Maternity clothes

[MsSassyBaskets]

10 weeks today. I just went to put on one of my looser pairs of jeans, and they don't want to button comfortably around my grapefruit-sized uterus. I sort of thought I would have a little more time than this, but I tend toward skinny jeans so I didn't start out with that much wiggle room. I bought a pair of stretchier not-quite-so-skinny jeans in a size up at the J Crew outlet, and I have a couple pairs of colored skinny jeans that are a little looser and stretchier, so I'm not out of options yet. Most of my shirts are a little looser - I tend to wear tighter on the bottom and flowier on top, so I should be good for shirts for a while. I don't know if I want to pay for a good pair of maternity jeans quite yet because I want to make sure to get a size that fits me at the end... Should I just get a belly band for now? Do the rubber band thing?

So, what did you buy, and when, and what did you actually wear? What was worth it and what was a waste? I will especially be in need of fall/winter styles.

[ladymoreta]

You can gain a little more time with your jeans with Bella Bands - they sell them at Target. After those didn't work anymore, I found that I liked the full panel maternity jeans much better than the lower ones. It feels silly pulling them up to your chest, but they're soooo comfy!

[HouseofWool]

I did the rubber band thing with a Bella band.

[Thirteen]

Rubber band thing works for a while.
I mostly wear workout pants (fitted), looser tops, and maxi dresses 1 size up.
I saved a fortune this time -- maternity clothing in winter is a little more pricey.


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[alotofyarn]

I used the Bella band until about 12 weeks when I switched to maternity pants. I liked the full panel mostly - you can fold it down for now if it's too hot. Nice pants were worth every penny.

[Thirteen]

Rubber band thing works for a while.
I mostly wear workout pants (fitted), looser tops, and maxi dresses 1 size up.
I saved a fortune this time -- maternity clothing in winter is a little more pricey.


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[MrsSz]

You can gain a little more time with your jeans with Bella Bands - they sell them at Target. After those didn't work anymore, I found that I liked the full panel maternity jeans much better than the lower ones. It feels silly pulling them up to your chest, but they're soooo comfy!

This for me so far plus maxi dresses and skirts- ohhh and leggings a size up (Gap outlet has them on sale right now) are my go to.

[OrionGrad]

I've had 2 summer pregnancies, so I'm all about dresses when I'm going places where I need to look presentable. This time around I've also been wearing cropped yoga pants pretty much nonstop. I haven't needed to buy maternity yoga pants, I just size up and wear them below my belly. But I do have a pair of maternity leggings, and they are super, super comfy.
The rubber band trick worked really well for me until I moved to maternity jeans, probably around 20 weeks.

[oceanchild]

I'll be the dissenter and say that until the very end, I preferred maternity jeans that were not full panel. (I had some "demi panel" ones from the Gap that were great.) Try some on. It is SO WORTH having a pair of jeans that you feel good wearing. I don't think you have to wait too long - with pants, what fit me at the beginning fit until almost the end.

I did Bella bands until like 16 or 18 weeks and then fully switched over to maternity clothes. I benefited from a lot of Christmas gifts and hand-me-downs.

Then for the last couple months it was dresses whenever possible.

[MsSassyBaskets]

Oh ye gods, I just tried on my REGULAR (not loose) jeans with a rubber band. I laughed, I cried. I'm thinking of giving away my smallest pairs for good.

[SoonerTexan]

I got away with a belly band for awhile, but found it annoying. Err on the smaller size with them.

I mostly went to maternity pants and workout pants (stretchy capris and yoga pants) pretty quickly. I am also a fan of the full panel because after the first few weeks the demi panel became very uncomfortable, would ride up and down, and gave me the worst muffin top ever. After 25 weeks I gave up on them altogether.

Check out Gap Maternity clearance racks. I always found good stuff there.

[OrionGrad]

Old Navy has free returns (and sometimes free shipping if you can get a coupon code), so I ordered a bunch of different sizes/styles online and just returned everything I didn't like. I've found that a lot of stores (incl. ON and Gap) have a much bigger maternity selection online than they do in stores.

[Thirteen]

I had good luck with clearance on Motherhood Maternity & Gap Maternity during my first pregnancy. (The websites)


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[lovelight]

I went to Ross (don't know if you have them in your area) and scored my full panel maternity jeans for $10. Then I went to baby consignment stores for maternity shorts. Old Navy is great for tanks. Target (with coupons from cartwheel) for basically everything else). The only thing I got from Motherhood was work pants on clearance. I was determined not to spend a fortune on maternity clothes.


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[scarlett09]

I used hair ties to help a few times, and mainly utilized the belly band. They tell you to fold it over to help hide your unbuttoned/unzipped pants. I found it annoying to wear it that way. It is much easier to wear the belly band not folded over.

I am in full panel pants all.the.time now at 15 weeks. I started wearing them off and on at 10 weeks. They are awesome. I think I might wear them for the rest of my life. The Demi panel pants are alright, I think it depends on your body type, the cut of the pants, and how you are carrying. I have a pair of demi panel shorts from Gap maternity I like, but I wasn't in love with anything Demi panel I tried on today in other stores.

I have gotten things from Kohl's, Target, Old Navy, Gap and Motherhood Maternity. Old Navy has a great return policy for online purchases as OG previously mentioned. I hope Target's online returns are just as great because I had to try out a few maternity bathing suits. I also recommend going through your closet and seeing what works with the bump (as it gets bigger) and putting everything else away so you're just wearing what actually fits. I will probably have to weed through my closet every few weeks though. The babies are constantly outgrowing their accommodations.

LL - thanks for the Ross tip! I'm gonna check out them when I have a moment. Anyone find stuff at TJMaxx/Marshall's?


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