Recommendations for essential maternity clothes

[babyignoramus]

I'm nearly 8 weeks and my jeans are already feeling the strain.. I'm going to get a good pair of maternity jeans - what other items did people find essential, eg tops, jackets etc.? Also, would welcome recommendations for shops that do maternity for petites.

Ta

I bought ordinary low slung jeans in one and then two sizes larger than my usual
they fitted up until the last two months or so and I am thinking they will be useful after the baby is born when none of your stuff fits but you really don't want to be wearing maternity stuff

I also bought yoga kind of trousers in a larger size and been wearing under the bump - they look good with a maternity top and nice accessories

the most useful thing in the last trimester has been a smart comfortable jersey skirt
I hate that feeling that you can't wear anything except frumpy unflattering things
this skirt is fab

Gap maternity - it's actually nice. I loathed most maternity wear, it reduced me to tears. Only the really big Gap Kids sell the full range - we went to Bluewater.

Sweaty Betty folding waist (over or under bump) trousers - not maternity, but I'm enormous by now and they still fit me perfectly.

Also I got some empire line dresses from Kew which were great for work, though becoming ever less so now my stomach is really getting ridiculous. But the first six months and they've been wonderful - sash just under boobs, V necked, short sleeves that end just above the elbow, so you have all the good bits on display.

Non-maternity is a damn sight cheaper, too, while you can still get away with it I'd so go for that option, if you can pick carefully styles that work with a bump and chest. I'm just entering the final trimester and though the Kew dresses are failing, so are my maternity tops, so I think that's just how it is. Sweaty Betty stuff still going strong, though.

If you're apple shape dont get under the bump jeans as they just fall off all the time until they don't fit any more.

Dorothy Perkins do petite maternity clothes. I'm living in their smart black trousers for work and jeans at the weekend. Other than that I've been wearing jogging bottoms and long empire line or smock tops in a size (or two bigger than normal. I'm trying to put off maternity tops until my bump is a bit bigger

FrannyandZooey - I'm a skirts person, but trying to find a maternity/stretchy skirt I like is a nightmare. Where did you get yours?

Z.x

I really struggled to find any stores with their maternity ranges actually stocked. I bought jeans from Next online, along with multipack tops.

Everywhere else was dire, I just didn't fit into any of the stuff from Mothercare or the other usual suspects.

Ended up going to Marks and Spencer and buying some of their vest and cardigan all-in-one combis. Smart enought for work (until I finished) and pretty enough to be casual, the cardi sort of drapes the bump so it made me feel less conspicuous IYSWIM. I bought size 18/20 and normally I am a 12/14. only about a tenner / £15 from memory. The vest is long enough to cover as well. I found the biggest problem to be the length of tops. Can't do anything fitted - even maternity fitted - as it all seems huge on the shoulders.

zoejeane, i've got the isabella oliver jersey a line skirt. Its fab,
see
this link

Qually, can I be nosey and ask whether you need to buy your normal size in Sweaty Betty, or go up a size or two? I've e-mailed them about this, but no response.
Another vote too for IO; just bought their poloneck dress in sale for the winter and it is fab

I'm 30 weeks and started wearing maternity stuff at 16 weeks.

Mostly bottoms, I prefer stretchy tops and have just bought my normal Primark/Gap t shirts in a bigger size and am still wearing my old cardies, jumpers etc over the top.

Things I love and am wearing lots -

Seraphine cords - makes a change from jeans, bit smarter and warm in this ongoing winter we seem to be having. Seraphine sale. Something to think about if you are goimg to be pg in the winter.

Blooming Marvellous mock wrap dress - black (of course) - very comfy, smart for work, great for when I get fed up of baring my tummy to all and sundry! fiver on Ebay.

Gap maternity chinos - fab. In fact all Gap maternity stuff = fab, if you can fidn it. And they alwasy have a sale rail.

Flat Mary Janes with velcro stap - I have had these for years and am wearing them all the time now. The strap give my big wide feet and expanding tum a lot of support. The kind of thing Clarlks might sell as school shoes.

Lace up shoes- At about 6 months I found that lace ups gave me much better support than slip ons/flip flop/ballet shoe style. Shoe of choice is Converse trainers, am collecting colours to break up all the beige and black that mat clothes seem to come in.

Grey work trousers . JojoMamamne - Boring but comfy if you need work trousers.

White blouse - Scarily large white blouse which cinches in at the back and actually looks quite smart. Mothercare. Again, if this is the kind of thing you need for work.

Roll top trousers - Peacocks cutrrently have black or grey roll top yoga pants in their maternity nightwear range. Look OK and at only a fiver, not bad if they only last a few weeks (in quality or size!)

I got a lot of stuff from friends and Ebay which was handy.

I've spent the last 2 months wearing two long stretchy skirts that used to come to my ankles and are now more below the knee, although with a long loose top I can pull them down further.

Underbump trousers just won't stay up on me - tried braces but as there's breasts in the way that didn't help. But I could never wear hip-height trousers anyway as they just fell down.

