Where to get good maternity wear?

[marmitelover]

Help - I'm 14 weeks and the bump has got big enough to be stretching my normal clothes. I've bought a couple of tops, but most of the collections I have found are really small and not very inspiring. Any suggestions? And, where's the best place to get a decent bra which doesn't look like your Granny's?!

Am struggling myself to find something I want to buy:

Well, Mothercare (but instore, not online as stock is terrible)
PumpkinPatch
Dorothy Perkins
Isabella Oliver
FunMum
JojoMamanBebe
Blooming Marvellous
H&M
New Look
M&S
Debenhams

Asos
Seraphine
Mamma&Papas

I've got this and would wear it every day it's do comfy:

www.seraphine.com/maternity-fashion-online-shop/maternity-clothes-categories/maternity-dresses/displ ayProduct.asp?idproduct=531&idcategory=140&title=Crochet+Tunic+Dress%2C+Maternity+Dresses

(By the way I don't, I limit myself to twice a week )

Next on line - delivered to your door!
Dont know about bras - broke all the rules and stayed in underwire thru last two pregancies. As an F cup ordinary bras just dont cut it.
As a pregancy staple I love cross over cardis! You can buy them in your own size and they are very bump friendly. Get loads of vest tops! When your temp goes up you will live in them esp at home. Get the nice ruched ones. I used to wear a lot of my own cardis and shirts open over them. Put your money into really comfortable but stylish jeans and pants. You will only buy a few but you will live in them! I prefer ones that go under the bump. Also buy serious tights to help the veins as you get bigger. Didnt do this first pregnancy and have some nasty veins to show for it. Finally I bought a really yum soft pair of yoga pants (in my own size as they go under bump) and wore those at home constantly! loved them.

H&M for basic long sleeved stretchy tops in plain black and a nice deep purple that are properly long and are still covering my bump & bum at 32 weeks

Funmum for jeans with a brilliant big stretchy panel that goes over your bump - they are not cheap but they are the only ones I've found that don't fall down.

I've been wearing this combo for months now with a succession of jumpers and though it is boring, it is comfy and I'll probably be in them right up to the birth & beyond

This site is great for sexy bras - check out Hot Milk brand particularly www.nursingbra-shop.co.uk/.

I've ordered some night wear and collecting my bras tomorrow - can't wait! Thought I was resigned to horrific granny underwear til I saw this.

Loving the stuff on Seraphine too, now I just need the cash...

I dont have very big boobs so got away with a calvin klein no-underwire bra. it was brilliant and I still wear it now afterwards (with addition of chicken fillets).

I found plain non-wired t-shirt bras from Mothercare or M&S (normal, not pregnancy ones) best as the others all looked lumpy under my clothes.

For other things, New Look sometimes have very good stuff, Mothercare (got my v nice coat there), Mamas & Papas especially if they have a sale on, JojoMamanBebe, and sometimes Next for a few things.

try and find the site for "hot milk bras" pretty and especially for pregnant women

for basics like t-shirts and vests I ended up using primark as they run very long and are super cheap. I bought a whole bunch of vests and long sleeve stretch tops in a size 18 (am normally a 12) they weren't baggy at all and are still covering at 37 weeks! I also found the current trend for long jumpers with cowl necks very flattering and the swing coats look great (got one on sale at H&M for £27) neither of these need to be maternity. The only maternity specific items I bought were GAP maternity jeans which are super comfy. In terms of bras they don't have to be maternity specific just non wired. Have you tried figleaves.com? There are lots of discount codes on line - I combined these two yesterday to get 15% off and free delivery : vcukfig3 , FAITHEM2 . Returns are free too. I also ended up using a bump band and a carriwell bump support for a while to extend the wear of some of my tops. Good luck

I'm 30 weeks and the only proper maternity clothes i'm in are some jeans i got from next for my first pregnancy years ago.

I'm mainly living in leggings or tights and jumper dresses/tunics. Some are my normal 12 size and stretchy and a couple are a 14. Got stuff from tesco, peacocks, next etc and have had lots of positive comments from friends.

I am 18 weeks and had to give in and go shopping today. Went to Topshop maternity on Oxford St and was really disappointed. Although did end up buying long vests, tops and a cardie from normal range that because of style will be great.

Then went to Mamas and Papas and as well as having ace customer service bought great pair of jeans and two pretty bras. I am normally a size 12 but all the jeans I have tried on in New Look, Dotty Ps, Top Shop and H&M are either too small (size 12 and 14) and the next size up was massive!

Also got a great pair of jeans from next in the Boxing Day sale.

Good luck
x

if your any good at sewing i would also try making some things yourself, patterns are inexpernsive and it also means that you can atylor them to you moreso than in the shops. i have doen this for some dresses and tops and everyone has commented...it helps me as im only short and need to take lots of things up anyway!

hotmilk bras are amazing and the best thing about them is that they are maternity/nursing combined, so actually really good value. last pregnancy I wore the terrible granny-look ones from mothercare and M&S, I wouldn't go back to them for anything! Clothes-wise I found most clothes at New Look, a good fit and well priced.

I'm about to put a whole load of maternity stuff on ebay, does anyone actually shop on ebay for stuff or am I wasting my time?

Ladies - thanks very much. Great tips. Will go shopping today and from the sounds of it I can do some of it from the comfort of my sofa. Loving the sound of Hotmilk bras. Think DH will be too

I've bought off ebay before but generally only stuff that was new.

NEXT are brilliant for jeans in my humble opinion. I'm a size 18 on bottom with long leg and 14 on top and find their stuff great. their jeans hardly look maternity at all and most people thought i wasnt wearing maternity even at a later stage.

The good thing about next is you could order absolutely buckets and buckets of stuff to the house and then just pop into a store and leave back what you dont want after trying it on in the comfort of your own home!

NEW LOOK surprised me with great vests and bump bands for a reasonable price, also got a nice coat.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!

I'd recommend you look at bella band (sold in the UK by babyworks.co.uk). I'm 16 weeks and can still wear my normal work trousers, jeans etc thanks to it.

H&M, for me. Its saved me from a miserable mat wardrobe.

My local shopping centre seems to only show one rail of mat wear in each shop, except for H&M which has a large section.

I dont like shopping for clothes online as I like to see them before I buy.

I have marked this thread - no bump yet, but good to be prepared!!

Thanks for all the tips!

I got some nice stuff from brands that sell on Amazon, including a Swedish company called bara glad. There are also some truly hideous-looking caftans on Amazon sold as maternity stuff - don't be put off by them! I also got some stuff from Seraphine and JoJoMamanBebe (with a discount code for the last that I found on Mumsnet - can't remember where). All the stuff is smart enough to wear to work at the moment, but can be layered/ dressed down/ up. More to the point, everything I got also says it is suitable for breast-feeding, as I am going to try and breast-feed, so at least it will last me longer than 2-3months.

Boden also do maternity wear now - not cheap, but good quality. And there's a 10% discount code on the MN website.

Got loads from asos I love their stuff and they do free returns so can order lots of things and then send back the ones that don't look right they also have a really big range of clothes.