Maternity Clothing

babycook14 · January 2016

I'm trying to get some opinions and see how your experience was when you were shopping for maternity clothing. In my city, we only have the "box stores" to buy maternity clothes in; Motherhood, Old Navy, Kohls, etc. There are no cute boutiques or fashion forward clothing stores. It took me forever to find a black cocktail dress for a wedding, I ended up having to order it online which being pregnancy I didn't know my size very well and couldn't tell the quality.

If there was a maternity boutique in your city would you shop there? Were there any items you had a hard time finding (dress clothes, dresses, baby shower outfits, etc.)? How much would you say you spent on maternity clothing since you found out you were pregnant? Thanks!

ambercakes92 · January 2016

I've spent less than $200 on maternity clothes, maybe even less than $150. I was gifted a lot of clothes secondhand, and also shopped consignment. I wouldn't have spent more than that even if I could have, just because the clothes are only worn for a few months and then they'll just sit around. A special occasion outfit is one thing, but not an entire wardrobe.

jeanbug12 · January 2016

Most of my maternity clothes are from Target and Old Navy. I don't have anything particularly stylish, mostly basics, jeans and tees. This is my third pregnancy so I had some stuff from my last 2 babies, I spent less than $75 on clothes this time, probably around $200-$250 on my whole maternity wardrobe from all 3 pregnancies.

ETA I wear scrubs for work and those are supplied by the hospital, I probably would have spent more if I had to buy clothes for work.

bbrownlee1 · January 2016

I have bought mostly maternity tops and the bought maternity leggings to wear with flowy skirts that I already had. This has worked great for me and was actually just telling someone about this today.

Most stores I found no longer carry their maternity lines in store (which makes perfect sense since guessing what you will now look like in a certain style is going to be easy for online purchases). I found some at buybuybaby and also some more at Burlington Coat Factory. I too probably only spent about $150 at most.

Good luck!

Ebiejay · January 2016

I bought a couple t-shirts from Old Navy and Target, some tops and 2 pairs of jeans from Motherhood, and a dress from there also which I needed for a wedding. Mostly I've just been rotating the tops, and living in regular leggings from Target. I probably spent about $250, though some of that was wasted on Summer tops I never really wore (I got carried away when I first outgrew my other clothes).

I wouldn't likely visit a boutique, and I'm already annoyed with how much I ended up spending. I got lucky finding the dress for the wedding, and though selection is obviously limited I found what I needed to last me through.

claireloSC · January 2016

Although I really wanted to be that super cute pregnant lady, it just wasn't in the budget. I probably spent $250- $300 and most of that was practical stuff I could wear to work. I did StitchFix a couple times and got one cute maternity dress for my shower, which was $70 but everything else I bought was bargain basement from elsewhere. Spent $100 on Motherhood Maternity around 12 weeks and wore that stuff a lot. Picked up a couple things from Old Navy another time (maybe $50) and the rest was odds and ends as they came up, mostly from Ross.

amargaret24 · January 2016

My biggest suggestion is wait until you really do grow out of your other clothes. Obviously buy a pair of pants and a few tops or something or a belly band if you feel uncomfortable. But what I wish I had done differently was buy stuff around 20-26 weeks. When I really started to "show" and after I'd gained any real weight from hormones, first 12 weeks, next 12 weeks, etc. I spent probably $300-$400 but purchased some designer jeans, a few expensive tops at Pea in a Pod and though all the shirts still basically fit, the pants DON'T. My ass is just to big now!!!! Annoying! It's hard.....leggings are good to buy in the beginning because they'll always fit. I like the Target brand Liz Lange Maternity leggings, I purchased 3 pairs. That's all I wear.

ctmamaoftwo · January 2016

I probably spent close to $800 on maternity clothes. But given two of those were formal dresses for weddings. I did a lot of shopping at Seraphine and destination maternity. I didn't mind investing in some higher quality basic pieces that were flattering as we plan to have a couple more kids and I'll be able to use them again.

