I'm so cheap that I hate buying clothes I won't wear that long. I'm planning on buying some long flowy skirts that should work with and without my belly. I have a few from my last pregnancy. Does anyone have recommendations for maternity legging/jeggings that are decently business casual? Basically I want to wear leggings to work lol
Married July 2014 DD born June 2016 Second due August 2020 (team green!)
@samsonator lol I wish I could get away with that at my office! Sorry I'm no help. I pretty much live in stretch- waist slacks I found at Macy's, but I did just see another similar style at Kohl's, like Vera Wang for Kohl's. Stretch slacks, but no button. I plan on wearing these + drapey tops as long as humanly possible. Until the bump is truly undeniable. One of the benefits of being chubby, plus the holidays, I feel like my little blueberry is already showing, but no one would dare say anything, and if they did, I would just be like, what!?? You never seen a fat lady after Christmas before???? :D :D :D
@BusinessWife haha!! It really is a good time to have a little belly while still trying to hide it. Don't we all eat too many Christmas cookies 😅 We blend right in. Are the stretch waist slacks comfortable?
Married July 2014 DD born June 2016 Second due August 2020 (team green!)
@samsonator ermagrr Yas. It's 1030 at night and my level of changing out of work clothes so far has consisted of lose the bra, jacket / sweater swap, boots / slippers. They practically feel like pajamas!
Last pregnancy I worked at a place with a casual dress code. This time I need business casual and fast. My work pants are super uncomfortable and I’ve already had to stop wearing about half of them and break out some “fat” pairs I had from when I was about 20lbs heavier. I guess I’ll try old navy and gap for some fancy pants. Hoping for a good sale.
I’m also worried about switching to mat pants bc I haven’t told anyone I’m pregnant yet. Will it be obvious if I wear them? I’m not even 8 weeks and don’t plan on telling work for another 6-7 weeks.
I never bought maternity underwear last time but I wouldn’t rule it out either. Toward the end I bought a pack of low rise in the next size up and they were perfect.
@moguippy, yes and no. The biggest thing is making sure you wear long enough tops that the waistband, whether it's an over or under belly style, doesn't appear when you stretch or bend over.
If you're trying to hide it, it's also important to have proper posture and hold your stomach in. I don't mean constantly sucking in as hard as you can. Just engage your abs and stand or sit up straight. If you slouch or just let your belly relax, it will pooch out more. With maternity pants, there's no waistband that helps hold your belly in at all.
@moguippy I’m 8 weeks and in the same situation. I have two pairs of “fat pants” and one pair of dressy trousers with an elastic waistband I’ve been wearing. I just bought a pair of gap and old navy black maternity dress pants and I will probably start wearing them next week. Like @coldlife said, you have to wear longer shirts to cover the belly fabric. They don’t really work great with most of my tops. I’m planning on wearing flowy/silky button ups with them and/or tunic style tops. I’m sure my co-workers are going to figure it out sooner than I’d like them to since I usually have a more fitted wardrobe.
@coldlife I naturally have poor posture. I also have mild scoliosis, that makes me have a permanent slouch so that’s also not helping. I have been “sucking it in” when I walk around the office. But I can mostly hide in my cubicle.
@tara4910 I’ve been getting by with 2 pairs of fat pants and one pair that hasn’t gotten too uncomfortable yet. Ill have to pick up some mat pants sooner rather than later. I’ve been getting away with some looser sweaters since it’s winter
I'm so bloated I don't fit in any of my jeans or slacks anymore. So, I made the switch to maternity pants and I think I might never wear real pants again.
@andreaaaaaaaaaa same! I haven’t been able to comfortably button any of my pants since like week 6 and I’m at week 10 now. I assume it has mostly been because of bloat, but still. Been leaving the top button and sometimes part of the zipper down with a Bella band. Such a lifesaver!! I’m probably going to keep this for big meals even after birth 😂.
Do you all find your maternity pants stay up? I bought one pair and they fit at first but once they stretched a little there was just nothing to hold the pants up. Those are over the belly jeans but I also just purchased a pair of side panel jeans that should be here today. Hoping that will work a bit better!
@newmama46 I had trouble with one of my pairs of over-the-belly jeans, but I think I also wore the wrong underwear which exacerbated the situation. Folding the stretchy part over on itself seemed to help, but I did have to pull them up a lot. At this rate, I'll grow into them soon though. Good luck with the side panel jeans! I'll have to look into those.
@newmama46 I really don't like over the belt, long or short style. I wrote them for my last two pregnancies because I had them but I love my side panel shorts, hope to get some pants for this time but haven't found anything ill fitting yet... Makes me nervous sometimes with all of you switching over.
@newmama46 I find the over the belly pants don’t stay up until later in pregnancy - like 20 weeks +. For early pregnancy the under belly with side panel pants tend to be a lot more comfortable for me, or even the ones with just an elastic waistband that sits right across your belly. Once my belly gets big I hate anything under or across it, and switch to the full panel, over belly ones. I’m guessing you’ll like the side panel ones better for now!
