Too small for maternity clothes - what to wear? Help!

[CurrantBun]

Spent a depressing day yesterday trawling Oxford Street looking for maternity clothes that might actually fit me. I'm 6 months pregnant and still very small (pre-pregnancy I was a UK size 4-6 and I'm only 5'1" tall which also makes life more awkward). I'm still wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes but they're all starting to get uncomfortable round the waist, although they fit fine everywhere else.

I was really demoralised by the lack of anything small enough to fit me. The only maternity range that even stocks a size 6 is TopShop, and I have to say that the selection in the Oxford Circus branch was terrible: hardly anything in my size, and what there was seemed to only come in a 34" length. Dorothy Perkins was hopeless (the smallest size is 8 and it drowned me) and likewise H&M. I'm getting really desperate - I can see myself having to come to work in my tracksuit bottoms at this rate!

Even online companies don't seem to go smaller than a size 8 and most start at a 32" leg length as well. Short of leaving all my trousers unbuttoned (which makes them stick out under jumpers) does anyone have any suggestions? I just wish Gap would ship to the UK - their sizes are perfect for me but sadly they don't stock maternity wear in their UK branches and online orders can only be delivered to the US.

GRRRRRRR!!! (Sorry, just needed to rant!)

Currantbun,

I found Seraphine and Juicy too large for me. I'm a size 6 and 5' 4". I bought some trousers in a small from Hommemummy (available in Selfridges and Harrods) and I could only wear them till I was 6 months pregnant. I also got some jeans from Earl Jeans and they only fitted till I was 6 months pregnant. These 2 brands might offer you trousers that fit you. I had to say though that I had to get both trousers and jeans altered. Earl Jeans shops do their own alterations. hth.

Currantbun, don't know if you looked at the Reet Petite site but I think they did leg lengths in 26" and/or 27".

I am a size 8 and found that as the bump got bigger it kind of pulls the clothes up so they are not as long as they seem. Does that make sense? I didn't go into maternity clothes with my first until around 5.5 months - but I did get noticeably bigger and quite quickly about a month later.

Mercy, yes - I did look at Reet Petite and think they may be a possibility. I went home last night and measured the inside leg of my size 6 Next Petite trousers which I was wearing pre-pregnancy (and still am - luckily they were quite a bit too large for me before so there was room for expansion!) and they're a 29" inside leg, which is the longest that Reet Petite do. Although I'm only 5'1" my legs aren't especially short so anything less than a 29" leg would be too short I think. I like to wear my trousers long over boots so am a bit worried that even a 29" length might end up too short if the expanding bump pulls the clothes up. But will order some trousers and see what they're like.

Unhallowed, I'm having trouble finding anywhere in London that stocks Earl maternity jeans - any suggestions? I will try Homemummy as it's easy to get to Selfridges in a lunch hour, although I'll have to shell out for shortening. Bummer about Juicy and Seraphine - the lady in Push Maternity said they came up very small (maybe her idea of 'small' is different from ours!)

All of these posts are SO helpful - don't know what I'd have done without you ladies (apart from walk around naked from the waist down!) Mumsnet is such a great resource!

currantbun, I tried some earl maternity jeans and was told they came up small - I tried a size 25 (I am an 8 normally) and they were massive. They used to sell them in push if you want to try a pair. link/{http://www.pushmaternity.com/collection.php\push}

currantbun, I tried some earl maternity jeans and was told they came up small - I tried a size 25 (I am an 8 normally) and they were massive. They used to sell them in push if you want to try a pair. push

9 london sells them too. Address: 8, Hollywood Rd, London, SW10 9HY. I have to say everything else in that shop was massive for me.

If you have the time to go south of the river, La Conception in Clapham sells smaller maternity clothes that are really pretty at a reasonable price. I found them really late --after I spent a lot of money elsewhere. It's mostly french labels but I loved everything I got there.

Here's their website . www.laconception.co.uk/

Their website doesn't do them justice. I would recommend visiting the shop.

