First time mom question about maternity wear

naki44

Hello everyone,
I'm very excited to be expecting my first baby in mid-Nov. I have a few questions about clothes as I'm hoping someone can help.
I'm 5'4 with pre-pregnancy weight of 121 and gained only a handlfu of pounds. I'm almost 10 weeks now and I haven't had much of an appetite because of the morning sickness and nausaea. I do see a belly there but I'm told it's water retention. However, when I am lucky to keep down a healthy meal, the belly does pop out quite nicely for a bit and that makes me happy.

I need some advice on clothes. Because money is tight at the moment, I want to budget myself with maternity wear so I would like to purchase as little as I can until hopefully the end of the second trimester, which then I'll have a better idea of my size.
For example, I bought some lounge wear and a few tops for the house and for errand runs that can be paired nicely with my pre-pregnancy pants. I bought everything is size small. The lounge pants feel comfy as i wear them, and they do feel like they provide for belly & pelvis growth for the next few weeks or maybe until week 20 or so. Same thing with the tops. I haven't bought any dresses yet. Any advice on jeans also would be appreciated. 

But I am starting to feel I'll be a lot more comfy with roomy clothes instead of tight fitting jeans that I have been wearing all my life. So maybe I'll prefer more comfy slacks then. Plus, I am not a sweats kind of girl - I'd prefer the 'dressy' look even in my house. But those louge pants I bought are airy and silky so anything 'roomy' and comfy will be my choice.
 
What I want to ask is, am I safe to assume size SMALL is good for me until week 20? I am now 126 pounds so I haven't gained much at all. I hope all weight will stay around my belly which I have a feeling it will. My pelvis is small, still very pre-pregnancy look, so I don't know how much weight I'll gain there. Again, this is my first. I am a healthy eater but never over-eat. However, I will eat when hungry since I don't want to spare my baby any nutrients! But I need to be thrifty with the clothes and save for baby. And I don't have anyone near by to borrow maternity clothes. I'm actually also excited about buying my own. Advice is appreciated.. 

harpseal135

naki44 said:

Hello everyone,
I'm very excited to be expecting my first baby in mid-Nov. I have a few questions about clothes as I'm hoping someone can help.
I'm 5'4 with pre-pregnancy weight of 121 and gained only a handlfu of pounds. I'm almost 10 weeks now and I haven't had much of an appetite because of the morning sickness and nausaea. I do see a belly there but I'm told it's water retention. However, when I am lucky to keep down a healthy meal, the belly does pop out quite nicely for a bit and that makes me happy.

I need some advice on clothes. Because money is tight at the moment, I want to budget myself with maternity wear so I would like to purchase as little as I can until hopefully the end of the second trimester, which then I'll have a better idea of my size.
For example, I bought some lounge wear and a few tops for the house and for errand runs that can be paired nicely with my pre-pregnancy pants. I bought everything is size small. The lounge pants feel comfy as i wear them, and they do feel like they provide for belly & pelvis growth for the next few weeks or maybe until week 20 or so. Same thing with the tops. I haven't bought any dresses yet. Any advice on jeans also would be appreciated. 

But I am starting to feel I'll be a lot more comfy with roomy clothes instead of tight fitting jeans that I have been wearing all my life. So maybe I'll prefer more comfy slacks then. Plus, I am not a sweats kind of girl - I'd prefer the 'dressy' look even in my house. But those louge pants I bought are airy and silky so anything 'roomy' and comfy will be my choice.
 
What I want to ask is, am I safe to assume size SMALL is good for me until week 20? I am now 126 pounds so I haven't gained much at all. I hope all weight will stay around my belly which I have a feeling it will. My pelvis is small, still very pre-pregnancy look, so I don't know how much weight I'll gain there. Again, this is my first. I am a healthy eater but never over-eat. However, I will eat when hungry since I don't want to spare my baby any nutrients! But I need to be thrifty with the clothes and save for baby. And I don't have anyone near by to borrow maternity clothes. I'm actually also excited about buying my own. Advice is appreciated.. 

Yes. That "showing" is not baby yet, it's called bloat. Not sure why bloat stomach would make someone happy, each to their own.  

Honestly, we can not answer your questions. You will gain weight at different times at inconsistent rates.   Will a small fit, maybe but a medium may fit better and be the better fit for down the road.  

For now, use a rubberband as an elastic "clip" to make you pants fit better when you are bloated. 

naki44

I guess I'm happy to be pregnant, but thanks for the reply.

coldlife2

There's no way to say for sure, but a general rule of thumb is to just buy maternity clothes in your pre-pregnancy size, and the fact that it's maternity will accommodate normal growth with the baby. That's worked relatively well for me. I say relatively because of course all brands' sizing is so different from each other, so I do have a variety of sizes in my closet that all fit me well. Maybe start with a brand you already wear that also offers maternity clothes. Old Navy/Gap, for example. While I personally don't like their maternity pants, I've found ordering the same size in maternity that I wear in straight size when I'm not pregnant fits me well.

ETA: as far as fitting down the road. In my experience, knit/stretchy clothing will always fit you. By that I mean, if it's not too small in early pregnancy, it won't be too small in late pregnancy. There are some clothes that would fit you know, but won't fit you later. In my experience, that tends to be woven (non-stretchy) clothing that is not long enough to cover a full-term bump. A loose or more flowy maternity top should be several inches longer in front than it is in the back. So keep an eye out for ones that look like they'll be too short later on. 

wednesdayschild

@naki44, I’m a similar size to you and wore small in every brand I tried. Honestly, I didn’t end up needing or wearing that much — I would wear what you’ve got in your wardrobe for as long as possible and skip “maternity” things except for what no longer is covered in your wardrobe. Example: if your jeans no longer fit, invest in one new pair and see how much you wear them to determine how many you need to buy. I only had two pairs throughout and did laundry. And get over the belly (vs those stupid side panels or belly bands — they work throughout entire pregnancy and a few weeks PP). Since you’ll be pregnant quite a bit in the summer and fall, you should be able to get away with wearing a lot of your regular clothes — more stretchy fabrics. If you like dressier things, dresses are also a great, comfortable option. So, in summary: don’t buy anything until you need it or it goes on sale, experiment with what you already have, and you’ll most likely be fine in your pre-pregnancy size (only thing that didn’t fit for me anymore was bra size, and I just got stretchy ones). Best brands for me: H&M, 1826 jeans, Target basics, and the tops and black work pants at Motherhood Maternity. Worst: gap (never fit), Blanqi (overpriced for quality), the sweaters and dresses at MM. Also, if you’re going to invest in one thing, the Align leggings from Lululemon are amazing layers, stretched through birth and still fit PP, can work out, etc. Best investment I made. Good luck! 

holly321

Like what @coldlife2 said, in theory, you should be able to fit in your prepregnancy size throughout the pregnancy, if you gain as you should, but all women are different, so it doesn’t always work out that way.  With each of my pregnancies, I was able to stay in the same maternity clothes from start to finish.

meggyme

You can also wear some non maternity clothes for a majority of your pregnancy. Lowrise leggings and stretchy skirts and maxi dresses and other loose fitting dresses work great and many you can wear afterward. If you are buying anything new, just keep boon access in mind if you’re planning to breastfeed.

Second hand maternity wear is a good value too if you are on a budget. You wear it for such a short period of time that it hardly looks used.