Hi there readers, we have another friend and reader email to share. This is what Jenny really said and what I told her. Sound off in the comments with your best tips and advice for maternity clothes shopping.
Dear Rookie Moms,
I know I should read the blog from beginning to end, but in the meantime, any maternity clothing tips to pass on??I actually have a bella band that I bought on sale and love it since I’m able to still wear my jeans and not feel like I’m about to flash everyone. I also bought a few tops in a couple of sizes larger than normal so that they are longer and looser, one pair of cords 2 sizes up, and a couple of longer sweaters that I figure I will be able to wear next winter too. That stuff got me through the last couple of weeks without any breakdowns. But so far no true-blue maternity clothes (aside from the Bella Band and a pair of tights).
I was hoping that if I bought a great pair of maternity jeans that they would last me through the months, but what do you think?
Thanks,
Jenny (Not My Real Name)
Dear Jenny,
First, here’s a simple tip to save your sanity. As you outgrow maternity clothes, store them with the smallest on the bottom to the largest on top in a box or shelf so that as you lose the weight you don’t have to dig through everything again. Just work your way down.
But you’re on your way up, so here are some maternity clothes shopping tips learned the hard way:
- Remember you are beautiful and gorgeous and your body is doing an amazing thing so try not to sweat it when you start getting larger and your pants and shirt can no longer cover your midsection. It can be a challenge, so I mention this up front.
- Wear what you have. To extend the life of your pants, you can use a rubber band to fasten buttons for as long as that will last. There are also bra extenders so if the cups still fit you can wear them a little longer. Or did your boobs get huge immediately?
- Bella bands are great for some people; they are a super wide spandexy belt that bridges the gap between your pants and your shirt. Very long undershirts could also do the job. Whitney loved hers. Me, not so much.
- Beg. Borrow.
Steal. Buying new maternity clothes can be a big waste of money. Try to borrow truck-fulls of maternity clothes from your friends then you can pick and choose some free basics and then buy some special pieces as you want them (Some stuff will look huge. Don’t give back what’s too dang enormous, just what you don’t like at all). - On jeans. The trouble is that you “deserve” nice jeans that make you look awesome and feel like a million bucks. In my case, I bought them for baby #2, outgrew them in two months. Bye bye $150. I have had so much angst finding great maternity jeans but I hope you don’t. Another idea is to buy jeans that you love and fit you early in your pregnancy (with a stretchy band) and hope you can wear them on the flip side.
- High-class swap. There is a service/event in the bay area called maternity xchange, which is a high quality maternity clothes swap. If you’re a greenie, it would be good to find one in your area.
- Go ahead and shop. Other than those sources, I shopped at mimi maternity (I kinda hate them, but they do provide a necessary service) on the sale rack and Target (the Liz Lange line is pretty great for basics) and also Gap Maternity online.
Good luck and tell us what you find that works for you!
Cheers,
Heather (My Real Name)
I agree that borrowing is the best way to go! Just make sure names or initials are written on tags so you can return them accordingly.
I was really surprised the first time that even some of my maternity clothes didn’t last the whole pregnancy. Some fit earlier on, some later (thus advice about keeping the huge stuff – it just might work at the end).
I’ve also had great luck finding good, affordable maternity clothes at kids resale stores – many also have maternity clothes racks. And some of our local thrift shops also have a nice selection. Recently I found some great deals in the clearance section of OldNavy.com (out of season now, but will work great in a few months!). Good luck.
My only other piece of advice would be this: expect that your jeans (even those huge maternity jeans) either aren’t going to fit you or are going to be really uncomfortable in your final few weeks of pregnancy. Buy some awesome, soft yoga pants and wear the heck out of them in those final weeks.
hey…
i’m a tall girl so most regular store brands don’t fit me. i did find some good deals at old navy who actually have tall maternity jeans. if you’re not opposed to shopping off-season, their clearances can save you a ton. the other place i found a lot of clothes was at the thrift store. it’s amazing what nice maternity clothes you can find since most of the time they’re worn for such a short time. i also tried to buy tops that weren’t necessarily maternity but that i could wear after the baby was born. most kids consignment stores also have a maternity section which is not as cheap as thrift, but maybe a little better shape.
