Wish I knew that - Mat Clothes

livinthesunnylife

Weighing in on the BFing in public.  You'll figure out what works best for you.  My little guy had a hard time getting latched right in the beginning and was really distracted by everything else going on.  So I usually had to find a private place to feed him without other people around to distract him.  Don't laugh, but something about the backseat of my SUV put him in the perfect position.  So often times if we were at a friends or out in public, I would just go nurse him in my car.  Whatever works for you. 

cthulu

I’m going to add another one. Steer clear of polyester or anything not cottony feeling. I bought some maternity tops off zulilly and they were that polyester blend feeling material and they never got worn because HOT. Cotton and cotton blends all the way. 

LC12261012

amac12999 said:

Has any one tried Latched Mama nursing clothes? I don’t think they existed when I was nursing my son, but now I keep seeing a lot of advertisements for them, and they look too good to be true.

I only have a dress because the clothes are expensive, but I love that dress. It’s well made and flattering. Worth the money, imo. I don’t plan to bf this time around but I can still wear it as maternity so I feel as through I got my moneys worth. 

derbysquirrel

Are all the Jessica Simpson jeans skinny leg? I HATE skinny leg jeans, and would really like a boot cut or wide leg pant. Even a straight leg would be acceptable, but I am already an inverted triangle shape, and skinny jeans make me look ridiculous. I'll be grateful when this style cycles back out.

kc0711

@derbysquirrel Target, Gap, and Old Navy all have boot cut pants. I have a pair from Gap that I really like. I wear boots to work (I work on a therapy farm) so I like having boot cut pants to wear on the days I’m in the barn and in boots all day. 

Piperella

@derbysquirrel I have bootcut JS jeans.  I'm not much on skinny legs either.  I bought mine online versus going into the store.

dirtanddiamonds

Today target had their tank tops (Maternity) half price. The blacks, whites and grays were not mark e down. But all the colors were. So only $5. They will be invaluable this summer. And Targets maternity shirts are always plenty long. I’m 5’9” and I’m all torso lol so length is very important!

rocknrrollmom

@derbysquirrel the JS ones I have are boot cut and very flattering. I normally go for skinny legs so I'm super glad I got these because at the end of my pregnancy, my feet were so swollen. All i could wear to stop the swelling were compression socks and athletic shoes. It was quite the look but sort of hidden by the boot cut lol

ecwk

motherhood maternity had an additional 40% off clearance today! Picked up two awesome tops for the summer for $20! 

Idk if it was just that store or if it’s every store and I don’t think it was *just* today.

aj1327

LC12261012 said:

amac12999 said:

Has any one tried Latched Mama nursing clothes? I don’t think they existed when I was nursing my son, but now I keep seeing a lot of advertisements for them, and they look too good to be true.

I only have a dress because the clothes are expensive, but I love that dress. It’s well made and flattering. Worth the money, imo. I don’t plan to bf this time around but I can still wear it as maternity so I feel as through I got my moneys worth. 

Thank you! I nursed DS for 10 months and really want to make a year with this one, so I’m willing to buy some decent nursing clothes but didn’t want to spend the money if these suck. 

Others have said differently but I only bought like 3 nursing tops last time and wore them any time I was going out because I felt it was so much easier to nurse discreetly. I also ruined quite a few tops from pulling them down so I really want to avoid that this time and plan to treat myself to some decent nursing tops & dresses. 

PregoMego2015

Gap maternity jeans are my favorite!  But if you are going to buy maternity clothes buy it from a store with a good return policy.  I bought a whole bunch of work clothes from the department store, Macy’s.  They were from destination maternity, a pea in the pod, etc. I ended up having a miscarriage so I returned most of them because they were more winter clothes. But if you don’t end up wearing them you can take them back.  Macys had 1 year to return!

redheadbride15

For professional attire in summer, I’m a huge fan of stretchy jersey material non-maternity dresses. Wrap styles in particular! I have about 5 -6 of these and that’s all I wore during the last month of my first pregnancy. Dresses are WAY more comfortable than pants when you’re huge, and the extra bonus is that you’ll be able to keep wearing them! 

hfooter

I actually try to buy clothes that will work for postpartum as well as pregnancy. Otherwise it’s a waste of money. A few pairs of jeans and leggings and shirts. During the summer I’ll wear a lot of maxi dresses. 

hoff079

Where do you buy Jessica Simpson maternity jeans?  With all the raving I may have to get a pair....

livinthesunnylife

hoff079 said:

Where do you buy Jessica Simpson maternity jeans?  With all the raving I may have to get a pair....

