When and where is the best place to buy Maternity Clothes?

[oldermama2021]

Hi all,
I am wondering if you could give me some advice? I am starting to feel that some of my jeans feel a bit snug and was wondering when is normal to start to wear maternity clothes? Do you just buy your normal size in maternity wear or do you just buy the next size up in regular clothes? I am a ftm so no idea where to start looking! Where are the best places to buy maternity clothes? I don't want to spend a fortune either! Any ideas? Thank you.

If its styled as maternity buy your normal size.
I would look on face book local or e bay as they are only temporary clothes.

Boohoo xx

I didn't buy anything - leggings and stretchy dresses saw me through it all

I fell in love with Seraphine. Not the cheapest out there, but I love their stuff. I buy normal pre pregnancy size in maternity.

Thank you - I will have a look at your suggestions. I definitely don't want to spend a fortune as I know they will only be worn for a few months. A couple of my friends just bought a couple of sizes up in regular clothes but I was thinking that might work better for tops rather than jeans! Some of the outfits though look like they work better with an actual "bump" which I haven't got yet! Lol! No doubt will happen sooner than I think!!

Yes second hand. FB local or ebay. Consider the season as well - if you've no bump yet I'm assuming autumn/winter. In that case you can get away with plenty of baggy/long tops and jumpers, and trousers with a stretchy drawstring waist (a couple of sizes too big) can work too, although don't look very flattering. There is a thing called a belly band which is useful for combining with trousers you already have. I would recommend a couple of pairs of maternity jeans and/or smarter work trousers, other things are easier to find.

H&M have a maternity section and so do Next.

Seraphine dress I had was lovely but expensive.

Jojo maman Bebe were good quality and not too expensive. Loved the dungarees and lived in them towards the end (great having no waistband)

Frugi do good stuff (on offer at moment) and looked good for feeding afterward without looking pregnant still.

Asda leggings I got a 2 pack grey/black the grey was great but the black was see-through but fine for under dresses instead of tights. They were £7 for both so very good value.

I think my jeans were next but I found them a pain in that for a long time I didn’t have enough bump then they were fine and then I had too much bump. Might just be me and my short ass frame.

I have tried maternity clothes and they're awful in my experience. I've had dresses and jeans. The over the bump jeans were ok at first but then they became tight even when I put the stretchy part under my bump. I got under the bump jeans and they're just not very flattering and aren't comfy. I've had maternity dresses which tend to have this long drape at the bottom of all of them making me look huge. In the end, I got primark leggings in M (12-14) I was a size 8 before getting pregnant. The primark leggings are so comfy, go over my bump, and were only £4 because some maternity clothes are a rip off. I also got a non maternity jumpsuit in a size 10 which looks really flattering on my bump as it comes with a belt. I would also recommend getting some bodycon dresses maybe in a size up? I know some women get away with wearing them in their pre pregnancy size but I haven't been able to. I gravitated towards joggers and hoodies when first pregnant but fitted clothes look so lovely on pregnant women. Anyway, I hope this helps.

Currently 17+5, I haven't bought anything marked as maternity but have bought some loose elasticated trousers to replace my jeans. I am normally buy a size 8 or 10 and the ones I've bought are size 10. For tops so far I'm still in my normal pre-pregnancy ones. I don't usually wear tight-fitting clothes so there's plenty of room.

I've been kindly gifted some "official" maternity clothes in size 10 and they are very comfy.

Shein and Boohoo are great for cheap casual stuff.
If you want more work/going out clothes, ASOS have nice stuff

Thank you everyone - I am going to look at all your suggestions and hopefully get a few things ordered.

Thank you for your help!

I've bought a few bits from Seraphine, H and M and ASOS. I'm 21 weeks and I own a range of 10-1× 2 clothes. I've been getting by so far on my looser dresses and size 10 jeans just starting to need to move on from those. I've got a great black stretchy skirt from seraphine which I can just wear with normal tshirts etc. I think the "just wear normal clothes" advice might only apply to the very thin or people who don't have to look smart at work - I'm a teacher so will (probably!) be back in work soon and not just able to get by in tshirts and leggings. I have tried on a few maternity jeans and haven't got on very well with those at all so I'm planning to stick to mostly dresses - but my normal jeans are high waisted, mom type ones and there doesn't seem to be a maternity equivalent. It is a bit of a shock to the system because I love clothes and normally buy them from shops which do not have maternity lines, also I don't really buy clothes which are very loose fitting (again, I think preserve of the super thin) so my normal clothes don't translate that well.

