September 2018 Moms

Product Spotlight 1/22: Maternity Clothes

This is a place for FTMs to ask questions and S+TMs to share the wealth of knowledge they've accumulated on baby products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week it's.... maternity clothes
 
Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to absorb/respond to. If you'd like to recommend/ask questions about more than one product, please copy/paste the prompts as needed. httpsforumsthebumpcomresourcesemojismilepng 

For S+TMs: 

  • Favorite [maternity clothes brand]:
  • Link/picture:
  • Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
  • What you like about it:
  • What you don't like about it, if anything:
  • Is there a [maternity outfit] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
  • Is there a [maternity outfit] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: 
  • Additional thoughts on [maternity clothes]?:


For FTMs

  • [Maternity brand/clothes] you're interested in:
  • Link/picture:
  • Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
  • Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?:
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Re: Product Spotlight 1/22: Maternity Clothes

  • Patience7150Patience7150 member
    edited January 2018
    So my least favorite item(s) from last pregnancy was everything from old navy. The quality was so poor that most of my items did not last the full 7 months or so that I ended up using them. Yes, their prices are lower, but I ended up spending more because I had to buy more stuff in the end. H&M was hit and miss for me. Gap, pinkblush, and Target were my faves.

    One of the things I am still struggling with is undertanks. I used the old navy ones last time, but again, they're destroyed. Has anyone used the Duluth Trading no-yank tanks through pregnancy? They seem generously cut and extra long, so I think they'd be okay if I buy a size up. I don't think I'd get to use them after the pregnancy, but could use them for subsequent pregnancies. 
  • First off, I'm so excited to get tips on where to buy maternity clothes because I need some ASAP.

    Secondly, I have a specific question. I'm in a wedding this summer. Luckily, we're able to pick our own dresses but I don't know when would be a good time to order. I've found a few on Pink Blush Maternity that look good but they only have a 30 day return policy and that seems to be cutting it close since our belly's will get bigger every week.

    I guess my questions are, have any of you ordered formal maternity wear before? Where from? How far in advance should I get it? How soon to the even should I have it tailored?
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  • @Patience7150 so I don't know about that particular brand, BUT I did recently get a Sonoma every day tank top from Kohl's that's super long and will totally work throughout pregnancy, as a bonus it was only $9.

    I used Thred Up a lot my last pregnancy since maternity clothes are expensive. I liked Gap dress pants a lot, and also some of the motherhood maternity ones too. I haven't gotten anything out yet, but will update when I get to it.
  • I've been thinking about Thred Up. Sounds like I may need to give it a try. I pretty much lived in maxi skirts and t-shirts for DS (August baby). Work is more formal and very few of my peices will be useable here.

    Anyone have a brand of tights that they like? Usual ones are starting to bother me and I can't size up anymore without having an extra 7 feet (#shortlife).
  • @prpl11butterfly do you want under the bump or over the bump tights? I liked the h&m ones, but I think they were over the bump. I can't do over the bump until I have a legitimate bump to put them over. 
  • https://www.shoppinkblush.com/n-26-maternity.aspx

    My last pregnancy I got a few dresses for special events from this site. I thought they were pretty great. It’s called Pink Blush. 

    Also love Target for tees and old navy! 
  • With my last pregnancy, I bought all of my maternity clothes from Old Navy. I had to wear khakis or black slacks for work, so I bought one of each. They worked well, and I loved all the shirts too. The best thing about Old Navy was the price. 

    This time around, I will need a set of maternity scrubs to wear to work. Just curious if anyone else has had to wear maternity scrubs and which brands work the best. 
  • @SkilledSailor thanks sooooo much for starting the product reviews!!!!! I've been waiting for these posts to start.

    I'm a FTM so I have no experience with wearing maternity clothes but I've been researching them for awhile now. Most of my friends that are mothers in Houston have highly recommended the Pinkblush wrap dresses because they grow with you and they come shorter or maxi in length. They are also light weight. They told me that the site always has some nice dresses on sale. Looking forward to getting about 5 of them. The time of year that I'm due is normally when the heat index is up into the 115's so I'm going to need something very lightweight and breezy. 
    Me: 33 DH: 31 Baby: 9/2/2018 BabyFruit Ticker


  • Most of my maternity clothes (whether hand me downs from SIL or self-bought) were from the motherhood/ pea in the pod line. The work clothes and slacks especially have worn like iron through three pregnancies (she has two littles) and machine washings. I really like the target maternity tanks and stretchy maternity/nursing bras (I think they are called Ingrid and Isabel?). I also have one pair of leggings from that brand that were so comfy. My mom bought me a couple old navy tops which were fine but definitely didn’t hold up as well and are showing a lot of wear after just one pregnancy of use. I have my eye on maxis this go round. 
  • I'm also really interested in tips on tank tops or camisoles. Any brands you like? Duluth sounds like a good idea.

