Maternity clothes... I know I'm overthinking this!

[LadyoftheWoods]

I'm 14 weeks and now cannot do up any of my trousers or jeans. I've tried the hairband thing but I'm just finding them too uncomfortable. I bought a pair of maternity jeans but they're still a little bit big so I bought some maternity leggings- amazingly comfortable so all good. However, I don't really own any dresses or tops long enough to cover my bum and I'm not comfortable having my bum exposed in leggings at my age (plus it's cold!)

So, now I need some dresses, but I'm not big enough to need maternity dresses yet so I thought I'd just get stretchy dresses one size up, thinking I can wear them after birth too. I mentioned this to my friend who said that wouldn't be practical for breastfeeding, which makes sense. So now I just don't know what to do! I know, I know, first world problems, but what have other people done??

Have a look at Popsy Clothing. They do som wrap top dresses.

Long vest tops, these can then go under your normal tops after baby's born to breastfeed (Google 2 shirt method) and then just chunky cardigans/jumpers to keep you warm!

I wouldn't spend a fortune on maternity/nursing clothes, the 2 shirt method saved my bank balance 😂

I would buy dresses that are cut in a way that allows for both a big bump and look nice without bump as well. Check out Envie de Fraise and JoJo Maman Bebe for example. They do lovely nursing dresses suitable for both pregnancy and breastfeeding.

You could always borrow shirts or jumpers from your partner/husband (presuming there is one) to ensure ample arse coverage. In addition to that staple my pregnancy wardrobe involved a lot of sized up but not maternity shift/swing dresses. If you look anything like I did at 14 weeks (bloated AF but not actually visibly pregnant) then I’d give the stretchy dresses a wide swerve. And anything you can whip a boob out in without a full strip off is fine for breastfeeding. Vest tops as mentioned by PP work with most things as long as you have something on your bottom half!

I lived in maternity leggings and mens large t shirts so they covered my bum🤷‍♀️and maybe had one pair of maternity jeans. i knew i wouldn't be pregnant long enough to need masses of stuff (expected prem birth) and just bought big clothes, i could still do my coat up over my bump over the winter aswell

Ah thanks everyone, I'm going to spend an evening online window shopping! I never thought about just popping a vest top under normal clothes, but that seems a good way to go

I'm 14 weeks too. I've just been buying a few secondhand bits at the moment, but I'm keeping an eye out for duel purpose (maternity & nursing) tops/dresses. Ebay and Vinted both seem to have a lot.

H and m maternity leggings all the way and maternity tops from eBay … that will see you through xx

Lucy and Yak dungarees are great and work well for breastfeeding too.

Bear in mind you might not be able to breastfeed - don't spend a lot on breastfeeding clothes.

I lived in maternity jeans and stretchy tops in the first two trimesters, and then maternity leggings and baggy jumpers later on. Fully intended to breastfeed but it didn't work out, so I have three 'proper' breastfeeding tops from JoJo Man (via eBay) that are still sitting in my wardrobe unused three years later...

JoJo Maman, not Man!

I wouldn't worry about nursing for the clothes you're wearing now. It'll be a completely different time of year anyway. Sizing up in normal clothes is a good plan. I got loads in Zara sale for my first pregnancy in a larger size - £8 for a dress territory and all stuff I would have normally worn. Then only later in the pregnancy did I get a few maternity bits but not too much.

I bought quite a few maternity dresses in the New Look maternity sale which I started wearing early on- they just looked like trendy smock dresses not obviously maternity.
I also (even though I stopped buying clothes from them because of ethics 😬) bought a couple of things from BooHoo in a size up as the material tends to be stretchy.
Truth be told the last several months of my pregnancy I’ve been wearing a pair of maternity dungarees and nursing tops from ASDA and have felt very comfy!

@whatcangowrong that's such a good point about the season!

I've bought some more maternity leggings and I'm keeping an eye on eBay! New look seems a good shout, it's not a place I'd normally shop but I've seen a couple of pieces I'd wear and they have a sale on at the moment.

I don't think I can wear men's clothes, I'm very petite and have never been able to pull that off!

I was so bloated after 7 weeks so none of my trousers fit me anymore (Im size 6). Got a maternity jeans and a leggings from John Lewis. They are very good quality (I bought some maternity leggings from other places but they can be see-through and baggy due to the cheap material) and if you find them on sale they can cheap too. I did not buy any maternity clothes. Dont like a look of them and I think they are very overpriced. Instead, Ive got oversized tops, jumpers and dresses that I can wear with or without the bump (TK Maxx is great for cheap but quality ones). I never really thought what to wear while Im breast feeding. I am only planning to breastfeed at home ( I dont think I will be comfortable to do it in public) so really doesnt matter; and if Im out I will use bottle anyways. But definitely buy good maternity pyjamas! Ive tried normal oversized ones, it didn't work.

I wore a lot of t shirt dresses, not maternity but allowed for bump and could then be worn after. Then chunky cardigans to keep warm.

Take a look on eBay for bundles. Generally they work out at about £3-5 per item and is an easy way to get kitted out in one go.

I got my dresses from Jojo Maman Bebe, they’ll probably have a sale after Christmas. The sizes come up quite big. I wore them through both of my pregnancies and breast feeding.

Op search for peplum tops they are perfect for this sort of thing

Have you tried Next? I'm petite too (5 ft) and have just picked up a couple of pairs of jeans with the expandable waistband from Next. They do short length which fits perfectly, and at 16 weeks the tummy band isn't too saggy.

I've also got maternity leggings which are great around the house but the weather's getting a little too cold to be wearing them out now!

If you want some cute dresses, I've found Frugi have a lot of nice ones - a lot have nursing access built in, but a lot of them are cut so would look cute even without a bump.

I have found a lot of Mat stuff can be quite drab, so I love how the Frugi stuff is actually colourful!

H&M nursing vests that come in packs of two. These can stretch over your bum and bump and also worn after you’ve given birth.

You can then layer with jumpers/ denim shirts etc

I second new look for basics. Also the next clearance section to fill in gaps. I’ve bought I “fancier” dress from seraphine also in the sale and it boosted my confidence. I found proper maternity clothes more flattering personally.

H&M do some ‘before and after’ items which are just super stretchy (so you can wear them from early pregnancy through to post partum). I’ve mostly worn sized up or stretchy non maternity clothes save for one pair of jeans and one pair of leggings. I’m now 30 weeks pregnant and don’t think I’ll need anything else to be honest.

New look also do some amazing ribbed bodycon midi dresses which have been a great buy.