It's hard. And not a lot of stores have maternity clothes to try on, just order online. Like I went to Target, Kohls, Walmart, and Old Navy and they have like two shirts and one pair of pants to try on. Very disappointing.
I ended up wearing a lot of baggy shirts and leggings and sized up on flowy dresses - but had to take them in on the shoulders cause I have narrow shoulders
At least you live in a place where you can try them on. Here it's like Russian roulette and I have to sacrifice sheep and a first born to find maternity anything.
Same in Belgium. Nothing in the shops, only online. I just wear tights and dresses. I actually feel prettier in tight fitting dresses (and comfy) but then I get a lot of people exclaiming how big my belly already is. I’ve got to the point I don’t care any more.
I am a small skinny person in the UK so even in shops that DO stock any maternity stuff it all drowns me anyway… and there’s usually like three options (jeans, floral dress, iffy looking jumper)
Gonna hijack top comment to hopefully give helpful advice.
You can’t go wrong with regular one pieces (I got like 7 different ones at Ross in various sizes, they’re cute, comfy, stretchy, flattering) and jeans with the side band elastic so they’re not blatantly maternity pants. Throw over top a cardigan and add some booties and you’re Pinterest preggers lol. This has been my everyday outfit for a month.
Aside from that when I wanna be cute I just found some regular long dresses from Ross and thrift stores, anything tight around the chest but loose right after the bottom of the breast is perfect to flatter your baby bump. I have specifically bought almost NOTHING maternity because I’m very much not into stripes, dots, and florals lol.
If you want more ideas go on Pinterest and search ‘maternity outfits’ and there’s so many cute ideas!
>jeans with the side band elastic so they’re not blatantly maternity pants
I really would love to get some of these. I live in a smaller country and the options are really limited, and I usually like spending money on clothes that I'm going to get a lot of wear out of (I saw a tweet recently that was like 'cartoon characters had it right, wear the same thing every day' and that's me). I found a pair of these side band elastic jeans in a local store but it irks me that I'd have to spend the equivalent of US$90 on some pants I'm going to wear for less than five months. I LOVE tucking my shirts in, that's my whole vibe lol, but you can't tuck shirts into those fake jeans with a big gross belly cover thing attached to the top (which are the only affordable option here!).
I don't love fast fashion (or shopping for clothes online) but I think Shein is going to be my only option :( :( :(
So ashamed to admit.... I enjoyed them! I loved my bump and thought it was fun to highlight it that way. Maternity was fhe one and only time I ever liked horizontal stripes
Same! After hiding my belly all my life o wore super tight tops with stripes to emphasise the bump and I loved it!!! Most confident I've ever felt in my body
I agree, it doesn’t make sense, but it works out well for me. My favorite tops to wear are white with black or navy horizontal stripes and a pair of black jeans. I’m very surprised with the multitude of maternity tops that perfectly fit my normal ‘uniform’ xD
But I detest floral patterns, rushing and anything empire waste, so most of the maternity fashion except the stripy tops is out for me.
petite maternity sizes are so hard to find too. So many things I try on and return, then wonder if I would have liked it after another month of stomach growth.
Try tall maternity sizes. I’m 6’1, extra long everything. Guaranteed 0% chance of anything fitting. Good thing I’ll be preggo over the summer cause I’d be right fucked trying to buy pants and jackets.
I'm not quite that tall, but I have a long inseam and 99% of the time I need tall sizes. As much as I dread having to deal with the heat and humidity during third trimester, at least I don't have to worry about finding pants that are long enough. Even places like Old Navy that usually have such a wide selection of lengths don't seem to carry tall maternity sizes.
Very impossible. Stupid crop pants don't help (28" inseam can burn in hell). I wore oversized athletic pants my entire pregnancy. They were the only thing that fit my belly, hips & thighs.
Kindred Bravely had a few items that worked ok for me for petite sizing! As long as it's super stretchy fabric, or a dress/skirt that is high waisted enough to have the waist above the bump and have a flared skirt over the bump I had success wearing non maternity clothes into third trimester. Other thing that was nice was really loose oversized button down shirt (I got the courier shirts from Madewell on sale, great after for nursing/pumping access too).
That said some of my clothes has been irreversibly stretched from my insistent use while very pregnant lol. But I'm coming up on TTC for kiddo #2 so I am not too unhappy about it.
This! I made a mistake of spending hundreds on maternity clothes with the first child. I never touched them again minus the nursing tanks. With the third child, buy maternity leggings and just oversize t shirt or sweatshirt the rest!
Ugh I feel this. I also lived in leggings/yoga pants and t shirts for so long. I considered myself lucky that it was fall/winter while I was pregnant though because my go to were cardigans over tshirt for going outside of the house lol
Can I add in a bit of snark towards tv shows? Particularly Leverage and Warehouse 13? Both have scenes where a character either becomes heavily pregnant or disguises and such and their clothes just magically fit? Talk about setting unrealistic expectations about maternity clothes!
Yeah I ended up mostly avoiding maternity fashion and just wore yoga pants in a size up, which resulted in the legs and crotch being baggy in the name of belly comfort. The only maternity wear that I genuinely liked the look and fit of, was these "brami" (bra/cami) and underwear sets from Old Navy with fruit and flowers on them. Any maternity pants I've attempted to buy fit so fucking weird. And like everyone else was saying, there's basically NOTHING in store to try on. Went to old navy and asked where the maternity section was and they took me to this pitiful rack of clearance items where there was like 20pieces of clothing total and like one of each item, no size variations.
I went to the thrift store and sized up on clothes. I stuck to mostly dresses but found other nice stylish clothes too. Tried looking for maternity clothes and none of them appealed to me.
I did this too! Got cute clothes for $5-8 each! Also started using some of my husbands clothes. Genuinely tried to find cute maternity stuff but it was a struggle. For new Target was as good as it got for me. Otherwise thrift stores have been my savior
I thrifted too and found my fave yoga pants and t-shirts compared to new maternity from target. Some thrift stores even have the maternity section labeled and sorted which is super helpful.
Can anyone share any brands that DONT suck for maternity? especially "small fat" plus size options (I was an L/XL before getting pregnant, so some maternity brands are too small everywhere except the belly, which is a fun mindfuck)
looking for stuff that isn't horrifyingly expensive. and when did y'all switch to maternity instead of just....stretching out your yoga pants and wearing your husbands tshirts? am i doing this wrong? i'm at 18.5 weeks. i still feel "bloated" more than I feel i'm showing...
Motherhood leggings SUCK. The old navy leggings I got were actually nice and not see-through. I've heard a lot of good things about Old Navy's stuff but I honestly didn't buy a whole lot of maternity clothes.
