Clothing your growing body

mmmmkay · January 2016

Hey ladies,
as you started wearing maternity clothes, how did you buy them for size?
I'm about 20 weeks and still abel to fit into a few pre pregnancy pants/outfits but probably need to buy some maternity specific wear soon.
I went to macy's to try some things onm which may have been a mistake because Hello Expensive. I don't think there was a pair of pants there for less than $85 and anything that was even somewhat stylish was $150-$200.
anyway, when you were trying on maternity clothing, did you want it to fit THEN... or did you size up and buy things big with the expectation that not only would your belly grow, but the rest of you a bit too?

also, for bras, did you just buy regular bras in larger sizes? or go straight to the maternity bras so you could wear them for nursing later?
planning on checking out gap and old navy too, just need to find some "nicer" stuff for work as we can't wear jeans (red,black, white and grey only! dumbest dress code ever).

would love your advice.

MK

soxfan9968 · January 2016

I stuck to wearing leggings and stretchy dress or tunics. I was afraid my legs would get chubbier and then dress/work pants that fit now wouldn't fit later. Most panels on maternity pants can be pretty accommodating but the thigh area is less forgiving if it's not stretchy material and you accumulate weight there.

dragonfly321 · January 2016

Go to old navy online and order their leggings. SUPER comfortable and look good dressed up! Actually, their maternity clothes in general are really nice. I've been shopping between target, kohls and old navy the whole time and been extremely happy.
I bought jeans, but honestly didn't wear them. The material dug into me and was only comfortable when standing up.
And I didn't size up, but I've also only gained 10-12lbs. (Not lucky me, had bad low sugar and iron issues). Buy maternity in what size you wore pre pregnancy.

PugsandKisses · January 2016

Target, the Gap, Old Navy, Motherhood, Peas in a Pod (which is a higher version of Motherhood ), Amazon. ...
They all have good and decently prices maternity clothes, especially online.

meggyme · January 2016

I would suggest finding out what style of clothes flatter your body best at one of those expensive stores and then stocking up at cheaper stores or sales. I bought a bunch of shirts I liked on old navy's website and now have to return half of them because I decided I like the less flowy shirts on me. I'll be avoiding trapeze/A-line style shirts in the future.

doozer1345 · January 2016

Rule of thumb is supposed to be that you wear your size in maternity clothes bc if you get a size ahead it will look frumpy. Maternity clothes are designed for you to grow. Zulily is my go to for maternity clothes on the cheap and they're really cute too. Gap and Old Navy seem to have really good maternity sales too.

ammnam14 · January 2016

Most maternity tops had a lot of room to grow so I bought my pre preg size. I only lived in sweats and pajamas that last month because I got extremely huge and nothing fit. Try Destination Maternity or Motherhood Maternity. I think they are a little more affordable than Macy's.

Gingermom15 · January 2016

Motherhood Maternity is where I mainly shopped and found some good deals there, somethings are ridiculously expensive but they have nice sales and coupons. I found some very reasonably priced jeans and shorts at Khols, they were having an end of season sale and were $10 a piece. I couldn't wear regular jeans due to CS so they were all I wore out of the house until 6 weeks PP or so. I stuck with jeans and leggings with t shirts or longer tops while pregnant. Things I didn't spend a lot of money on, that were versatile and I could make several outfits from. I bought pre-preg size. All of the shirts are very discreet with how they are maternity so they look like regular clothes. I wear them still sometimes.

Unknown · January 2016

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peregrinefalconx · January 2016

Sears can have some good sales on Maternity Motherhood. Target for basics. The rest? Touch and go.

I think clothing yourself for pregnancy is another place where you have to let go of some stuff. And maybe accept that you need to change your style (in my non-preg state, I would never wear leggings and boots, but oh well. Here it is.)

I got some basic t-shirts at Target (you can size yourself there too--I thought I was gigantic, but still fitting in Ms). Some leggings/pants at Sears. A couple of shirts through H&M. I had some of these longish sweaters already that I wear. Amazon has a whole range of different stuff. I pulled out my bigger sized bras, after trying fruitlessly to find something in a store that fits. People may swear that you won't want to feel constricted by underwire and bands, but that is really based on personal taste--I like to feel strapped in, so I am still wearing regular ones a size up and if I'm busting out, I have stretchy camisoles I wear under most shirts.

fourtsixand2 · January 2016

I'm soooo in love with maternity clothes. Call me pathetic, I don't care.

Maternity jeans are incredibly comfortable to me. I didn't think they would be, but they are wonderful. I think I started wearing actual maternity wear at about 20 weeks (I'm 27+), starting with a maternity top and jeans.
I can still fit into a lot of my pre-maternity shirts but I exclusively wear maternity pants now (leggings and jeans) - to be honest, it's just a lot more comfortable than just trying to make my old pants work.

