PSA on how maternity clothes fit
perry7285
member
we have so many first tri ladies here, i thought i'd do a "what i wish i knew before buying maternity clothes" post. (other 2nd/3rd tri ladies, please post your thoughts if what i say wasn't true in your experience!)
so you know how they say you should buy your pre-pregnancy size? for me this worked for pants . . . but for shirts, it's not about pre-pregnancy size--it's all about what your newly enlarged pregnancy boobs will squeeze into, and breast changes during pregnancy are kind of unpredictable. i bought a lot of small/medium clothes that now don't fit just because i'm a D-cup. if a shirt or dress is made of non-stretchy material, i need a large, even though i wore a small pre-pregnancy. so especially if you're starting out well-endowed, beware clothes that are too small in the chest!
okay, that's my PSA. don't waste money like i did on dresses that won't fit, LOL. happy shopping everyone!
Re: PSA on how maternity clothes fit
I got away with wearing regular shirts with an empire cut my entire pregnancy. I am pretty small chested, an A cup when not pregnant, B while pregnant and the maternity tops showed my lack of endowment, since most tops assume people will bust out the bust, all it showed for me was a saggy chest. Don't be in a hurry to buy a ton of things right away, just take it as it goes.
Also, I waited about a month longer then I should have to buy maternity pants. Don't!!! There is nothing more comfortable then wearing maternity pants after you have been stuffing yourself in your regular clothes and trying to get the bella band to not ride up.
After 7 years trying to concieve, 3 failed IUIs and 2 failed IVFs, my third IVF was a success!
My Christmas baby turned into a turkey bird! Dillon Richard was born at 34 weeks, 5 days on November 28, 2009 after 10 weeks on bedrest for preeclampsia.
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v705/arriinthere/PJ/?action=view
Honestly, nothing has worked for me in the end. My boobs have not changed one bit ( sniff, sniff... this is the one thing this less than endowed chick wished had happened....)
But it took me a long time to really get big. I was big enough that I needed maternity pants and shirts by about 22 weeks, but stayed really small until I hit about 29 weeks. Then Holy Hell... I now look like I swallowed the worlds largest basketball. All my small maternity shirts don't cover the belly. Pregnancy also changed the shape of my body. My butt and thighs were always where I held weight and those are now thinner than they have ever been, so that has messed with pants size.
My only advice, FWIW, is buy a little at a time. I found all of these great t shirts on sale in the GAP back in April, but I bought them in a small and now I can't wear any of them! Get what you need for short amounts of time, and re-assess as you grow.
Totally agree with skirts and dresses being awesome as well as buying slowly. I'd also suggest varying styles, especially for tops. I had some that I felt were a little long or dumpy-looking early but they're life savers now! I was tiny pre-pg (about 5ft and 105) so smalls were the only things that sort of fit. Now? Pfft. Nothing fits! So many of my shirts are too short because my belly is so huge. Of course I'm really hesitant to buy more because this will very likely be my only pg, so those longer shirts are my go-to pieces.
One of the best things I bought was a belly band (I bought a white one and a black one) - I wore them early when my regular pants didn't fit and I wear them now because I'm worried about my pants falling down or my belly hanging out.
Definitely don't be afraid to shop sales and 2nd hand stores. 2nd hand places do require some patience/multiple trips depending on selection and when the store stocks merchandise. Also, I've gotten a bunch of really cute stuff on sale at ON and Target - like $5 a piece for tops, ts, tanks, yoga pants.
I disagree about the tops - I have gone from a B to a DD and I am still in small tops.
Acutally, I am not even wearing maternity tops - I am still in all of my pre-pregnancy tops.
I am tall with a very long torso and found that Gap's shirts were long enough, even at the very end. I bought size large (I was a medium PP) and while they were big until about 24 weeks, they fit my entire pregnancy.
I bought maternity jeans in a size up thinking I would go up a size and that was a no no. They always hung off me. I stayed the same size throughout.
I guess the moral of the story is that it's different for everyone.
After 2 rounds of IVF & 2 rounds of FET, we were blessed with identical twin girls!
i def think that it is different for everyone. it's a good idea to not buy too much stuff ahead of time. i bought a ton of stuff and then got put on bedrest. it was a total bummer. my best advice is invest in a pair (or 2) of yoga pants/sweats that you love. no matter what your situation you will wear them on weekends, after work etc.
I totally agree about skirts and dresses! I love wearing them.
A word of advice about ON. At around 13 weeks, I ordered shorts from ON in my pre-pregnancy size. These: https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=45917&vid=1&pid=737225&scid=737225002 and these: https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=45917&vid=1&pid=737208&scid=737208002
They fell off my hips, even when I cinched the seersuckers with the hidden buttons they have on the inside.
They were cotton, so I dried them to help them shrink up. I'm now almost 21 weeks and they are still a little big. If you order these, order at least one size smaller.
6 IUIs,IVF #1 w/ICSI = BFP!
Betas, 332 & 856 = twins!
Our baby girl is here!
Amen, sister! Do not fear the maternity pants. It's going to happen at some point so don't fight it. When that Bella Band starts riding up you will be happy if you have a pair of maternity pants ready to go. I would also buy slowly. And I HIGHLY recommend the pants with the elastic tops. They are SO comfortable. And stretchy shirts actually look better than billowy ones. I didn't think that would be the case. But the billowy ones make you look huge and the stretchy ones aren't clingy, they just move as much as need to accommodate the bump!