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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Maternity Wear Troubles

65 replies

SaraLB21 · 21/03/2015 16:15

Hi all,

My name is Sara and I am currently at student at the University of Huddersfield. I am in my final year and for my final major project I am focusing on issues within the maternity wear market.

My friend who is currently expecting has issues finding clothing that fits her properly as she is petite, and also finds a lot of brands are over priced for what is being provided. So I wanted to look into this further...

If you could reply with any issues you have had with maternity wear that would be much appreciated, and how you think it could be improved. Or shops/brands who have found great, or not so great! Or if you think that the maternity market is fine then please let me know!

Thanks! Any replies are much appreciated!!! Smile
Sara

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Skiptonlass · 21/03/2015 17:29

Wildlife.. Have you had a look at hotmilk?

uk.hotmilklingerie.com/collections/f-h-cup-bras

AnythingNotEverything · 21/03/2015 17:29

Wildfire - do find a soft cup for the first few weeks but after that you're supply should be settled enough for wires, as long as they fit. Usual rules about no wires on breast tissue apply. You can convert wired bras to nursing bras very cheaply and easily. Definitely preferable to ugly nursing bras.

Re: maternity wear - I echo the massive PITA of having to order online. Also, maternity ranges aren't updated as regularly as normal ranges so you can visit Mothercare or H&M 6 weeks after you last look and see all the same crap.

I'm 5'10 and a size 16. I ant just size up without heading into plus size, which doesn't have a much wider range than maternity.

Workwear is a pain.

Also a pain if you straddle two season I'm exclusively in maternity wear now at 26 weeks but need stuff to see me through until June! Trying to save some pennies for a couple of maternity maxis for the last few weeks but have luckily managed to get away without buying a maternity coat.

If I could ask for one thing, which is two really, it would be more choice/variety, in store

squareheadcut · 21/03/2015 17:31

I do same as Pantone above. I buy normal clothes that fit the bump

TelephoneIgnoringMachine · 21/03/2015 17:32

Im 5'3" & was a 6-8 when I got pregnant so I needed maternity trousers quite early on, for work, as my regular ones were cutting into the tiny bump. Ridiculous price and they didn't fit past 15 weeks as the waistband wasn't stretchy at all... I had a similar problem with under-bump jeans. Didn't fancy the over-bump ones, worried I'd get too warm.

Lots of maternity clothes seem to be either knitted/jersey type fabric, or cheap polyester blends. (Especially the more 'budget' stuff - which was all I could afford!) When I was pregnant these were the last things I needed as I severely struggled with overheating & tended to faint when I got too hot. In the end I bought a couple of regular size 16 cheap vest tops, put darts in the bust, and wore them over maternity leggings. Had a v. thin cardi over my shoulders as well for work. Much cheaper and easier (less guesswork with leggings!) Also a thin summer 'swing' type dress about 3 sizes bigger than usual, was great.

Honestly, I'm glad most shops don't bother to stock maternity wear - I'd have spent a fortune!

ChaircatMiaow · 21/03/2015 17:44

I thought trying to find maternity clothes was bad, but it was a doddle compared to trying to find nursing tops that aren't hideous and expensive. Couple that with trying to find bottoms that don't hurt post section belly, it's a nightmare...

TelephoneIgnoringMachine · 21/03/2015 17:45

Oh yes - forgot about bras! I'm a 30E usually, so I would probably be about an F or FF when BFing. Can't see any nice bras in that size - they all look very 'practical' ie ugly.

I can't be sure as Mothercare measured me wrong last time & put me in one that didn't fit - but that's a separate issue.

ApocalypseThen · 21/03/2015 17:50

Maternity clothes are horrible. Badly designed, badly made, bad material, often very uncomfortable. I'm also short and they don't do lengths. I needed a winter coat, top shop only had one style in one colour. Jeans roll down as soon as your bump gets big. Vests are too short and ride up. Nothing is quite right, but at the same time, for he quality you get, I consider maternity wear very ambitiously priced.

Also, you can't really get it in the shops. At the time in your life when you're least fit for online shopping and the various nuisances that can be, you're forced into it.

Can I give a really special thumbs down to M&S maternity tights? They were my worst purchase. They're pinchy on the bump and apparently the main thing about pregnancy is that your legs halve in length because getting the crotch to stay above knee length is a battle.

