How are you dressing the blump?

cm716 · February 2016

hello all I am currently 14 weeks pregnant. I have a small bump that comes and goes depending on the time of day. I am however outgrowing my normal clothes but nowhere close to needing maternity tops and can wear some maternity bottoms. I don't want to stretch all of my stuff out. What are you all wearing in the interim between regular clothes and maternity?

Also I am in Texas so unfortunately sweaters are out.TIA.

charmedlifex3 · February 2016

I'm in the "I'd rather look pregnant than fat" camp, so I've been wearing a lot of baby doll tops and leggings. Baby doll tops make *anyone* look pregnant, I swear, and there is plenty of room for bump! I've also been slowly building up my maternity clothing stash, mostly sleeveless blouses and dresses, (so they will work in August!) and just throwing a cardigan over. A lot of maternity clothes are adjustable, I'm finding. I have one skirt with an elastic waistband, and buttons on the inside, so when I let it out, its much larger than I need, but when I button it in, it's just about right.
I've also bought some things I like, that are looser or a little larger as well, (not maternity) because I am sure I will need the "tween" stage again next fall.

lalalorelai · February 2016

Check out the Bella Band/BeBand (made by the same company, BeBand is cheaper and sold at Target). It's a band that goes around the waist of your pants so you can leave them unbuttoned. It supposedly helps to bridge the gap between blump stage and when you need maternity wear. I haven't used it yet but I plan on getting one just to try it out.

I also have started increasing my stash of long layering tank tops. Costco makes my favorite kind and Target has some that are decent as well. I bought a few a size up so they'll grow with me and they're so cheap if I stretch them out I don't care. I wear them underneath cardigans or blazers. Other than that, I'm going to rely on leggings and dresses to (hopefully) get me close to the third trimester. Anyone have good recommendations for long shirts that aren't ridiculously expensive? It's so hard to find a shirt that covers my ass when I wear leggings.

lblu43 · February 2016

I found the bella band uncomfortable after a few hours. Especially at work. I'm on light duty, however getting up & down from my computer desk led the band to roll up frequently. Every time I stood I had to check and make sure my crotch area was covered by my shirt. Kinda annoying. It's hot here also (So cal 80s), so the less layers the better. Cheap maternity tanks from target and old navy have saved me the last few wks. I just pair them with a unbuttoned "plaid" and rolls of my sleeves to look business casual.

bananers · February 2016

I say embrace the maternity clothes. So much more comfortable and flattering than trying to make regular clothes work. I'm 13 weeks today and mostly in maternity clothes or using the beband over regular pants unbuttoned.

Bookhousegirl · February 2016

I'm also diving into maternity clothes at this point (mostly this past week). My pants are just so much more comfortable. I have a couple of maternity tees from Gap that I love and I just throw a cardigan over them. I find the maternity clothes help it to look like more of a bump rather than just a chubby belly, so I'd rather go that route.

squishy0511 · February 2016

I'm thinking about switching to maternity clothes because it actually makes me look like I have a little bump.. My regular clothes are making me look like I just have a roll on my stomach lol

kcolly32 · February 2016

I've started using the hair tie trick to wear the pants I can't button anymore. You just loop it through the hole on the one side and use the other loop for the button. It's a cheap alternative to the belly band and seems to work pretty well for the puggy stage I'm in, I'm currently 13 weeks.

amandalu924 · February 2016

I broke down and bought some high end maternity jeans from an all maternity consignment shop, they fit just like my normal jeans but with a full panel, I find the more high end brands fit more true to size I.e. my regular pants are size 25 and my maternity jeans are size 25

Ya Never Know · February 2016

I was using the BeBand, but at 12 weeks things were just getting uncomfortable. I bought some used maternity pants off of someone on a facebook group and have been wearing those. Some shirts are starting to get tight, so I may need some tops soon. Definitely showing way sooner this time around. I don't think I actually needed maternity clothes until about 18 weeks in my first pregnancy.

