To think that the availability of maternity clothes is awful

[lenak]

I am 19 weeks pg with DC2 but am already starting to wear some maternity clothes. I have dug out my old clothes from DD1 (luckily they are both September babies, so same season) but whereas I was a 10 last time, I'm only an 8 this time so some things are too big. Also, I didn't have many clothes last time because I didn't need them until 25 weeks!

I go on holiday next week so have been desperately trying to get hold of summer tops. Went to a massive Westfield shopping center yesterday - only four shops had maternity sections - two of them were ridiculously overpriced (and seem to think that size 8 women don't get pregnant), one only had about 5 different items - 3 of which were nightwear.

I got a couple of tops from the fourth, but compared to their non-maternity wear they were so expensive.

Ordered a few things on line when I got back but even that was a bloody chore - most of then best things had sold out and trying to get 34" trousers for work is a bloody nightmare. The only place I can buy jeans from is Next because I can't stand bump bands or over bump - really needs to be side panels.

AIBU to think that shops and retailers should pay a bit more attention to their maternity ranges:

I want to be able to browse the shops, not have to get everything on line.
I am a size 8 and 34" leg, please cater for me!
I don't want to have to pay twice the price for something I am only going to be wearing for a few months.

But most of all, I want some plain or simply patterned t-shirts.

I DO NOT WANT TO WEAR T-SHIRTS WITH STUPID SLOGANS ABOUT BEING A YUMMY MUMMY IN TRAINING, BUMPILICIOUS, PREGNANSAURUS, BABY ON BOARD OR HANDS OFF THE BUMP! IT'S FAIRLY FUCKING OBVIOUS I AM PREGNANT!

WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE I AM PREGNANT THAT I HAVE SUDDENLY LOST ALL TASTE AND DECORUM!

And breathe!

I feel your pain - 24 weeks here and had the size 8 rant myself. Also, it's all bloody t-shirts and jogging bottoms; er, some of us pregnant women have professional jobs and go out in the evening too! Finding anything semi-formal is a nightmare, and no I'm not paying £89 for that one dull Isabella Oliver dress every magazine suggests as a wedding guest/work dress.

YANBU.
Completely agree with the comment about the shitty witty slogans. You really have to search for any decent, non-frumpy clothing.

I am expecting DC2 in October, and was in mat bottoms at 9 weeks! Jojo Maman, Pumpkin Patch and Gap have been my saviours.

Asos has been a god send for me

i'm 22+5 and also struggling big time atm - have resorted to a few normal floaty dresses, a few stretchy lycra type 3/4 lenght trousers & some maternity wear from the NCT, tops I have got a couple from ebay but this weekend coming am going to be looking to get some more - I hear asos is good. the thing is though you're in it for a few months and it's £40 per item - £20 I can justify but £40 I can't really.

I never really shop here but New Look have some decent mat clothes. Bought from debenhams and it was all really bad quality. Stuff from there fitted well, and lasted well.

I agree - it is shite, and one of the factors (with breastfeeding clothes) that put me off a second pregnancy.
Finding work-appropriate clothes is a nightmare. For DD, I shopped on the continent.

Red herring at debenhams do good cheap side panel jeans - they have a selection at Westfield too. They were my fab mat jeans. Other mat clothes there not bad and good price .

Peacocks are surprinsingly good and v cheap too.

Mimile Really? Dire maternity clothes influenced your decision not to have a 2nd pregnancy?!

I found this each time I was pg. I would have loved to buy Isabella Oliver clothes, but they are so expensive at a time when you usually need every penny. I bought basics (plain t shirts, jeans) from jojomamanbebe and blooming marvellous. Some things were nice, others were not, so you do have to be selective. Mothercare were pretty hideous, except for 2 black stretchy skirts (one long, one knee length).

I ended up buying stretchy, fitted tops from non maternity shops which saw me through most of the time.

Totally agree with you wrt stupid slogan clothing, esp nightwear. When you are in hospital, trying to talk to doctors, it is hard to be taken seriously when you are wearing something covered in teddy bears or bunnies!

Feel your pain [ TTHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSS MUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHH]

I am 35 weeks and for the last few months I have been wearing the same pair of jeans daily that are now grey when they were black from being washed after every day, the same 3 tops on a rota and one maxi dress that is non maternity but fits ok as maternity.

