What to wear when maternity clothes are too big & normal clothes are too small

[Topsyloulou]

I'm 13 weeks with 2nd DC & I have a small bump & lots of bloat going on. I've gone up a size in jeans & work trousers to make it a bit more comfortable but these are also getting too tight so the maternity bottoms are out of the loft and ready to go from tomorrow.
My problem is that I'm really struggling with tops. I'm a pear shape so I struggle with tops anyway as my top half is a size or two smaller than my hips. I tend to wear fitted shirts tucked in for work but that's now out of the question & lots of my other tops are proving too tight around the hips. Not sure going up a size in normal will help as it will be so baggy round my chest & shoulders but maternity will just hang round the front at the moment. It also doesn't help that I'm trying to keep my pregnancy under wraps for a few more weeks if possible so not quite ready for tight, bump revealing clothing. I may be asking the impossible but do any of you lovely ladies have any suggestions?

I wore lots of dresses in that stage- they tended to have a bit more stretch in them and I think hid the bump a little bit more?

Can you use a hair band to fasten the button on existing trousers?
I wore a lot of elasticated waist trousers and leggings

I always wore a longline vest and did the hair band round the button trick for trousers! Or bump bands helped sometimes but they did slide around a bit. Would chiffon type blouses work with a vest underneath? Looser style vests with a floaty cardigan or kimono top can usually disguise a bump too!

Thanks ladies. Sadly the old hair band trick is no longer working, I'm sure it lasted much longer last time.

Dresses could work, I've got one on today that had pockets on the front which is distracting from the bump.

Will also give the chiffon tops & vests a try. Did that yesterday actually & it was fine.

Primark have quite a lot with buttons down the front and are loose fitting which also work afterwards if you're planning on breastfeeding as do the slightly baggy checkered/stripy type shirts!

i wore a lot of trousers with elasticated bands during the "transition period". i'd make a small opening in the seam and add some extra elastic, that way i can always revert them to their original size, after the pregnancy.

Skater dresses were my saviour in every way. So forgiving!

Admittedly I still don't have a great deal of a bump at 21 weeks but my normal jeans are too tight. I wear stretchy jeans/jeggings in a size up and would go 2 sizes up rather than get maternity work trousers which are just far too big for me ( i have one pair of these and can almost tie a knot at the waist as they are so big!). My saviour is long tops and looser fitting shirts for work. Again I'd rather try these in a size up when I need to as maternity wear is too big for me. Bump bands are good for when your normal clothes are a bit too tight, you can put them over the fastening.

I wore unfastened trousers and skirts with a bump band for ages. This kind of thing:
direct.asda.com/george/womens/maternity-clothes/maternity-3-pack-assorted-bump-bands/GEM465495,default,pd.html

I was quite lucky with dd1 and those hip length loose shirts were in fashion and my inbetweeny stage was over the summer. They hid hairband over button and then maternity trousers! High waisted jeans fit until about 4 months both times. I'm a big fan of mens' jumpers for maternity - Gap or Asos - just round necked cotton ones. Work well with jeans and the straight boxiness of them looks much better than going up a size in womens' clothes.

My answer is just to look shit! I am 14wks pregnant with DC2 (and DC3) and have been in maternity bottoms for a few weeks now, but tops are a disaster. Either normal tops and I look pudgy and the bottom of the maternity band bit sticks out and looks rubbish. Or maternity tops which are super baggy and then also seem to ride up the band, despite being long enough to cover them in theory.
I'm wary of spending much ££ on maternity clothes anyway because I'm not convinced they'll last through a whole twin pregnancy, and I don't have any time to go shopping anyway (and only a couple of shops selling mat clothes in my town). so I am just looking like crap!

Luckily I don't have to hide the pregnancy and I usually look somewhat scruffy so I don't think anyone's really noticing...
I do want to get some non-maternity tunic length tops though to see me through the next couple of months, I just need to get to the shops.

Hush Harem pants were my go to and comfy to wear afterwards especially after section.

Charity shop dresses served me through the whole of my third pregnancy - anything with no waist or a loose tie waist works. Long line cardi over when it's cold disguises any revealing profile

I bought a couple of loose dresses in the next size up (eBay is your friend!) to wear with stretchy mat leggings, nobody could tell but I was very comfy.