Should I buy clothes in my pre-pregnancy size?

[KateJW95]

I'm pregnant with my first child, a little girl, due in February. It's been a tough year. I escaped an abusive relationship, leaving everything behind, including my pre-pregnancy wardrobe! For the last few months, I've been wearing leggings and rotating between a couple of different maternity tops. I'm usually a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. Before pregnancy I was a size 6-8. I've put on quite a bit of weight and am now a size 10-12. I know it usually takes a while to lose the baby weight, but I really cannot afford to buy a wardrobe twice (once initially after having the baby and again after getting back to my normal size). Is it realistic to buy clothes in my pre-pregnancy size and make do until I can fit into them, or is this a stupid idea? Would love to hear your thoughts!

I love my clothes and I was always size 6-8. I gained a bit of weight during pregnancy (12kg). I refused to buy bigger clothes after birth as I wanted to fit in my pre-pregnancy ones. Honestly, I think that is the main reason why I lost my baby weight in less than two months. I'm pregnant again and buying size 6-8 clothes for myself for after pregnancy.

I don't think it's unrealistic at all. But I'm not going to lie, it's hard. Especially if you will breastfeed: glued to the couch all day, watching TV and want to snack. But if you love your clothes like me, that will be more important than snacks 😅
I think the key is not to gain a lot during the pregnancy, try to stay active during and after and drink a lot when breastfeeding (you will feel hungry all the time but its thirst).

How do you cope with food while tired? For me, the pregnancy weight wasn't too bad, but I put it back on again. I'm someone who unfortunately turns to sugar and carbs to get through tiredness, and will turn to food when feeling low- I know others turn from it.

I think you are setting yourself up. For a start I wouldn't buy any new clothes until after the baby. If you have clothes in your pre-pregnancy size you probably aren't in desperate need. It will take 6 weeks for the uterus to shrink back down to normal size and so at the very least your stomach will be swollen for a while. I would not compare yourself to anyone, such as the previous poster who was back in her pre-pregnancy size quickly. Many women are exhausted with a new baby and don't have the time or energy to exercise or think about what size they are. You have no idea how you will feel or how you will adapt to having a new baby. Just wait and see what's best for you next Spring once your baby is here.
It's normal and healthy to take your time losing any excess pregnancy weight, don't stress yourself with it now.

This might not be something you need to worry about right now. See how your body reacts after delivery before shopping for a new wardrobe. I recovered my pre-pregnancy weight fairly quickly but 12 weeks postpartum and I'm still wearing my pregnancy leggings. They're just more comfortable. I've bought a couple of new jeggings but 1-2 sizes up, as again they're just more comfortable now if a little bigger. Jumpers are from before pregnancy but they were fairly loose.

Wait and see. Keep your money aside buy clothes as you need them.

It took me 2.5 years to lose my baby weight. I gained close to 4 stone when pregnant but after birth, I wasn't in a position to get back up to the same level of exercise or cooking. I am probably the exception, though.

Could you buy things that look good baggy or closer fitting, like boyfriend jeans and loose shirts and sweatshirts?

Vinted is a great place to look. I have bought £100 G-Star jeans on there for £7

Thank you everyone for the advice. I'm not too worried about losing weight, I know it takes time. I am just in a dilemma about what size clothes to buy.

@Mintygoodness I don't have any clothes in my pre-pregnancy size because I had to leave them all behind. At the moment, I have two pairs of leggings, two t-shirts and two jumpers. That really is it.

Because I'm going to be a single mum, I'm trying to think ahead because I won't have time to go clothes shopping after the baby is born.

Just going by the suggestions above, thinking about buying some basics in a bigger size for the first couple of months and then building my wardrobe again over time

Charity shops are your friend here

For my first I was only 19 and I lost the weight so quickly. I don’t know if age played a huge factor here. I had lots of stretchy clothes and knitted items then and so I refused to buy maternity clothes. I just wore tights and dresses/dresses and flown oversized things in my size which was a 10-12 back then.

10 years later I’m expecting my second and I am nervous about how quickly I will loose the weight. So I have bought clothing in my current size (still a 10-12!!) but oversized in style so that it’s comfortable over bump and I can wear them when I go back to my pre- pregnancy size - which I hope I do but I’m not putting any pressure to get there. I do plan to spend some time infront of YouTube excercise videos after 3 months whilst baby is napping (yes the first 3 months I will probably be out of it and exhausted but with my first whilst she was asleep I had a few moments of “nothing-ness” and when she was awake she would comfortably sit in her bouncer and watch me if she was fed and happy.

I was a single parent but lived with family so slightly different.

my advice is to ignore jeans - I wouldn’t waste my money on pregnancy jeans and I’d wait to see if I fit into my old ones.

Go for T-shirts, clothing with elasticated waists, knitted items (I have found beautiful knitted dresses) and wrap dresses and skirts! As these are friendly during and after pregnancy. You can find stylish ones if that is a priority to you. I always choose longevity when it comes to clothing.

Re-evaluate your wardrobe after a year. Have 1 or 2 stunning items for dinners and special occasions as back ups - but for the first year it will be scrappy clothes, baby droll and comfort first unless you have lots of occasions to dress for.

last tip - be mindful of the areas of your body that gains weight if you are choosing clothes for longevity. For example I avoid buying woven long sleeves as my arms get big forst and I struggle to get weight off them.

Vinted is a good place to be looking but I think in many cases it's perfectly achievable to wander round the shops with a baby as long as you know somewhere with a baby change facility (i.e. any shopping centre or department store). When they're 6-12 months I find that they enjoy being out and about and seeing new environments.

To answer your question, though, I didn't need whole set of bigger clothes. I wore stretchy maternity clothes until I was back to my normal size at about 9 months.

Charity shops are the way forward, you'll be able to nip down to one with the baby. You will have time to go clothes shopping, it's not massive day out, it's like picking up groceries or nipping into any other shop, just take the baby with you

I was/still am a single mum with no local family support and no DC dad on scene. My DC were 2.4 and newborn and we managed to leave the house to get the things we needed, it is doable.

I'd just stick to buying whatever size your in now, you really dont know how quickly you'll lose the weight or if you'll gain more once baby is born

Thank you everyone for the kind messages. I'm feeling a lot less stressed now. Tbh clothing is the last thing I want to think about at the moment, but I was genuinely worried about going shopping with a newborn, etc. Charity shops are a great idea. There are a couple of really good ones near where I live. I'll have some fun having a look or some comfortable clothes until I get back to my normal size. Thanks again!

Look for a preloved baby sling on eBay. Makes taking tiny ones out much easier. Don't feel like your baby / toddler needs new either. Both mine had a load of preloved stuff although not all charity shops are that cheap. Look on FB market place or bundles on eBay that are pennies

Hi, I'm currently pregnant and have avoided buying pre-pregnancy size stuff in current sales (luckily I do still have my pre-pregnancy clothes) as 2 of my friends have said even though theybhave.lose the weight their bodies havent gone back to quite the same shape or they are up one size due to comfort. One is 21months after birth, other 7months so can really vary.

As others have said charity shops/vinted is great. If you drive then maybe consider carboots/looking for clothes swapping events or even FB marketplace bundles for cheap/free. May not be the styles you initially want but if it gets you through the transition period and let's you save money for when you are at the size you hope to be. Next sale had jeans for £2/3 and tops for £1 upwards yesterday when I went in so again if there's one close by during sale time worth a nosey

Good luck with your solo journey, I'm doing it solo but under different circumstances and it's alot of pressure on one so make sure you reach out for support if needed