nackie · January 2016

I spent around $800 on clothes. Most of my clothes came from Target (tops only- none of their bottoms fit), motherhood and Amazon. I wish I could have spent less, but I needed work appropriate clothes and leggings wouldn't cut it. Now I'm starting to outgrow some of my pants and I'm really annoyed about that. We have plenty of boutique shops, but I never bothered looking at them, I spent way more than I wanted to as it was

ambercakes92 · January 2016

amargaret24 said:
My biggest suggestion is wait until you really do grow out of your other clothes. Obviously buy a pair of pants and a few tops or something or a belly band if you feel uncomfortable. But what I wish I had done differently was buy stuff around 20-26 weeks. When I really started to "show" and after I'd gained any real weight from hormones, first 12 weeks, next 12 weeks, etc. I spent probably $300-$400 but purchased some designer jeans, a few expensive tops at Pea in a Pod and though all the shirts still basically fit, the pants DON'T. My ass is just to big now!!!! Annoying! It's hard.....leggings are good to buy in the beginning because they'll always fit. I like the Target brand Liz Lange Maternity leggings, I purchased 3 pairs. That's all I wear.

I bought some Seven For All Mankind maternity jeans at a consignment shop for $5. I wore them for less than a month (most of my weight gain has been third tri), but luckily the price was right!

I'm honestly a bit of a brand whore but couldn't justify it for pregnancy clothes on my current budget. But you can bet I'll be wearing those jeans once I start to lose weight

UptownPearl · January 2016

My maternity wardrobe ended up being between $600-700 and I also borrowed hand me downs. My mom went a little crazy getting me cute maternity clothes, I only spent about $200 myself on a dress for a wedding, undergarments, and a new bra. Now that I'm almost done being pregnant here's my advice:

-try to live in loose fitting clothes that aren't maternity wear as long as you can, ones that you can wear post birth too. For me that meant maxi dresses and skirts. Yoga pants are great for this too.
-if the latter half of your pregnancy is during the colder season just stock up on basic tops (t-shirts, tanks, long sleeve shirts) because you can pair them with cardigans, vests, and scarves you already own. Basics tend to be cheaper than other maternity tops, plus they're more versatile.
-undergarments are the place to invest if you ask me, and do so the second your regular ones start becoming uncomfortable. I chose to get comfy nursing bras so that I can continue to wear them after birth too.
-unless you like to wear jeans every single day you can get away with just one pair. I got two, one pair would get baggy and ill-fitting within an hour of putting them on. They also ripped because the material was cheap and flimsy. Not worth it! I would do your research and get one really good pair in your favorite style.
-the things I got the most wear out of: 1 pair of skinny dark jeans, 1 pair of black leggings that look like skinny pants, 2 pairs of yoga pants, 1 maxi skirt, 5 assorted black and white tanks and t shirts, and 3 cute maternity tops

You can absolutely get all the basic necessities at target. I recommend checking out a boutique, consignment shop, or pea in the pod for a really good pair of jeans and maybe another pair of pants. Same goes for a nicer outfit that you can wear to your baby shower and any other dress up events.

mamakculb · January 2016

I don't work this time around and last time I was a nanny. Had I worked in a professional setting I think I would've spent $200 or more easily on a maternity wardrobe. I mostly shop for maternity at Target, Ross, and consignment. There's one kids consignment store near me that has maternity and it has a great, although small selection. I would love a boutique that had a great consignment section. I'd love to buy and sell. Special occasion outfits, dresses and things like leggings were really hard for me to find at the big box stores, especially in petite sizes. I ordered my shower dress off amazon and that was a little risky to me. I feel like a lot of women probably don't want to dump a ton of money into a temporary wardrobe, and for me, I have had a summer pregnancy and a winter pregnancy so I had to get completely different items. I plan to have a couple more kids (God willing) so I'll keep mine for now, but I would love to have more variety than what the big stores have.

amargaret24 · January 2016

ambercakes92 said:

My biggest suggestion is wait until you really do grow out of your other clothes. Obviously buy a pair of pants and a few tops or something or a belly band if you feel uncomfortable. But what I wish I had done differently was buy stuff around 20-26 weeks. When I really started to "show" and after I'd gained any real weight from hormones, first 12 weeks, next 12 weeks, etc. I spent probably $300-$400 but purchased some designer jeans, a few expensive tops at Pea in a Pod and though all the shirts still basically fit, the pants DON'T. My ass is just to big now!!!! Annoying! It's hard.....leggings are good to buy in the beginning because they'll always fit. I like the Target brand Liz Lange Maternity leggings, I purchased 3 pairs. That's all I wear.
I bought some Seven For All Mankind maternity jeans at a consignment shop for $5. I wore them for less than a month (most of my weight gain has been third tri), but luckily the price was right! I'm honestly a bit of a brand whore but couldn't justify it for pregnancy clothes on my current budget. But you can bet I'll be wearing those jeans once I start to lose weight

