over the weekend, and they RULE.

DewyK

I tried the Liz Lange plain long-sleeve maternity shirts & hated them. The neck is too wide and baggy on me. I love the Gap ones and have them in tons of colors. I do love the Liz Lange tank tops though and wear them often under cardigans and jackets. 

I've been pregnant 3 (now 4) times and have never found a pair of maternity jeans I like. Luckily my normal jeans still fit, so I've been wearing those with the belly band.

I've also been wearing Gap maternity leggings which I love. 

brooklynmama718

Gap is so annoying. I bought a pair of inset panel maternity jeans yesterday which I like because they can be worn with belt, and today I go on the site and they're 40% off. Bought the exact pair today and not have to return the other. Such a waste of time. I also got a pair of chinos today. I can't be wearing leggings to work. I need some slacks and the belly band is super annoying.

onaed

Any recommendations on workout gear? Old Navy has great maternity long tights (spandex) but they're basically sold out in every size.