I OWN 5 pairs of jeans but non of them fit comfortably thanks to the fact that the under bump ones fall down and the side panel ones cut me in half. But I didnt discover this until I had worn them so couldnt return them.

To say I am sick of my clothes in an understatement and I will be burning them as soon as the baby comes. Except the frankly bloody awful Isabella Oliver wrap top that cost a fortune and is as comfortable and easy to wear as barbed wire knickers, that will be going on ebay which seems to do a roaring trade in them!

I'm 37 weeks and haven't bought ANY maternity tops at all. I got a couple of jeans from Pumpkin Patch (online) but as for the rest bought tunics from Uniqlo/H & M as well as some long floaty skirts.
I did the same for last pregnancy.

It's definitely not worth spending too much money on maternity clothes- I got loads I can still wear.

Oh I should add that I have worn some non maternity t shirts that I already had with those belly bands underneath, til I got too big and the tshirts started riding up. The belly bands are very good and I have a couple each of white and black ones. Topshop did do them and their small is size 8-10 according to them, New Look and Next do them too and there are alot on ebay if thats any help :)

I don't really bother with maternity tops either, especially in the summer and the fashions for gypsy tops/smocks/tunics/maxi dresses - normal stuff mostly fits fine. I have maternity jeans and work trousers/skirts but otherwise I have just adapted my usual style of dress and lots of my existing clothes are fine.

YANBU.

The 'size 8 women don't get pregant' thing got me too. There seemed to be assumtion that EVERYTHING got bigger not just your tummy and boobs, leaving me drowning in jeans that hung off my bum and had flappy thighs.

Why can't they make them to your true pre pregancy size? Then if everything else does get bigger, you buy a size up or whatever.

There isn't one shop in our town that sells maternity wear. Actually, that's not true, Mothercare stocks underwear, sleepwear, leggings and 2 different tops. The nearest town that does is a half hour car journey away. Luckily this time I have managed with what I already had, what friends have given me and normal leggings in a bigger size.

Mimlie - you decided not to have another child because you couldn't dress as you wanted for, what, a year?

kicking - that happens no matter what size you are. I'm an 18, and I could never find maternity jeans that weren't huge on the arse and baggy in the leg. And I downsized for tops because they seem to assume that your shoulders expand when you are pregnant

It's probably been mentioned already, but there is tons of maternity clothes on ebay.

Like baby clothes, they don't get worn for very long so they are usually in great condition.

The thing is that normal shops are never going to stock huge maternity ranges because they cant afford to dedicate a lot of floor space to clothes that only appeal to c.3% of the female population at any one time.

Monsoon is great for mat wear- just their normal stuff- they do a lot of long skirts with elasticated waists and lots of maxi dresses. I just went up a size.

Mamas and Papas and M&S good for basic t-shirts, leggings and camis.

trousers are more of an issue. Online is the way forward there I think. J-brand do some really nice mat jeans.

Yes, I realise it must happen in all sizes. And I know what you mean about the shoulders! When I mentioned about the size 8 thing, I was agreeing with OP about the shops that start their maternity range in a 10. It's just that if you are an 8, you can't downsize for your maternity clothes.

Mimile said it was ONE of the factors. tbh, although I do intend to have a second child, I sympathise. With breastfeeding for a year as well, I spent for 18 month in horrible clothes coupled with horrible hair, as I had no money to spend on it. I look back at photos of when DS was a baby and cringe.

I've had 3 children and never bought any maternity clothes, never saw the need. But there seems to be plenty of shops that do them, I find it hard to believe there is any kind of dearth of choice. In my local smallish shopping centre there are at least 6 shops that have maternity sections.

I found it hard to find work clothes when pg (had a job where I sometimes had to be suited an booted). I did get some lovely trousers from Blooming Marvellous but I think they may have gone under?

Pg trousers are bloody awful. I'm an apple type shape and neither the "elastic pulled up over bump" nor the "tie them under bump" would stay up. I really wanted some dungarees The only trousers that were any good were the aforementioned blooming marvellous ones that stayed put lovely and looked nice.