If shopping through Gap.com, you can save 20% off new styles with code SPRING20 through Sunday, Jan. 24….or if you shop today (Jan. 22) you can get 20% off sale items with code GAPEXTRA20. Plus, if you shop through Ebates you’ll get a whopping 10% cash back.
Personally…I got all of my maternity clothes through Old Navy. Sure, it’s a slight step down from the gap in terms of quality and price, but considering that I spilled something on just about every maternity shirt I had…it was a better bet.
The biggest mistake I made was buying into the “maternity/nursing” tops. I bought a couple of nursing tank tops at old navy online that were meant to also be good for maternity. They were great for maternity but I never would have spent that money if I had realized how bad they would be for nursing. The clips were impossible to undo and there was nothing to hold the straps from falling back over your shoulder, which made them really kind of useless. Also leaves you more or less naked on whichever side you have unclipped.
I also bought some tops that are fitted for a belly but also work for nursing but found that I feel like I’m wearing a tent.
I also bought one glamour mom tank top and LOVE it. It fit through almost the end of the pregnancy and fits great now, with no more baby weight and doesn’t look baggy. I don’t know how they do it, but that is my #1 mut have maternity item.
I did find my maternity jeans at old navy and loved them from the day I bought them until I was back in my regular pants.
Keep in mind that if you don’t gain more than the reccomended weight gain, you will likely be back in your regular stuff a lot sooner, so don’t assume you will need to wear maternity stuff for months after giving birth. If you buy a lot of new stuff at the end of the pregnancy, you may not wear it much.
What saved my was finding a great consignment store that carried some maternity styles. Savvy Seconds (Pleasanton, CA)really got me through with some basics and were also able to find me non-maternity items that they knew would run big through the belly or generally be stylish and comfy. I felt like I had so many great new things but NEVER broke the bank and felt really good about my purchases. Highly recommend checking your local consignment store.
I had one black and one white maternity camisole, and I wore them under everything so I wouldn’t have to worry about things being too short. They seemed ridiculously large in Month 3, but were stretched to the max by Month 9. I loved them. Next time, I will spend a little more money to buy some really nice, comfy ones (the ones I had were the division of Motherhood sold by Kohl’s and they were a little itchy and cheap).
I gave up on jeans. But then, I was my biggest from May-August, so I didn’t miss them that much.
American Apparel skirts! I wore 1 size through my entire pregnancy and loved it. I was huge too [9+ pound baby]. Stretched great, looked semi stylish, and was super comfortable. Towards the end- jeans felt so stiff and uncomfortable, all I wore were skirts.
Cheers!
http://store.americanapparel.net/rsa7300.html?cid=151
The one I had was different than this- but it doesn’t seem to be on the website- if you have a store near you go and try on a few.
Hayley, I agree, those skirts are fantastic. I had a green one that I wore to death during and after my pregnancy with Milo.
Katie, good tip about the maternity camisole. I totally agree. And who knew there was such an advantage to a hot summer pregnancy?
Jill and Carissa, maternity consignment is brilliant. I sent all my good stuff there after two pregnancies.
Wendy, those black yoga pants are a new mommy staple too.
Stumptown Mom, Good tip about seasonal shopping. That works great in the Bay Area but maybe not so good in Cleveland.
Jennifer, that’s a great example of an article of clothing that seems like such a good idea at the time.
AverageParent, thanks for the coupon code.
I loved wearing skirts and gauchos. (thank goodness I was huge during the summer. I tried to get by on long and XL shirts from wal-mart, but that did not work well. I would say it’s worth spending some money on 3 or 4 neutral maternity shirts that make you feel cute. By trying to save money I really spent more because I kept outgrowing the things I though would last. I wish I had discovered Gap maternity sooner and payed a little extra for a few staples that I would have loved. Their stuff is so cute. I was there a few weeks ago and it made me wish I was pregnant again.
