Advice on maternity clothes

[Justagirll]

Just wanting to get other people's thoughts on buying maternity clothes...

I'm 8 weeks along and have had quite a bit of bloating so far - I'm still just about OK in my normal jeans but they do get uncomfortable after a few hours' wear, especially if sitting down lots. Leggings are OK but lately I've been pulling them down lower than I'd normally wear them. I've already moved on to sports bras and have also got a couple of nursing bras as the underwiring in my normal bras started feeling really tight around my ribs a couple of weeks ago. No idea how much of this is normal at this fairly early stage!

My added dilemma is that we're going to Australia/South Pacific/Singapore in a few weeks' time, which was booked before I was PG (I'll be 14 weeks when we leave and 16.2 when we return). I bought a few holiday clothes before I knew I was PG but I'm already thinking most of them will be too small.

So I'm wondering what type of stuff would be good to buy now that would be comfortable/big enough and stand me in good stead for later use too? Obviously there's no way of knowing quite how big bump will get while we're away... I also don't want to overspend unnecessarily as I hate waste and am not made of money! But I will need loose clothing as it will be hot for at least the second half of the trip.

As you might have guessed I'm feeling a bit clueless (first pregnancy!)... Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Btw I already got one maternity swimsuit which I'm pleased with - it doesn't look too huge even at this early stage - but that's it so far as I didn't want to buy anything else too far in advance of the trip.

Stretchy dresses are always good, maxi ideally. I was wearing pre-pregnancy maxi dresses when I was 20+ weeks. Primark was always good for dresses. Maternity leggings a fab if you get the ones that come over the bump xx

I was hugely bloated at 8 weeks and had to get into maternity trousers/leggings/jeans straight away. I'm now 17 weeks and pretty much the same size I was then (bloating has mostly gone and barely perceptible bump).

I feel insanely jealous when I see people saying things like "I wore my normal clothes til 7 months" but in the other hand maternity trousers are soooo comfortable. No one I work with noticed.

You'll be able to buy clothes while on holiday if you really need to. I'm guessing it's going to be hot? I'd be tempted to pick up a couple of loose-around-the-waist maxi dresses.

I didn't end up in any mat wear until around 20 weeks I don't think... How do you normally dress?

Thank you for the input so far! I've just had a quick look through my clothes and set aside some loose things that should be OK to take, and made a list of new stuff I might need:

Leggings (over bump)
Jeans (over bump)
More bras (currently only got 2 and not too happy with the sizing)
Hoodie (mainly for travelling - I know I'll want one later anyway)
A few long tops / tunics
Maternity shorts
Another swimsuit
Couple of loose-waisted / maxi dresses

I'm normally quite casual (usually just wear jeans or leggings with a T-shirt/vest) but I might get a couple of smarter dresses for meals out in the evenings - I'll make sure these are stretchy so that I can hopefully carry on wearing them in later months.. We like walking/exploring quite a bit so assuming I'm not too tired I'd mainly wear shorts/thin trousers for daytime - dresses would only get worn on lazier days. (Really hoping I feel less tired by week 14!)

Luckily I don't need office wear as I work from home, so that's one less thing to worry about.

Good to know your bump at 17 weeks was a similar size to when you were bloated, Tableclothing :) I'm definitely prioritising comfort over style haha. And yes good point, there will be lots of clothes shops where we're going so if I do get caught short I can top up there.

I'd be surprised if you need maternity swimwear and tops at that stage on your first. It's only maternity jeans really that I needed that early on.

Any maternity clothes you do buy should do you for the whole pregnancy though, they're made to accommodate a growing bump.

I think as long as you have some stretch in the waistbands you won't need actual maternity clothing. I had awful bloating at this point but it went away by 14 weeks and the bump wasn't that big then.

Floaty tops and stretchy dresses are fantastic, you can get away with your normal size for so long. I would recommend spending money on maternity clothes, not necessarily a lot but you need to be comfortable. I didnt buy for a long time, I just went next size up when I needed to in trousers because of bump but found maternity ones much comfier because of how they are cut. Until then you can use a hair tie to give you a little more room in your trousers.
Enjoy your holiday it sounds amazing!