Blah, cheers to finding out my might-as-well-be-a-brother is finally going to get married, and they are doing it this summer.. I'll be at minimum 30 weeks. Now I've got to start thinking about and considering a wedding appropriate dress, and everything I've kind of been scouting online right now seems to be my least favorite things ever, floral and/or body con.
I don't want to break my bank for a dress here, so if anyone has any hot tips let me know.
@RedBaramid Giiiirl. I'm kind of in the same boat. My brother-in-law is getting married August 8th. My due date is August 18th. Suuuper close. My husband is the best man, and my son is the ring bearer, so fingers crossed that baby stays put long enough for all of us to attend the wedding as planned. Just makes me so nervous. But I hadn't even THOUGHT about finding a dress until you mentioned it. Holy moly. What on earth am I going to wear at almost 40 weeks pregnant in the middle of the summer!? Yikes! I'll also take all the tips!
@redbaramid and @lachnessmomster with my first I went to a wedding on my due date and 2 days before my daughter was born. It was actually the prettiest I felt my entire pregnancy. I went with a more formal flowy maxi-dress that wasn’t maternity but had a line right under the breasts. It was a little long so it just went right over the bump and still hit the ground. I absolutely loved it.
TTC1: May 2015
Primary IF May 2016; Failed HSG; Scheduled Lap Sept. 2016
Me too @RedBaramid @lachnessmomster EDD 8/21, wedding 7/11 - so what is that? 34 weeks! 😬 That sounds absolutely lovely @sarah0985 do you remember where you found it? For my event, I would also like to find out the venue etc so I know how formal vs. pretty summer style to go.... (It's a second wedding for both.) I had ok luck with a black maxi dress from pinkblush for a concert with my first, and it wasn't too expensive, either. I think I was about 20 or 22 weeks, so I actually would have loved to have been sporting a bigger bump at the time! I just felt kinda chubby in the pictures at that stage. :/. But I look back and really it was lovely. :)
@businesswife I don’t know. It was a gift from a friend before I was pregnant. I had worn it with heels before. I guess I was just trying to say that maternity lines aren’t the only option.
TTC1: May 2015
Primary IF May 2016; Failed HSG; Scheduled Lap Sept. 2016
@RedBaramid@lachnessmomster@BusinessWife I'm in the same boat... MH close friend is getting married 8/23 and my EDD is 8/27 and MH is one of the best men. I'm thinking of renting a dress through Rent the Runway. I've rented a few dresses not pregnant and really liked them. I know they have maternity friendly ones so I plan to check them out. If you are new they usually give you $15 off... or I can send you a code if you can't find it. I'm also in my brother's wedding in October and really wondering how I should order the bridesmaid dress... thankfully they aren't going with anything super fancy, something I can pick up in the department store.
Me: 33 DH: 36 Dating 4/2008 Married 6/2016 TTC #1 9/2019 BFP 12/13/2019! EDD 8/27/2020 Baby Girl
I purchased a Pink Blush dress for a wedding last pregnancy. It was gorgeous, and I felt gorgeous. Looking forward to wearing it again! I like some Pink blush, but I have another dress that I'm not impressed with. It's knit, and while the bodice is lined, the skirt isn't. So I have to wear a slip, which has to be under the bump, of course. So it's kind of annoying because the material is so thin, it really should be lined!
I have used Rent the Runway not pregnant. I did look there last pregnancy, and I was not impressed with their maternity options. Most of it does not look like it will fit over a bump.
Same, wedding at about 32 weeks. I’ll probably be in the wedding so I might not have much choice in what to wear. If not, I’ll probably do rent the runway, pink blush or borrow from a friend. I may have to do that anyway for rehearsal dinner, etc. I’ve never done rtr before but I have friends who love it and I’m excited to try.
Last pregnancy, I had a wedding at 35 weeks and I just wore a dress from old navy maternity that was cute and comfy. I sort of wish I went fancier, but it did the job.
For plus size, I actually found a lot of basic shirts and tank tops at JCPENNEY and I wore my non-maternity open cardigans over them. They had a good selection of all cotton clothes, which I need because of skin sensitivity. I got a couple of plus size maternity jeans at the motherhood outlet near me. And maternity yoga pants, those are my jam!
My best friend, a bankruptcy lawyer, advised me to stock up on clothing from Destination Maternity, as they're going out of business. Get on it, ladies!
Reporting back on side panel. They are so much better and have enough stretch I can foresee being able to wear them for sometime. Apparently they are also adjustable though I haven’t figured that out yet. Similar to @gilsam1i bought some cotton maternity tees for the length. Ingrid and Isabel has some nice ones without ruching (then they don’t look like maternity). Been doing lots of cotton tees under cardigans, blazers, or vests.
I had a wedding at 35 weeks with my 1st and I just wore a plus size dress with a ribbon tied above the bump. It was freaking HOT and little did I know I'd have DD a couple of days later, but the dress worked out nicely. I so wish it had been longer though. One thing to keep in mind is that your legs and feet might be SUPER swollen and a maxi dress would help disguise the cankles!
