Wednesday, 19 January 2011

  • What's Up With Maternity Clothes?!?

    While it may be a bit early, I've been browsing the maternity clothes trying to get a sense of what's out there vs. what I need. I figured that I'll need work clothes the most (i.e. black or khaki pants, possibly a few specific shirts), both my jobs are strict about what I can/can't wear on top. After that a pair of jeans, a few pairs of shorts (I'll be my biggest in summer), tank tops, and a belly band or two.

    I didn't think that it would be that difficult to find stuff I liked and stick to a budget. Well if my web browsing is an indicator of what I'm going to find in the stores, I have my work cut out for me.

    80-90% of the pants at maternity stores have that HUGE belly panel, and I absolutely can't stand things up that high. On top of that, one pair is like $50+. I also tried Etsy.com (thinking there had to be some crafty ladies that were thinking outside the box), and the only thing that came up for maternity pants were those horrible thai fisherman pants, or yoga pants. The tanks I could find easily enough, but other shirts? They were either tents or had some witty phrase on them (at both maternity stores and Etsy), nothing work appropriate. And again there was the price tag...

    Granted, many of my tops and pants will work for a while, especially with a belly band. However, they won't fit forever, I don't have any friends with things in my size, and it would be nice to treat myself. With my budget I could get a pair of pants, a top and a belly band...nothing else. I'd end up living in my work clothes and sweats and that just won't work.

    Thankfully I can sew. My new plan: go to Goodwill while I'm still small, get work pants/jeans/shorts that fit me well, alter them to be maternity. I can make tanks easily enough, and belly bands are just tubes, so I'll buy fabric for those. Then really the only things i'll have to buy are work shirts. Problem solved, budget intact!

    Did anyone else struggle with finding maternity clothes? Where did you find clothes that suited your style and were affordable?

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Comments (41)

  • merquryd@xanga

    Have you looked at target? On the website they have some cute dresses and some basic pants with fold over top.  You can probably go to a store one day and look through their clearance section, too.  Altering Goodwill clothes is a good idea, though.
  • nickiesneon@xanga

    I went to the Motherhood Maternity store and bought khaki pants there for around 25 bucks.  Granted, this was a few years back.  Another thing you might want to do is to check out a uniform store, where they sell scrubs.  They have elastic waists and scrub pants can be thrown in the dryer and not look wrinkled.  You can get cargo or classic designs for work for around $20 a pair, and in all different colors too.
  • radicalsounds@xanga

    GAH! This has been my current struggle, haha. My biggest thing is that I wanted pants that were WARM - aka jeans or something similar - and to not pay a freaking fortune.
    But, the other day my mom took me shopping, and I had pretty good luck at Kohl's. I got maternity jeans on sale for 16 bucks - they do have the giant belly panel, but you can fold that down and it's just like the under-belly panel that's more comfortable. I also got a pair of lightweight cargo-style pants from JCPenney with the under belly panel - SO COMFY - on sale again, 15 bucks.

    Also, check Craiglist! I got a huge garbage bag full of brand-name maternity clothes for 10 bucks the other day. Some of it's ugly, some of it doesn't fit (and won't later), but I still have a lot of great shirts, some capris, and some dresses, and the rest I just donated to Goodwill.

    But, if you can sew/alter, you're definitely better off than most! :)

  • kristinabean@xanga

    I did the same thing-- bought pants at Goodwill, cut off the waistband & sewed a stretchy band around the waist.  
  • babixk1umzy@xanga

    I'm only 11 weeks along and I've already started to buy maternity clothes. A lot of my jeans don't seem to fit anymore and I find that they put too much pressure on my belly when I'm sitting. Luckily, a lot of the work pants I buy, I usually buy a size larger because I like that I can have some room to move around. However, I've noticed that this being my second pregnancy, I'm a lot bigger - belly wise, so I started investing in maternity pants. I find that shirts aren't as difficult to find as jeans/pants and I definitely agree with you on the price tag. I went to Target last month and was able to purchase a pair of jeans for $30. I normally don't spend that much on jeans but I figured it would be worth the buy once I got much bigger. I also ordered a pair of corduroy pants and a maternity shirt at Gap and though it was pricey, it was the only thing I could find appropiate for work. I would definitely shop around at Target since they have the most reasonable price and their clothing doesn't look all that bad either.