LadesC · 21/03/2015 18:01

Have had a great pair of slim/skinny over bump jeans from h and m. Nice n long and good fit. But ideally id like several pairs, black, blue etc but at £30 a pair for 4 months wear it pains me a little.

Would like to see more in stores to try on although might go down asos route as their stuff seems a little more exciting than everywhere else Ive looked.

LostMySocks · 21/03/2015 18:27

If you're visiting the States Old Navy (part of Gap) has really good cheap maternity jeans. I lived in mine so did my sister

LG1979 · 21/03/2015 18:32

I was a size 18 before pregnancy and shopped mainly in Next. So the first place I checked was there for maternity clothing. I was pretty disappointed to be honest. I have shapely legs and hips so always need bootcut jeans/trousers but stuggled to get them to fit properly. I found one pair on their website (as they don't stock any maternity wear in stores these days). I ordered an alternative pair in bootcut style but they felt like they were a completely different size/fit that the other same size I'd originally bought...very strange!

willnotbetamed · 21/03/2015 18:46

Ooh, this is going to be a good thread - so much to grumble about! I live in Germany, but I think most things (including brands, sizing scale, etc.) are the same.

The thing I hate most is that maternity wear in mainstream shops (H&M, etc.) is always in the farthest corner of the shop, usually top floor or cellar, as far away from the door as it's possible to get. And then usually also far from the changing rooms. This drives me mad - it's a hassle going shopping when you're pregnant, and just when you most need things to be made a bit more convenient for you, you find the absolute opposite.

Second annoying thing is that most big manufacturers only produce trousers in standard length, meaning you have to take them up or let them down (or, if you're like me, find a tailor to do it for you). So again, even if you find trousers that fit, the quest is not over - you have to take them, try them on again, measure the hem length you want, sew/take to tailors. etc. Some more upmarket manufacturers do produce shorter and longer trousers, but they are a lot pricier.

Thirdly, so much of the clothing is so bland! I suppose that's logical when the market is comparatively small, but still - black tops, black skirts, blue jeans, floral blouses, striped cotton t-shirts are fine for a while, but it would be nice occasionally to find something in a daring colour or with an interesting neckline...

This is a bit of a rant I know. I am just tight-fisted and I hate shopping, and so I really resent the stress and the money I've spent over three pregnancies so far!

LittleGreyCatwithapinkcollar · 21/03/2015 19:21

I've found you can either be tall, or pregnant, but not both! Apart from 1 'nice' dress (for social occasions) from New Look in the sale, and a couple of bras from Mothercare, I've got everything from eBay... but then I get everything from there when I'm not pg too! However you have to be dedicated to keeping on it all the time to get decent stuff at a reasonable price! But there are some nice, well fitting jersey dresses out there if you look hard enough!

NickyEds · 21/03/2015 19:44

By far the biggest PITA is not being able to try stuff on-even in our local huge Next there's no maternity section. It really pisses me of as you really don't need to try on masses of plain (non maternity) vests and yet there are loads of them out! I generally wear quite plain clothes, black, white and grey long sleeved tops so can usually find something in Mothercare. I find it a bit annoying that stores seem to think that because you're pregnant you want to dress like a child- Mr Bump and other cartoon character tops anyone??

WindYourBobbinUp · 21/03/2015 19:54

I found it all a bit shit really! So much was stripey. I like stripes, but I was so bored of stripes by the time pregnancy was over.
Quality wasn't great, my maternity jeans (topshop as they did short leg) fell apart after a couple of months. I
Also I'm a size 8 and was all bump. Most clothes assumed that a pregnant woman would be big all over and were tent like.
Online shopping is a pain as you can't try on. New Look did delivery to store, however you have to return them at least 24 hours later so you can't go there, try on and return, you have to make a separate trip, otherwise that'd be a good system.

AnythingNotEverything · 21/03/2015 21:55

How strange - Apocolypse I love M&S maternity tights.

BirdInTheRoom · 21/03/2015 22:18

Most maternity wear is not cut to enhance a woman's pregnant shape - I find most clothes make me look fat rather than pregnant.