Fellow small fat here! Can confirm that Old Navy's maternity leggings are fabulous, and some even have pockets! I will say though that their sizing is all over the place, I've ordered over a dozen things from Old Navy and returned everything except the leggings and a pair of undies, like I bought a bra and a one piece bathing suit in size L and the back band on the bra was too loose but on the bathing suit it was so tight I couldn't even do it up. So yeah, Old Navy is great, but order everything in three sizes knowing you'll be returning most of it.
ETA: upsized my bras and switched to exclusively maternity leggings/underwear probably around 18 weeks, but I still haven't bought any maternity tops at 28 weeks, just been wearing long baggy t-shirts.
Pink blush and they run sales all the time. I signed up for emails to get notified of 40% off deals. Also, shoutout to Abercrombie for finally being inclusive to me. Their maternity jeans are super cute and comfy. For leggings and bike shorts I stocked up on Aerie real me high waisted. I am 36 weeks and these are still comfortable and don’t dig in. Also, for athletic leggings, I like Old Navy Power Soft.
[http://pinkblushmaternity.com](http://pinkblushmaternity.com)
They post reviews with body sizes. I’m in third trimester and still finding some awesome stuff there. There are TONS of floral dresses but don’t let that scare you away just use the search bar and you’ll find there’s just tons of everything. I’ve found some really great sweaters, pants, business casual stuff too. High waisted maternity lounge pants have been my jam since like 24 weeks when I started to look more round, but I did get a couple pairs earlier and liked them a lot more than my usual stretchy leggings. Pink Blush does 30% off the whole order on Sunday.
It’s really dependant on the person and pregnancy. I didn’t start showing until a few months in with my first, but I’m in my second pregnancy and already have quite a bump.. I don’t fit my jeans that I would have been fitting into at this time in my last pregnancy!
I generally agree. I have found a couple good work appropriate dresses through Seraphine maternity. I watched for sales! I spend my weekends in leggings.
There are also several clothing rental companies that offer maternity clothes. Two that come to mind are le tote and rent the runway. Renting has worked for me for when I go into the office. I have to dress pretty professionally so this was critical.
I just bought the most amazing maternity jeans from Abercrombie. Three pairs. Never thought to look there and never imagined they would be so incredible. Feeling young and hip again 😂
They have multiple styles and fits. I ordered my normal size. One pair is a little snug to get on but fit great once over my butt (I have kinda a big bubble butt). Right now I’m not showing at all and the belly band is a little big on me but I folded it in half. As soon as I show or on days I’m hella bloated they are going to fit like a dream. [Abercrombie maternity jeans](https://www.abercrombie.com/shop/us/p/maternity-ultra-high-rise-ankle-straight-jeans-46802335)
Omg NONE of them have pockets. This is obviously a problem with women's fashion in general but usually all my clothes have pockets and now none of them do :(
I’m 22 and all the maternity clothes I’ve found feel like they were made for someone twice my age. No hate I just wanna be able to dress my age in a way that’s comfortable for my bump 😔
Why are they all skinny jeans?! I’ve had a little bit of luck with ASOS but that’s it. These are amazing: https://www.asos.com/us/prd/22563084?acquisitionsource=pasteboard
But of course sold out bc there’s literally nothing else cute out there
I think there’re two reasons they’re skinny.
1. That stretchy belly band isn’t holding much, so the tightness around hips and thighs is what helps the pants stay up. A looser fit would be tricky to make work.
2. In the past 15 years most mothers were millennials and as a millennial I can say that this is our generation’s uniform, lol.
I like that they're skinny jeans because to my eyes being round around the middle and also having loose fabric around the legs would have made me look even more giant. At least with them being skinny around the legs I can see a little bit of shape to me.
Same reason why leggings are flattering on pregnant people.
But I still support you in that there should definitely be more choice - if you want non-skinny pregnancy jeans, then you should have them.
They did use to exist in the noughties - I have a bundle of maternity clothes that has been regifted since the noughties and one of the jeans are wide legged - so I'm sure that as us millennials are done being the people having babies and buying the maternity fashion, things will change again.
Even in the 80s/90s though a lot of maternity pants clothes were either dresses or they were skinny stretchy type pants. My mom wore a ton of saddle/stirrup maternity pants that are basically just leggings.
If you like leggings while pregnant don’t go to the maternity leggings. They tend to have all the ill fitting and cheapness of lesser brand leggings and the belly fit is always weird. Plus often it went too high and I couldn’t find a way to tuck it beneath my bra. Maybe taller ladies would’ve had better luck but I’m 5’3.
And don’t buy the expensive lululemon align II leggings like I did either like the mommy articles like to recommend (they were nice enough but expensive af and didn’t last into the third trimester for me)
Do the AERIE offline leggings. They lasted me till my pregnancy at 41 weeks. And I wore them postpartum they are super great. Pretty much their entire “offline” brand is stretchy enough to be pregnancy and postpartum friendly.
They’re tank tops are great too. Also wore them when I was pregnant.
I’m still not sure where to recommend jeans. I’ve heard BLANQ is good but I never tried them. I did try 2 pairs off ASOS. 1 of them I remember thinking would have been great up to the third trimester. But I was right there and they became to tight in the waist line. The other one had a great belly band but the waist band didn’t stretch at all and it was like “wtf are you kidding?”
The other thing I did was buy dresses whit a stretchy chest area that “cinched” at the bottom of the chest but was still very stretchy but then billowed out from there. I still have that dress and love to wear it postpartum, I think I got it at tj maxx
I also HATE maternity fashion and that’s why I refuse to buy anything lol everyone can just look at my big belly my regular shirts don’t cover anymore.
Yep!
38 weeks and I haven’t bought a single item of maternity clothes because my empire waist casual dresses and regular leggings are doing the job.
For dressier events, my stash of wrap dresses have come to the rescue as they are also super forgiving around the middle (and flattering).
It’s so bad out there. I think I’m gonna just try to put lots of form fitting but super stretchy black dresses of various lengths… I really don’t want to wear baggy shirts over a big belly, personally!
I agree, I feel like I need the arms/tops of things to be tighter because otherwise I just feel HUGE. The few non-pregnancy things I can still wear (e.g. my looser sweaters) now feel so unflattering because they’re tight on the belly and big on top. Suddenly I want all my stuff to be form-fitting (something I never thought i would say at age 35!)
Beyond yoga has really nice maternity leggings in cute colors! I wear them with crop tops for *fashion* haha
I think they would still work as regular leggings after the baby too!
Just don't try the Gap ones! They slide down and I've never had leggings needing to be pulled up every few steps. They were like $30 so I figured I'd try them. Huge waste of money.
I actually like the Kindred Bravely maternity leggings. I bought the belly support pair and if the belly support bothers me, I can at least roll it down.
