Tips for non-maternity maternity wear

[Kay1341]

I'm currently 20 weeks, and particularly my bump and breasts have got a lot bigger (my lower half has pretty much stayed the same though). Currently, my top half has gone from 12-14 to 14-16. I'm struggling to find clothes to wear, as my usual high waist choices for skirts and trousers and A-line dresses are a no no for now. I don't like the idea of spending loads on maternity specific stuff, I'd rather buy "normal" clothes in slightly bigger sizes that leave room for the bump, and which I can perhaps modify afterwards to fit me. I don't mind clothes that highlight the bump, but much of the maternity wear looks like big tents or is very plain and toned down.

Likewise, I'm struggling to find bras - I used to be 38D, but now all my mine are tight and ill-fitting. I had a bad experience few weeks back when I thought I'd nip into the shops to try whether a one-size up would fit me better, only to realise that in a massive Primark, they only had three bra options in that size. It felt quite awful, realising that the shop wasn't even selling bras in bigger sizes (this is the same for a lot of high street shops like H&M). I like bras that are feminine and offer support, but don't cost £50 each (there's only so many wonderbras I can justify buying).

Any tips for high street shopping?

I'm 34 weeks and got a lot of wrap dresses in a size up from supermarkets etc. I'm usually a 12 so bought in a 14 and they've all been fine and still fit. Just make sure fabric is stretchy. Now it's colder I'm wearing them with maternity leggings from H&M which are cheap.
Bra wise I was saved by M&S! Didn't want to wear underwired bras any more so got fitted there and they have lots of comfy non underwired options. I went up from 32F to 34GG by about week 24!

I have a bit of a selection of bras in different sizes and have ended up in the best cup fitting and bought some bra extenders to give me the extra inch or so I needed at the back. I am still wearing underwired and will continue to do so (did for my DD) too, I can't stand the shape non-underwired give.

In terms of clothes, I have gone maternity but just tried to limit how much I bought and wash frequently, a few well fitting tops make you feel much better, H&M and ASOS have a good and reasonably priced selection. I found that larger size 'normal' tops made me feel frumpy by about 22 weeks (even some I'd bought thinking they'd be fine).

eBay or Facebook selling groups often have decent maternity brands for much less. I recent bought three maternity tops from gap which were reduced to around £8 each- very happy with them. I also like H&M tops.

You can buy a bump band (new look sell them a think?) you can get them in black or white then if your usual tops are riding up a bit it kind of looks like you're wearing a vest top underneath without being all hot and sweaty, and covers the bottom of your tummy. Although as the autumn months come in you might want to wear an actual vest top underneath to keep you nice and toasty.

You can also buy little extender bands that hook into the buttons of your usual jeans and trousers.

I wore a lot of leggings when pregnant with DD but thick good quality ones (the primark ones are a bit see through) with a longish vest top over that and nice shirt worn open over the top of that. I'm not usually a leggings person but found it far more comfy than jeans.

For work I got a few black stretchy jersey knee length skirts with my usual blouses tucked in, they grew with me and it didn't matter if my top was riding up a bit as the skirts were kinda high waisted and my blouse was tucked in.

Hope his helps.

Also, If your looking for some trendy inexpensive maternity wear I'd highly reccomend boohoo.com ok it's not the best quality, but for the length of time you're in them, they do the job.

Personally, I would at least invest in a couple of decent maternity bras. They are so much comfier than regular bras, but still supportive.

Just have a think about not buying maternity stuff. You’ll have to keep sizing up as you get bigger (I’ve gone from a 16 to a 22 in normal clothes at 24 weeks) so it may work out cheaper in the long run to buy a few maternity pieces that’ll last rather than keep buying regular clothes.

If you do want to buy regular clothes, anything with an empire waist will be your friend, or buy something massively oversized and bring it in with a belt between your boobs and bump for shape. X

Stretchy dresses from Primark! Kept seeing lots of insta-mummies wearing them and they are so comfy! Also maternity wear from boohoo fits well

@mintich yes! I've also seen a lot of instamummies in the stretchy primark dresses! I had a couple when pregnant with DD also, can't remember if they were primark though? as the colder months come in they look really nice with a chunky knit cardi or loose jumper over the top too.

Fatface do lots of nice tops that are loose fitting over the waist/tummy area. I’m still wearing their ‘breton stripe’ cotton t-shirts in my pre-pregnancy size at 27 weeks!

The main issue in not buying maternity clothes is when you get to 7+ months "normal" clothes often don't fit properly due to their cut.

I have maternity jeans, leggings and skirts there as other clothes, which are dresses and tops, are a mixture of maternity and non-maternity wear in a size up from Primark and supermarkets. Some of my maternity tops have been borrowed from a friend.

I still wear my non-maternity lounge/track pants and knickers I'm the same size.