  • oscarthegrouch108@xanga

    @nickiesneon@xanga - scrubs won't work for my jobs.....one employer even specifies the fabric type your pants must be. 
  • mevlink@xanga

    I buy clothes at Motherhood Maternity when they have a sale on certain items. I've found my maternity clothes to be less expensive than my normal clothes, as long as I shop at the right times. Don't rule out the clearance rack, either. Have you actually tried the secret belly pants? I thought I would HATE wearing something that goes up that high and swore I'd never buy them. But then as I got big really fast, I finally caved and actually ended up regretting that I waited so long. They are SO comfortable! But be sure you don't buy the kind that has a super tight band at the top of the panel, because that will get uncomfortable toward the end. I bought a pair of Khaki's and a pair of black pants from Motherhood Maternity for $40 bucks, and they will last me the entire pregnancy and postpartum period because of the secret belly panel. Don't rule it out until you've tried it! 


    Also, definitely check out if there are any mom2mom sales in your area or check Craig's List in your area for maternity clothes. You can buy some at garage sale prices that way!
  • nickiesneon@xanga

    @oscarthegrouch108@xanga - You'd be surprised.  They make scrubs out of linen, cotton, brushed cotton and even some polyester!!  Good luck finding what you need!
  • aliyagator@xanga

    I also suggest checking Craigslist.  People sell entire wardrobes for reasonable amounts of money ($20-$60).  And like someone above mentioned - not everything in the wardrobe will be right for you but those pieces can be given away and you still end up with a good amount for the money you spend.

    And scour the clearance online.  Places like oldnavy.com always have SOMETHING on clearance in the maternity section and if you shop at the right times and plan ahead for the coming seasons you can do pretty well.

    Sewing will definitely come in handy.  I just sewed my first maternity dress this week (check my blog - it's the latest entry).  And there's a nice source of links to maternity adjustments here:  http://www.luvinthemommyhood.com/2010/03/maternity-sewing-tutorial-roundup.html

    I needed a maternity swimsuit so I made my own (I had to make the pattern because there just aren't many out there for maternity anything - something I hope to change.)  Anyway - the fabric for it really didn't cost me anything (it was scraps from making a swimsuit for my sister) but would have cost a mere $4.  I can't believe commercial swimsuits for maternity run $50 or more!

    ...and lastly, certainly don't say you'd hate the large belly panels until you try them.  I love the ones that fold over because they work well at all stages.  Under the belly pants DO NOT stay up on me.  I hate mid-belly pants (that LINE annoys the heck out of me).  And over the belly ones really stay up the best and are the most flattering when worn under tighter shirts.
  • LupusInvictus@xanga

    Yeah, I started wearing some maternity clothes early on just because my pre-pregnancy clothes were tight, so gaining a few pounds made them impossible. My biggest thing was just getting jeans a size up and now moving to the bellaband. I thought I would be smart and by shirts a size up too, but I grew out of them in a few weeks, so I am back to maternity shirts.

    Something that no one else suggested is Old Navy. Their section is very small, but most of the items are on sale and they have jeans with an elastic waist, but no band. Also, definitely invest in a bellaband! Expensive, but comfortable and I can wear pants completely unbuttoned and unzipped.

    Watch out for the Motherhood Maternity store - their salespeople are very skilled LOL I am not used to people actually selling clothes up in clothing stores, so I always get sucked in.

  • twilightdreaming@xanga

    I actually never wore maternity clothes, but I used a belly band for my jeans.
  • TelecommutingMom@xanga

    Check Old Navy maternity
  • milfncookies@xanga

    Ebay! You can usually get a "lot" of someone's entire maternity wardrobe together for pretty cheap, and you can get the same kind of deals on craigslist like aliyagator@xanga mentioned.

    On the belly panels--depending on how big you get, and where you're carrying, those can be your best friend, especially at work. They are SO much more comfortable when they go over your stomach than under, no matter how weird they seem and look at first. Same with the "horrible" yoga pants. 


