maternity clothes - buy your normal size??!

[alondonmum]

Do you really buy your normal size in maternity clothes? I'm sure I've gone from a 12 to 14 - and that's not due to a bump - just spreading outwards. So, do you find you're needing to go up a size in maternity clothes? Or do you think they make the sizes extra generous - apart from space for the bump.

In my experience the sizing is a bit weird on mat clothes. e.g. I am normally a 10/12 and bought 18 in H&M jeans! And haven't put on much excess weight - but maybe that's some weird continental size. Generally I'd err for getting bigger bearing in mind you're going to grow a lot during the pg and - even if you don't put on excess weight elsewhere - your craving for comfort over style is only going to increase. Are you buying online? If not, best bet is to try on and err for looser fit. Having said that, skirts or dresses will be alright in your old size or one size up as it's only the waist that changes dramatically and will be adjustable anyway. Trousers get tight and uncomfy later on ime - I'm now 35 weeks and only wear my maternity trousers if I know I'm not going to sit down for a while - otherwise it's dresses and skirts all the way! hth.

I ended up getting smaller, but I am not proportioned normALLy, I look quite pregnant anyway, so once I put on clothes that allow naturally for the belly, I can drop at least one size, sometimews two!

Depends on where you buy them and how your shape changes

I'm a 10-12 - for some things in H&M I needed a small and some a medium but the trousers fitted fine from before I was even showing.
Next 10 trousers were v capacious (ie fell down until 26wks), but some of their 10 tops are now too short / skimpy / tight round bump @ 28wks. Non-mat Next 10s normally fit me perfectly so obv their 'pg growth' algorithm isn't the same as mine...
DP trousers fitted immediately (only fall down cause of poor design, not size).
Jojo and Blooming Marv 10s fit perfectly.

Agree that in this weather skirts and dresses are the way to go, but if you need trous the ones with the huge jersey overbump panel are a sight comfier than the ones with puny bits of stretch in the pockets.

And M&S have some black stretch jersey maternity trews for £15 at the moment that can be rolled over or under the bump....half the price of the blooming marvellous/ jo jo ones. So comfy.And look quite smart. Nice long but fitted jersey tops for £9.50 too. Still bought mine in usual size 10 and 38 weeks preggars...their sizes seem pretty good.

I fou nd that Mothercare and some H&M lasted, most other makes got too tight round my bum and thighs towards the end. OTOH, those were useful after the birth.

I think it definitely depends on your shape and where you tend to 'carry extra baggage' so to speak. I'm usually a 10-12 and an hour-glass shape and found that whilst maternity clothes in a 10 were fine for most of the way through, after around 30ish weeks i was more comfortable in a maternity size 12 as these gave me more space and felt better. I also found Next pretty generous and designed to be quite comfortable too although prices are a bit steep. As it's hard to know how your body will change over the nine months, i'd avoid buying all your maternity wear at the start. I'd probably get more later on when you can see how big your bump/the rest of you is going to get!

I think you have to try them on

when i got PG with DS2 i was a size16 - but maternity Next jeans in size 12 were roomy until i was about 5/6 months gone.