When did you need Maternity Clothes?

fijal98 · February 2014

As a first time mom, I'm curious to know when you all needed maternity clothes. Any tips when thinking about making a purchase, or even where to shop?

KingLED · February 2014

I got most of mine second hand because I'm cheap and also because I'm really short and had to alter all of the pants anyways. And need is a matter of opinion. My first pregnancy I didn't get any maternity pants until well in to 2nd tri. But then I had them and I wore those suckers as soon as the bloat showed up. No reason to put off comfort.

If your clothes aren't fitting anymore, don't resist the maternity pants.

Duder · February 2014

I didn't buy maternity clothes last time until 19 weeks. I had just been getting by with longer shirts and a Bella band until then. Once I actually started wearing maternity clothes I wished I had bought some earlier. Even if you can get by with a Bella band and longer shirts, once you have a real bump maternity clothes accentuate your bump and make it look cute.

Duder · February 2014

Also, I didn't want to spend a ton on maternity clothes and found a lot of cute stuff at Old Navy.

caranichole · February 2014

If I remember correctly I kinda played it by ear based on what I needed. Mind you I was a few years younger and in college during my pregnancy so tshirts & yoga pants were already a regular in my wardrobe. Over time, I got some other types of pants/dresses as needed if I came across something that just wasn't working in my regular wardrobe.

caranichole · February 2014

Was that too vague? I think the first maternity item I bought was a belly band from target during 2nd trimester and maybe a few sweaters - I lived in Boston and it was winter at the time.

jcsumm0 · February 2014

I think I got by with the belly band until about the mid-way point of my pregnancy.

vrj0522 · February 2014

I had lost about 15 lbs before I got pregnant so I had some larger clothes stored that I pulled out at the beginning of my pregnancy. It wasn't until I was almost 5 1/2 months along that I needed actual maternity clothes, when my belly rounded and became clearly a pregnancy belly. I am kind of glad I waited to buy them until I needed them though because toward the end of my pregnancy I barely fit into the size I had bought so if I would have shopped earlier, I might have gone a size smaller and then had to buy more.

With that said, get some as soon as you need some. It's the best way you'll stay comfortable.

BeanNut · February 2014

For my first pregnancy, I used a belly-band for a long time. I bought my first big stash of maternity clothes around 19 weeks.

My second pregnancy, I switched into maternity probably around 12 or 13 weeks.

This time I already have my maternity pants hanging in my closet because I know I'll give in soon.

AppleGrapeMSTK · February 2014

I bought my first official maternity pants when I was about 5 months- I was trying to hide my pregnancy because I was unemployed and job searching at the time.

I second @ellyd14 and recommend thrift/discount shops. I only bought at Good Will, Ross, and Burlington Coat Factory. No shame in that! I don't get spending $45 on a shift I'll only wear for 5 months...

This time, I might wait a little while longer. I just lost some weight and have been wearing my fat pants with a belt for the last month or so. I'll just loosen my belt until I can't fit into those.

Staciefacie · February 2014

I didn't buy maternity clothes at all with my first. I was cheap so I used the rubber band trick and a long shirt to hide the front of my pants haha. My friend caught me one time and she always makes fun of me for it lol.

This time around I'm just going to buy some nice fitting clothes and a bellaband.

JessAnnJ · February 2014

I think my pants started getting too tight around 13 weeks but my pants were on the tight side before getting pregnant so I didn't have much room to grow. If you work in a business environment and have to dress up a bit, I really liked the black perfect trouser pants from Gap. Old Navy and Khols are also good for decent quality and relatively inexpensive maternity clothes. I bought basics and did a lot of laundry. I hated the Bella band. It drove me crazy and I was much happier in actual maternity pants. I also ended up wearing my maternity pants after I gave birth while I was loosing weight to fit back into my clothes.

lcmccann · February 2014

Thanks for asking this question! I never heard of belly bands, so I am excited to know they exist

AlliBalleza · February 2014

I think this will be a silly question, but I noticed there are different sizes in maternity clothing.

Is one size consistent throughout your prenancy? Let's say you're a large frame, are the "large" sizes for a large framed person for the full pregnancy term or will you start off small, grow to medium, and then large, etc.?

mmorga15 · February 2014

Last pregnancy I bought most of my clothes from gap, target and old navy. ASOS has some cute kinda cheap stuff now though! I stuck with my regular size in maternity clothes throughout my pregnancy! Sadly i gave away all of my maternity clothes 2 years ago.

kibylou · February 2014

I can't remember exactly when I started wearing maternity pants, but once I did, I was in love with them!! Wish I would have started sooner! They are so much more comfy! A lot of my shirts I just kept wearing as long as they weren't too short, and they just kept getting tighter... Haha!

DiannaVB · February 2014

You mean people don't wear them when they're not pregnant?

Buy some when you start getting uncomfortable. You won't be sorry.

katylady09 · February 2014

Old Navy and Gap. But I mostly raided the closets of my SIL and friends.

I started wearing a belly band at 17 or 18 weeks? Honestly, I wore my pre-pregnancy jeans and a lot of my normal flowy shirts right up until I had DS, but I wore these AH-mazing stretchy tanks underneath that are super expensive but hold up your jeans and make your belly look cute. I would tell you the brand but I passed them off to my SIL (excited to ask for them back!).

