April 2019 Moms

maternity wardrobe

I haven't seen a thread on maternity wear yet, so I thought I'd start one.

I started this pregnancy on the heavier side, so while I'm only technically 10wks, I have officially broken out my maternity wardrobe! (full disclosure, the belly is probably 60/40 fat/baby.) problem is, my first pregnancy was mostly during spring & summer. (and also 4yrs ago. my maternity stash needs a major upgrade!) 

I picked up a few things from motherhood today, but I yanked the tags off a pair of Jessica simpson skinny jeans I bought on sale during my last pregnancy (which ended in mc- therefore I never got to wear them). I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed! the belly band doesn't slip as badly as other bands I've worn. I'm eager to buy another pair or two!

and I had to buy a new bra today. *ugh* at least in motherhood bras, a 36 band fits perfect, as well as the G cup. but I KNOW these girls are only going to get bigger. HOOOWWWW does motherhood have G cups in 36 bands but not in 38?! (I tried 38DDD- it was a no-go). idk wtf I'm gonna do when I burst out of 36G :( anyone got any recommendations on good quality, supportive (aka wired- I've gotta at least TRY to maintain some sex appeal for the sake of my marriage) bras in larger sizes? 
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Re: maternity wardrobe

  • I've just asked for bra recommendations too, so I'm not super helpful but any chance you can find something online instead? Pre pregnancy I wore a band size that wasn't super common and unless I wanted to buy everything from Victora Secret, I shopped online.. just a random thought! 
  • I was a 34H before I got my breast reduction. I’ve never once come across a sexy bra in that size. Once you pass the DDD cup you are stuck with granny bras. Nordstrom’s has a good selection of larger bra sizes though, just none that turn up the heat. 

    I started this pregnancy at a size 12 which is depressing me because this is how big I was at 9 months pregnant with my DD. I definitely need to get some maternity pants because my current ones are giving me a huge muffin top. I’ve fallen in love with the cute maternity brands on Instagram, but it seems like 90% of their selection is dresses 
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  • @harveyisaboysname
    Have you tried pink blush for pants???
  • @kaleesi93 no, are they good? I really want some distressed black maternity jeans and some leggings because that’s more the reality of my wardrobe  :o
  • I highly recommend Poshmark for mat clothes. 
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • @kaleesi93, pre-pregnancy, I lived in my thirdlove bra. they have a nursing bra now, but not in my size :( my last pregnancy, I had a couple of nice bras from bravado designs. I'll probably have to turn to them in a couple of months.

    @harveyisaboysname, I should have been clearer. when I said maintain some fire in my marriage, I more meant a bra that keeps my boobs where they're supposed to be when I'm clothed :D (my husband doesn't care what kind of bras I wear b/c he only likes to see them on the floor) 
  • I am hard core coveting some Blanqi leggings right now since they are on sale. I have heard good things about support tank/belly band too. 

    Also I love my Knix bras. They aren’t super sexy but they do have some prints and cool colors. I think they go up to a decent size and I know they are working on expanding their size range as well. 
    this is my backup acct.
    prevously helloblueeyes

    Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 
     BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • @thatbaintforbetty, I follow blanqi on Instagram, too, and am dying for some leggings! but even I cringe at the price tag :s I got myself some leggings from motherhood today. 


    I tried a knix bra a while ago & the sizing was off. :( so I didn't go back. I may need to give them another shot.
  • @harveyisaboysname I've never met anyone who hated anything from pink blush, I knew they used to have faux stretchy leather leggings but I'm not sure about now, google instagram boutique maternity shops and see what you can find! 
    @batmama31 thank you  <3
    I've been eyeing thirdlove for soo long but the lack of support in their model pictures just makes me nervous to spend the money. I've also looked at a lot of bravado and kindred bravely but I don't like pull ons. Basically I'm just unreasonable with bras. 
    It probably stems from being a historical costumer and wearing all the corsets when I was younger. It's spoiled me for elastic 
  • I bought a few belly bands and extenders off amazon- I refuse to buy new clothes. 