I struggle to find clothes which don't make me look matronly with the increase in my bust size - most maternity tops seem to have high-ish necklines rather than more flattering v necks.

Jeans don't stay up very easily.

mrsdos · 21/03/2015 22:19

I am not very tall (5'3" on a good day) and the trousers seem to be mega long and the dresses short even on me!
Also what (very limited) items in high street shops tend to be casual and not suitable as office workwear - I have found one suitable dress for work so far. Shopping online at the mo runs a bigger risk of items being totally unsuitable or too small Sad

misssmilla1 · 21/03/2015 22:28

I live in the US but the choice is no better here; the majority of maternity wear here and what I've bought from the UK is badly made, in unbreathable materials and has little choice. I quite like fashion and don't want to give this up even whilst pregnant; however, I'm surrounded by frumpy polyester designs that wouldn't have looked out of place on Princess Di in the 1980's or everything is stripes, or maxi dresses everywhere.

I'm 5'4 so maxi dresses and voluminous skirts make me look like a badly clothed ship front, even at 13 weeks. Stripes are fine, but god - we know we're going to get massive, why draw attention to it even further, may as well go the whole hog and get a 'wide load' sticker sewn on!

Getting trousers to fit has been a nightmare, and tights are a non starter. Gap has great designs, but terrible materials - their bump bands on trousers are made of a spanxlike material which is constricting and not very breathable.

I also work out a lot and have only found one brand here that does decent maternity wear - the rest seem to suggest going one size up will cut it (it doesn't)

I ended up finding ASOS maternity last week and finally found some clothes that were a bit more fashionable and they fit. I suspect that they will be my go to from now.

Cavort · 21/03/2015 22:30

To all the short women on this thread (me being one also), New Look make most of their maternity jeans in a 28" and 30" leg (as well as regular lengths) and they're also reasonably cheap.

Jaffakake · 21/03/2015 22:50

Stuff doesn't last for more than one baby - all the waistbands went in my work trousers so I had to buy new for ds2. Some stuff bought this time around gas been so cheaply made and frequently worn & washed it hasn't lasted 9 months!

I'm short (5.4) but have a tall oh, so end up with a massive bump at the end. My bump ends up quite low. Basically I end up with very few tops that fit the length of my bump or trousers that fit over my bump. At the moment (38 weeks) I look and feel terrible!

The ranges provided by h&m, next etc are limited & don't change mid-season so you end up bored & wearing the same as friends you make. Not cool!

Asos are quite simply a life-saver!

Jaffakake · 21/03/2015 22:53

Oh & enough with black & grey! I'm so depressed by the end!

muddymary · 22/03/2015 07:50

My main problem is that if I'm spending money on clothes I want to buy something because I like it and not just because it fits. I don't like the style of most maternity clothes and would love it if the shops I like just did their normal clothes in maternity too.
Usually I like buying online but I've found now that when I'm pregnant I need to try stuff on which is annoying because most shops don't keep their maternity collection in store.
I found asos the best for fashionable maternity clothes by a long shot!

ApocalypseThen · 22/03/2015 07:58

Actually, someone mentioned where the maternity gear is in the shop, and that has actually put me off. I was in H&M on Friday, one with no escalator. The maternity section was upstairs so I just left it. I'm quite worried about steep stairs at this point - it's so easy to trip.

Ambivalence · 22/03/2015 09:19

I am 20 weeks, hardly a bump yet and I am despairing already with maternity wear. I am size 16 -18 non pregnant .

I tried on maternity jeans in H&M - couldn't get them on.

Tried good old mothercare -couldn't get a pair above my knees! Never mind -try m and. S website -they stock 11 items of maternity wear in total! All I want is some size 18 boot cut jeans - for under £40. I am going to try next ( the shop) but all their online reviews of the jeans are scathing.

I don't have the money for all this -am resigning myself to ever increasing sizes of leggings and extra large Jersey tops.

I can't even find reasonably priced long line t shirts to cover the bump.

Work will not be impressed with me basically turning up in gym wear, but it seems you can't be pregnant unless you are a size 12!

NickyEds · 22/03/2015 09:27

I got my maternity jeans from Peacocks. Dirt cheap-£16 i think and I could actually try them on. Much more reasonable than any of the more expensive places I found.

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