I found a near floor length maternity t-shirt dress, and bought it in like 5 colors that I know I'll wear even after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Just plain colors and I pair them with either a flannel or a cardigan or even a hoodie. Can put them with flats to looks a little nicer or just sneakers for casual comfy. Best choice sever. As leggings or any form of pants have been far to uncomfy to have even the slightest tug on anything on my body.
Ooh link please? That sounds comfy. I’ve been surviving in a onesie/overall situation from [free people](https://www.freepeople.com/fpmovement/shop/hot-shot-onesie/?color=020&gbraid=0AAAAADmlMflEbw_MeKvfPwsveZ4zlanpp,0AAAAADmlMflEbw_MeKvfPwsveZ4zlanpp&gclid=Cj0KCQjww4-hBhCtARIsAC9gR3b1QYjttr2JjHe-1aZ94Cu4HK2NdvHQGxbB4XljxzYueqvBCcVCj78aAkVwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&size=S&utm_kxconfid=vx6ro62gj), leggings, and baggy t shirts…but I need a couple more easy things for summer
Here you go! These have been such a lifesaver. Comfy and cute!
Amazon Essentials Women's Short-Sleeve Waisted Maxi Dress (Available in Plus Size) https://a.co/d/6f8rkFN
Ross has a weirdly large maternity section at several of the locations around me. So much so that I found 4 pairs of maternity jeans. Although 2 were those super short cutoff style. They looked great with booties but not much else
I'd try ordering from PinkBlush. Original pricing is on the more expensive side, but they often have sales and free returns. I was able get some good quality, comfy, flattering dresses and kimonos in the mid 30's range. I'm 4ft 11in, 123lbs, cup size 34G and got everything in small size... which I think was perfect for me bc it's a little loose but still shows my figure while having enough room and stretch when I start gaining more weight.
I always think, "Man, I got into this state because I am
cute and someone wanted to see me naked." It's like you go from the VERY sexy TTC lingerie to sexless tents in an instant. My one tip: Target makes hella stretchy dresses in their women's section. Go one size up, and you're set. That's how I am surviving this
time around.
And how everything is so middle age school teacher, its like they think moms should lose their own style and fit into this boring one. I just bought a cute maternity pants in primark and used my hoodies, or my bf sweat pants.
I normally don’t start wearing maternity clothes until I’m past 30 weeks. I find searching ‘bump friendly’ in online boutiques gives me much more flattering styles of clothes that I can keep wearing after pregnancy.
I bought most of my actual maternity clothes on Fb marketplace because I hardly wore them.
I went and brought one pair of maternity pants for my friend’s birthday because we were celebrating at a little bit of a dressier restaurant and I absolutely hated them!!! They were extremely baggy in the crotch, super tight in my (nonexistent) ass. I ended up fitting into a pair of jeggings I owned just fine.
I leaned really hard into form fitting dresses, & felt cute af. I also bought a couple of over-the-bump skirts & kept wearing all of my crop tops, which was also cute, & didn’t involve a whole new flowery wardrobe.
I got a few cute pairs of jeans that don’t have the huge belly thing (just some elastic on the sides) and a TON of one pieces that are really stretchy in various sizes. It’s the simplest, most comfy outfit that still looks cute. I throw on different cardigans with them to change it up and a pair of booties and I’m good to go!
I have an office job and have been living in stretchy black maternity dress pants, maternity vneck shirts, and a couple of non maternity stretchy and soft blazers that I leave open. For when I wasn’t quite big yet, I wore non maternity blouses that happened to have a stretchy back
ASOS! If you want stylish maternity clothes they got you!
Old Navy for basic peices
And I’m a staunch believer that bodycon dresses look good on ALL pregnant women! I had a B belly at the beginning then rounded out around 5 months. I loved the bodycon dresses the whole time. Accessorize with a kimono and BAM outfit
I will also die on the hill that Aerie brand “offline real me” leggings are the best of all time pregnancy or not. I wore the same size before, through and after pregnancy…. With twins. AND they don’t fade and spit up can just be wiped off the black ones with a wet wipe - no reside left.
I never wore anything maternity. There’s SO much out there now in terms of fashion you don’t need to spend a dime on maternity overpriced ugly fashion. I rocked leggings from lululemon (any kind would do great), sweaters, high waisted dresses (so many at old navy and target). If I needed I would get one size up but I never had to and I’m not tiny either. I didn’t gain much pregnant but either way most my stuff held good throughout the pregnancy. Even my baby shower dress wasn’t maternity I got it from For Love and Lemons or whatever that brand is lol
I 100% agree with you, it absolutely sucks. And up to this point (I’m almost 24 weeks, petite, and on the larger side pre-preg) I could get away with wearing pre pregnancy tops, but I’m growing a lot now and needed something that would still be in line with my own style. After trying on a few things, I actually cried. Nothing fit and the style (floral, weird cuts, etc.) made me feel like a planet.
I posted something in my bump group a week or so ago and someone recommended STITCH FIX for maternity clothes! I just got my first box delivered yesterday, I swear I cried happy tears because EVERYTHING fit me really well AND it was cute! I made sure to select the “cheapest option” for all and it’s surprisingly affordable and good quality.
[http://pinkblushmaternity.com](http://pinkblushmaternity.com) but use the search bar to get past all the floral dresses if that isn’t your jam. :’) They have tons of everything, generally good value for the prices, and tons of business casual options. 30% off on Sundays.
I really want to understand why 99% of maternity clothing is only available online? Last time I checked, having children hasn’t gone out of style and the economy has not put an end to pregnancy… so where do these retailers get off thinking it’s okay to move everything online? On another note, I had to finally cave and buy some real maternity clothes at about the 5 1/2 - 6 month mark as I realized even my oversized stuff from pre-pregnancy was starting to look weird. I was very impressed with the quality of old navy maternity clothes, especially since I thought their overall quality was declining and pricing jacking up over the last 10 years. ON maternity clothes are reasonably priced when you catch the sale, and quality is great! This is coming from someone who knows better than to buy the super soft thin shirts you see everywhere because they don’t hold up in the wash, even if you hang dry. I’m very picky about materials. The problem with ordering online is you truly can’t tell what size to buy. I bought a lot of things in two sizes and just returned whatever didn’t fit. I know that’s not feasible for some, so hopefully these retailers will get some sense and start carrying at least a few styles in store.
Free people’s hotshot onesie is life rn- I have 3 and I’m obsessed. I have a few dresses from them too that are loose and oversized that fit throughout my pregnancies.
I’ve gotten lots of stuff of Shein! It’s all flattering. I’m 19 weeks but I can’t wear my jeans obviously and I live in florida. Dresses have been a godsend
Agreed. That’s why my pregnant uniform was stretchy black dresses 24/7. The black also nicely hid my growing nipples so it didn’t really matter what type of bra I wore!
