Maternity Clothes!

bumbly_b

What are you wearing? 

What do you love/what do you not? 

Any great deals?

bumbly_b

Some help with bras? I'm rocking sports bras now but they are starting to cut in so I need to find something else. 

chloe97

I just got this H&m coat and love it https://www2.hm.com/en_us/productpage.0509530002.html. I will be taking the Gap one I got back. 

lappymom2019

@bumbly_b I ordered a package of these off amazon because I wasn't sure how my body would change and I didn't want to spend a lot early. So far they are nice. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YGSEHC4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_6NeukStKls36U
For reference, I was a 32D and probably at least a DD right now.

GeorgiaGirl1230

I'm not wearing them yet, but I went ahead and ordered a pair of black work pants and a pair of jeans from Motherhood Maternity. I am impressed so far. The material is better than what I had from them 6 years ago with DD. The jeans were really soft. I stopped by Target Friday night and got a BellaBand. I like being able to wear my nonmaternity clothes as long as comfortable to do so. I haven't used it yet either, but I'm trying to be prepared.

bumbly_b

@lappymom2019 awesome  I think I will try those. I'm in  36DD normally so I'm a little worried but those look like they'd work great. 

kvh22

@bumbly_b I love Lively. I have the Mesh Trim No-Wire bra in a few colors from last pregnancy and it's awesome! Still wearing it postpartum. No underwire is key IMO.

I have a few maternity shirts that aren't ruched which are good for right now but didn't fit later. Ruched things don't fit me yet. I also bought a few drapey shirts and dresses from Gap that weren't form fitting and they looked HORRIBLE! I got such a good deal on them and it'd been so long by the time I finally realized they were never going to look good, I didn't even try to return them. For me, the form fitting shirts and dresses were much more flattering.

Some nursing clothes double as maternity. I have a bunch of stuff I bought postpartum for nursing that I wish I had purchased while pregnant. Bun Maternity is my favorite brand for this stuff although it's on the expensive side for simple items, but I LOVE them. Their tank tops and sweatshirts are my favorite. Great to be able to just throw on a cardigan over a tank top you can use postpartum as well! Happy to provide links or pictures if anyone is interested. You can find deals from them and they're also carried at department stores sometimes.

nonlinear_function

I was surprised by the cute stuff at Target! I got some lacy maternity/nursing bras, so i don't feel likela total slob. I also ordered a few things from Zulily, since their shipping takes forever. 

mrsclark731

I am team yoga pants all the way. I’ll steal my husbands XL sweatshirts and T-shirts. Such a perk of WFH.


I’ll probably grab a few cute tops/dresses from Old Navy for Thanksgiving/Christmas/when I’m feeling fancy. This is my last pregnancy and I’d rather not spend any money on something I can’t wear and be comfy in PP. 

DressageDarling

I got some Blanqi leggings off Amazon to try out and I love them! Right now they are 50% (along with some of their other stuff) with the code blackfriday 

ETA: the 50% off is for their website, not Amazon. 

jkduer

All the Gap brands are 50% off right now with one of their store cards for friends and family. Otherwise the discount is slightly lower but still totally worth it. I stocked up over the weekend.

optbaby2017

Stm and not really wearing maternity yet. My favorites from last time were mostly Target and Gap/Old Navy. Kohl's had some good stuff, too. I have a handful of things from Motherhood, and they are 50/50 still nice or look super worn out. Pink Blush is hit or miss, too, imho. And I have a dress from H&M that I like. My favorite nursing tank is Bravado. 

Don't ever pay full price for Motherhood or Gap/ON or Pink Blush. Wait a few days and there is always a sale. Also, consignment shops and Craigslist/fb marketplace are helpful. I acquired a grab bag of ten-ish pieces for less than $20. I only liked half of them, but they were still cheaper than new and were in good shape  

I am a 38G when not pregnant, so I paid to have some of my favorite brand bras altered into nursing bras. So worth it. I get my bras from a boutique that does this, but I have heard that Nordstrom does it, too. 

kvh22

So much of what @optbaby2017 said I could have said myself! Minus the bras since I'm only a 34C but that's brilliant!

thebobloblaw

I don’t really have any recommendations on brands, but as a STM came to offer some advice from my experience. Be mindful of what is going to work postpartum too, which can be hard this early on. 

