Clothes at 12 weeks pregnant?

[butteroneverything]

This is my first pregnancy so bear with me - sorry if this seems like a stupid question!
I'm not showing yet but am already a lot bigger than I usually am (size 10 pre-pregnancy). I've already had to get new bras as I went up 3 cup sizes by 8 weeks(!) and now I'm struggling to fit into my clothes - work ones in particular. My scan is on Tuesday so I'm reluctant to buy specific maternity clothes before then (tempting fate etc) - and I think they probably won't fit now anyway because I don't have a bump or anything yet. But then I don't want to spend lots on standard clothes that are a size or two bigger, and then have to buy proper maternity stuff in a few months.

So, what did you ladies do? Any advice/suggestions about types of clothes/shops would be very gratefully received because I'm getting pretty uncomfortable squeezing into my old stuff! Especially around work stuff (I need to be smart and pretty conservative, although not in a suit). Thanks very much!

I got some great maternity trousers in dp that have buttons each side so they can expand.....

Things which are stretchy and / or have elastic waistbands. Depends on your work dress code, but m&s usually have some stretchy black wide leg or boot leg trousers, and stretchy skirts made of heavy stretch fabric. I wore this sort of thing all the way to term with my last pregnancy.

Again, depends on dress code at work but you could try cheap leggings& your normal longer tops? I teach& just wore dresses as found they were most comfortable. This is my second pregnancy but like you I was scared to tempt fate prescan, then I saw the sales& thought 'sod it' and managed to get most of maternity wardrobe for just under £150 (including coat, swimming cossie etc). I figured I could return it if need be. Failing that, any close friends who've had babies you could ask?

Im 12 weeks as well and already have a little bump! I can still fit into my jeans ok but I know my work clothes aren't going to fit come the new term in a week.

Got some cheap maternity leggings in Matalan (nice material but don't think they'd get you to full term ) and a pair of ponte leggings from Topshop (lovely). I also live in over sized tops which work really well with leggings so haven't needed to invest in any new ones yet.

You can buy waist extenders which are a wide stip of elastic which has a button on one end and a button hole on the other so you can fasten it to your jeans/ trousers/ skirt opening to make it bigger to accommodate your growing waist until you are ready to buy maternity clothes. You can get them for under £5 from amazon or eBay.

I bought 2 pairs of stretchy bootleg trousers from The White Company which passed as smart enough for work when dolled up a bit with a decent top and nice shoes. I wore them throughout my pregnancy and am wearing them now as I type. They have been fantastic.

Butters - I'm in the same position but clothes are becoming so uncomfy that I'm going to bite the bullet this weekend.

Almost all my tops strain or gaps at the boobs now because they've expanded - bras are on the shopping list - and I find trousers are ok in morning but by end of day with bloating cut in more than I want. I suspect I'm showing, although it's fat rather than baby bump I think.

Anyway my shopping list is - palazzo pants, maternity jeans (skinny & black so can wear as work trousers with boots in winter), a longer dress, a shorter & work approp dress & a couple of shirts. Jumpers will prob be men's from Uniqlo or some such as I want cashmere and wool for the snuggliness. Coat - I have no idea.

Isabelle Oliver is good for work aprop mat wear and there are some nice dresses in the sale. I'm told Nexts stuff is also quite good & H&M apparently have good jeans and White shirts.

A wrap dress may be way to go for now, as you can tighten or loosen wrap as you go. Also skater style - as long as space for the boobs- is good for disguising bumps (I wear when I'm having fat days). Both styles are pretty ubiquitous everywhere so I think you should be able to find some bits & bobs that aren't too pricey.

Definately bite the bullet and buy some maternity gear so you are comfortable. A lot of people buy 2 lots of maternity gear anyway, it really is worth it for the comfort.

New Look do fab maternity stuff and their trousers have stretchy bits at the sides so they expand with you! I had their trousers for work and some shorts for home. So comfy!! But now I'm at that awkward 9 month stage where nothing is comfortable!!!

Im 11 weeks and alredy wearing some of my smaller tops from last time I feel so much better, it depends on the style but a few of mine fit okay at the moment without looking too baggy.

Tunic tops/dresses are also really good for this stage and grear afterwards to.