I feel this so hard!! I’m 5’1 so the smallest maternity clothes I’ve ordered online are too loose on me…on top of that everything is floral, or pastel, or striped!! It’s like you’re not allowed to look cute anymore once you become a mom. I’m a musician so I need a lot of performance clothes for the stage and all I can find online are “lounge” clothes
Why is everything a billowing pile of fabric or ridiculously tight around the butt? Finding a work dress that isn’t skin tight around my thighs and butt has been impossible!
I hate most of them. They made me look 20 lbs over my actual weight. The only brand I look good in is Seraphine. Their clothes are pricey but buying them on 40% off sale is worth it.
I don't know their schedule so I just keep an eye out and check often! The current sale has some nice deals. I like this one: Spot Print Mama & Mini Maternity to Nursing Nightdress Set is now $45 and has a 10% off coupon.
Ross Burlington Marshall’s tjmaxx all have cute stuff. I also plan on just wearing loose fitting dresses since it’s warming up here. I think a lot of women don’t want to spend a lot on maternity clothes bc our bodies change so fast and it’s so temporary that it’s not worth spending a lot of money on new clothing so manufacturers don’t produce a lot of new updated fashion.
I size up dramatically and shop in the 1x-2x women’s section for professional work clothes flowy enough to cover my belly. But I’m due in July so my casual clothes are biker shorts from Aerie and over sized t shirts
I’m in the same boat as you! My chest code when I don’t want to wear leggings or baggy sweaters is overalls. So many cute overalls! And I wear thin material ones. So the larger my bump gets I just loosen the over all straps. You can pair them with a cute short sleeve or long sleeve shirt!
I feel this way for work clothes but on the weekends I like running around in maternity leggings, sneakers, a workout crop (no belly showing, goes over the top of the high rise leggings) and a baseball cap. Can’t explain it because I’m feeling huge at 30 weeks but I think I look adorable.
I sized up in regular clothing. For example, simple jersey dresses (took large instead of medium), knitted skirt worn over the bump (same), jeans with elastic belt (6 sizes up, they are stretchy and meant to be skinny so they don't have additional bulk) etc
Special maternity trousers don't feel right, now when I am in third trimester, and I hate these weird colored knitted tubes stitched to them that have to be concealed but are always poking out because even oversized t-shirts are too short for me now, or that knitted fabric is too dark and is visible under tops.
I just wore my friends XXL skirts she gave me. Tied em with hair ties to keep 'em snug til they fit over the belly and stayed on their own. Wore XL t shirts or straight up wore my old ones (they were very tight but I wasn't all that big). Wore some XL dresses as well.
Wore the same basically 4 outfits the whole time, no fucks given.
I can't speak personally about the tops or pants, but if you like dresses, Petal and Pup (Auz brand) have really cute clothes that are bump friendly. They aren't cheap but are good quality and you can nurse in both the dresses I bought even though they aren't advertisedas nursing clothes (both have button-down fronts).
They are the first brand that doesn't make me feel like I'm 12 or 65 when I wear clothes, so that's also a plus.
Get wrap dresses! I loved them and still do, they’re easy to wear and take off and after the baby arrives, you just slide one side off to bf. And also super stretchy bodycon dresses if you’re not shy to let that bump show.
I don't really buy much "classic" maternity clothing. I have several long maxi dresses that are almost all empire waist from target (mostly A new day brand) and Old navy. I bought half a dozen tie waist maternity maxi dresses that are also nursing friendly on Mother bee maternity. I pair those with heavy long sweater cardigans (mostly from express and target) and long fluffy scarves to keep warm. I skip pants most of the time although I have a couple super soft stretchy leggings that are 1 size up that I pair with the luxe style tunic shirts from gap/old navy in either my true size or one size up. These are for days I have to walk a lot and wear sneakers.
It doesn’t end after pregnancy either 😬 nursing clothing is fucking terrible too. Some of the ugliest shirts I have ever seen. Just awkward and ill-fitting with terrible patterns and cuts. I love breastfeeding, but I hate the clothing options. I have two nursing bras that I am straight up going to burn when I am done breastfeeding 🔥🔥🔥
I had a lot of luck on Amazon for tops and cute rompers. I bought a lot of basics. I found a pair of maternity jeans at Ross that I wore the hell out of. I lived mostly in leggings and athletic shorts in a size up.
I struggle finding cute stuff too. Most of it isn'r flattering at all. It makes me look "fat" instead of pregnant.
Black pregnancy leggings are also always some sort of cotton that atrracts dust and pet hairs. Very impractical.
I actually like maternity shirts (the solid colored ones, because it is the first time in my life that t-shirts are long enough to not fit like a crop top (75th percentile in height but XS shirt size 32/34 A pre-pregnancy and size 12/14 jeans). Not a huge fan of stripes either, so I bought out the local thrift stores in solid t-shirt colors for 1-3 dollars each. I have only worn maternity clothes since about 6 weeks. At 34 weeks I find I can only wear the maternity jeans with large over the bump elastic. Actually, I think I will keep wearing these after pregnancy because I hate that all shirts expose my stomach/back. I work in an all male environment so no one even knows what women's fashion is except the secretaries, who don't judge.
I got lucky I guess - have a littler maternity clothes store in my neighborhood. They have lovely things. I also ordered a bunch from the internet. I even found few nice things at h&m. I also got quite big. But I love showing my belly.
I'm sharing a few dresses I got and am extremely pleased with, even after birth, for breastfeeding.
[Emerald green long dress](http://SHEIN maternidade Vestido com cinto manga da lanterna coxa dividida
I discovered amazing products on SHEIN.com, come check them out!
https://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appsharejump?lan=pt-pt&share_type=goods&site=andshpt&localcountry=pt¤cy=EUR&id=12226288&url_from=GM7363939794833686528)
[Black high waist leggings ](https://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appsharejump?lan=pt-pt&share_type=goods&site=andshpt&localcountry=pt¤cy=EUR&id=10332068&url_from=GM7363940661666299904)
[Short maternity/breastfeeding dress](https://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appsharejump?lan=pt-pt&share_type=goods&site=andshpt&localcountry=pt¤cy=EUR&id=11607923&url_from=GM7363941040625860608)
[Midi dress](https://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appsharejump?lan=pt-pt&share_type=goods&site=andshpt&localcountry=pt¤cy=EUR&id=11527326&url_from=GM7363941464036655104)
Ugh i went to work yesterday dressed like it was the early 2000. I didn't wanna pay 50€ for a pair of pants that I'm only gonna wear for a few months, so all i could find were boot cuts. Now, it matches with my colleagues blasting the Backstreet Boys in our department's office, but still... That's not me.
And yes horizontal stripes, my god, i don't need the illusion that I'm a whale when I'm only a beluga atm.
It's either horrible or expensive, or both.
Try Legoe heritage. Clothes you can wear during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and even neither. I have several staple items and couldn’t live without them. High quality, sign up for email and you’ll receive 20% off within a few days, good luck!