    Me: 32 / DH: 33
    DD born: 3/31/19

     




  • @kaleesi93, truebody bras by true love!! idk about the ones for general population, but the truebody plus (basically plus size) is absolutely not supportive. but it IS the most comfortable thing my boobs have ever been in! as soon as I come home, I slip into that bra. I have 2. 
  • Having been pregnant around this same time last year, I bought a bunch of Motherhood Maternity pants and sweaters to mix and match, and they all shrunk like crazy!  Will try to avoid this time around. But I will agree that the Jessica Simpson maternity clothes they carry were really great - cute, comfortable, great quality!
  • jennb85jennb85 member
    edited September 2018
    I wear bras from Thirdlove and love them so much. They've been the best bras I've ever owned by far and are extremely comfortable and great quality. I know you can order a size when you first sign up and they'll ship it to you to try out. If it's the wrong size or you don't like it, you can send it back and try another size. I've had to exchange bras 2 times to get the right size, and it was easy to do. They give you 30 days to return or exchange it if needed if I remember correctly. They also have half sizes. I have smaller boobs (34C) though, and I don't know of many people personally besides my sister who have tried them, or anyone who has used them while pregnant. I'm starting to spill out of mine a bit and am wondering if I should order up a size, go with another more flexible bra for pregnancy (is this a thing so you don't have to keep buying new sizes as you get bigger?), or what. I don't want to spend a ton of money either, and I also don't know if I order a new size, what size to get. I just don't know what to expect!
  • @batmama31 I’m not sure how big the band sizes go, but Natori makes larger cup sizes. I wore a 28G before my son, and now I’m down to a 30DD, and that brand was one of the only ones I could find that carried my size and was actually pretty. 

    @sheknows6 just a warning, don’t expect belly bands and extenders to work all the way through pregnancy. As you have to unzip your jeans, the teeth of the zipper dig in to your growing belly - eventually it becomes unbearable. Take it from someone who put off maternity clothes for as long as possible last time. 

    I did find that a lot of my oversized sweaters could stretch over the bump during winter last time. But maternity pants are a must. And I’m all about pocket panels. 
  • @batmama31 I’m surprised they have 36G in the first place. I’ve only ever found a variety of G+ sizes in specialty stores. I started last pregnancy as 36/8 G/GG depending on the brand (Panache and Bravissimo, mostly) and I mostly wear a 40 GG now (though it’s not quite right because it digs into all the wrong places) or 38 HH (also not quite right). I haven’t gotten fitted since breastfeeding though so I need to go spend an hour trying on bras with a fitter again. Just google your nearest specialty bra shop and make an appointment. They’ll have nursing bras and maternity-savvy ladies.
  • @batmama31 I feel you on the price. Even the sale price for the leggings is still a bit cringe worthy. 

    The first Knix bra I bought fit funny, I exchanged it for a size up and i don’t think I’ll ever by anything else. Underwire free is the way to be, lol. 

    Also Old Navy long layering tanks are awesome. I had some from before i was pregnant with DD and they made it almost all the way through till the end and i have a long torso to begin with. Since i was due in July last time i pretty much lived in them and still wear them now. I actually need to get some more because they are finally starting to wear out.

    Also if you have a Burlington near you they usually carry maternity, and usually get stuff from Motherhood Maternity, Jessica Simpson and such. 
    this is my backup acct.
    prevously helloblueeyes

    Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 
     BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • I feel like I want blanqi leggings. But then I realize marketing is very powerful and there’s probably perfectly good maternity leggings for a quarter of the price. 

    I skimoed on mateeniry clothes last time. I am not fashionable and cute while pregnant. And I probably won’t be this time either. I take hand me downs from friends and just scrape a wardrobe together. 
    Me: 36 & DH: 40
    Married: November 2015
    DD 10/19/2016
    BFP:  8/20/2018 - EDD 5/4/2019
  • I discovered lularoe while nursing my daughter pp 2.5 yrs ago and I love it 70’ F and below, so most of my pregnancy I can just use that and if it’s too hot in April I’ll wear dresses. The way it’s flowy let’s me just wear my normal add a belt to emphasize how cute my belly is (I’m already on the round side of life... so...) and be comfy. 

    Planning on getting a huge comfy sweatshirt. 
  • I'd second the Poshmark recommendation! After trying a couple of things from cheaper places, I wound up buying almost designer everything for my last pregnancy, secondhand. You can easily find $175 jeans on sale for $40 or so on Posh or eBay - last time, I bought some Paige brand skinnies for $25!

    I did actually wind up sending back everything I got from Pink Blush, except a pair of shorts 'cause I was desperate . :P Maybe I just have a weird body type, but I thought all their stuff fit weird and felt cheap. I found the shorts stretched out a lot after a little while, in both the band and the legs, and looked saggy.  

    Thanks for the Blanqi recommendation! They may be a splurge this time around. Since I still like what I bought last time (all 10 things, lol) and winter means I can wear my open sweaters over tank tops, I'm hoping that maybe I can can get away with buying just 1 or 2 new things.

    So I guess my advice is: capsule wardrobe, high quality! On sale (like my bras from Pea in a Pod) or secondhand! 