I have one pair of M&S overbump trousers which look good, but the soft skirts are so much more comfortable. I seem to have got very sensitive skin while pregnant - one of my biggest surprises was how there's no squishy layer of protective fat on my bump, unlike the tummy I used to have!

Oh Zoe, another MNer gave it to me, but it was from TopShop (not recent line though)
I found another 2 nice skirts with gathered elastic round the bump and a flary cotton skirt - both second hand also but one from Blooming Marvellous and one from H+M
sorry not to be more helpful
eBay is always worth a look?

Diege, I went for large, even though I could still fit medium at the time and am usually small. Or maybe I should say, was, as I've no doubt losing all this weight will be hard, after. I've put on 2 stone in the first five months, so maybe I'm a bad guide? But as they have a lot of good lycra in so fit smaller than sized, and keep their shape really well after loads of washes, I figured starting off big was smart - especially as they aren't actually maternity wear. I have SPD so I wear them to work with smart tops - they look like palazzo pants if the top is hidden.

(The SPD ref. was because I have to wear a tubi-grip and some days a belt, so I need trousers that accommodate that.)

Zoejean - there is a gorgeous long black fold-down skirt from Crave maternity. I think it costs about £45. Sorry, I am no good at doing links. I have been wearing it constantly. It is close fitting but also incredibly comfy and stretchy and it has a great swishiness at the hem. Good for evening as well as day and machine washable. The best maternty purchase I have made so far by far. Also check out the Crave sale - I got a black jersey shirt for £16.

Ooh thanks Qually that's useful to know. Think I might risk a medium, and can always wear them after the birth if I need to buy the large for later on...Good to hear they are OK for work as that's the plan!

The things I wore most were the things that were like my ordinary clothes but maternity - so for me that was jeans, vest tops, nice jersey skirt (I had that crave one too, it is genius!).

The things I never wore were the floaty tops and so on that I wouldn't have worn normally - your taste doesn't change when you get pregnant, at least mine didn't.

I also found underbump trousers useless - but if you get any trousers, walk up and down the shop three times and see if they fall down. If they do, they will not get any better when you are bigger (vonsudenfed trufax).

Seraphine skinny jeans.
Seraphine black work trousers.
Formes black work skirt with fold over top.
(As someone else says, these all comes up quite petite anyway).
Nowhere does better T shirts than Isabella Oliver - the wrap ones can be a pain and need rewarpping a few times throughout the day but the ruched ones are fabulous. They really cling to your bump which is good as when petite and pregnant it is easy to look fat with floaty things/things in size up.
Gap Maternity is good for casuals but their trousers have been a disappointment.
Zara do some nice pieces but sadly far from petite - I have a lovely black short mac which is just about short enough in the arms.

I got by without buying one single piece of real maternity wear (the price annoyed me)

I had a couple of wraparound skirts, one size too big, one wool and stretchy and the other more dressy

A pair of old black harem pants with lovely stretchy knit waistband

stretchy jersey tops

In the summer:
cropped trousers from Bonmarche with tie and elastic waist, one size too big (3 pairs) - tied up tight to start then as I got bigger, I could let the waist out

stretchy jersey vest tops

a cheap scoop necked jersey top with the bustline sewn in - still one of my faves now for bf'ing

topshop jeans i've found really dig into my belly when i'm sitting down - i have them in a size 10 (dig in when seated) and size 12 (fall off when standing), so i've bought a pair of Next maternity jeans with the big navy elasticated material bit over bump. No buttons = comfy seating and bending over.

Skirts have been teh biggest problem for me, but i've just bought a denim skirt from dorothy perkins maternity and there are a couple of nice ones on fun mum (online) too

I second anglepoise's jersey trousers in black - in fact I came on this thread to suggest them. They are amazing and last from little to big bump (and post preg too). Actually, they are pretty much the only thing I have worn in both pregs (different shaped bump - and most of my maternity clothes too big this time).

Have survived most of this pregnancy in normal empire/floaty tops to be honest. Oh, and wrap dresses in one size larger than usual are quite handy in the heat - and can be layered in winter!

PS am very petite too (and small bumped) - and finding all my maternity clothes too big this time, but those next trousers... fab!

H & M, seraphine.

Splurged on a few things from Isabella Oliver for important meetings

But get a good bra.

I've got 3 of these from pre-pregnancy and they are still fitting well over my massive 29 week bump. Cheap and great in the heat. I also wear with a knotted t-shirt over the top when it's a bit cooler. You can buy your usual size, they are very generous www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-BOHO-Womens-Ladies-Summer-Beach-Midi-Dress-Holiday-Strappy-Button-Sun-Dresses/254129388657?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=553473033859&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Also non-maternity -wearing right now. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Womens-Swing-Dress-Holiday-Strappy-Flower-Ladies-Summer-Beach-Midi-Sun-Dress/264303782632?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=563888101658&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649