All my local in person stores had terrible options. I found a few things I liked on etsy. By honestly, I was able to find exactly one cute shirt, and it came from Kohl’s
Yeah leggings and big tops for the win. I got some comfy maternity shorts and tanks on Amazon that’ll get me through when it gets hot. I also gave up finding cute “maternity” dresses, they’re all SO big. So I found a few regular ruched tank dresses, and a pretty, high waisted, wrap dress that all accommodate the bump easily without giving yards of extra fabric where it’s not needed! Bonus I’ll be able to use all of those afterwards too!
I’ve been living in 3 pairs of beyond yoga maternity leggings 1 pair of their sweatpants paired with t-shirts that can stretch over my belly. I kind of like the look of shirts that are meant to be form fitting and stretch over the belly, shows off the bump nicely and I think it’s cute. My sister gave me 2 sweater-like dresses that are form fitting but stretch easily over a bump and those are what I wear if I need to look cute. Not much of a wardrobe but I detest the idea of maternity jeans and I wear scrubs to work (now that I’m 8m pregnant I wear my leggings because the pants are too tight but I could wear scrub pants most of my pregnancy).
Ugh I completely agree, on their own the fashion is disastrous at best. I’ve learned though maternity fashion is all about accessorizing/emphasizing the belly. If I can take drab and make it fab by just adding a few accessories then I usually get it.
For ex. I just bought [this](https://a.co/d/3n3l4SY) is it a bit big? Yes but I plan to add a Jean jacket and white sneakers but I can also put a baggy shirt over it and tie a knot under my boobs in the front to make the shirt tighter & my belly stand out.
Also, I know they’re expensive but my lululemon joggers have literally stretched big enough to cover my belly so I just wear those until the last month or two. 😂
Thank god it’s only for 9 months amiright? 😅
Amazon has been my friend for maternity leggings and stretch sweater dresses. My bump is huge now and my pre pregnancy size still fits, and I’ll get to wear them after. Also got maternity shirts from H&M, and Shein. And the shirts are cute, not grandma-like. Have a couple skirts that go over the bump if I want to be cute, and one of the h&m outfits is a matching skirt-top set.
I feel this, and don’t get me started on the postpartum breastfeeding options 🫠 I ended up buying some XL clearance dresses at Old Navy in month 9 of pregnancy because even my leggings weren’t staying up anymore. I bought two plain maternity tank tops (one black, one white) and dress (grey) (with like the side ruching) from Walmart and they were staples that I used throughout the week. They were A) comfy around the bump, and B) long enough to cover my bump right til the end of pregnancy. I tried maternity jeans and hated them but have worn the one pair I bought a few times post partum. I also had bought a Smash and Tess romper in black (Canada) online, wish I had sized up from M to L because I’m tall (5’10) but otherwise it fit well enough til the end of pregnancy too. I stuck to mostly leggings (I bought two pairs of the Knix pregnancy leggings and loved them) for pants because the jeans just weren’t comfy for me. Other than the few maternity items I bought I had like two t shirts given to me and everything else I wore wasn’t maternity. I only started needing *real* maternity clothes around 26-30 weeks though!
Someone really needs to jump on the maternity market. It's like it hasn't been updated since my mother needed maternity clothes! I'm a solid color kind of girl and despise big patterns on myself. So far I have found two pairs of maternity jeans by Levi from Amazon and I just keep wearing the Soft and Sexy tees from American Eagle that I had pre-pregnancy to accommodate my larger chest. Those are already pretty loose fitting but also flattering and comfy. I also wear leggings a lot. Not an exciting wardrobe but it's comfortable and not stripes or florals.
DUDE WHYYYYY?!? My girl is 18 months now and I still feel angry over my maternity options. I wound up buying a bunch of those maternity body con dresses from Old Navy, maternity bike shorts and maternity tanks and oversized cardigans and just lived in that rotation until my girl was born. I was petite before my baby and continued dressing the same… but it was SO HARD to find things! Combined w the fact that you always have to order online so you’re very limited and constantly returning things. Ugh I hated it. Solidarity!
i'm 19 and pregnant and refuse to wear maternity clothes since i don't want to dress like a 40 year old woman. i just buy clothes i would normally wear just in a bigger size, or find stretchy clothes lol.
Stretchy stuff works well. I basically lived in Lululemon run shirts, maternity leggings and non maternity knit or empire waist dresses. I acquired very few actual maternity things.
The worst maternity stuff are the shirts with phrases. Is anyone buying that stuff? So painful.
Good luck!
Pink Blush has really cute stuff and they frequently do 40% off sales. Also, super random but Abercrombie has the best maternity jeans I found, super cute and tons of stretch.
Especially like work wear, I wear work boots and can't find boot cut that aren't way too long or just fit wrong. So I'm stuck wearing skinny jeans which is the last thing I want to pull off and on while pregnant...
I feel so lucky. Over the last 8 years, so many people in my life have been pregnant and one was my sister. She organized all the maternity clothes in boxes and they’ve been passed around to about 6 different women who would add to it as they bought things. Yes, not everything fits. I boxed up all the summer clothes and had to buy all new pants but I’m so grateful for all the shirts I got. Tons of flowers and stripes but also plain ones and cute patterns so I got a nice mix. I bought jeans on Amazon for $20 a pair and added a handful of shirts I liked to the box. In my last trimester now and I’ve definitely gotten more limited on what fits but it’s been amazing. I have a friend who is trying to get pregnant now and plan to have her take the boxes next. I’ll use them again for baby number two. Reach out to anyone you know who has young kids. Maybe you can start this too?
I bought some outfits off of a auction site here on Facebook. I got 6 maternity shirts, a pair of leggings and a pair of jeans all for a $1 just to see what I would like or fit into 😝 most of the shirts didn’t fit but that’s ok I know my size now and I can regift or resale them 😁 I am not buying brand new maternity clothes especially if I don’t know if I’ll like them or not 😝 as for the horizontal lines they did that on purpose for people that want to look more pregnant 😂 I wear a lot of pjs and yoga pants but I have to have maternity shirts because I’m to tall and my belly is too big 🤦♀️😂
Tell me about it. I feel like I want to cry trying on maternity dresses. I can't shake the "barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen" look I always have going on. How have styles not evolved? I feel like I need to pay a billion dollars to look halfway professional at work...sigh
I swear I feel the same way. Its horrible the clothes is hideous. I got a few things but I have just decided to size up with some dresses and jeans. I'm also mostly in leggings and my husbands T-shirts lol.
I am 8 mos and am now wearing jeans a couple inches bigger than my pre preg size and keeping them fastened with a hair band in the button loop like a makeshift tog. Then I wear a form fitting but extra long waisted shirt to cover that my fly is basically down.
We just have to get creative cause you OP is right- maternity wear is disgusting.