  • I don't have any advice on bras (sorry @batmama31!) but I figured I should ask on this thread instead of starting a new one. This is my first pregnancy so I'm wondering for those who've had other pregnancies: 1. When did you start buying maternity clothes? and 2. About how much did you buy? This will be my one and only, so I don't want to go overboard. Luckily I wear scrub pants and a t-shirt to work so I think I can wear my normal ones for quite awhile longer.
  • I don't have any advice on bras (sorry @batmama31!) but I figured I should ask on this thread instead of starting a new one. This is my first pregnancy so I'm wondering for those who've had other pregnancies: 1. When did you start buying maternity clothes? and 2. About how much did you buy? This will be my one and only, so I don't want to go overboard. Luckily I wear scrub pants and a t-shirt to work so I think I can wear my normal ones for quite awhile longer.
    I started buying last time at about 20 weeks. This time I'm almost 10 weeks with twins and in mat pants. How much to buy is pretty subjective. I didn't need a lot of stuff last time as I was out of work and never got really big, but I anticipate this time things will be a little different. 
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • @rennie1108 I woul go with a minimum of 3 pairs of comfy maternity pants, and one dress. If you have tunic style shirts you can probably get away with wearing those otherwise a few tops and sweaters. If you’re planning to nurse I would only buy maternity clothing you can nurse in or look into nursing clothing instead- most of my nursing clothes are suitable for pregnancy and I’m still nursing my 2yo DS. So you might be in maternity/nursing clothes longer than you think. 
  • I like some of the motherhood nursing clothes, Jessica Simpson nursing clothes, latched mama drawstring floral tee shirt dresses are sooooo comfortable (I wear shape wear shorts underneath), and some pinkblush. 
  • FWIW I didn’t use nursing clothes at all. I hated them. The tops always stretched out and showed my bra after wearing them for half a day. I ended up just wearing T-shirt’s. I found I could quickly and easily stuck baby under my shirt and latch him on. The only skin that showed was a tiny bit of my belly and side. And if people are judging me for that, then f* them. 
    my favorite nursing bras were the ones that are kind of like a lightly padded swim suit? The ones I’d just pull to the side to pop my boob out. I never liked the ones with hooks and flaps- took that much longer to get dressed or undressed when nursing in public. 
    So I think I got like 2 pairs maternity pants, a pair of leggings, maybe 5-6 shirts (fewer than 10 anyway), two dresses?, two nursing bras... and that’s about it? No nursing clothes except a couple nursing tanks that I used for sleeping early on and didn’t need later. 
  • @rennie1108 I had 2 pairs of jeans, 2 or 3 dresses and probably 5 or so tops. I also had several pre pregnancy shirts that worked out still. And I probably started wearing the pants at around 15 or so weeks.

     I second looking for shirts/dresses that will double for nursing. Most of mine didn’t and I would have needed to buy more clothes if I ended up being able to breastfeed. 
    this is my backup acct.
    prevously helloblueeyes

    Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 
     BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • @TheSouffleGirl I didn’t like the fit of most of the PinkBlush clothes either. Their maxi dresses are nice especially if you have a wedding to go to. 
    I also don’t like most nursing clothing. I find the torsos are too short for me. I just find shirts or tanks that I can just pull my boob out of the top. Lol 
    @rennie1108 with my first I wore my regular jeans until 8 months lol but started to wear maternity shirts at like 20weeks. My second I was wear maternity pants at like 8weeks. This one my regular clothes are still comfy at 10.5weeks. So just go with how you feel and what makes you the most comfortable.

  • Thanks everyone. Great tips!
  • I hit up Target around 10 weeks last time and got a pair of jeans with stretchy panels in place of the pockets (hated them, because they constantly fell off my very flat butt), a pair of jeans with a full panel above the waistband (also fell down, but i could tuck the top under my bra to keep it up, so didn't hate), and a long sweater.  That covered me til 26 weeks/birth, though I definitely should have gone shopping for more.  I used a lot of yoga pants/athletic leggings, long tees, and wrap dresses I already owned.

    I was gifted several nursing shirts which are still in regular rotation 16 months later.  The best part about them was how I didn't have to be topless to pump.  DD bounces from boob to boob while nursing so they don't help with discretion in public, but they're comfy to lift at home.
  • Thanks, @blueberrymomma!  I may have to give their maxis a try, because some of them are way cute. :)
  • Piccola1988Piccola1988 member
    edited September 2018
    I bought so much last time!  Unfortunately a lot of it is for summer, but I do probably still have plenty for cooler weather.  I need to bust my giant bin out of the attic (who am I kidding? H will do it) As for my favorites...

    For every day kick around clothes I love Motherhood Maternity.  Their t-shirts/tanks are the best and never stretch out, and their leggings were my favorite too.