Hello butter I could have written your post - nothing fitted but didn't want to tempt fate by buying maternity clothes pre scan. Plus, at 12 ish weeks, although I'd really got a little bump, mat clothes were massive!
I found saviour in bump bands - I got cheap pack of two from George at asda, also have in matalan. Then much posher ones in most maternity ranges. But anyway, they were fantastic for wearing a normal pair of trousers undone and the band covering my modesty!
All the best with the scan x

Hey ! my advice would be buy 2 pairs of maternity trousers for work - new look are good - get one pair over bump and one pair under . Invest in some good vest tops and then wear your 'normal ' tops over the top so you feel secure . Tbh this worked for me until about 18weeks at which point I started buying maternity . I wouldn't buy too much yet as you will be surprised how quickly your bump grows from 20wks . ( although of course we women love any excuse to buy new clothes !)
xx

I was in mat trousers for work by 10 weeks, both times. First time I was a bit uneasy as I hadn't had the scan, but then rationalised it by telling myself if I did lose this baby it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume I'd need them at some point...

I also recommend Gap Curvy jeans, a size too big. They're cut for people with tummies and should see you through the first 4 months and - crucially - give you some non-mat jeans to wear afterwards as your tummy returns to normal.

Isabella Oliver is great (only discovered for second pregnancy, wish I had known about it first time!). The clothes are designed to stretch and fit through your whole pregnancy (esp the stretch jersey cotton bits and wrap tops and dresses etc) so would fit you now and at 40 weeks. You can pick it up in eBay for good prices if your budget doesn't stretch to buying new. It has good resale value on eBay too though.

My advice is to buy one top and one pair of jeans/ trousers on sale (if you can). I was in mat. clothing at 10 weeks and this is my first, but I'm superstitious too. If something bad does happen with this pregnancy it's not unreasonable to think you'll need maternity clothes at some point in the future anyway - positive thinking.

I bought a bump band from topshop and some cheapo stretchy at the waist stuff from H&M and primark in a size up. I spent sub £50 and have comforted myself with the fact I will be in them whilst I get my figure back after birth.
I can recommend long cardis over tunic tops with a bump band holding your trousers up. Empire line clothes are good too as they're meant to be a bit floaty and hide any early bloating.
I only started needing proper maternity stuff a few weeks ago (32 weeks now) and I only have 2 pairs of leggings, a jumper and a shirt.
I'm lucky in that my work are sympathetic to bump bearing people, they don't mind me being a scruff for my last 6 weeks as clothes are so expensive and I wouldn't get the wear out of them.

You might find you deflate a bit before bump shows, at 15 weeks I was back into my size 8s as normal until 27 weeks when bump appeared.

I'm eleven weeks tomorrow and am also avoiding buying maternity clothing until the scan. I'm going for tunic/empire line tops and some of the floaty chiffon tops that are all over the shops at the moment, as they are quite voluminous.

I'm dreading trying on my work trousers when I go back the week after next! I think i'll try a hairbobble as an expander, but also plan to buy a pair of trousers in the next size up and check it has belt loops in case I do deflate suddenly. My tum popped out at 5 weeks, the bloat is a pain!

I've jut purchased new bras, a trouser button expanded thing (works like a smarter hair bobble), a pair of maternity leggings from Mamas & Papas and a dress a size up from norm (sob) from Jaegger in a nice stretchy Jersey (£160 reduced to £40 & bought with a voucher so ostensibly free, wahoo!). I could do with a shirt too but MrM had reached his limit, which is fair enough.

One new bra already on. It's heaven! Ok so they may only last a few weeks but sod it, so much more comfortable.

Leggings, leggings and more leggings!

I used a hair bobble on my jeans for a while, and also bought a few things in a size up before I got any actual maternity wear. 26 weeks now and have a big bump (very obvious on quite a small frame) but I'm still wearing a jersey dress I bought just a size up from normal a few months ago. The most useful "real" maternity items I've got are two pairs of jeans - which I found got uncomfortable pretty quickly because of the fabric and where they sit - and tights (ditto). I'm going to have to shell out on some other things next month though when term starts again (am a lecturer and need to be smart-ish for teaching).

Re: bras I found my cup size got huge really early on while my back size stayed the same, so I had to buy new bras; but now my ribs are being pushed out by the baby so my back size is increasing but the cup size is (enormous but) stable. To avoid buying new bras again at this point (and then yet again for nursing at the end) I've bought a pack of bra extenders which are really useful - they just allow you to go up a size in the back band. I got mine from JoJoMamamBebe which also has useful things like bump bands and soft pull-on bras to wear at night.

Dresses, dresses, dresses! Buy a couple of non maternity ones that fit you now, and then you'll be able to one back to them after you've had DC and won't have to worry about trying to get in prepregnancy clothes etc
Also, they're so comfy as there're no irritating waistbands, and easy to later for when you start getting the hot/cold/hot/cold thing going on

Ha ha horrace, that's what I was kind of thinking anyway!

You ladies are all wonderful, thank you so much for your tips. I'm off to the shops tomorrow, armed with a wish list. Fingers crossed it makes getting dressed on Tuesday soooo much easier

X

Bugger, 'scuse my terrible spelling there
*layer not later!