maternity clothes

[daisy26]

Hi i am 14 weeks pregnant nearly and am showing but im not sure what sorta clothes to get. Do you get a bra few sizes up or a proper maternity bra as mine are getting too small to wear. I have been buying like clothes which sizes are like 1 or 2 sizes up but how do you know how big your going to get. How do the maternity clothes sizes work-is it like 3-6 motnths or something like that? Any advice be much appreciated

[Nbg]

You just buy your normal size and the clothing is adapted to fit your bump.

[beeper]

You usually buy your normal size but in maternity clothes. I have found H&M to be excellent for clothes. They have long line vests with bras built in, this saved me from buying any maternity bras. They have the most comfy skirts with big comfy bands that cover all your bump and dont dig in.

Avoid like the plague any clothes that have those bits of elastic with buttons on them to adjust them, they dig in and hurt.

You can also buy belly bands that you can put over the tops of your regular clothes when you cant zip them up anymore to make them last longer.

You can buy bigger sizes but I would only do this with t-shirts, bumps alter the shape of your body and you need extra material to compensate. also when you get so far even the t-shirts dont hang long enough.

PS. I found Pumpkin patch maternity clothes rubbish. Dorathy perkins are ok but I am bustin out of them now and I am not that big really.

Enjoy shopping

[daisy26]

im a size 14 top and bottom and finding them a little tight but not too much0yes tops i have been buying bigger sizes. I may go and look in hm later then

[MrsBadger]

Go and get measured properly for a bra, don't guess - if you're a D or bigger go straight to Bravissimo

[daisy26]

whats that the word at the end hehe-oh right because my boobs are getting bigger

[MrsBadger]

Bravissimo is a bra shop specially for women bigger than a D cup - they really know their stuff (and if their bras are too expensive, once you know your size you can look elsewhere)

[FrannyandZooey]

I wouldn't buy maternity clothes for later on until you have actually got to that stage and can try them on / measure yourself

many women put on weight during pg and find they need a size or two up even allowing for the extra room for your bump etc

the kind of clothes that you can adjust eg. buttons on elastic around waist are good value IMO as you can wear them virtually from now until the birth, and then again afterwards

[otter1980]

Ive found that buying about 3 pairs of maternity trousers (black) from Dorothy perkins at about 14 weeks with adjustable waitbands (do get some with the super hogh waistband - bolero?)some Yoga pants (strechy goodness) and a series of tops, get some cheap ones from the likes of primark in a size or two bigger, then get a coupke of basic maternity. Also get a nice pair of jeans, New look is worth a look as well. Also I totally recomend isabella oliver wrap tops. They are expensive but Ive been wearing mine practically constantly, they adjust to fit as you get bigger and look lovely. If you are worried re cost check out ebay you'll be able to pick one or two up cheaper. Im 28 weeks now and its seeing me through no problems, the new 12 weeks however....

[finallypregnant]

I am only just really into maternity clothes over the last 2 weeks. But I have had to go down to a size 12 in trousers as my normal size just fall off me. My advice is to walk around in them and sit down in the changing room to make sure they don't fall down (I wasted money not doing this). Everyone isso different though.

[finallypregnant]

oooh by the way, I am 22 weeks.

[Paranoid1stTimer]

I am almost ready to pop so have been round the shops months ago wasting money on cr@ppy maternity trousers that just will not stay up - and a lot are tapered in at the ankles which made me look even bigger!!!

I second the idea NOT to go for the maternity trousers with elastic and buttons on the elastic that are meant to make them adjustable. They just don't work. If you have to tighten them, you end up with a big fat rumpled elasticated waist and makes you look massive.

I liked the trousers that you could just pull on with a turn up/down waist band that you could pull over the bump so you can walk around without your trousers falling off and then when you are sitting you can fold the waistband down under the bump or halfway down cos they can make you feel quite hot. They seemed to give a wee bit extra support when the bump started expanding too.

I got quite a few maternity tops out of Dorothy Perkins in the sale for £3 each so that was pretty lucky. They're ruched up the sides and are long enough to cover the whole belly but I think they are pretty low cut but then again I am really short (only 5 ft).

Good luck and don't buy too many new bras just yet cos if the same thing happens to you as has happened to me, your boobs are gonna grow and grow and you'll prob need another size soon enough!!!! It's unbelievable!!!

[daisy26]

hehe im also only 5 foot so it's hard decided what to get for your bump

[preggersagain]

buy a couple of bravado bras- they are brill they will grow with you and are a godsend in the first few weeks of breastfeeding as well! Not so attractive but def my most comfy purchase. Also reccomend next maternity- saw me through a twin pg!

[PaulaYatesBiggestFan]

are you pg preggersagain?

[preggersagain]

paula- no but have not had the imagination to name-change yet!! had the twins on Boxing Day must spend some time thinking about a new name

[PaulaYatesBiggestFan]

so are you stoppping at 5!!!

[PaulaYatesBiggestFan]

are the twins dds?

[preggersagain]

think so!! Have run out of bedrooms now !! and don't fancy moving again!!! but we shall see!

[preggersagain]

yup- dd's, Amelia and Carys!

[PaulaYatesBiggestFan]

you lucky thing - what are your others?

[preggersagain]

i think i should elaborate on my profile- i have 5 children but 4 of them came as part of a bogof deal (twin ds's and twin dd's)! some say blessed- others say mental !!!

[PaulaYatesBiggestFan]

i did not know that about you!! wow!

[preggersagain]

ahh the mystery world of preggersagain!!!!

Right, speaking of which i must return to the real world and get back and see what dh is doing with said children!! No doubt eating worms and covering the place in mud whilst dh reads the paper

[cityangel]

Hi Daisy I am 17 weeks and still looking into pg clothes and bra options.

I used to wear underwired bras but read that they might restrict the blood flow to the growing breast.
www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/isitsafeto/underwirebraexpert/

so as a temporary measure I've moved to crop tops which for now are accommodating any growth, like this one

www.sweatybetty.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=491&idcategory=&title=Moonlight_Crop_Top(sB)#

I've had the most luck with blooming marvelous fitting me, but like everything a different store will suit a different body shape.

In the beginning I wore the bump bands which were useful. Then as I got a bump I found my trousers fell down and they weren't as comfortable.

I found the same as paranoidft in that the trousers that pull over the bump are the most comfortable for me. Although you need to make sure they won't fall down if your bump isn't big enough yet. I tried on some of the elasticated trousers with the buttons on but they weren't comfortable for me and I worried I was most likely to bust the buttons if I wore them lots.

The only other recommendation I have is to check that your local high st shop eg. Next, Hennes etc. has the maternity range by ringing them first as some don't and the flagship stores have the best selection.

I would try different options in the stores if can before ordering online so you can get a better idea of styles that suit. I am trying to get stuff that will expand the most so I don't have to keep buying new stuff.
I hope you this helps. Good luck

[macaco]

Totally disagree with the button adjustable waist comments. They were the only thing i could wear early on as all the over the bump stuff just fell off. It changes as your bump changes and gets bigger. What is comfortable at first isn't later. Try all sorts on and buy what feels comfortable at the time, if it gets less so then buy more. I found H and M great for tops but crap for bottoms and got almost all my trousers from Dorothy P. Haven't got any new bras as my boobs haven't grown at all. Still in underwired at 31 weeks with no problems.