lucypod · February 2016

I've been wearing lots of tunics and leggings. I just bought a pair of maternity leggings at Destination Maternity over the weekend and WOW are they comfortable! I have a fleece pair I bought on Zulily and a cotton pair I bought at Old Navy and neither come close to comparing to these. They were having a big sale over the weekend.. not sure if it's still going on now but I say these are definitely worth the investment. I'll probably wear them more than regular pants and they're also great for yoga!

blond1230 · February 2016

@lucypod do you find the leggings from old navy and destination maternity opaque enough? I have some destination maternity ones from my DS that I bought three years ago and took out and I feel like their pretty see thru- not sure if it's bc I washed them a thousand times when I was pregnant with him or if I just didn't realize it at the time. I haven't tried the old navy knew but would order those if u think they're on the thicker side!

anyone else have non see thru leggings they love? I tried he gap maternity but found them to be very sheer...

charmedlifex3 · February 2016

@blond1230 I just got some from Macy's. They are not maternity, but they have stretchy panels on the side, and are thick stretchy dress pant type material. They are almost sold out online, but they had a bunch in the clearance section near me. I got two pair, for $20 each, minus the 20% off coupon.

https://www1.macys.com/shop/product/jm-collection-skinny-pull-on-ponte-pants?ID=2270278&CategoryID=157#fn=sp=1&spc=1&slotId=1&kws=jm collection leggings

BritMC18 · February 2016

Honestly - aside from one pair of Old Navy maternity jeans - I've been rocking the yoga pants that have the fold over waist (you can get them at Walmart or Target). I've got a hard to fit shape and most maternity pants don't fit me and since I work from home no big deal to just lounge in yoga pants all day... every day.

karaszoo1 · February 2016

You mean besides yoga pants and tshirt or hoodies ??? oh yeah and scrubs for work which are basically like wearing comfy pjs daily. ... lol I shall cherish these comfy days cuz summers gonna suck ,this I can attest to based on the fact I'm due with baby girl the dame week as I had my 18 mo old....

blackistonemcgrail · February 2016

I switched to my maternity pants for work this week. So much more comfortable! I got many of my clothes my 1st pregnancy for Christmas or birthday gifts (good timing!). I got some good pieces at kids consignment stores they usually have a maternity section. Or swaps with other moms.
I knew I wanted more than 1 baby, and I'd seen from friends how important it is to still feel cute in maternity clothes so I went with getting a good wardrobe. You actually can wear the clothes for almost a year between pregnancy and post partum.
Long flowy maxi dresses and skirts are awesome even regular sizes were fine right until the end for me.

satto_takai · February 2016

Any suggestions for bigger gals? This is my first pregnancy and I am working on looking for clothes for the "tween" time and when baby gets bigger. Target and WallyWorld have little that fits me (I am a size 24-26, pre-baby), but I don't want to go to expensive plus-size stores Lane Bryant or Avenue... or the more expensive maternity stores.

So far my teeny bump isn't really making clothes a huge problem, but some things (like jeans) are getting uncomfortable. I have been losing weight (almost 20lbs since I got pregnant), so it isn't as big a deal atm, but... how do you find good-fitting clothes for not a giant cost? Suggestions?

huskymama725 · February 2016

I like the target maternity leggings best

jjang27 · February 2016

I had been using the BellaBand with my pants unbuttoned, but I had problems with the band rolling up. Having to readjust several times a day was pretty annoying. So I went to a local outlet store a week ago and tried on the maternity jeans, and oh my goodness they were so much more comfortable! They had a sale so I bought 2 jeans and 1 legging right then.

Our local Kohls has only a small maternity section, but I was able to find some tops on clearance. I'm looking into the websites of Old Navy, H&M, and Gap as well. When they have a sale next time I'll go for it.