Destination Maternity (or Motherhood) has Jessica Simpson stuff

rocknrrollmom

@hoff079 I randomly found mine at Buy Buy Baby in their small maternity clothes section. Not sure if that store is everywhere. Amazon also has some but I bet they'd be cheaper in store

laurasue0513

Two things: invest in a good pair of designer jeans.  Honest to God. I realized in my third pregnancy that I wasted so much $$ on cheap stuff that was ill fitting and uncomfortable. I finally got a pair of AG maternity jeans with #3 and I wore them every day well into third trimester. I mean even the belly panel was a soft quality cotton stretch.    Also, #3 was an August baby. (She and #4 will be exactly 2 years apart and literally same due date) and Aug was hot as hell.  No clothes you buy will be comfortable. I suggest staying away from the clingy tighter mat shirts and buy cotton flowy tops.  Splendid had some great cool tank tops that I lived in.   Oh one more thing, the lower belly panel was great until like 20 weeks.  Over belly was much better and supportive for later on.  

elsieisamoocow

1. Don’t buy things full price. There are great sales happening now, and I’m sure at the end of the spring there will be more. I just got a bunch of tops and shorts from Gap, Old Navy, Pink Blush, and Motherhood, for probably less than $200 total. A couple of sundresses and I’ll be good to go. 

2. When looking for maternity tops, I suggest buying those that have either scoop necks or v-necks so if you’re home or sleeping in that top, you can totally go braless and just pop the boob out for bfing. I had a ton of old navy mat tanks from DS’s pregnancy, and they became my sleep shirts since we coslept and breastfed.

3. I loooove maternity tanks. I wish the ruching wasn’t so obvious on the sides or I’d wear them forever because I’m tall and they’re actually long on me! 

4. Stretchy is good. In my first pregnancy I got a couple of dressier tops and never ever wore them because they were stiff material and I just didn’t feel like ever trying to wiggle into them. 

5. Get a couple of comfier bras (nursing, ideally) for now, but remember that at the end of pregnancy and especially when your milk comes in, you may go up more sizes. So don’t buy the super expensive ones until you even out after baby is here. 

IvorySoapGirl

I got a Bella band when I was pregnant with DD. I thought it was great that I was able to wear my regular pants a little longer, but I realized postpartum that being worn unbuttoned and partly unzipped ruined my favorite work pants. This time I'm jumping straight into maternity pants. 

kburg15

Echoing a previous poster, do not buy ANYTHING full price. There’s literally not a single reason to because all of the best places have huge sales all the time (Gap, Pink Blush, Motherhood Maternity, Old Navy, etc). 

Nursing in public made me self-conscious not because of my boob/nip, but because of my stomach showing if I pulled my shirt up. It’s also hot as balls in the Midwest in late summer, so I wasn’t about to wear 2 shirts anywhere. I bought a Milk Snob cover which I loved (and helped DS focus when he got to the easily distracted age) and it can also be used as a car seat cover in a store if baby is sleeping, etc. 

I work in an office where we can wear jeans so most of my wardrobe was full panel skinny jeans and Pink Blush tops. Outside of work, I lived in dresses—maxi or knee length. They’re so much cooler and more comfortable without any restrictions around the belly. 

I also had built in panel maternity shorts and a couple pairs of short panel capris (these started to dig in by the end). I liked them as something a little dressier or nicer for work or shopping, etc when I felt like a whale. 

Taylovesbrad

Does anyone have maternity leggings. They actually like? I’m struggling to find some! 

laufisch

I love mine, I got them from motherhood maternity. https://www.motherhood.com/secret-fit-belly-maternity-ruched-maternity-leggings/001-93287-000-001.html?cgid=clothing-leggings&dwvar_001-93287-000-001_color=006-93287-01#start=1 

Does anyone have suggestions for maternity swimsuits? I didn't get one last time but my son love to swim so I'm hoping to get something in a couple of weeks.

aj1327

^^^ My leggings are from motherhood too and I love them! 

I also would like a good swim suit recommendation for the same reason @laufisch

lalala2004

I just kept wearing my regular swimsuits and they were all stretchy enough. I imagine I’ll be able to do the same this time unless I carry differently. I would just hate to spend money on something I didn’t really need.

hfooter

I just wear a reg bikini. No need to cover up that bump! 

I cant tell you how many compliments I got from other women about how nice it was to see a baby belly out and about at the splash pads. 

Edit: and I gained 60lbs with both pregnancies so it’s not like I was a skinny mini.

