How to shop for maternity clothes

[pirate1974]

ok ladies, i'm 16+5 and while I dont need maternity clothes yet, my days are numbered. heres my problem, I dont really know how to do this. I mean, over the next 6 months, i'm going to be in multiple clothing stages. I have no idea how to tackle this. What size am I in maternity, how much should I buy for each stage, and so many other questions. Would love advice.

 

[MommyFirefly]

Gonna be watching this because I have the same question!

 

[newlywed2013]

I bought basics. A couple pairs of jeans, a pair of capris and one pair of shorts, and then basic tops and tanks that I can mix and match. I also watch garage sales for additional tops. You probably won't need a coat, but make sure you get a zip up hoodie or something along those lines. Watch for sales and buy a little at a time. If you are in the US, Motherhood Maternity has days where if you spend 75$ you get a coupon for 30 off of 75 later.

you are your normal size in maternity. I wore xl shirts prior, I'm in xl shirts maternity. I was in a 16-18 jeans which is an xl in maternity. you can see the size chart here for jeans: https://www.motherhood.com/size.asp

 

[Twelvty]

I'm now 26+1 and have 2 pairs of maternity jeans, 1 pair are cropped, a maternity jersey skirt and a stretchy dress. I've not bought any tops yet as I always wore baggy anyway so am just starting to fill those! I figure I'll wear and wash everything to death. I bought in the size I normally wear. As the weather changes I'll probably add to this but trying to limit what I buy! I'm in Scotland. Apparently primark has a fair range (I don't like their ethics tho). ASDA also has some reasonably priced stuff. Asos is great and has a sale on just now.
Good luck!x

 

[ItsJana]

Since I'm due at the end of October I bought mostly maternity clothes that can be layered. I bought two open front cardigans, which are great because they will easily work when I'm not pregnant. I usually live in jeans so bought 3 pairs of those, two pairs of dressy pants, one pair of khakis and one pair of linen pants. I'm going to try to go without buying a jacket and instead bought a sweater that I can use now if/when I go out at night. I also bought some basic long sleeve shirts, two t shirts and a dressy shirt that I'll wear during our holiday. I'm not a big fan of dresses or skirts, but some people swear by maxi dresses and you can usually continue wearing them after your pregnancy.

All my maternity clothes have been bought from Motherhood maternity, consignment stores and Thyme Maternity (Canada). I highly recommend Motherhood maternity if you are in Canada or the USA!

 

[kmpssbl]

Since I am so small, my prego sister told me just to get size small maternity clothes. I used to wear XS shirts, but have graduated to size small now. I know, rough. I only have 2 true maternity tops, and a pair of capris with the band, but have not been able to fit in them yet. I have a lot of stretchy-type shirts, so I don't mind showing off my tiny belly for now

 

[kitty_el]

I never got any maternity clothes last pregnancy and don't intend to this time, I just lived in jeggings, leggings, tunic style tops & cardigans. I just went up a size for my work trousers. I think it's such a waste of money and all the styles of maternity clothing I could find were so frumpy and unflattering. Like has been stated before Primark & ASDA have some great buys also H&M due good basics xx

 

[EmzyJA]

I've bought a few jeans and tops, other than that leggings etc. and for the summer just bought normal maxi dresses that can fit me whilst pregnant but I can keep afterwards too so they won't be wasted. I think having to buy for different seasons the key is layering. I'm due in October so got the summer and then a month or so of colder weather. Stretchy jeggings from primark are a good one too, they'll be handy for after birth too.

 

[jeanyern123]

I am a uk10/us6 and I just bought my first pair of maternity skinny jeans today and I'm 7months. They're size uk10 but with the big band making room for my stomach.

My body shape has stayed the same although I've gained 6kgs, really it's just my front that is expanding forward. Hence the same size but just with a band.