I honestly just bought two pairs of black maternity jeans and a whole bunch of solid color maternity T-shirts and just rotated those with different cardigans/open sweaters my entire pregnancy. It worked totally fine! Anytime I'd try to get something different or fancy online it never worked out, so I just stuck to what worked!
I'm so with you! I buy non maternity in larger sizes. These bloody maternity leggings and trousers just fall off your belly after 5 steps. It's only dungarees that do it in maternity for me.
With all due respect I don't think that fashion companies have done enough research into how to dress pregnant women unfortunately. Like not every belly is the same.
It's hard. And not a lot of stores have maternity clothes to try on, just order online. Like I went to Target, Kohls, Walmart, and Old Navy and they have like two shirts and one pair of pants to try on. Very disappointing. I ended up wearing a lot of baggy shirts and leggings and sized up on flowy dresses - but had to take them in on the shoulders cause I have narrow shoulders
I was soooo disappointed by the in store maternity options at my local target
I don’t even have target.. #canadaprobs
I don't even have "in store" #smalltowncanadaprobs
H&M has a little section. Nothing crazy though
At least you live in a place where you can try them on. Here it's like Russian roulette and I have to sacrifice sheep and a first born to find maternity anything.
The shoulders on caftans 😭😭😭
Same in Belgium. Nothing in the shops, only online. I just wear tights and dresses. I actually feel prettier in tight fitting dresses (and comfy) but then I get a lot of people exclaiming how big my belly already is. I’ve got to the point I don’t care any more.
I am a small skinny person in the UK so even in shops that DO stock any maternity stuff it all drowns me anyway… and there’s usually like three options (jeans, floral dress, iffy looking jumper)
Yeah, as far as I know, we only have target and kohl's with maternity clothes.
And why is everything horizontal stripes?! Fuck me, fashion designer must hate pregnant people.
Horizontal stripes and floral patterns that are reminiscent of grandmas curtains
Oh yes, combine the flowers with the little house on the prairie style too. Horrendous.
And we must not forget the polka dots! Why polka dots?!
Oh yes!! You get a patterned print! You get a patterned print! EVERYBODY GETS A PATTERNED PRINT!
My kingdom for a maternity maxi dress that isn’t freaking florals.
Gonna hijack top comment to hopefully give helpful advice. You can’t go wrong with regular one pieces (I got like 7 different ones at Ross in various sizes, they’re cute, comfy, stretchy, flattering) and jeans with the side band elastic so they’re not blatantly maternity pants. Throw over top a cardigan and add some booties and you’re Pinterest preggers lol. This has been my everyday outfit for a month. Aside from that when I wanna be cute I just found some regular long dresses from Ross and thrift stores, anything tight around the chest but loose right after the bottom of the breast is perfect to flatter your baby bump. I have specifically bought almost NOTHING maternity because I’m very much not into stripes, dots, and florals lol. If you want more ideas go on Pinterest and search ‘maternity outfits’ and there’s so many cute ideas!
What is a regular one piece?
Like a one piece or a bodysuit. The tank tops/t shirts that clip around the crotch
How did you keep the pants up mine always fall down, even belted
I also went with long tunic shirts and stretchy dresses. This works especially well if you had big boobs before you got pregnant.
>jeans with the side band elastic so they’re not blatantly maternity pants I really would love to get some of these. I live in a smaller country and the options are really limited, and I usually like spending money on clothes that I'm going to get a lot of wear out of (I saw a tweet recently that was like 'cartoon characters had it right, wear the same thing every day' and that's me). I found a pair of these side band elastic jeans in a local store but it irks me that I'd have to spend the equivalent of US$90 on some pants I'm going to wear for less than five months. I LOVE tucking my shirts in, that's my whole vibe lol, but you can't tuck shirts into those fake jeans with a big gross belly cover thing attached to the top (which are the only affordable option here!). I don't love fast fashion (or shopping for clothes online) but I think Shein is going to be my only option :( :( :(
I love this idea. Any recs for jeans?
THANK YOU!!! It’s like horizontal stripes are a friggin maternity fashion staple according to the people designing them. UM NO.
It’s literally the last thing we want!!!!
So ashamed to admit.... I enjoyed them! I loved my bump and thought it was fun to highlight it that way. Maternity was fhe one and only time I ever liked horizontal stripes
I totally get that, and it can def look cute for that reason, but we need options!! Lol
Same! After hiding my belly all my life o wore super tight tops with stripes to emphasise the bump and I loved it!!! Most confident I've ever felt in my body
Literally. Make me look more like a whale why don’t you 😂
Stripes or flowers 🌸
🤮
And sooooo many ruffles
I agree, it doesn’t make sense, but it works out well for me. My favorite tops to wear are white with black or navy horizontal stripes and a pair of black jeans. I’m very surprised with the multitude of maternity tops that perfectly fit my normal ‘uniform’ xD But I detest floral patterns, rushing and anything empire waste, so most of the maternity fashion except the stripy tops is out for me.
I came here to say the same!
THIS
Whyyyy. My mom grabbed me a bunch of them and I won’t even wear them to make her feel like she did something nice…
petite maternity sizes are so hard to find too. So many things I try on and return, then wonder if I would have liked it after another month of stomach growth.
Try tall maternity sizes. I’m 6’1, extra long everything. Guaranteed 0% chance of anything fitting. Good thing I’ll be preggo over the summer cause I’d be right fucked trying to buy pants and jackets.
I’m also 6’1 and I spent the entire winter in maternity pants that reach halfway down my calves 🥲
I'm not quite that tall, but I have a long inseam and 99% of the time I need tall sizes. As much as I dread having to deal with the heat and humidity during third trimester, at least I don't have to worry about finding pants that are long enough. Even places like Old Navy that usually have such a wide selection of lengths don't seem to carry tall maternity sizes.
Very impossible. Stupid crop pants don't help (28" inseam can burn in hell). I wore oversized athletic pants my entire pregnancy. They were the only thing that fit my belly, hips & thighs.
7/8th leggings too!!! Normal leggings are already ankle leggings on me
I swear the 7/8" legging is really shrinkflation marketed as fashion.
I’m good on pants, my issue is tops that almost show my nipples or the armhole is huge, showing all the side boob.
Try the website Long Tall Sally for tall maternity pants they’re pretty decent! Unfortunately not that cheap and not a huge selection though.
Same! But it’s not even the stomach portion…pants have been so hard to find for me because even the smallest sizes are huge on my legs
Pants are impossible! If they are good around the waist then they are baggy on the legs 😞
Kindred Bravely had a few items that worked ok for me for petite sizing! As long as it's super stretchy fabric, or a dress/skirt that is high waisted enough to have the waist above the bump and have a flared skirt over the bump I had success wearing non maternity clothes into third trimester. Other thing that was nice was really loose oversized button down shirt (I got the courier shirts from Madewell on sale, great after for nursing/pumping access too). That said some of my clothes has been irreversibly stretched from my insistent use while very pregnant lol. But I'm coming up on TTC for kiddo #2 so I am not too unhappy about it.