I got so many cute maternity clothes, all the baby gear ready and set up, then came home and realized I had nothing comfy or that worked with nursing. I lived in the same two items for weeks, (because who is going shopping with a newborn right away in the middle of winter?). Plus if your going to spend all that money on a new wardrobe, it might as well be multi functional. You’ll also thank yourself for saving that money for other things down the line. 

lappymom2019

Any good recommendations for work appropriate pants? I am hoping the ones I ordered from Old Navy fit because so far every pair I have tried on has been a bust. I am naturally a pear so when I went up a size in maternity pants to fit my legs it looked like I was wearing a diaper.

DuchessOfCambridge

@lappymom2019 my last pregnancy I wore work pants from Motherhood Maternity. They weren't amazing, but they did the job. I had one pair of black bootcut and a couple of their skinny/straight leg work pants. I think they're just called ankle maternity pants or something.

lappymom2019

@DuchessOfCambridge Bummer! Those were the infamous diaper ones. I also tried on Target brand and they didn't work either.

DuchessOfCambridge

@lappymom2019 sad! I guess I didn't wear them until much later in pregnancy. I was mostly pregnant in the summer so dresses/skirts everyyyy day. I tried Target maternity jeans and they gave me diaper crotch too. Try ASOS! The side panel style might be better right now. They do free shipping and free shipped returns too.

mariposa_767s

@lappymom2019 I lived in leggings while pregnant last time.  I was the only thing that fit "right" the whole way through.  I just bought oversized leggings.  If you have a Ross, they have stuff too, but it depends on the day whether it's great or just meh

optbaby2017

I forgot to mention - Gap Factory online carries some maternity. It's mostly basics and usually you can get equal deals on "regular" gap, but another place to look. 

@lappymom2019 My best ones were from Motherhood, but they were still not great. Side panel ones looked better on my legs/butt, but I felt more comfortable in full panel. (I am also pear shaped and on the bigger end of sizes). 

DuchessOfCambridge

Oh @lappymom2019, I'm not sure what your work is like but I got leggings from motherhood that sort of look like pants with butt pockets and they fit me well now but will later too. I know they wouldn't have flown at my old office so not sure what your dress code is like.

stellarkelly

I am a yoga teacher and I need workout leggings that aren't see through when I bend over! Does anyone have a good recommendation? I'm thinking the Gap brand...thanks everyone for the recs so far, very helpful!

eatinwatermelonseeds

@stellarfit I have a pair I got from popfit that honestly I expect will fit comfortably most of my pregnancy despite not being maternity. They're very comfortable, have little pockets, are breathable, and are not see through. New buyers get a pair (or two) free I think. 

kvh22

@stellarkelly I have pair of beyond yoga ones I'm excited about. I've also been seeing adds for Senita but haven't tried it. Gap is definitely on the warmer side but not very stylish IMO. I have some and had an August baby last time and hated them as I got bigger and it was so hot. Beyond Yoga ones are so soft but $$$. I've gotten them on sale on their website and just found a pair on ThredUp (second hand site).

stellarkelly

@eatinwatermelonseeds - i've never heard of Popfit! Super cute and stylish. Thanks for the rec, 
@kvh22 - ah I didn't realize Beyond Yoga had maternity pants! Thanks for the heads up.

anonellis

@lappymom2019 I got a pair of Loft slim ankle length pants in both black and navy and wore them almost exclusively through my pregnancy.  I’m an attorney at a very conservative law firm and they were work appropriate and I think like $40 each. They have an over the bump full panel which I STRONGLY preferred, however, especially if you’re slim/have a flat stomach, they might feel weird and roomy for awhile until you have a bigger bump.  I had twins so it didn’t take too long for me.  

mbaymay

@lappymom2019 I have a pair of under the belly pixie pants ON from my last pregnancy that I never put away. They are my favorite! 

bpietronicco

Does anyone have any recommendations for good plus size maternity clothes?  I have a few items from motherhood maternity but not too many options.  Last pregnancy I had an August baby so have mostly summer maternity. 

kvh22

@bpietronicco I also had an August baby so stocked up on jeans and sweaters for this one when I saw sales. Not sure about plus size but I found good prices at Gap, Asos, H&M, and also looked at ThredUp for second hand stuff and ordered some things there that I'm pretty excited about (they arrived and it was a great experience, although you get free shipping for 30 days and after that you have to pay so I doubt I'll place a second order).

