Maternity Clothes Shopping Disaster

rlgoge01 · April 2015

I went maternity clothes shopping for the first time yesterday and left in tears. I'm 5'3" and now weigh 119 lbs. (I'm normally around 115). I knew it wasn't going to be easy because I'm petite.

I went to target first...all of the dresses were entirely too long like down to my shins and ankles long. There was a total of three racks: one shirts, one pants/shorts, and one for dresses.

Next I went to Old Navy and I was directed to the back left corner. I go back there and it was an absolute mess and again only three sections: shirts, pants, dresses. I tried on dresses and jeans after digging through the mess to find my size for about 20 minutes...all entirely too long.

Then I went to Kohls. Welp...same story. Not crap!

I walked out in tears and sat in the car angry. I'm sure hormones had something to do with it!

I kept thinking "I can't believe how limited my choices are. It's hard enough being exhausted and nauseated all the time but now add not being able to find a thing to wear!!! I am going to be the ugliest frumpiest pregnant lady ever!"

That being said, I had a dramatic moment. I'm thrilled to be pregnant and so happy! I'm lucky to get to experience my body changing and growing to make a baby!

But....HELP!! Where do you buy maternity clothes?! Especially for petite women?!

MoRay05 · April 2015

I'm am about the same size. With my first pregnancy I got a lot at Macy's and at motherhood/pea in a pod. Maternity clothes are tricky bc they are made for you to wear your entire pregnancy so everything is going to seem big until your belly starts to really grow. Good luck!

oliviaann91 · April 2015

I'm 5'3 also and started at 119lb, I'm now about 122lb. We have a store where I live called motherhood maternity. I went the other day and got 1 pair of capris, 1 pair of shorts, and 4 shirts. The bottoms don't fit great yet, XS fit perfectly and S was a bit big, but I opted for the S since I won't be shrinking any time soon lol. The shirts were fine. I was really hoping to find some maxi skirts/dresses. Tried some dresses on and unless I want to wear 6 inch heels, they're a no go. The skirts will potentially work if you can find some in a stretchy cotton material with the waist band that you can pull up and fold over. That way you can kind of adjust the length. Dresses were hopeless though. I refuse to pay $60 for a dress then pay to have it hemmed just to wear for a handful of months. If you have to have jeans, I would recommend maybe getting 1-2 pairs and just having them hemmed, especially if you plan to have more babies in the future. Tops are fairly easy, you can get away with non maternity shirts/empire waist tops etc for quite a while. I plan to have a handful of options as far as pants/capris/skirts/shorts go and concentrating mostly on tops so it doesn't feel like I'm wearing the same thing all the time. Good luck! It can definitely be frustrating.

JLW0504 · April 2015

Macy's, ASOS, Gap, Old Navy, Target, Motherhood Maternity (if you order inline you get free shutterfly gift cards). I ordered all online. I am 5'2" so I know the struggle.

I bought Bermuda shorts and called them capris

I bought some really cute dresses from ON. Again, all online. You can also try just buying bigger sizes in things rather than maternity specific. I did that too.

MariSlater · April 2015

I'm a bigger gal and I've always lucked out at Motherhood Maternity for my pregnancies. They have a huge selection.

LauraK33 · April 2015

I buy a lot of my maternity clothes on Zulily...great names at discounts. On average I spend 9.99-15 on shorts and 14.99-25 on pants. There are new brands each day and it's saved us a lot (I do normal shopping on the site too)... If anyone wants a referral link let me know!

ssc831 · April 2015

I'm 4"11 and have gotten my clothes at destination motherhood maternity

mmbonnell · April 2015

Do you have a Burlington Coat Factory near you? Had a friend go there yesterday and she said they had such a good maternity and baby selection and the prices were very reasonable. I went to Pea In A Pod and bought some stuff but planned on checking out Burlington today. If not maybe try them online. Also Zulily is supposed to be good too. Don't be discouraged. It will get better!

