Houston Babies
Options
Questions that have probably already been asked...
Sorry if they've been asked a million times. I would search but let's not open that can of worms...
When did you start showing? Even a little...
When did you switch to maternity clothes?
The pictures of me in a bathing suit from this weekend made it clear to me that I'm pregnant but I mostly just look kinda fat and flabby in the belly area. I still fit in my pants comfortably but definitely prefer when I wear some shorts/boxers/capris with elastic bands. I don't think I'm ready for maternity clothes since I still fit in my pants but wanted to see when everyone started wearing them.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Questions that have probably already been asked...
So Tasty, So Yummy
Showed around 15 weeks to me, to others around 20 weeks. Bought a few 2 size up pants to get through the transition period, and went to maternity clothes around 20 weeks.
This. I think I started showing around 21 or so weeks. Until then, I just felt (and probably looked) fat and flabby.
I would invest in a Bella Band. Those things are a GODSEND. They're perfect for that in-between stage when you're bloated and can't really fit into your regular clothes, but maternity clothes are too big. I got mine at Motherhood Maternity (there's one on 518 next to the Shell gas station on the right, facing the road). You put it around the waistband of your pants and keep your pants unbuttoned/unzipped, but it keeps them up, and enables you to wear your regular pants for a while longer.
I bought a pair of maternity pants at 12 weeks....soooo comfy. I never really wore maternity shirts, certainly not the structured kind (just t-shirts because they were longer).
I didn't get all that big so to most people they couldn't tell I was pregnant until 28+ weeks. I carried Amelia very high and internally until the end.
My pants started feeling tight really early, about where you are. And I was only gaining like a pound a month in the early part. I think I had gained 6 lbs by 5 months but had a distinct basketball under my clothes.
But I don't have a lot of room between my rib cage and top of my hip bones so she had to stick out somewhere. I was definitely "showing" to other people by 14 to 16 weeks but had already moved to either bigger or maternity pants by 12 weeks (can't remember exactly) because my waistbands on my other pants were too tight.
- Paula Deen to 104.1 KRBE's Producer Eric 9/17/2011
I started wearing maternity pants about 10-12 weeks. I wasn't really showing yet but my regular pants didn't fit anymore. You could get away with buying a bella band or bigger pants BUT stretchy-waistband maternity pants are the most comfortable things ever. And it's nice not to have to fool with buttons/zippers or adjusting a bella band every time you go to the bathroom. Make the switch and be comfy!
Ditto. I bought a size larger in pants (maybe 2-3 pair?) b/c I thought I would use those after I went back to work, too (turns out, I ended up losing the weight, so I haven't), but I would just wear the bella band with them and I wore them unzipped up until the day I delivered! I only had 1 pair of mat. pants - they had a little band, and it was kind of annoying b/c it would fold itself in the material when I pulled them down for the bathroom or osmething. But I didn't like the big ole line on the tummy that the full belly bands gave me.
i started wearing bella bands around 14 weeks. they were just more comfortable than belts, though my pants still fit when buttoned. i was unbottoning my pants with them around 16-17 weeks. i was able to get away with wearing my regular pants and bella bands until about 7.5 months when it just became too uncomfortable to do so.
you know what i wear to work, so i didn't really need a lot of maternity stuff except for weekends, etc. my sweats and yoga pants that i wear to work fit just fine through my entire pregnancy.
I'm extremely short, so it didn't take that long for me either. With this pregnancy (my 2nd), I started putting the bella band on around 13-14 weeks or so...but I could still button my shorts without it. I just used the Bellaband because it was more comfortable when sitting. I was able to use it and no maternity pants until about 27 weeks and then switched over to maternity pants.
I've been wearing maternity shirts for a long time though (around 16 weeks probably) because my boobs grew so fast my other shirts looked stupid.
I totally feel your pain on the "just looking thick / fat" in the stage you're in right now. It's so hard b/c you just want to scream "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant." Or at least I did :-)
I had a LOT of bloat until about 13 weeks and look fat. Then I went thru a 2-3 week period where I looked quite a bit less pregnant. About 15 weeks it started to be more of a 'bump.'
I've been wearing maternity tops for a while because my work ones were too short. I'm still in my work slacks with the Bella Band (YAY!!) but I have to wear a maternity shirt each day to cover the band.
I have been wearing maternity casual clothes for a while, but that's mostly because I didn't have many casual clothes of my own. And these are super comfy.
ETA: my pants don't zip at all and hang wide open, but they fit in the butt/thighs so that works perfectly for me. I think it's more comfy than the one pair of maternity slacks I have.