WinnieLou82 · February 2016

I've had a hard time finding stuff but thankfully my tops all still fit and I found some good skinny black pants and jeans at Target. I just returned a big pile of Old Navy maternity tops -all terrible!

kitkatherine · February 2016

Dresses! Non maternity, fit and flare dresses. I'm 16 weeks tomorrow, and especially for warm weather places (I'm in south Florida) they are perfect. Plus, you can wear them after. Just go for stores with longer lenghts, not F21. You wont stretch fit and flares out much for a long while, and if you look for pique materials (thicker knit, not crazy thinck, again, i wear these in 80 degree weather!) You wont have issues with stretching. Maxi dresses will last you too - my friend who is 30 weeks wears all her pre-pregnancy ones.

SkiChic626 · February 2016

As soon as my pants got a little tight I broke out my maternity wardrobe with no shame. I had the bands and things that they make to make your regular pants supposedly fit longer - no matter what I feel like I'm walking around with my pants unbuttoned and I just don't like it. That said, the bands on my maternity pants are still big, I think I'm the only person who actually likes the full panels, but they stay up just fine and the clothes are just so.much.more.comfortable!

Edited to add that I agree maternity clothes actually help you look pregnant instead of pudgy, so that's another great reason to break it out!

Snaps816 · February 2016

So I am on the tall side -- not super tall but I am 5'8." I am getting really annoyed because dresses I've ordered online all end up really short on me! I ordered these two comfy, cotton dresses from Amazon and they are so short on me I have to wear them as tunics over leggings. Which is ok, but these were advertised as dresses! Another one I got from Motherhood is wearable as a dress but only with tights under, and is kind of borderline-inappropriate for work. And my belly hasn't even gotten big yet! Once it does it will push the dresses out in the front and then they'll be too short to wear for sure. This is really going to suck in the summer when it's too hot to wear leggings and tights under everything!

This is why I normally don't shop online, but with maternity there is much more selection online.

Tnallen107 · February 2016

SkiChic626 said:

As soon as my pants got a little tight I broke out my maternity wardrobe with no shame. I had the bands and things that they make to make your regular pants supposedly fit longer - no matter what I feel like I'm walking around with my pants unbuttoned and I just don't like it. That said, the bands on my maternity pants are still big, I think I'm the only person who actually likes the full panels, but they stay up just fine and the clothes are just so.much.more.comfortable!

Edited to add that I agree maternity clothes actually help you look pregnant instead of pudgy, so that's another great reason to break it out!

@SkiChic626

I bought some full panel maternity jeans last week and I LOVE THEM. No kidding, they are the most comfortable things, ever. And YAY for starting to look pregnant!

tresamigos · February 2016

@Snaps816 I'm 5'9" and I'm having the same problem.. dresses are too short, and I'm having a really hard time finding decent work pants that either come in a 'Tall" or have a longer inseam. So I'm still squeezing into my regular pants and at 16 weeks, it's starting to get verrrry uncomfortable.

satto_takai · February 2016

Is it just me, or are the "plus size" sections of maternity stores so much more limited in styles and cuteness? I feel bigger girls get the short end of the "cute" stick. Suggestions, ladies? I am starting to think I need to make my own maternity clothes...

Taller ladies - I have heard maxi dresses as recommendations for big or tall girls. Maybe not your style, but a starting point? Good luck.

tigerlilly1983 · February 2016

Finding maternity clothes for semi-professional work wear is so hard! I've tried some shirts from Motherhood Maternity and the fabrics are really hit or miss and definitely not big enough for my now 38DDD chest... :-( I'm 5'8" and have been having good luck with Gap and Old Navy maternity. They are pretty basic, but have some good options. Gap's trouser pants with the mid-panel have been long enough for me to wear heels without getting a tall size (which they unfortunately don't seem to offer in maternity). Their cropped work pants are also really cute and comfy.