    I bought a few things for my last pregnancy from Goodwill since I wasn't sure what I would like. I liked the Motherhood Maternity belted shirts -- they were enough to camouflage me at work when I was starting to show. I need tips on work pants, though. I found my belly band worked well for jeans but not for dress pants. 


  • @adriat the motherhood maternity slacks held up really well for me. And no- the belly band doesn’t seem to work as well on the thinner/ more slippery materials if work pants. Some of my slacks worked using a stretchy maternity tank pulled over the button, but most didn’t. I went into maternity work pants with looser blouses pretty early bc it was just easier to look nice than have my pants look “saggy and weird” (DHs description last time) trying to work the hair tie or belly band. 
    I think these are the tanks from target I liked but it is hard to tell without seeing them and the fabric in person 
    https://www.target.com/p/maternity-seamless-ruched-tank-isabel-maternity-153-by-ingrid-isabel-174/-/A-52275692#lnk=sametab&preselect=52230573
  • I really liked Motherhood and Thyme. I'm in northern Ontario, so I had to order a lot of it online. I found it was quick with Motherhood, and once you know your size, easy to do. 
    I loved my belly band for the majority of my pregnancy (when I wasn't in my maternity leggings). 

    Image result for green dog

    Spoiler
    Me: 30 DH: 32
    BFP #1: 9/12/2015
    DD: 6/1/2016
    BFP #2: 1/16/2018 MC 2/2/2018
  • @Patience7150 thank you, I'll check them out! Over the bump is probably going to be best. I mean, my standard tights go up to my boobs anyway  :D.

    I found some decent t-shirts in walmart.com last pregnancy. Target was great too. I didn't really like much when I shopped at Old Navy so don't think I ever got anything from them.
  • @yogapants247 I really love the knotted t-shirt over top! Great idea. I had a few maxi dresses but the top design was way too cleavage-y for work. I'll keep that trick in mind. 

    Image result for green dog

    Spoiler
    Me: 30 DH: 32
    BFP #1: 9/12/2015
    DD: 6/1/2016
    BFP #2: 1/16/2018 MC 2/2/2018
  • I liked target stuff the best...decent quality and pricing. I got a few random cheap tops from Burlington. I liked the Motherhood skinny jeans (over the bump), but found most of their tops and dresses to be super expensive and not flattering at all. I have to agree that Old Navy’s quality was not the best but I liked their longer tanks and still wear them on occasion to bed. Overall, I just pieced together random stuff from random stores. I also got a super cute dress for my shower off amazon. 

    Also, Dress Barn carries some really stretchy, flattering “regular” dresses that accommodate a bump well....that’s where I got my Christmas dress from. 

    @katethemom I wear scrubs to work and just sized up my bottoms one size and wore a plain maternity tee with a scrub jacket over top. All of the maternity scrubs I found were super hideous (super thick over the bump panel and short legs with way too much flare) and way overpriced. 