Asda are brilliant for maternity stuff. Their leggings were the best I found and £12 for 2 pairs. They've got loads of summer bits in the sale.

Happy Mama is also good for cheap dresses.

I bought a few maternity-specific things off ASOS in early pregnancy. However I’m now 34 weeks and I have basically worn nothing but Zara stretchy stuff - dresses, culottes and strappy tops. I’ve sized up with some but most of it is so loose/floaty that even though I’m huge it’s absolutely fine.

eBay has been great for me - so much maternity wear is sold on after not much use and you can get higher end brands for lower prices than the cheaper high street/supermarket ones new. Also bump bands to cover the gap where normal trousers don't quite reach any more - the Jojo Maman Bebe ones have buttons to bridge the gap (they're usually £15 each but I got one in each of black, navy and white on eBay for under £5 each) - I'm still wearing a pair of Fat Face chinos with those at 25 weeks.

The first items I had to upsize were bras, but I've also been using strap extenders too - annoyingly cup size went up first and then my ribs expanded so I've ended up bra shopping twice 🙄.

EBay has been my bestie for buying maternity clothes. Asda for bottoms , jeans/leggings etc but eBay for tops. Second hand but normally good quality as people don't tend to wear them long xx

15+4 and ive been in maternity clothes several weeks now too- my stomach was so bloated at 8 weeks I couldn't have anything touching it!! So I've had to build a wardrobe sooner than I'd like, and on a budget too!

My SIL advised me on pretty smock tops/dresses from h&m with leggings, and says she wore them to nurse in for a long time too. So I've just stocked up in the sale they've got on BUT with it being warm here (and my body temperature warmer than normal too) I'm really noticing how synthetic and not breathable the materials are. It'll do, esp because they are cheap, but it doesn't feel nice and I wouldn't like to wear them anywhere like where you are going.

I did splash out and treat myself to some Frugi maternity on their sale and it's 100% cotton- so lovely to wear!! I'll wear those dresses again and again. So my best advice is a couple of good quality things to wear to death on holiday and the rest of this summer. Oh and try eBay!

I was big and bloated very early. I'm also quite short so my belly showed early too. I found new look maternity clothes pretty good especially their jeans and very reasonably priced

I was hugely bloated and uncomfortable at 8 weeks, small bump appeared by 12 weeks, in maternity jeans by 15/16 weeks. Just do what makes you comfortable.

Thank you all, some really useful info there. I'll definitely look for floaty things made from breathable cotton! And I'm more than happy to buy secondhand too so will look into that a bit more, I've also found a few things that look promising on H&M and Asos sites.

Funnily enough I was in Asda earlier and couldn't see any maternity stuff at all, but maybe I didn't look hard enough... I had the impression that most shops don't actually stock much in the stores so you find much more if you shop online?

Thanks again everyone, it's reassuring to know others have had similar bloaty issues!

New Look Maternity and Asda George for good quality basics like leggings / basic dresses / pyjamas / dressing gowns etc.

ASOS for cotton stuff. Seriously Asos’s maternity cotton t-shirts / skirts are on a par with premium brands!

Amazon for nursing bras. ilovesia is the brand I’d recommend.

M&S for their VPL microfibre underwear.

They wont stock in store - definitely not Asda and most other places either. My cousin had a full scale meltdown in our local retail park because of this 😂
Places like mothercare and JoJo Bebe stock maternity but are really dear.
Just get your normal dress size but in maternity.

I've had quite a few people tell me just to get the next size up consistently - works for just one size dependant on style but I feel awful enough without looking it too and maternity clothes are cut to fit your widening hips etc.
Have a lovely holiday and a great pregnancy xxx

If you're still looking - I'm 25 weeks and getting away with Primark cosy leggings (£5, effectively "under bump" cos I havent found any non-see-through maternity leggings anywhere, these are soft and comfy), the primark long stretch vests, and my normal looser t shirts over the top, sometimes tied to one side.
Get some lightweight stretchy Jersey floppy shorts from asos or similar, and a bunch of cheap loose-fitting vest tops as when it's hot you dont want anything touching you much!
My only hoody that still fits is a zip up mens one (from primark of course) that I had before I was pregnant.