bluesky24

What would you guys do for formalwear? My sis in law is getting married at the end of February in NY. It'll be freezing. I'm not in the wedding (she's not having attendants) but it'll be fancy. Asos has some options but I feel kind of meh about them. 

kvh22

@bluesky24 Ugh I found this so hard last time. I liked a dress I ordered from PinkBlush but my boobs got too big for it and it looked horrible by the time it came to the wedding. My friend and I literally cut the dress apart to use the skirt and a long crop top she had (there was no gap!) from when she was a bridesmaid and had a similar style high waisted (non maternity) skirt. I would wait until closer to the wedding to try stuff on or order things with free returns. I thought I was being proactive and didn't know how different it would look only 5-6 weeks later. now have some wrap dresses that I think would work well and aren't maternity specific, so that might be a good idea. If you don't like how it looks with how pregnant you are, at least you can use it after the fact (they're great for weddings while nursing!).

bluesky24

@kvh22 good advice. I carried pretty small with my daughter, so I'm looking back at my week-by-week photos to see how big I MIGHT be. but you never know this time around, of course. 

optbaby2017

@bluesky22 Pink Blush or David's Bridal online. Gap and Motherhood/Pea in the Pod will also have some near the holidays, but often short ones. Also, I feel like baby bumps allow you to stretch dress codes, so even a black jersey maxi dress could work, with the right cardigan and accessories (that's what I ended up doing for a work fundraiser when I was 7mon).

DuchessOfCambridge

@bluesky24 Nordstrom has a bunch

knarlytaurus

@bluesky24 look into Rent The Runway. Although I used it while not pregnant for a fancy wedding, I hear they also now carry maternity clothes to rent. It was great! You could do unlimited for a month to try things on (up to 4 items out at a time) or just rent something for the event. 

bluesky24

I love RTR, @knarlytaurus! That's a great idea though I worry about not trying it on until a few days before the wedding. Eek. My SIL won't like that. @optbaby2017 @DuchessOfCambridge thanks for the recos. I just hate to spend so much $$ on a maternity evening gown - it's absurd because I truly will not wear it again. I'm in a women's group in my neighborhood. It might be worth asking if anyone has a fancy gown to borrow as the day gets closer...

kayforever

This is probably a silly question, but what brand belly bands have people used and liked? Or where did you get them? I'm a FTM and a touch lost.

I'm petite and really only bloating so far, but it's making most of my dressy casual work pants / jeans super uncomfortable especially by the end of the day. I mostly sit at a desk so I end up with the top button undone and hidden under my shirts. Pants are hard. Leggings are a no-no generally but if they have pants type details I should be okay. I was so tempted to wear yoga pants today help.

My small pre-pregnancy breasts are definitely not as small anymore and are already testing quite a few of my more form fitting shirts. Thank goodness for sweater weather and open cardigans / shirts I used to be able to button up that i can now wear opwn over a tank top or shell. I think new sweaters will be next on the list after the belly band / pants.

I'm going to keep the advice about dual duty nursing / post partum and maternity clothes from @kvh22 and @thebobloblaw in mind when I start buying things, I didn't think of that. Many thanks! 

chloe97

Just a word on postpartum clothes. I had DD the end of July and lived in my husbands basketball shorts and nursing tank tops in July and August and if I went out- I would throw on a loose fitting dress. I had lived in leggings, long sleeves t-shirts, and sweaters and didnt buy much summer maternity stuff. Luckily this time, it will be cold out almost all of my pregnancy, but keep in mind that the weather will be warmer after we have the babies, so the clothes you are wearing this winter may not work PP.

DuchessOfCambridge

@kayforever I think I got the Ingrid and Isabel ones. They were fine and got the job done but I didn't wear them for too long since I was mostly pregnant in warm weather and just switched to dresses. I'm actually giving them to a friend of mine who is pregnant with her first because I went straight from the hairtie trick to maternity pants

optbaby2017

@kayforever I just got the ones from Target.  One of them has a silicone ring on one side, which helps keep it in place, which is nice.  I had borrowed some maternity stuff from a friend during last pregnancy and she had two other brands in there.  They were literally all the same.  However, trick especially for the larger size mama's, the brand Belevation makes great stuff for later on (I have their band and their shorts).  It's more supportive on the back and stretchier around the bump, which gives support to achy backs and also gives some shape to the bump when you just feel lumpy.

minnemiska

@DressageDarling I have been eyeing blanqi leggings for a while so I am going to have to take advantage of that code ASAP! Thanks!