And yes, definitely order your normal size because in my experience so far maternity clothes are massive! (I won't be saying that in 3 months time, I imagine).

I love H&M mama, and it's not that expensive. It's such a relief to get into maternity clothes, especially jeans/leggings after trying to squeeze myself into normal clothes. I'm 20 weeks now and only have a little bump but it's maternity all the way now 😂

H&M, New Look and Vertbaudet were all good for me.

And yes, second hand. Have seen some fab bundles on local selling sites lately.

I think the "just wear normal clothes" advice might only apply to the very thin or people who don't have to look smart at work

Totally agree with this. Loads of people on MN say they 'just wore their DP's clothes' or just wore baggy t-shirts and I assume they didn't need any work clothes, or anything that looked nice for going out. It's a bit different this time round because I'm working from home and not going anywhere much but when I was pregnant with DS I was going to important work events, going to parties, etc - I neither could nor wanted to just look like I was in my PJs for five months!

Thank you @TheScoresOnTheDoors for your suggestions. I also need to look smart for work so I am thinking about dresses but be easier to find than trousers etc. I thought I might order some jeans but wasn't sure whether to get over or under the bump as I don't have a bump yet as such. Which did you go for? I tend to wear fitted tops and jeans and like you the places I shop don't seem to do maternity wear....so this could be interesting!

@Hardbackwriter yes I also need to look smart so can't just wear baggy tops and leggings all the time.

Thank you @passthemustard and @WorriedMummy2020 I will check out those websites.

I’m not a leggings kind of person (other than for sport sometimes) so the thought of spending months in stuff like that felt a bit depressing to me. I have a couple of pairs that I have been wearing but generally wearing the sort of clothes I tend to feel smart in (necessary for work, even though I am WFH now). Appreciate that people have different tastes, levels of comfort and budget though.

Most of my stuff is Seraphine, Isabella Oliver, Hatch, Madderson with some ASOS, Mamalicious, JoJo and Topshop thrown in. Definitely wearing heels far less than normal though

Re jeans: My bump really started to pop around 17 weeks (now 29 and huge ) so over the bump jeans have been my preference. I didn’t find the under the bump ones comfy. I’m usually a size 10 and have just bought maternity stuff in the same size.

Other than my post birth knickers which I’ve bought in a mix of 14s and 16s, I didn’t just want to size up in clothes as then the lines would be out and I know I’d forever be pulling at hems and seams, which would drive me potty.

H&M are the best. Avoid ASOS (poor quality) and boohoo (sweatshops)

I've bought some skinny over the bump jeans from Dorothy perkins which are OK, but i don't quite need them yet. I was thinking I might eventually give the topshop joni maternity ones a go as I did wear these a few years ago when I still wore skinny jeans. I have bought two maternity dresses for work from seraphine which I think are lovely but were not cheap (they do have a sale on at the moment i think). I just felt like I should probably get smart dresses for a weeks worth of work outfits and then repeat. I know none of these clothes are a long term investment but my mood is massively affected by what I wear!

I massively preferred over the bump jeans. The only ones I could find that were long enough were H&M ones and that would be my recommendation to other tall women; so, conversely, I wouldn't recommend them if you're petite!

I found maternity clothes essential after 20 weeks because I didn't put any weight on, other than my bump and boobs, so sizing up would have looked ridiculous and the clothes would have been too baggy on my arms and legs.

I found New Look good for basics like leggings, skinny jeans and t-shirts. H&M were my favourite because the quality and cut was very flattering, I particularly like their over the bump chinos and their tops.

I have a few things from Seraphine, and they are very comfy.

I did also wear a few of my normal clothes, but it's worth investing in a few maternity pieces, because they are more flattering and you may reuse them for future pregnancies.