ks24119 · April 2015

I was just telling my mom the same thing! Except I'm tall, 5'7 and all the pants are so super long. It's like they expanded the stomach and also the length! For the first time in my life I need pants altered

Klaundry · April 2015

I agree with Motherhood Maternity being one of the best places. Unfortunately I can't relate to the size as I am 5'7" and starting this pregnancy out at 170 (with my son I started at 145 and haven't lost much of his baby weight). I also really like Pinkblush.com. They are strictly online but have super cute and affordable maternity clothes. The one thing I will warn about with them is their dresses that appear to go to mid-thigh always ended up looking like a tunic on me and there was no way I would be able to wear them in public without all my lady bits being on display. But for someone more petite those dresses might work perfectly!

mandala1107 · April 2015

I'm 5'2 as well, although a bit heavier than you. My first pregnancy I bawled after my fist shopping experience. I only had an old navy, jc Penney, and kohls. At the time, NONE of them carried maternity clothes in my area. I had a lot of luck that time at Motherhood Maternity. They have petites. This time, I'm in the same boat.. All of my local shops just stopped carrying maternity again. I'm 2 hours for the nearest Target and I can tell you that each store carries a different variety of clothes. One sucks but a half hour down the road, it had a great maternity selection. I went out of town on business a few weeks ago and Motherhood had a great selection, lots of XS and S sizes. They had a fake belly you can Velcro on to mimic your upcoming belly growth. Mostly sold out of Med and Large. I just bought some non-maternity wrap dresses and boxy dresses with belts from JC Penney the other day that will last me for quite a while during this pregnancy and be great for work until I'm toward the end. Good luck mama. Don't get discouraged. You just might need to make multiple trips to many stores. It sucks, but it's better than feeling like you have nothing to wear.

casskel · April 2015

I'm not petit but I am small, about 5"5 and a size 8 AUS which is equivalent to US4. My order hasn't arrived yet but I just bought some things off ASOS. Really nice selection and good value for money! The size guides are really easy to understand. I have bought non maternity items from Asos before and they usually fit perfectly but if they don't their returns process is very simple so there is no risk on your end trying them!

EllieBPullie · April 2015

Motherhood Maternity is where I buy all my clothes. Only thing I see a problem with is the Jessica Simpson dress line. I'm way to short for those dresses

Pontot31 · April 2015

I'm also 5'2 and I shop online at old navy and motherhood because you can get petites there. I'll go in store and try on a regular to see how it fits and then order online.

sillylittledaisy · April 2015

I haven't went shopping myself. However I'm going to invest in a belly band so i can wear the jeans i already have. But i did research and asked friends who've had babies and they all suggest just buying shirts and dresses in your typical department but a size or two up.

mjfrost821 · April 2015

I'm not petite but i have already outgrown all of my clothes due double sized bbs & my hips changing. In Old Navy I skipped the maternity section and just sized up in regular clothes. I also figured out buying tailored pieces with thicker fabrics in classic colors and silhouettes makes me feel less frumpy and more put-together.

Try LOFT, JCrew and seraphine. The prizes are going to be higher but they are better quality and you can keep changing accessories to make them work. I have also just been sizing up in regular clothes and belting to make them give me a waistline. I also invested in a pair of my favorite designer jeans in maternity. I could wear them everyday! They make me feel normal

kaidi77 · April 2015

I'm 5'2" too. Motherhood maternity has petite length jeans and pants. They fit perfect.