In regards to bras I started as a 34E and ended up buying mainly cheap sports bras from M&S as my size increased a few times and I found the maternity bras I found in the shops provided absolutely no support. For actual bras for doing sport in, I brought a Berlei sports bra in the correct size each time my size increased. Sports tops I resorted to wearing men's tops.

I got loads of stuff from boohoo and just sized up. I bought quite loose fitting stuff that I can still wear now. Very cheap as well

Thanks everyone! I'll definitely go looking for some of those things. I'm not completely against buying maternity specific clothes, I have a pair of maternity jeans now which are very comfortable, but I doubt I want to wear them afterwards, whereas more low fitting fabric trousers might be wearable afterwards as well. I think stylewise it's felt like a struggle too, as most maternity stuff is quite far from my usual style (I'm not always following what's in fashion, but I like some trendy bits and pieces). But I'll definitely check out the shops you've recommended!

I was pregnant this time last year, I wore loads of primark stripy stretchy long sleeve tops and the stretchy dresses with leggings and boots in winter. I had a couple of pairs of good topshop maternity jeans but otherwise lots of primark as it cost hardly anything so I just gave it all to charity after. Also had loads of vests from there and I could wear my normal size until I was about 30 weeks.

Also had some tapered black trousers for work, and wore the primark tops with them and a few of my blouses still fit for quite a while.

Don’t underestimate how long you could be wearing maternity tops etc for after birth though- I was similar to you in that only my belly changed, but it did take a few weeks after dd was born to get down to were I was happy wearing pre-pregnancy tops without feeling self conscious.

A few stylish maternity tops that you feel good in would be a better investment at 20 weeks than non-maternity clothes that you’ll have to replace at 26 weeks, 32 weeks etc etc.

I'm 25 weeks, have gone from a 34 F Pre pregnancy to a 36 GG and I fear they are gonna keep going! 😟 have had to go for non wired bras since 20 weeks as just too uncomfortable and can also be bad for your boobs in pregnancy so I read.

I actually just got a couple of really good bras from mothercare had previously tried M&S and didn't get on with them, they just squished my boobs together and were uncomfortable. If you aren't worried about budget bravissimo specialise in larger boobs and do some maternity/nursing.

Clothes wise I have so far gone for maternity trousers and am just about fitting in some of my normal tops.

Had a look and Dorothy Perkins, next and new look all seem to do some nice non maternity looking maternity clothes so I'm going to give them a try.

Maternity lounge pants from Asda about £10 and some oversized Tshirts and jumpers a size bigger from primark have been lifesavers for me!

Just to add I wore my topshop maternity jeans after for quite a while I had a c- section and was far too sore for normal jeans for quite a while.

I was pretty fortunate that I still fit in a normal winter coat without sizing up just couldn't do it up so still felt a bit my normal self.

I'd also recommend ebaying, I had a few asos and topshop things that I sold on there after. Asos are good for dresses, if you've got any occasions work Christmas party etc...

www.nursingbra-shop.co.uk

This site is great and bras very reasonable in a large variety of sizes and wired/non-wired.

Also, Asos! They seem to have the biggest maternity range I've ever seen and at varying price points, plus they're nice and trendy bit plainer in style than some of their regular stuff, but still really lovely clothes. Plus you can try before you buy with them I think now? So it's easier to return if it doesn't fit/you don't like it.

If you're not wanting to spend loads of money on something that you won't wear for long, then would you think about going second hand? I picked up a gigantic maternity bundle from Facebook marketplace for £40. There's loads of really nice stuff in there (quite a few bits from JoJo), and most of it looks almost new! If you keep an eye on it, you might strike lucky... You could also sell it on when you're done with it to recoup the cost.

Otherwise, I picked up quite a few bits from ASOS, H&M and Dorothy Perkins - if you're lucky, they might have their summer sales soon. I managed on a rotation of 7 tops and 2 pairs of jeans until I picked up the bundle. Having maternity clothes that flatter you when you feel like a giant lump definitely helps.

You can get a 2 pack of maternity bras from Marks and Spencers for £30, and they go up to larger sizes. There were some quite pretty ones in there - there's more choice on the website too, once you figure out what your size is.

@elizastarbeth you are right, Dorothy Perkins do have a sale on at he moment, just got a few bits online from there this morning.

I bought lots of maternity and nursing clothes from eBay

Don’t underestimate how long you might be in marebuer wear post birth. I was in my maternity jeans for quite a long time afterwards. There is little point holding out and then having to get maternity stuff for the last couple of months- you might as well get more use out of the stuff. Also if you have another pregnancy you might find you need maternity clothes sooner. I held out last time round for most things until around 20 weeks but I’m in maternity clothes now at 12 weeks and have been for a few weeks.