NAP1029

I know this was touched on a couple weeks back but I just wanted to reiterate: Target’s maternity tanks are the bomb. They’re long and soft with no ruching—just perfect stretch. I have several colors from my March 2015 baby and they’re still my go-to tanks. I will wear them forever—regardless of whether or not I’m pregnant. They’re perfection! 

livinthesunnylife

Bla, since this thread isn’t still going I’m going to whine that some of my maternity jeans from last time feel tight in the hips already.  

lalala2004

@hfooter did you not have stretch marks? I still won’t wear a bikini because of my stretch marks. Maybe some day they’ll fade enough, but I expect I’ll get even more this time around. I don’t want to see them. So I assume no one else does either. 

coffeecocktailsandcake

I loved the full panel pants/shorts, even in the summer! The fold down panels made me feel like they drew attention to my love handles.  And it's so hot it's not like I was sending much time inside.  Everyone has covered everything pretty well.  I'll just add on maxi dresses and skirts.  I was in regular Target maxi dresses/skirts until delivery.  

Oh, I thought of something.  Last time I bought a bunch of nursing tanks before the baby.  That was fine because I could wear them with a full pregnancy bump, but after it was annoying because the stomach was all baggy.  Once I finally found some nursing tanks that were slender in the belly I loved wearing them again post partum.  So, consider that when buying.  I nursed for 13 months and about 11 of those I preferred the slender ones over the baggy ones.

hfooter

@lalala2004 I do have some, they are popping back up again. But not as bad as they can get. I get them worse on my thighs actually.

I got them on my boobs too. Oh well.

calimom2524

I love full panel bottoms at all times, even in the summer. Any other style of maternity bottom makes my bump look weird and not round or cute and it's super uncomfortable. I also never bought any nursing clothes of any kind, to me a nursing bra was unnecessary as you can pull your boob out of any bra with or without the little clip. 

elsieisamoocow

calimom2524 said:

I love full panel bottoms at all times, even in the summer. Any other style of maternity bottom makes my bump look weird and not round or cute and it's super uncomfortable. I also never bought any nursing clothes of any kind, to me a nursing bra was unnecessary as you can pull your boob out of any bra with or without the little clip. 

Your boobs must be wayyyy bigger than mine I just tried that with my normal bra and nope, no can do haha

calimom2524

Haha they're big and also pretty floppy and saggy from nursing 2 kids so it's pretty easy for me to maneuver them however I need to. Plus side to floppy boobs, I guess 

princesslockness

I'm with @calimom2524. I did like nursing bras for work. It made me feel 'less naked' with that band/strap all around the boob. But yes, I can easily pull and maneuver to pump with a regular bra. Its kind of sad, but H doesn't care so I guess I don't have to feel as bad. 

derbysquirrel

Does anyone know where to find nursing bras in... unusual sizes? Pre-pregnancy I was a 30G, now I'm wearing a 34G, which is a little loose, but I wanted more space to grow. I have no idea where to even look for a nursing bra.

calimom2524

derbysquirrel said:

Does anyone know where to find nursing bras in... unusual sizes? Pre-pregnancy I was a 30G, now I'm wearing a 34G, which is a little loose, but I wanted more space to grow. I have no idea where to even look for a nursing bra.

Nordstrom will convert any bra you buy from them into a nursing bra. I have found they have the best customer service in the bra department. 

livinthesunnylife

derbysquirrel said:

Does anyone know where to find nursing bras in... unusual sizes? Pre-pregnancy I was a 30G, now I'm wearing a 34G, which is a little loose, but I wanted more space to grow. I have no idea where to even look for a nursing bra.

I don't think 34G is unusual so you're probably good now.  I was somewhere between 36G and 38H while I was nursing and I found that there are no stores where you can try the best nursing bras on, so it's trial and error through websites.  My favorite was the Cake Lingerie Croissant.  Here's a ridiculously long link:

https://www.barenecessities.com/product.aspx?pfid=CakeLingerie241016&cm_mmc=GLPA_NonBrand-_-Bra-_-CakeLingerie385-_-CakeLingerie241016&BillboardPopupEnabled=false&BorderfreeEnabled=False&color=Raisin&amsk=w9a4hfr3k4&mrkgcl=856&mrkgadid=3021532830&rkg_id=h-c7b10db089d2f3564f82277b681f1186_t-1517943610&source=gbase&cmp=bpp20&product_id=615946&adpos=1o2&creative=86409445135&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAiAweXTBRAhEiwAmb3Xuy3Tn6RFt3XcMtfN8Yf565xp93kd3e_NtLry-Ej3Ju4Mb4hv04U8WRoCC4cQAvD_BwE

hfooter

@derbysquirrel I blew up to a 34 G with my first and found a bra at Nordstrom. 

livinthesunnylife

I didn't feel like nordstrom had the best selection of nursing bras in the store.  They had 1 or 2 in my size that were underwire.  I don't like the wireless ones. 

calimom2524

livinthesunnylife said:

I didn't feel like nordstrom had the best selection of nursing bras in the store.  They had 1 or 2 in my size that were underwire.  I don't like the wireless ones. 

That's why you find any bra that is comfortable and have them convert it for you!