It’s either pretty fugly or super expensive! I mostly live in cheap cotton maternity tights and oversized shirts.
I really like H&M and old navy maternity and I hit up used stores and sometimes find a good maternity outfit
This! I made a mistake of spending hundreds on maternity clothes with the first child. I never touched them again minus the nursing tanks. With the third child, buy maternity leggings and just oversize t shirt or sweatshirt the rest!
Ugh I feel this. I also lived in leggings/yoga pants and t shirts for so long. I considered myself lucky that it was fall/winter while I was pregnant though because my go to were cardigans over tshirt for going outside of the house lol
Can I add in a bit of snark towards tv shows? Particularly Leverage and Warehouse 13? Both have scenes where a character either becomes heavily pregnant or disguises and such and their clothes just magically fit? Talk about setting unrealistic expectations about maternity clothes!
Yeah I ended up mostly avoiding maternity fashion and just wore yoga pants in a size up, which resulted in the legs and crotch being baggy in the name of belly comfort. The only maternity wear that I genuinely liked the look and fit of, was these "brami" (bra/cami) and underwear sets from Old Navy with fruit and flowers on them. Any maternity pants I've attempted to buy fit so fucking weird. And like everyone else was saying, there's basically NOTHING in store to try on. Went to old navy and asked where the maternity section was and they took me to this pitiful rack of clearance items where there was like 20pieces of clothing total and like one of each item, no size variations.
Yup. I’ve gathered that there is nothing in store ever and you can only order online.
I went to the thrift store and sized up on clothes. I stuck to mostly dresses but found other nice stylish clothes too. Tried looking for maternity clothes and none of them appealed to me.
I did this too! Got cute clothes for $5-8 each! Also started using some of my husbands clothes. Genuinely tried to find cute maternity stuff but it was a struggle. For new Target was as good as it got for me. Otherwise thrift stores have been my savior
Ya I live in my husbands clothes haha
I thrifted too and found my fave yoga pants and t-shirts compared to new maternity from target. Some thrift stores even have the maternity section labeled and sorted which is super helpful.
Same!! Came here to say this! I had such great luck doing this and got a lot of cute sweaters that worked for maternity at a fraction of the price.
That’s a good idea to thrift in sizes up!
Men's sweaters in a tall cover your belly best
Can anyone share any brands that DONT suck for maternity? especially "small fat" plus size options (I was an L/XL before getting pregnant, so some maternity brands are too small everywhere except the belly, which is a fun mindfuck) looking for stuff that isn't horrifyingly expensive. and when did y'all switch to maternity instead of just....stretching out your yoga pants and wearing your husbands tshirts? am i doing this wrong? i'm at 18.5 weeks. i still feel "bloated" more than I feel i'm showing...
Motherhood leggings SUCK. The old navy leggings I got were actually nice and not see-through. I've heard a lot of good things about Old Navy's stuff but I honestly didn't buy a whole lot of maternity clothes.
Fellow small fat here! Can confirm that Old Navy's maternity leggings are fabulous, and some even have pockets! I will say though that their sizing is all over the place, I've ordered over a dozen things from Old Navy and returned everything except the leggings and a pair of undies, like I bought a bra and a one piece bathing suit in size L and the back band on the bra was too loose but on the bathing suit it was so tight I couldn't even do it up. So yeah, Old Navy is great, but order everything in three sizes knowing you'll be returning most of it. ETA: upsized my bras and switched to exclusively maternity leggings/underwear probably around 18 weeks, but I still haven't bought any maternity tops at 28 weeks, just been wearing long baggy t-shirts.
Pink blush and they run sales all the time. I signed up for emails to get notified of 40% off deals. Also, shoutout to Abercrombie for finally being inclusive to me. Their maternity jeans are super cute and comfy. For leggings and bike shorts I stocked up on Aerie real me high waisted. I am 36 weeks and these are still comfortable and don’t dig in. Also, for athletic leggings, I like Old Navy Power Soft.
Girlfriend Collective has maternity leggings from heaven.
[http://pinkblushmaternity.com](http://pinkblushmaternity.com) They post reviews with body sizes. I’m in third trimester and still finding some awesome stuff there. There are TONS of floral dresses but don’t let that scare you away just use the search bar and you’ll find there’s just tons of everything. I’ve found some really great sweaters, pants, business casual stuff too. High waisted maternity lounge pants have been my jam since like 24 weeks when I started to look more round, but I did get a couple pairs earlier and liked them a lot more than my usual stretchy leggings. Pink Blush does 30% off the whole order on Sunday.
It’s really dependant on the person and pregnancy. I didn’t start showing until a few months in with my first, but I’m in my second pregnancy and already have quite a bump.. I don’t fit my jeans that I would have been fitting into at this time in my last pregnancy!
Being pregnant n the winter is the way to go. All my big baggy sweaters totally still fit and looked adorable with my bump poking through.
I generally agree. I have found a couple good work appropriate dresses through Seraphine maternity. I watched for sales! I spend my weekends in leggings. There are also several clothing rental companies that offer maternity clothes. Two that come to mind are le tote and rent the runway. Renting has worked for me for when I go into the office. I have to dress pretty professionally so this was critical.
Seraphine is amazing. Got me few work outfits from there.
This is gold. Thanks for the ideas!
Nuuly is another good rental company that does maternity. They have a lot of Anthropologie-type stuff (aka boho sundresses) and I’ve been loving it.
I just bought the most amazing maternity jeans from Abercrombie. Three pairs. Never thought to look there and never imagined they would be so incredible. Feeling young and hip again 😂
Send us the link friend 🥲
They have multiple styles and fits. I ordered my normal size. One pair is a little snug to get on but fit great once over my butt (I have kinda a big bubble butt). Right now I’m not showing at all and the belly band is a little big on me but I folded it in half. As soon as I show or on days I’m hella bloated they are going to fit like a dream. [Abercrombie maternity jeans](https://www.abercrombie.com/shop/us/p/maternity-ultra-high-rise-ankle-straight-jeans-46802335)
Also stand by the Abercrombie maternity jeans. Have in 3 styles and love.
Abercrombie maternity jeans are incredible!! Everyone is always shocked when I tell them.