Laurakat81 · April 2015

I do all maternity shopping online. We have a terrible selection around here too and I've learned it's not worth my time. Zulily (though you usually cannot return), pea in a pod, old navy, loft, gap....just google maternity clothes and you'll find tons.

lizerspitz · April 2015

Im going to try today, just to pick up some pants, really. I'm a similar size, and I'm used to shopping online but I'm hoping to find some deals.

lulamagoo · April 2015

Old navy online is far superior to their i store maternity selection.
I bought all of my maternity jeans at pea in a pod and just had them altered with the original jean hem like I do all of my jeans.
Destination maternity is good because they have a variety of high end and reasonably priced items. I have also had luck with gap.

ktyd123 · April 2015

LOL I am actually on my way to target to try to find some clothes that fit me better in the maternity section I have also found good clothes on the loft.com they have maternity and I think they also have petite a lot of times they have sales with 40% offgood luck to you :-)

Kern91 · April 2015

Well for my other pregnancies I found that pants/shorts/capris that were maternity type fit so wierd on me and were huge. So I opted to not buy any and just get normal jeans and buy a Bella band. I used my normal size jeans last pregnancy but with my first I had to up a size. For tops I would try and find normal shirts and dresses that were long enough and mix in some maternity stuff.

So all being said I had better luck in normal clothes just bigger sizes. Maybe try looking at this option or at least until you have a bump and maternity clothes would make sense. Good luck!

ReebsNewman · April 2015

Destination maternity had a great selection! Check it out

wedding crazed · April 2015

Motherhood maternity has petite and Old navy has short sizes also, but you may have to order online for a better selection. I am 5'2" so I feel your struggle.

Boudin&Crawfish · April 2015

When I was pregnant with my first baby years ago I was 110lbs and I'm 5'1. I just invested in the belly band and I just bought bigger clothes from non maternity stores. I bought some maternity items at Motherhood Maternity once I hit 8 months just because that's when my belly popped too much for regular clothes. I recommend flowy sundresses for the summer. They keep you cool and they're easier to wear while pregnant without needing maternity.
Sorry to jump in and answer! I'm new to this site and this is my first time posting!

laurfonz · April 2015

I had the same problem today. The options suck!! I found cute jeans at H&M. Not huge in store selection but on line has more.

makeoutside7 · April 2015

I am 4'11 and have gained 10 lbs during this pregnancy already weighing in at 128! I went to target yesterday and tried on a pair of white maternity skinny jeans and it looked a hot mess. I'm not showing enough yet to fill in the belly part and my legs were too skinny to fill in the butt and thighs for the XS. Think I have to wait a few more weeks and then go back. For the most part, I have been wearing and buying regular shirts but sized up to a Medium or Large and it has been looking great! I just have not cared very much for any maternity styles I have come across lately. Try that instead, def. more options!

lizerspitz · April 2015

I'm not opposed to cuffing pants, so I picked up a pair of jeans at target. I will dresses until those no longer fit.

Kristi4938 · April 2015

Motherhood Maternity is great for petites. I bought some dress pants, a pair of jeans, and cargos yesterday...the length is great for me (I'm 5'2). Also they were pretty reasonably priced. Target and old navy had nothing for me.

Penguin81 · April 2015

I'm 5 feet and weigh more than most of you I get all of my maternity stuff at Burlington Coat Factory.

brianna91chavez · April 2015

I had a very identical situation to yours about a week ago. Started crying in motherhood maternity and walked out while DH kept looking around for me. I may have said some not so nice comments about the selection in a not so quiet voice. Husband said I got quite a few stares. Still don't care. I don't think just because I'm pregnant I am subjected to wear horizontal stripes....polka dots.... Ruffle trim...ribbed material everything??? yeah. No.

I've only seen one person say zulilly. Highly recommend zulilly, veryyy cute and in trend and awesome prices. Old navy is also pretty good.

cbg1801 · April 2015

Pink Blush maternity online has the cutest stuff ever!

Kanne0729 · April 2015

I am pretty tiny at 5'3 and 107 lbs and I have always gotten most of my maternity clothes at Asos and have also had luck at Loft, A Pea In the Pod, Gap, motherhood maternity, old navy, and Nordstrom. We have a really terrible selection for maternity clothes around here too unless I want to drive an hour to the outlets so I do pretty much all of my maternity clothes shopping online. Old navy is super affordable, but their sizes can be super wonky so I won't order anything from there that doesn't have a review. I also try to stay in my regular clothes for as long as possible, sometimes even buying a size up so that I give myself some room to grow.

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