Thanks Incy and Unhallowed. Will look into those.

Hello there currant bun. My gosh are you my twin?? I have exactly the same problem as you! Size 6, 5'2". Went to Oxford Street this Saturday, also didn't find a thing, was counting on Topshop, but same prob, length too long. Was really disappointed with it all. Feel tuns better now that I found your post & all the replies so will def. give them all a try. Have you had any joy until now? Any special reccommendations ? Hope you've found what you're looking & that you are well. Byeeee!

Snowi, no - still no luck! Sorry to hear you're having the same problems as me - frustrating, isn't it?? Have so far bought a pair of the French Connection jeans I usually wear in a size 10 - so two sizes larger than normal. They're too big round the waist but surprisingly not too bad on the legs and hips (i.e. they don't make me look ridiculous!) and I'm wearing them with a belt at the moment to keep them up. They work as they're very low-waisted so sit under my bump.

Other than that, I had high hopes of the maternity trousers I ordered from Reet Petite but they arrived this morning and I'm rather disappointed. For a size 6 the trousers were enormous, and badly cut - they hung off my waist and bagged around the hips, bum and thighs. There's no way they would have stayed up without falling down and even with a belt they just didn't fit properly anywhere. The fabric was really awful too - paper-thin and cheap-looking. On one pair, one of the legs was wider than the other at the bottom as well. All in all I wasn't impressed. On the plus side, the delivery was excellent and they included a business reply-paid label so I didn't have to pay to return the items.

My mum has just gone to New York for three days so I'm hoping she'll find something in Gap Maternity for me - otherwise I'm running out of options!

I remember this well as I am smaller than a uk 6 and when pregnant I wore UK 10 tops and then got some elasticated black draw string trousers and some other draw string trouser in a 10 and some Uk 10 jeans and made do . I also had to wear long shirts and put elastic thing through the loop of the button hole and round the button of other trouser if you get what I mean with a long top of course. I do find also that no one caters for the really small women.

sorry forgot to mention, I did'nt really get any bigger in my last 6 weeks was back to normal the day after birth as well , and was very disapointed as I always wanted to be a bit bigger.

Curlysmum, I'm smaller than a UK size 6 too - I just wear a 6 because nowhere tends to sell anything smaller (and not that many places do a 6 anyway). The best fit on me is a Gap size US 0, and I wear their XS tops which are usually OK (shirts are never fitted enough though).

I think I'll be making do with 'normal' clothes in a size 10 - this is working with jeans at the moment. You're right that no-one really caters for us little ones! My only fear is ending up having to go to work in a pair of jogging bottoms because I can't find anything else - not sure how that would go down!

Hi you are right , I too fit Gap 0 exactly and lucky I work right next to a big one, Mango is good too I fit their 6 exactly, I know what you mean though I found some black draw string trouser in Primark and bought 3 pairs and wore them to work each day with a bigger shirt, I mostly go on Ebay now in the US as its strange that although they are supposed to be so much bigger over there they do have alot of things in Junior Size 0 which are very nice.

Currantbun - Thanx for the info on Reet petite, wa sjust about to order from them, will give them a skip now. I'm sure your mom will find you loads of stuff in NY. A friend also suggested trying french clothing websites eg. verbaudet.com as french women are usually smaller.

Curlysmum - hope I retain my figure like you did!

Curlysmum, thanks for that about Mango, I've never tried their clothes but will do (post-baby of course!) if you fit a Gap 0 exactly and Mango's size 6 also fits you. I find Next Petite size 6 enormous on me - funny how different places vary so much.

Snowi, don't let me put you off Reet Petite - their cut might be OK for you, they just didn't fit me. And I can only comment on the quality of the two items I ordered - some of the other stuff may well be OK, although I have to say I'm not inspired to order anything else. They do very little in the way of casual clothes either, and I'm not really a 'smart' dresser. I don't even have to wear smart clothes to work, although I do if I have to attend a meeting. On days like today, I wear my jeans (just as well since they're about the only things in my wardrobe that fit at the moment!)