    I didn't bother with maternity clothes at all during my first pregnancy aside from a belly band over the top of my jeans, but with my 2nd I really gained an appreciation of stretchy pants. Even unzipped having your jeans zipper dig into your stomach suuuuuucks! So far this pregnancy I've been living in PJS, yoga pants, and jeggings. You can find yoga pants in all sorts of different thicknesses, textures, and even fabrics. Don't rule 'em out just because you wouldn't touch them when not pregnant.
  • ohritz@xanga

    Motherhood Maternity, Kohl's, Old Navy, Target, Burlington Coat Factory, Craiglist.  I got my stuff a little bit of everywhere, made sure to shop clearance racks.
  • rebeliciousdreams@xanga

    Well I haven't done much looking because I'm not pregnat & don't plan on it but I was looking for my best friend & we're about the same size normally. The maternity shirts I looked at weren't that much bigger than normal shirts, so maybe they're getting smaller or I just don't know enough about maternity clothes. We have a place here called "once upon a child" where they sell a lot of baby clothes but also maternity stuff for the mother, but your idea to sew them sounds good. It will save you money, plus it will also give you something to do with your time. I think the prices of clothes in general have been getting rather high too, so it might not just be maternity clothes. Sorry I couldn't be of much help, I just thought I would chime in. :D
  • careegroup@xanga

    Hit up JCPenney sales. I did that this time around and got 4 pairs of pants and 4 shirts for under 75.00! It was great! Just look for their flyers, they usually have great sales. Good luck!
  • ohmyits_erin@xanga

    If you really want to go cheap, forever21 has a maternity section(no joke!) but its of course not that big...
  • KissMeAlready@xanga

    I love Old Navy's jeans for maternity, simply because I prefer the band that goes under my tummy instead of over.


    I've also picked up a few things that are Motherhood Maternity. I've gotten lucky because my mom works at a Gordman's store (they are located mainly in the Midwest). Other than that, I'm 27 weeks and can still fit into most of my pre-maternity tops. It's my pants which cause me the problem.


    I'm lucky and my job allows me to wear sweats or yoga pants to work -- it's very casual because it's a call center. I'm wearing my pre-pregnancy sweats/yoga pants to work.


    JCPenney does have a few good things. Check out their online sales too. If you purchase something in the store, there is a phone survey coupon on the back for 15% off your next purchase. Every little bit helps!


    Good luck with finding clothes!
  • memphisten@xanga

    you are really overthinking it. Most people I know just bought clothes in bigger sizes unless you're like a size 0 to begin with you'll look fine, you gain weight everywhere else while pregnant, or just borrow clothes from your man. But the belly band is a good idea
  • Yukihimekumiko@xanga

    Hee hee. I was at the goodwill store, and I saw a nice looking pair of pants; they seemed to have a lot of length (which I need!) and then this awesome stretchy part! I looked closer, and seeing that it was labeled 'mat' for maternity, put it back with an "ahh!" OH well. ={
    I actually like high-waisted pants and stretchy waistbands but am not pregnant so I refuse to wear that >->''

    Which reminds me, I saw a really cute purple striped maternity shirt once, and thought 'why can't they just make regular clothes like that?!'
  • haley1262@xanga

    http://www.forever21.com/category.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=maternity_main&Page=all&promotype=2


    http://www.motherhood.com/sale.asp
    My sister ordered a lot of clothes off these sites. Hope I helped
  • oreo_kitten@xanga

    i was pregnant until the end of june, and while i didn't have to wear work clothes, i found that while i previously hated them, skirts became the only thing i could stand to wear comfortably. the elastic waists meant i could move them wherever was most comfortable for me, and being a skirt, kept me from getting way overheated. for loungewear, i bought basketball, or gym shorts. shirts though i was out of luck too, everything looked like a tent or rode up-NOT classy, so i usually wore a hoodie over top of a tank top.
  • articulate_silence@xanga

    I hear Target, Old Navy, and Kohls all have good maternity clothing. My brother's girlfriend is pregnant and we got her giftcards for those places, and she's had some luck so far.
  • RainDropPixie@xanga

    I don't know if someone has already said this or not, but actually the big panel pants help support that huge belly.  And help with the back pain of being huge pregnant. 


    I was much like you and hate the idea of pants being that high, so I never wore any until all I had clean was a pair of the big banded ones.  I felt fantastic all day and my back didn't hurt.  Too bad baby didn't like them.... he spent the day kicking the waist band. LOL   He was a strong kicker...
  • OsuwarInuyasha@xanga

    I hated those bands that went up really high too! I didn't really like Target or Kohls... they were too expensive for me. I like Burlington Coat Factory though... they had nice jean pants with a small band... and it wasn't much. I also got shirts for a lot cheaper then any other places I had gone. I'm definitely going there again for next time. I had a lot of women give me their maternity clothes... though a lot of them didn't fit. But I am going to let another gal borrow or have them...
    I looked at Old Navy too... but I guess I'm too cheap. I bought large shirts for cheap and wore them lol 

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