Yeah, it was hard for me to find good consignment maternity with my crazy schedule that I had while I was actively searching. I did get the Sevens on sale, and the gal at the register said people add new waistbands to them once they've grown out which is interesting. I'll be wearing them again someday too haha.....Not anytime soon though!

alisongem · January 2016

Most of my maternity clothes were hand me downs, and most of those weren't actually maternity clothes, just larger sized clothes. I used to be an xs-S so for a lot of my pregnancy I got away with wearing medium to large regular clothes! I specifically got a couple maternity shirts, a couple maternity jeans, a pair of maternity leggings and a pair of maternity shorts. Everything else I just bought in a bigger size! Probably spent less than or roughly $100 total. My favorite "maternity" shirt is a regular stretchy long sleeve tee that was $7 at target! I have it in 2 colors! Lol.

willashbaby · January 2016

I spent maybe $200 total between Destination Maternity, Old Navy, and Target. My pants are all stretchy anyway and all still fit, all I bought were tops. I basically wore the same 5-6 tops my whole pregnancy. I could care less about repeating, if anything it made my life easier!

Knottie1433440300 · January 2016

Probably around 300. Bought jeans, some basic shirts/long sleeve shirts. Accessorized with scarves, necklaces and wore a lot of colored long cardigans that I already have to break it up!

Achae · January 2016

Motherhood maternity is boutique enough for me. Their prices are ridiculous at all stores unless on clearance or a resale shop.

ondabianca · January 2016

I probably spent less than $150 (including versatile non-maternity clothing).

I wore a lot of my regular clothes for quite a while...sometimes I still do. I wore the dresses I had with empire waists (and bought a few others like it so I could wear it post-maternity) and wore skirts below the bump with long stretchy-material shirts (my bump was/is very much flaunted, but I see no reason to hide him). I did purchase an was gifted a couple maternity dresses and a couple shits...but the things I personal bought I got cheap from amazon. Pretty much my maternity size corresponded well with my pre-maternity size.

maureenmce · January 2016

I think I spent about $200 and my mom spend about $300, taking me to Pea in a Pod for my birthday. Luckily, I was able to wear most of my regular wardrobe (I wear a lot of loose, flowing dresses anyway) and I just added maternity tights and cardigans to the outfits for fall/winter. Almost all of the cardigans I got to add to my dress wardrobe were just regular, non maternity kinds. However, maternity clothing wise, I definitely had some things I was happy with and things I did not care for.

The things I really liked, maternity clothing wise:

-Old Navy maternity yoga pants. (I am currently living in these.)
-Old Navy maternity tights. (I was living in these while working.)
-Some Target maternity sweatshirts that are super soft.
-Target nursing bras and tanks that are super comfy.
-This Seraphine maternity dress, which I bought in 2 colors, one for my shower, one for just nicer occasions in general. I swear I'd buy it in black too, if I had another $100 to blow on something because it's so soft, comfortable and pretty:

https://www.amazon.com/Seraphine-Maternity-Womens-Front-sleeve-1/dp/B00GBDA9VA/ref=pd_sim_193_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=415ZGm3AljL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL200_SR156,200_&refRID=06WSCFPCWZ2M6YV7ZJ5K

The things I thought sucked, maternity clothing wise, were:

-Nearly all maternity jeans. Ugh. I found one pair I could wear in the second trimester, but that was it.
-Target maternity tights - the scratchiest, most horrible things. I wore them once.
-Most Old Navy maternity summer dresses - way too low cut for growing boobs or bustier gals in general.
-Most Target maternity summer dresses - fabric so thin it's practically see through!

Overall, I haven't been a super fashionable pregnant lady, but I'm not a super fashionable lady in general, haha, and I think I at least was able to look presentable for work and social occasions throughout, while spending fairly minimally. I do really, really miss my old clothes though, especially these last few weeks!

claireloSC · January 2016

I forgot about bras! I spent a ton on those. OP, it sounds like you are thinking of opening up a store or something? If so, stock larger maternity or nursing bras. They are so expensive and impossible to find. It's horrible. I've gone up 6 cup sizes so I've bought like 10 bras.