@hadassah2020 Don't be nervous if all your clothes still fit. Personally, the main reason I'm not fitting in mine is due to bloating. I'll be 9 weeks tomorrow and can feel a firm area in my lower abdomen, but I'm not truly showing yet.
I think it's so annoying that you can barely try on any maternity clothes in store, nearly everything is online only. Every thing says to get your pre pregnancy size but materntity sizing is allover the place. I remember last time that I had to size up in the Gap jeans I got but there were other dresses that were still too big at 40 weeks.
I think it's so annoying that you can barely try on any maternity clothes in store, nearly everything is online only. Every thing says to get your pre pregnancy size but materntity sizing is allover the place. I remember last time that I had to size up in the Gap jeans I got but there were other dresses that were still too big at 40 weeks.
Yup. Pet peeve. But I feel that way with regular clothes, too. I sew - I KNOW how to measure myself, so why does hardly anything fit when I order according to the sizing chart? Bras are the worst.
Help- plus size options.... go! Ive tried destination maternity, but they are sold out of most 2x sizes! I need work pants for an office, and jeans- preferably not skinny jeans style.
@coldlife I don't know how thet can't get it right either. I sew too and I have a set of standard dress blocks that I have made things for so many people out of, I've graded them to different sizes and I am yet to find someone that they don't fit. I think there are two things going on, firstly vanity sizing so the mesurments often don't relate to the acctual garment and secondly particulary at cheaper brands they simplify the patters, taking out seams and darts where possible to reduce production costs but at the expence of the fit of the garment.
@coldlife I don't know how thet can't get it right either. I sew too and I have a set of standard dress blocks that I have made things for so many people out of, I've graded them to different sizes and I am yet to find someone that they don't fit. I think there are two things going on, firstly vanity sizing so the mesurments often don't relate to the acctual garment and secondly particulary at cheaper brands they simplify the patters, taking out seams and darts where possible to reduce production costs but at the expence of the fit of the garment.
Yea, I think the sizing charts are just some sort of standard crap that don't actually relate at all to the sizes of that particular brand. So why have a sizing chart? If it's not unique to that brand since brands call wildly different things a small, why even have it? It's absurd.
To your second point, I'm not sure that's it. Fitting is definitely taking a beating especially with the current trend of very boxy and baggy clothing, but having a loose fit is not the same thing as too big. When I say too big, I mean the armholes hang down to show my bra, or I'm holding literal handfuls of material under my arms around my chest.
@coldlife As per my second point, I don't think a lot of brands are doing it, just a few mainly at the cheaper end of the market. I've seen it in Primark in the UK with deresses with no side seams or no darts when a dress in that style would usualy have them.
Re: Maternity clothes: the good, the bad, the ugly
DD born June 2016
Second due August 2020 (team green!)
Are the stretch waist slacks comfortable?
DD born June 2016
Second due August 2020 (team green!)
https://www.macys.com/shop/featured/charter-club-cambridge-pants
Do get them on sale, tho!
If you're trying to hide it, it's also important to have proper posture and hold your stomach in. I don't mean constantly sucking in as hard as you can. Just engage your abs and stand or sit up straight. If you slouch or just let your belly relax, it will pooch out more. With maternity pants, there's no waistband that helps hold your belly in at all.
hubs: 26
ttc #1: 4/19
dx: PCOS
Dating 4/2008
Married 6/2016
TTC #1 9/2019
BFP 12/13/2019!
EDD 8/27/2020 Baby Girl
Do you all find your maternity pants stay up? I bought one pair and they fit at first but once
they stretched a little there was just nothing to hold the pants up. Those are over the belly jeans but I also just purchased a pair of side panel jeans that should be here today. Hoping that will work a bit better!
@andreaaaaaaaaaa You are most definitely not alone!
@newmama46 I had trouble with one of my pairs of over-the-belly jeans, but I think I also wore the wrong underwear which exacerbated the situation. Folding the stretchy part over on itself seemed to help, but I did have to pull them up a lot. At this rate, I'll grow into them soon though. Good luck with the side panel jeans! I'll have to look into those.
hubs: 26
ttc #1: 4/19
dx: PCOS
I don't want to break my bank for a dress here, so if anyone has any hot tips let me know.
Craft Blog
Dating 4/2008
Married 6/2016
TTC #1 9/2019
BFP 12/13/2019!
EDD 8/27/2020 Baby Girl
I have used Rent the Runway not pregnant. I did look there last pregnancy, and I was not impressed with their maternity options. Most of it does not look like it will fit over a bump.
hubs: 26
ttc #1: 4/19
dx: PCOS
To your second point, I'm not sure that's it. Fitting is definitely taking a beating especially with the current trend of very boxy and baggy clothing, but having a loose fit is not the same thing as too big. When I say too big, I mean the armholes hang down to show my bra, or I'm holding literal handfuls of material under my arms around my chest.