ktomorrow · February 2016

@Snaps816 @rikopy I need demure maternity wear for office and caved to paying more for my 5'7 self (so not tall!) Nordstrom and pea in the pod both have full panel midi length skirts and dresses that actually go knee or below so I'll be wearing 2 skirts and 2 dresses all spring/summer... I've seen some midi length on Asos (somewhat less pricy) also but haven't tried it yet

cal031686 · March 2016

Alright ladies, we are a little further along, bumps are bigger, and weather is warming up. How are you dressing the bump? Found any great deals on bump apparel?

mmclark10 · March 2016

I'm holding off on buying more until it starts to actually get warmer here (MN). But since we are vacationing in Florida tomorrow until Monday (!), I think I'll probably break down and grab another casual dress at Target today. I'm pretty short (5'3") so maxi dresses are tough for me. I did find some great items on major discount at Destination Maternity, but their return policy is ridiculous and you can't actually return things at the A Pea in the Pod Macy's stores and that makes me not want to shop there anymore if it is that difficult to return things!

Katm89 · March 2016

cal031686 said:

Alright ladies, we are a little further along, bumps are bigger, and weather is warming up. How are you dressing the bump? Found any great deals on bump apparel?

I am 18 weeks now and had to switch to maternity clothes at 14 weeks. I went to Destination Maternity for my casual office attire( 1 pair of black jeans, 1 pair of loose khaki cargo pants, 1 pair of grey skinny khakis [same pair I bought in green]). I bought a lot of attire that I will wear outside of work from www.swap.com. That site has been a lifesaver. I got 2 pairs of pea in the pod jeans for 24 bucks total! I also got two pairs of like new motherhood shorts for summer for 12$ total. Their return policy is great/easy so I ordered a lot and returned what didn't fit. Definitely super happy I found that site.I bought some tops for work as well. I bought 2 ruched maternity tees on sale at Old Navy. Their selection online is better but I did manage to find these in store. I also went to Target and found a nice maternity dress for work when it gets warmer. I will probably need more tops but I feel stocked up on pants. I need a new bra this weekend and I also need a maternity swim suit before vacation in May.

kristynmac · March 2016

I bought a few maxi dresses from PinkBlush. I have found that the sizes do run a little bit big. Right now they have an additional 50% off clearance items and all standard shipping is free in the US. https://www.pinkblushmaternity.com/

Whitmore1027 · March 2016

I wore the bella band while leaving my pants unbuttoned starting around week 13 I believe. I just bought my first maternity leggings and maternity jeans, and a couple tops (all from target) (I am 17w3d). I wish I had done that a long time ago!! It is SO extremely comfortable AND it really shows your bump better. My experience, wear clothes that are tight (not TIGHT but, you know, not the loose clothes) around the belly and it'll show your bump SO much better! I'm sticking with maternity clothes the rest of the pregnancy!

Katm89 · March 2016

@Whitmore1027 I like the form fitting tops as well. I have found though that I'm very small in the shoulders so I need an XS or S shirt... and I'm worried they will be too short when I get bigger... frustrating!

lilpinky7878 · March 2016

I started with the band as said in previous post it gets uncomfortable... I've been sweet pants and leggings since week 12. I am 16 now bought my first prego carpi at target. Otherwise I bought lots of maxi dress can still grow into them

Mfuller76 · March 2016

I bought a pair of black knit palazzo pants from the junior's department at Target (of all the unlikely places). They've got a super stretchy waistband and I just sized up from my pre-preggo size. They're quickly turning into my favorite thing... Every bit as comfortable as leggings but more appropriate for work!

MamaKSquared · March 2016

I'm also looking for a maternity swim suite for a cruise that we leave for in less than 2 weeks! I ordered one online from Zulily. Big mistake. They don't take any returns and it doesn't fit well at all. My boobs fit fine, but it's saggy in the crotch area. I'm having a hard time finding anything in stores, but I'm not a fan of ordering swimwear online, especially after my last experience.

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