    If I wanted to look a little more presentable or had a wedding or party, Pink Blush was my go to. So much cute stuff and it all fit me pretty predictably.

    For jeans my favorite pair are Joe’s. Their maternity line is great - super comfortable and fits well. May need to get more this time!

    As for bras, Third Love is great in terms of appearance but is not as comfortable as some others, so I mostly wear those if I have somewhere to go.  Believe it or not my favorite every day maternity/nursing bras are Jessica Simpson’s wireless.  They are pretty supportive and don’t look too bad, plus they’re super comfortable.

    In a pinch, Amazon actually has some really cute stuff as well.

    Next I have to think about whether I need another coat. I have a nice warm wool wrap coat that I stuck with last time right up to when I delivered in December, but since we’re going to be pregnant allllll winter I may want another option just to change it up.

    Oh, editing just to add my two cents on nursing clothes... If you plan to breastfeed, I recommend buying nursing bras as you upgrade sizes because you’ll need them anyway and get way more use out of them than just bigger regular bras. Also, Motherhood Maternity has lots of nursing tops and sweaters that are even sort of cute and would probably accommodate a bump as well.  I bought sooooo much nursing gear after the fact because I hated being freezing with my boobs out all the time, and I probably could have been getting use out of it my whole pregnancy.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I purchased 3 pairs of maternity jeans at h&m today. They’re absolutely amazing!!! These are the first pair of maternity jeans that don’t give me a saggy crotch. They’re reasonably priced $35-$50 And come in all different washes with distressed style as well. 
  • @Piccola1988, I just bought a maternity coat off of zulily. everyone, I don't recommend zulily for very much maternity wear, but I did get lucky on a maternity swim suit last pregnancy. and since I'll need a reliable winter coat (we get ice storms), I took my chances again. I think the event is still on. you might be able to find one still!

    & I second what @Piccola1988 said about getting nursing bras as you need to size up throughout your pregnancy. I had no idea the first time around, and spent too much money on bras from nordstrom that I wasn't able to use again. idk for other women, but I know that during my pregnancy, and afterwards while I was nursing, my bra size changed about 6 times. now that I'm doing it again, I am not going to push any limits in the comfort of my boobs!
  • I found a I found a maternity section at my Ross. It’s pretty big so maybe other Ross/Marshall’s/tjmaxx stores will have them too. Shirts for $5 and pants for under $20
  • @batmama31 why don't you recommend zulily? I've never bought anything from them so I don't know anything  :#
    @kbirchtree oo there's a Ross right by my house, I'll have to check it out.. so far I'm just stalking mercari for deals... I'll seriously spend $30 on a diaper for my babys bum but I can't bring myself to spend $15 on jeans.. ugh
  • I definitely recommend getting actual maternity clothes, at least the pants. They are WAY more comfortable and then you don’t ruin your regular clothes by stretching them. Plus I think maternity stuff is more flattering than just sizing up. I’ve found lots of reasonably priced maternity clothes at old navy!

    I also hated nursing shirts! My daughter was a sloppy eater so she’d always dribble and my shirts would get covered in milk. Undercover mama tanks were the best! You wear it under a regular shirt and it clips onto your nursing bra. So you can keep your top shirt clean and keep your tummy covered if you prefer that. https://undercovermama.com/products/uc-mama-tank
  • Is there such a thing as a maternity sports bra? Or do I just buy a bigger size? I'm busting out of mine already!
  • I was definitely having a hard time with the idea of maternity clothes, and I was busting out of my regular clothes so I needed to deal with it. Had good luck trying on clothes in person at Target. (Online was a nightmare without knowing if anything would fit... :#)

    @rennie1108 I need new sports bras, too! I don't know about maternity, but I was going to look for ones that I can just clasp/hook instead of pullover. The pullovers don't feel good on my sore boobs!

    Picture of Target dress in spoiler
    Cute casual dresses at Target for my beginner bump. I'll pair with a blazer for work and call it a day.

  • @kaleesi93, b/c zulily carries a bunch of weird unknown brands, the sizes are wholly inconsistent & their size charts entirely unreliable. also, shipping is ridiculously long.
  • kaleesi93kaleesi93 member
    edited September 2018
    Thank you @batmama31 that sounds like what people say about the wish app and all those other china cheapie sites! I definitely don't need the drama haha! 
    @loveanddatadriven that color is everything! It's so cute! I haven't had much luck finding a maternity sports bra that isn't a pullover at least partly, but VS did make one that was a zip down the front even if it wasn't technically maternity.
    @rennie1108 there are maternity sports bras, motherhood has some, I'd just do a quick google search and see what you can find, I've looked at so many this week I can't keep track of what I saw where ugh
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