I bought 2 pairs of maternity jeans in month 3 (one was Liz Lange from Target with the big tummy cover and the other was from Gap that had the hidden adjuster inside). The Gap pair were really uncomfortable until month 7 (because the adjuster bunched up) and the the pair from Target ripped several times on the tummy cover part, but I LOVED them. I preferred the tummy cover as I grew because it supported my belly. When I didn’t have the tummy cover, I felt like I was constantly trying to hold my belly up. The Bella Band might do that, but I never got one.
Winter was easy. I just threw on stretchy sweaters. For spring, I bought a bunch of Old Navy tanks (regular section, but one size up) and they were nice and long, and wore cardigans over the tanks.
The money suckers were the bras. I went through so many sizes, I must have bought 12 bras. I got so aggravated, I finally bought one size larger than I was at 8 months. And I got the $50 nursing bra. By the time my baby was 3 months old, the bra was too big again. Next time, I’ll invest in the sport-bra nursing style that stretches and avoid the fitted bras.
Another problem I had was shoes. I outgrew every pair of shoes by month 5. Even my flip-flops were too small. I gave up on closed toed shoes and went with a pair of sandals from Old Navy for $7.50. Still to this day (my son is 8 months) I cannot fit into any of my old shoes.
My son was also 2 weeks late and for the last 3 weeks of pregnancy, skirts and yoga pants was all I could handle.
One other thing: I had a party to go to at month 4 and I knew I would have more dressy events in months 5 and 6, so I bought a little black dress at Motherhood Maternity at month 4 and wore it for every party. In month 4, everyone was shocked at how big I was, but really it was just the dress that made me look that big. A woman asked me if I was due any day with twins. I was skeptical to wear it again, but when I did, it looked fine.
If you have a Burlington Coat Factory near by, they have good deals on maternity clothes too.
I totally second the Glamourmom recommendation and the advice to try consignment shops; I got some great clothes for my second pregnancy at the consignment shop where I buy my son’s clothes (and I didn’t feel guilty buying new stuff despite being pregnant the exact same season.) Even if you can fit non-maternity shirts, they often start to do the belly-creep earlier because they are not cut longer at the front like maternity shirts. I found the most useful pieces were longer and relatively fitted maternity tees that stretched as I grew but were still flattering; sometimes non-maternity clothes don’t make it clear anough that your bump is actually a bump
Something to consider is wheter or not you are having a lot of nausea. I know this sounds strange, but my actual maternity clothes did not fit me until about 3 weeks before my little bundle was born! I was so sick I lost instead of gaining weight until late in the pregnancy, so my regular clothes fit fine. Even some of the jeans I had that were smaller but mid-low rise, wearing a belly band. The maternity clothes did come in handy postpartum! The pants with the mid-tummy stretchy top is great for support; without going all the way up to your boobs and doesn’t look like maternity wear. Many maternity dresses look great after too with leggings (and spanx). I hope this helps!
I just transformed some normal jeans (second-hand or jeans that you still like, but are ready to give up after the pregnancy) into maternity jeans by cutting of a bit on the top, just enough to pull them up without opening the zipper. For me, that meant more on the front than on the back. Sew the zipper-part carefully shut, then cut the lower part of an old and tight-fitting t-shirt off, just under the chest, and sew it upside down onto the jeans, (= the old bottom is now the top, that saves doing some kind of fancy seaming), same idea as a belly-band (is that the same as a bella-band?). to make them stay up even better, I used the sleaves of the t-shirt to sew a “tunnel” on the inside of the new waistband where I inserted the broadest elastic I could find. cost: 5-15 Euro, depending on what you have at home. time: 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on sewing skills. in my experience, a lot less time than searching the right clothing!
I tried doing some DIY-transforming of jeans and a skirt, and being a novice sewer they completely failed, and with the pregnancy hormones I ended up just bawling. If you decide to go that route, I suggest buying a really cheap secondhand pair of jeans to test it out first!