    Overall, I’m totally opposite season this pregnancy (was March 17), so it looks like I’ll be buying a mostly new maternity wardrobe! 
  • @yogapants247 what did you wear for shoes? I had a February baby last time and just ended up wearing uggs the entire last month. Did you have feet swelling at all? 
  • @SkilledSailor Have you considered an infinity dress? They make them from different fabrics, and plenty look nice and formal. The great thing is they're super flowy and completely adjustable - the fit really depends on how you tie the straps. Then you won't need to worry about getting it altered. 
  • @bumblenaut No I haven't heard of these. Where can I find them?
  • bumblenautbumblenaut member
    edited January 2018
    @SkilledSailor I've been thinking about maybe one of these. I have a formal event to go to in June, but need to buy something fairly soon. I've been trying to find something that won't look wonky with a growing belly, and here we are.
  • @bumblenaut Oh! I have seen one of those. LuLu's has a similar one. I was just nervous I wouldn't tie it well enough and I'd end up with a nip slip during the ceremony. Probably overthinking it though. 
  • @SkilledSailor Ahhh, that would be slightly mortifying! This store gives you a bandeau in the same shade, thankfully. You have to order it separately, but you don't have to pay for it. At least from what I was reading. If you end up getting something like that, just get a same-color thing to wear under. I'm still on the hunt for something better, but this'll be a back-up for me. Good luck on your quest.
  • I’ve always purchased my maternity clothes at Thyme. It’s expensive but I was able to use most things for multiple pregnancies and I really like the styles they carry. 
  • Gap body maternity tees & tanks. Lived in those both times. I prefer to wear the more snug-on-the-belly styles to give myself some shape. A couple pairs of maternity slacks. I wore lots and lots of dresses though, or wore tees with a nice cardigan/Blazer and scarf...I got away with not having to invest in much maternity wear. I think a lot of maternity wear is a racket, it can be super super expensive and isn't always necessary when there are accommodating styles already out there. Except the over the belly pants when I was huge toward the end...those were necessary! 
  • Couple folks from work suggested lularoe. You can wear your same size before and after pregnancy. I've been wearing some of it but the leggings sometimes bother the belly after a bit. Anyone tried lularoe for their previous pregnancies? 
  • Anyone try Le Tote or a similar service that has business attire? The thought of buying work maternity clothes for what will likely be my only pregnancy seems like a waste....
    TTC since May 2013
    Mild PCOS, Compound Heterozygous MTHFR
    No Folic acid/pharmaceuticals/supplements (too many to list- private message me if interested), IVIL infusion
  • @ropemaker a friend of mine used to sell LLR so I had a couple things that I wore during my second pregnancy. The leggings got really uncomfortable really fast, but I also carried low and couldn't stand the pressure of the waistband, I needed the maternity panel. I wore Randy tees and I had a Julia dress that was flattering for work. 
  • @lablover78 I haven't tried Le Tote, but I was surprised by how few business clothes I needed last time. My "uniform" last time around was black maternity dress pants (I had 2-3 pair), a maternity tank or t-shirt, and a blazer...you don't have to button it, so I didn't even have a maternity blazer. Usually with a long necklace. The t's and tanks I could also wear on the weekend with jeans. My seasons were different last time, so I'd occasionally just wear a maternity sweater with the dress pants instead, but you could just get 1 or 2 blouses to rotate each week with the blazer outfits. 
  • @ropemaker I have no idea how anyone wears lularoe while pregnant. They come up nearly to my bra normally, and while they are stretchy, it's not enough to get me past about 14 weeks.

    Also, while I love the concept of maxi dresses, I got so much thigh chafing from them, and unless I was literally indoors the entire day they kept me too got last time. For an office job, yeah, OK-I'm in air conditioning and not walking around a ton. But for the time I wasn't working I need actual shorts. Starting in second trimester I get super hot and a long dress or skirt just doesn't keep me cool enough.

    I mostly did motherhood brand shorts, they worked fine. 

    My problem is with jeans/pants. Seriously every pair of maternity pants I own (and am already wearing) just slides down all day. Constantly, and it drives me nuts. Skinny jeans, flare jeans, leggings, yoga pants, they all fall down. Doesn't matter if it's full panel, short under belly panel, or side panel, they just sag more and more. Maybe it's just my shape? Even as I get bigger, it doesn't get better.
    _______________________________________________
    Spoiler
    Me: 33
    DH: 32
    Married 7/18/15
    1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16
    Team green turned BLUE!
    2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18 
    Team green turned PINK!
    Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

    Pregnancy Ticker
  • I saw one quick mention but otherwise none... what about bras? Underwear? I'm a FTM, 38, short and curvy. My regular bras (38D) are already a bit uncomfortable :/

    Andrea -- FTM at 39!


  • @pourmeamocktail I feel like I had some of that sliding/sagging with my jeans too. I think I chalked it up to wear as the day went on, just like my regular jeans get "comfier" throughout the day. :P I hope you can find some that work better for you this time around! There are definitely more premium brands... a couple at Macy's that I can't remember the names of off the top of my head. I wonder if those have a more contoured fit? 
  • @hoosiermama-2 It's very possible that a premium brand would fit better, but honestly I'm just not that into investing more money, lol. I can get by with pajamas at home, I have two pairs of jeans for work. Give it another two months and I'll be OK in dresses and capris probably. I'll be glad when it's not pants weather, and I'll be grateful that what I wear to work isn't fancy at all. :)
    _______________________________________________
    Spoiler
    Me: 33
    DH: 32
    Married 7/18/15
    1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16
    Team green turned BLUE!
    2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18 
    Team green turned PINK!
    Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

    Pregnancy Ticker
  • @wkuandrea I bought two pairs of nursing bras from Motherhood that were very comfy, along with some sleep nursing bras. 

    Image result for green dog

    Spoiler
    Me: 30 DH: 32
    BFP #1: 9/12/2015
    DD: 6/1/2016
    BFP #2: 1/16/2018 MC 2/2/2018
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