BelleZBoo · January 2016

I probably spent close to $800. I work in a formal office setting and needed to have appropriate clothing. If I had worked someplace business casual j probably could have gotten away with spending about $300. For everyday and weekend wear I put my money towards cute basics, 2 skinny jeans and lots of leggings

kyan11916 · January 2016

I probably spent between $400 and $500. If there was a boutique in my town that sold maternity clothes I would have definitely shopped there. Most of what I bought were basics but I did have to buy a dress for a wedding and I wanted a cute dress for my shower and I had a VERY tough time finding something.

OrangeFox · January 2016

The first time around I spent maybe $150. I was given quite a bit of random staples (t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, yoga pants, leggings). I bought a couple pair of jeans and a few tops. However, I found that MANY of my own clothes worked until the very end. I had a lot of flowy tops and longer sweaters that looked cute until the last few weeks of pregnancy. I also didn't get very big and my son was born at 37 weeks.

This time around I had all my stuff saved from last time. However, I had to buy several dresses because of three weddings and four funerals as well as my own medical school graduation ceremony. (the funerals were for my father, grandfather, uncle and great uncle and so I had to look nice and knew there would be family photos.) I was able to use a couple of the dresses for more than more event but still ended up buying six dresses. I only wore five of them. I am hoping to sell the dresses because some of them were only worn one time and two of them were quite expensive. Not really sure how that will work out.

I would have LOVED to go to a boutique to shop for these dresses, but I think my circumstances are fairly abnormal. The first time around I wouldn't have wanted to waste the money. I bought most of them online. The others I bought a Motherhood outlet that is about 40 minutes from my house.

littlecrimsonjester · January 2016

So I cheated, the Kohls in my town doesn't carry their maternity stuff in store. This means that if someone returns maternity clothes in store they go 80% clearance. One of my friends who works at Kohls called me on her break to let me know that someone had just returned a shit ton of maternity clothes. I went down and spent 50 dollars, 3 pairs of leggings, 2 of jeans, and 6 shirts. One of my proudest pregnant moments.

teachmegs817 · January 2016

I spent quite a bit...probably $400-$500. I'm a school teacher and I always end up spending $100-$200 a year at the beginning of the school year, updating my wardrobe. I bought 3-4 pairs of leggings, 2 pairs of black dress pants and 2 pairs of maternity jeans. Along with that, I got 8-10 new tops. Some were just a size up from my normal size.

This may be our one and only child, but if not...I have the clothing for baby #2, which will be in the next year or two, if we decide.

Also, being 3 weeks PP, I'm still wearing my maternity pants and some of the tops. They are much more comfy than my regular clothes still at this point.

alisongem · January 2016

@OrangeFox have you heard of poshmark? It's a great app for selling your clothes, especially if they're in like-new condition!

OrangeFox · January 2016

@alisongem Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out! I joined a couple of Facebook buy/sell/trade groups that I was planning on posting in. There are a few second hand children's stores in my area that have maternity sections. I'm not sure what kind of money I'd actually get out of them but at least it would be easy.

alisongem · January 2016

@OrangeFox yeah I've made a couple hundred in the last couple years just selling my old clothes! But newer, expensive stuff in good condition can go for a pretty decent price!

MelissaA225 · January 2016

I spent around $150-200 on maternity clothes. I got most of them at Kid to Kid, a kids consignment shop that also carries maternity clothes. Most of their jeans/pants are $7-12 and shirts are $4-10. Old Navy maternity leggings are the BEST! Ross and TJ Maxx had some nice shirts. Target has great nursing bras (and now pajamas!) And I found some cute tops at Goodwill, though I really had to search through the racks to find the maternity ones (some GWs have a maternity rack; mine does not).

MrsReese28 · January 2016

I had the perfect baby bump. No I really did so I spent a little more than I intended but it was still only about $150.

Shortcircuit1984 · January 2016

I've shopped mostly online. I loved Asos. My mom picked me up some cute things from Destination Maternity/Motherhood too.

Mamabeagle · January 2016

Can't believe nobody mentioned Pink Blush, which has ridiculously great sales at least once a week...

And because I went a little crazy buying dresses at Pea in the Pod I spent 1000+ on maternity clothing.

You probably only need 2 pairs of jeans, three dresses, black & white camisole, black and navy leggings, and 7-10 shirts. If you can find a nice pair of pants grab them as well but they are tough.

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