I wear over-sized tops as I have a boxy/wide décolletage, but I'm finding they also hide my stomach as they fall from my chest. Also very comfy.
I also wear low riding skinny jeans that thankfully sit below my belly. (Beware of builders crack).
Pretty flat shoes that you just slip on are essential because bending over gets hard. (Beware of builders crack).
Accessorise with giant bangles to pull eyes away from your belly, if ya want? I do.

I think bras are really important to get regularly fitted to keep your back n chest healthy. I've changed my bra size twice. It helps keep your shoulders back and posture straight too.

 

[AK89]

I haven't got enough time to read through the other replies 'cause I'm about to go to work so sorry if I'm just repeating loads of stuff! But I had a similar problem at about your stage.. and now I think I've got it sorted, for now at least!

For now, I would invest in at least one bump band. They are AMAZING. You can get them from ebay. They basically go over your pants/jeans/whatever and around your belly so that you can wear your pre-pregnancy clothes for longer 'cause you don't have to fasten them up! I'm actually still doing this with my work trousers as I still haven't got round to buying some actual maternity trousers, which I'll definitely be doing in the next week or so. The only reason I can't still do it with my pre-pregnancy jeans now is that my hips/thighs/bum have expanded too and they won't even fit around there anymore But that lasted aaaaages so definitely invest! You can get them for about £5/6 off ebay.

The next maternity item I bought was leggings. Again I got these off ebay super cheap! I got about 4/5 pairs in the size up from my normal size and these still fit me now and I think will do for a good few weeks.. after that I'll probably just order a couple more in a size or two up They are one of my maternity necessities! So comfy for either wearing around the house or with a long top/dress.

So far I've got a few maternity tops but I've not really worn that many of them.. I've mainly just bought about 6/7 long vest tops in a UK size 16 (I'm normally size 12). These still comfortably fit me now and will do for a while. The only thing with these is that the straps are a liiiiittle bit long but it's not been that much of a problem for me, I just haven't got round to altering them yet. Also I can still wear a lot of my old tops 'cause my bump still isn't too big for them yet, and especially if you wear your bump band it doesn't really matter if it rides up a bit!

Last week I decided I got a bit sick of just wearing leggings all the time so I went out and bought myself a couple of pairs of maternity jeans. I got mine from Primark - on sale for £5 each!! I don't know if you're in the UK or not or if you've got a Primark nearby. Also not all Primarks have a maternity section so I'd ring up first and ask. But I know you can get them from Asda and other places too if you're on a budget. AND all the summer sales are on at the moment / over the next few weeks so go out and find some bargains! There's a good sale on at Mamas and Papas at the moment, I found a nice pair of jeans in there for about £10 but they were a bit on the small side. With the jeans that I bought I had to buy a size or 2 up from my normal size but I'm not sure if that's just 'cause it's Primark!

All in all, I think the best thing to do is try not to think too far into the future. Just buy for what you need now 'cause you could end up buying things you'll never use if you don't. Good luck!

 

[RaspberryK]

I wouldn't buy your whole maternity wardrobe just yet, you might need to adjust what you buy and what size later on as I outgrew 3 lots of maternity clothes pregnant with ds.
I had got my first lot between 11&13 weeks in my regular size and they were all roomy but I outgrew them in a few months and got stuff in the next size, then I had to get more things as a lot of that grew small although the leggings were still ok. I managed to get a few more maternity bits that were flowy and summery but at the end I was so big in the belly that even the next size up after that was too small for my bump but too baggy elsewhere.
I wouldn't bother with cardigans etc just wear them open, you could buy a non maternity Cape coat which might work for during pregnancy and after.
I'd just buy replacements of what no longer fits you, and remember that depending on your job and when you plan to go on leave wool determine how much casual vs smart you need.
Xx

 

[Gingerspice]

I am loving the wrap style tops. You just wrap and tie so however big, as you grow the always fit.

 

[RaspberryK]

I am loving the wrap style tops. You just wrap and tie so however big, as you grow the always fit.

These are also great for after when you are breastfeeding.
Xx

 

[modified]

I wore a size 12 UK pre-pregnancy. I wear size 12 maternity.