Long story short, you don't need to buy too much! Just borrow or buy foundation pieces that will make your normal clothes work.

bayhunter6 · February 2014

12 weeks with my first (I showed super early). 6 weeks with baby #2 due to ridiculous amounts of bloating

LEP424 · February 2014

I was heavier with DS and bloated quickly upon BFP. I started wearing maternity pants around 10-12 wks and shirts around 16. I mainly shopped at Gap, Old Navy and Motherhood.

TheFutureMrs.O · February 2014

16/17 weeks with #1. I'm hoping to get out of 1st tri this time. My bloat is currently unreal. Hopefully it calms down a bit soon.

cactus5 · February 2014

I started at about 16 weeks with my first and sometime in 10-12 week range with my others. I already had them and they were more comfortable-even though I probably didn't need them that early.

I usually do outgrow stuff at the end-my butt and thighs grow. I also like different pant styles depending on how big my belly is. Most of my maternity clothes are from Gap and Pea in the Pod.

MissMandyD · February 2014

With twins I needed maternity stuff by 10 weeks or so.

AggieBeth06 · February 2014

10-12 weeks IIRC

If you have a credit card and get cash back or points, you might be able to use them at particular retailers.

I used ShopDiscover.com to raid some sales earlier this week. What's nice right now are that some retailers have an extra "Valentine's Bonus."

I also bought a size up instead of maternity for some things last time, but I was also much heavier and sometimes plus size ladies show differently/can get away with that.

meggiev123 · February 2014

I got by with a bella band til about 18 wks. I probably could have gone a bit longer, but maternity pants are so unbelievably comfortable.

megaroo64 · February 2014

Last time, the end of my first tri coincided with thanksgiving- so I got my first maternity pants for that even though I didn't really NEED them yet. But so comfortable! I probably started to really need maternity clothes around 20 weeks or so.

I got a lot of my clothes at old navy or target. And the cartwheel app at target has a current coupon for 40% off one item of maternity clothes- if you want to buy for the future.

Megz0813 · February 2014

I think I wore maternity pants around 5 1/2 months, but wore regular shirts for a while. This time, I am pretty confident that I will be wearing them much sooner cause of all this damn bloat.

cluebee · February 2014

I didn't need maternity clothes the first time around until I was close to 5 months pregnant. That's when I finally stated to "show" and not just look like I was fat.

GromMom · February 2014

AlliBalleza said:
I think this will be a silly question, but I noticed there are different sizes in maternity clothing.
Is one size consistent throughout your prenancy? Let's say you're a large frame, are the "large" sizes for a large framed person for the full pregnancy term or will you start off small, grow to medium, and then large, etc.?

I think it varies potter person, bit I only gained size in my stomach, I had a friend who needed some special pregnancy underwear but I never did. I bought clothes during an old navy sale in November for a may baby. I made the mistake of thinking I'd need a size bigger because I'd grow and that simply wasn't the case, the jeans I bought baggy were always baggy and thus I didn't like wearing them. They make some cute pants that don't look maternity, eg with that black elastic band, they just have a low waist that is elastic. I've been tempted to wear those bad boys when not pregnant :-)
I also for some shirts I barely wore because they were long sleeved and I didn't really need shirts with a belly until much later and it got warm, but I live in San Diego. I actually wear one even when not pregnant because I have a long torso and it's just a long shirt. My recommendation it's to go to Old navy now and figure out your size in regular clothes, then when you shop in a few months you'll know Your size there

mer313131 · February 2014

With DD, I was in maternity pants at 12 weeks, shirts maybe 20 weeks?

msmoose511 · February 2014

With my first I got them around 16-17 weeks. With my second around 7-8 weeks, I'm only 4 weeks and already pretty bloated. I'll start probably 6-7 weeks with this one.

Regardless if it's bloat, mine never goes away and I show super early. And grow big babies, as well as always measure 5-7 weeks bigger. Ehhh it's all in how big you will be, kwim

vrj0522 · February 2014

@AlliBalleza - it really depends on how much weight you gain and where you gain your weight, however, they say that whatever size you currently wear, you can buy in maternity clothes. So if you are a size medium, you should be able to buy size medium maternity clothes and be fine.

When I first got pregnant, I was between sizes M-L and if I had bought maternity clothes at that point, I might have gone with medium since they fit fine (I tried some clothes on once but didn't buy anything) but by the time I actually bought them (at around 5 months) size L was clearly the more comfortable size. Then the last month of pregnancy came and even though I only gained a couple of pounds, my belly got A LOT bigger and size L began feeling snug. Gratefully, DS showed up at that point so I didn't have to get larger clothes.

crystal8503 · February 2014

I didn't buy maternity clothes until I was about 20+ weeks, at least. It was summer time and I bought flowey (not sure that's a word

) tops and some elastic waistband capris. I bought a pair or maternity jeans and a few tops once those larger items stopped fitting comfortably. It's really going to vary person to person and you won't know until you're there. I wouldn't go rushing into buying maternity clothes until you need them.

femail · February 2014

I've got two maternity tops already. They don't look maternityish, but are long enough to cover my butt with leggings. I'm 6', so that's hard to find. I've had to use the rubber band trick on jeans already, because of bloat. I guess I'll just buy pants when I feeling to necessary. I found my tops at gordmans. They're motherhood brand.

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