DrillSergeantCat · January 2016

Pinkblush has some really cute stuff and they're always running sales. Buy your pre-pregnancy size. Don't spend a lot of money on bras right now, your breasts are going to continue growing.

LadySamLady · January 2016

I ended up buying more maternity clothes than I expected to because I popped pretty early and it took a bit of trial and error to find my "maternity style."

I recently discovered Pinkblush and I love their tops. Their stuff is stylish and fits well and like PP said, they are always running sales. For basic layering tops and tanks, I'm all about from Target and the Gap which also has a lot of sales. I actually find my maternity jeans from the Gap very comfortable and wear them all the time, but I don't need dress pants for work. If I want to look a little nicer I wear leggings, I really like the maternity leggings from Gap and Motherhood.

ETA: I just get everything in medium, I was small-medium pre-pregnancy. My jeans are in my pre-pregnancy size and fit well.

groovylocks · January 2016

Very expensive. I was lucky in that most of my growing took place during the warmer months. I started showing a little in Julyish and gave birth in December.

I bought maternity staples. So things like a pair of jeans, some tshirts, sweaters for the cooler weather and a dress for work. But i found the best clothes were "normal" foldover pants and skirts in very stretchy material. They just accommodated all through 3 trimesters. This may not work for everybody but it worked great for me and was a lot cheaper than hanging around Motherhood for 6 months.

That being said, be prepared - you'll need those things beyond your pregnancy. I lost my entire belly a week postpartum and I STILL like wearing my maternity clothing because I get cramps easily, I get bloated easily and breastfeeding causes contractions. And many women don't lose their bellies for months after giving birth. So it IS worth an investment to some extent.

mmmmkay · January 2016

what are "normal foldover pants" ?

dolewhipper · January 2016

I got some work pants at Motherhood while they were having a bogo sale. Probably the most expensive maternity pieces I own (so far). I highly suggest Burlington for everything else; I bought leggings there for $8 and jeans for $15, and a few tops between $10-$15.

They also have bras there at times (hit or miss). I would suggest going straight to nursing bras which is what I will do when the time comes. No use in buying two types of bras. I bought my sister some (she's BF her LO now) from amazon that were 2 for $20.

kimey1 · January 2016

I tried Gap, LOFT, and H&M for things on sale. As I started getting uncomfy with the side panel pants I found the online thriftshop swap.com and have been using them for my maternity clothes and for onsies for the baby's 1st year. The photos may not be the best quality, compared to some other second-hand stores, but it makes up in low prices. I love the stuff I got from swap for me and my baby since the quality has been good at GREAT prices!

randimt16 · January 2016

mumberry.com has great leggings that you can wear underneath flower tops or dresses (especially in this cold weather brrrr) and all of the clothes have a built-in belly-support band. They growth with your bump, too, and you can even wear them after pregnancy! Great investment!!

surferP528 · January 2016

I tried to stay out of maternity clothes as long as possible by going to TJMaxx, Target, etc. and buying maxi dresses, maxi skirts, long sweaters and other versatile things. I also tried to use much of my existing clothing in a different way (wearing button down shirts open instead of closed) Eventually, I had to give in and buy maternity clothes as well, but it helped me avoid spending a ton of money, and I felt more confident wearing my regular clothes as long as I could. I felt most maternity wear made me look huge!
That being said, much of my favorite stuff I bought from kohls, target, and destination maternity. Almost everything I bought at Old Navy turned out to be a waste of money and crap. Same with PinkBlush Maternity.

Knottie13257900 · January 2016

I'm surprised you didn't have any luck with Macy's. The Macy's I went to had at least half their maternity clothes on clearance racks, which meant they were $20-30 each AND buy 3 get one free. The regular priced items were also all buy 3 get 1 free, and they weren't very expensive, I think the most I paid was $40 for pants.

mmmmkay · January 2016

they had clearance racks - everything 30% off , but 30% off $200 pants is still exorbitant.
I wonder if it's because i live in San Francisco!

Somersky · January 2016

Goodwill! No joke. I just defended a deposition wearing Liz Lange maternity dress pants that I got at Goodwill for $6. I also bought two pairs of maternity jeans there for the same price. Because these things are only worn for a few months at most, they showed almost no wear. And at that price, I can afford to size up if it becomes necessary.

I also got a regular Loft sweater dress at Goodwill for $9, and I love it because it's stretchy and flatters my bump. Otherwise, I've been buying flowy dressy tops from sale racks at Von Maur, TJMaxx, etc. These regular shirts are much more fashionable (and better quality) than most maternity I've seen and I figure I can wear them after baby arrives, as well. (But yeah, I can no longer do non-maternity pants, so it's strictly Goodwill maternity pants or stretchy regular dresses for me.)

Goodwill pants and a regular flowy silk top:

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