Ross was my favorite place for maternity clothes – their selection varied widely, but they were all new and quite cheap!
Also, borrowing maternity clothes from a friend/neighbor/mom-swap was a lifesaver. I could buy a few special things that looked really good on me, and then use whatever else I had borrowed to fill in the gaps for day to day. I was really glad that I didn’t give back the stuff that looked huge, because at the end of 9 months, it actually fit!
I splurged on a pair of expensive maternity jeans with the elastic band sewn in from Pea in the Pod. They wouldn’t stay up, which drove me crazy until I bought a belly band, which I now wear over the sewn in band. Now they stay up great and are really comfortable. Not great for really hot weather, but it does make your belly feel very secure.
I have to dress up for work so I also splurged on a dress and a couple tops from Isabella Oliver – the most flattering and stylish maternity designer I have found. As for cuts, Ruching is the way to go – I look for that in all my maternity clothes. It is flattering and comfortable and form fitting.
I lived in my workout / yoga pants when I was pregnant. They are light weight, comfortable, breathable and stretchable. I have a few pairs I bought online at ImpactFitnessWear.com but any brand will do. Hope this helps.
I need to find longer shirts for my daughter. She is carring twins and none of the shirts are long enough. She is wearing a “brace/band” for support and everything snags on it. Is there a store or somewhere I can buy the shirt with longer fronts? Poor thing is so miserable feeling. morning sickness, body pain and major cramps. Any help there would be great. Thanks
Hi @Kelli, I posed your question to our twitter followers and got a few great tips for those in search of EXTRA EXTRA long tops to cover their bellies (like moms-to-be of multiples) Here are their best tips:
Thank you everyone! I found longer t-shirt dresses that will work great. I found them on hanes.com. Perfect for multiple birth moms. I hope they take my suggestion and do a materity line! The prices were really good and sale going. My daughter is getting the tunic dress. I can decorate the t dresses too. (I screen print and stencil)
I got some hand-me-downs (most of which were simply too large for me) bought 2 pairs of maternity jeans (one from Target the other from Old Navy) but the best place to get maternity clothes if you want to save money and still look good… Goodwill! Yes you have to scour the racks if they don’t have a section specifically for maternity but I have found it very very easy to spot maternity pants in long rows of pants, just look for the elastic band top! I have gotten maternity button downs, t-shirts and pants all for $2-3.50 each. Can’t beat that! I also got some XL sweaters. Also if you have a Once Upon a Child store go there they have TONS of maternity clothes and they are still pretty cheap, not as cheap as Goodwill but they did have some items for $7.50 that were really nice shirts.
Hi Rookie Moms,
Just a proud grandma here. My daughter gave birth to twins on Christmas Day. They were about 10 weeks early but are doing great. Lydia and Timothy are healthy and doing better we could have ever expected. Let pray it stays that way. What a surprise for us on Christmas. The local news did a quick story on them. wowtv.com under “Surprise! Twins come on Christmas (Dec 27th)
Being preemies, we could use any help and suggestions.
I basically live in my fitness wear. I do have a couple pairs of maternity jeans that I wear if I’m going out and need to look a little nicer, but for the most part, I wear my workout clothing non stop.
I second the yoga pants. This was my first pregnancy so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I got a few hand me downs, I bought a large lot of medium sized maternity clothes from Ebay and then filled in the blanks as needed from sale racks in department stores. I also went to a Motherhood outlet store and was able to find some good deals on the sale and clearance racks. I expanded quickly so by 6 months I needed a large instead of medium and now in my final trimester I really don’t want anything on my belly because the skin is sensitive. I caved and wore a pair of black yoga pants to work and found that people thought I had bought a new pair of dress pants (they were a relaxed fit). Sooo I ended up getting some non-maternity relaxed fit yoga pants in a size larger than I used to wear and they work great. I wish I had discovered this months ago and saved myself some money. Now I also have something comfy to wear postpartem that I can dress up or down.