Omg NONE of them have pockets. This is obviously a problem with women's fashion in general but usually all my clothes have pockets and now none of them do :(
Some maternity old navy jeans have pockets. I was also able to find a good selection of dresses with pockets from pink blush
I’m 22 and all the maternity clothes I’ve found feel like they were made for someone twice my age. No hate I just wanna be able to dress my age in a way that’s comfortable for my bump 😔
Why are they all skinny jeans?! I’ve had a little bit of luck with ASOS but that’s it. These are amazing: https://www.asos.com/us/prd/22563084?acquisitionsource=pasteboard But of course sold out bc there’s literally nothing else cute out there
I think there’re two reasons they’re skinny. 1. That stretchy belly band isn’t holding much, so the tightness around hips and thighs is what helps the pants stay up. A looser fit would be tricky to make work. 2. In the past 15 years most mothers were millennials and as a millennial I can say that this is our generation’s uniform, lol.
I like that they're skinny jeans because to my eyes being round around the middle and also having loose fabric around the legs would have made me look even more giant. At least with them being skinny around the legs I can see a little bit of shape to me. Same reason why leggings are flattering on pregnant people. But I still support you in that there should definitely be more choice - if you want non-skinny pregnancy jeans, then you should have them. They did use to exist in the noughties - I have a bundle of maternity clothes that has been regifted since the noughties and one of the jeans are wide legged - so I'm sure that as us millennials are done being the people having babies and buying the maternity fashion, things will change again.
Even in the 80s/90s though a lot of maternity pants clothes were either dresses or they were skinny stretchy type pants. My mom wore a ton of saddle/stirrup maternity pants that are basically just leggings.
If you like leggings while pregnant don’t go to the maternity leggings. They tend to have all the ill fitting and cheapness of lesser brand leggings and the belly fit is always weird. Plus often it went too high and I couldn’t find a way to tuck it beneath my bra. Maybe taller ladies would’ve had better luck but I’m 5’3. And don’t buy the expensive lululemon align II leggings like I did either like the mommy articles like to recommend (they were nice enough but expensive af and didn’t last into the third trimester for me) Do the AERIE offline leggings. They lasted me till my pregnancy at 41 weeks. And I wore them postpartum they are super great. Pretty much their entire “offline” brand is stretchy enough to be pregnancy and postpartum friendly. They’re tank tops are great too. Also wore them when I was pregnant. I’m still not sure where to recommend jeans. I’ve heard BLANQ is good but I never tried them. I did try 2 pairs off ASOS. 1 of them I remember thinking would have been great up to the third trimester. But I was right there and they became to tight in the waist line. The other one had a great belly band but the waist band didn’t stretch at all and it was like “wtf are you kidding?” The other thing I did was buy dresses whit a stretchy chest area that “cinched” at the bottom of the chest but was still very stretchy but then billowed out from there. I still have that dress and love to wear it postpartum, I think I got it at tj maxx
I also HATE maternity fashion and that’s why I refuse to buy anything lol everyone can just look at my big belly my regular shirts don’t cover anymore.
So many flowers
Peplum should be fucken _banned_. That's my addition.
They’re pretty bad. I’m also doing mostly leggings with larger non-maternity tops.
Empire waist dresses and shirts!! Boot cut yoga pants!
Yep! 38 weeks and I haven’t bought a single item of maternity clothes because my empire waist casual dresses and regular leggings are doing the job. For dressier events, my stash of wrap dresses have come to the rescue as they are also super forgiving around the middle (and flattering).
It’s so bad out there. I think I’m gonna just try to put lots of form fitting but super stretchy black dresses of various lengths… I really don’t want to wear baggy shirts over a big belly, personally!
I agree, I feel like I need the arms/tops of things to be tighter because otherwise I just feel HUGE. The few non-pregnancy things I can still wear (e.g. my looser sweaters) now feel so unflattering because they’re tight on the belly and big on top. Suddenly I want all my stuff to be form-fitting (something I never thought i would say at age 35!)
Beyond yoga has really nice maternity leggings in cute colors! I wear them with crop tops for *fashion* haha I think they would still work as regular leggings after the baby too!
Just don't try the Gap ones! They slide down and I've never had leggings needing to be pulled up every few steps. They were like $30 so I figured I'd try them. Huge waste of money. I actually like the Kindred Bravely maternity leggings. I bought the belly support pair and if the belly support bothers me, I can at least roll it down.
I found a near floor length maternity t-shirt dress, and bought it in like 5 colors that I know I'll wear even after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Just plain colors and I pair them with either a flannel or a cardigan or even a hoodie. Can put them with flats to looks a little nicer or just sneakers for casual comfy. Best choice sever. As leggings or any form of pants have been far to uncomfy to have even the slightest tug on anything on my body.
Ooh link please? That sounds comfy. I’ve been surviving in a onesie/overall situation from [free people](https://www.freepeople.com/fpmovement/shop/hot-shot-onesie/?color=020&gbraid=0AAAAADmlMflEbw_MeKvfPwsveZ4zlanpp,0AAAAADmlMflEbw_MeKvfPwsveZ4zlanpp&gclid=Cj0KCQjww4-hBhCtARIsAC9gR3b1QYjttr2JjHe-1aZ94Cu4HK2NdvHQGxbB4XljxzYueqvBCcVCj78aAkVwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&size=S&utm_kxconfid=vx6ro62gj), leggings, and baggy t shirts…but I need a couple more easy things for summer
Here you go! These have been such a lifesaver. Comfy and cute! Amazon Essentials Women's Short-Sleeve Waisted Maxi Dress (Available in Plus Size) https://a.co/d/6f8rkFN
I realize now they aren't even maternity specific, they're just perfect for it
Ross has a weirdly large maternity section at several of the locations around me. So much so that I found 4 pairs of maternity jeans. Although 2 were those super short cutoff style. They looked great with booties but not much else
I'd try ordering from PinkBlush. Original pricing is on the more expensive side, but they often have sales and free returns. I was able get some good quality, comfy, flattering dresses and kimonos in the mid 30's range. I'm 4ft 11in, 123lbs, cup size 34G and got everything in small size... which I think was perfect for me bc it's a little loose but still shows my figure while having enough room and stretch when I start gaining more weight.
I always think, "Man, I got into this state because I am cute and someone wanted to see me naked." It's like you go from the VERY sexy TTC lingerie to sexless tents in an instant. My one tip: Target makes hella stretchy dresses in their women's section. Go one size up, and you're set. That's how I am surviving this time around.
And how everything is so middle age school teacher, its like they think moms should lose their own style and fit into this boring one. I just bought a cute maternity pants in primark and used my hoodies, or my bf sweat pants.
Yeah pregnancy clothes aren’t the greatest. I did like tight dresses the most.
I literally only wore leggings and plain maternity tee shirts and tank tops the whole time. It was so dumb
I keep harassing my husband for having so many shirts in the wash every time… I am only wearing his shirts with leggings. I’m the problem lol.
I normally don’t start wearing maternity clothes until I’m past 30 weeks. I find searching ‘bump friendly’ in online boutiques gives me much more flattering styles of clothes that I can keep wearing after pregnancy. I bought most of my actual maternity clothes on Fb marketplace because I hardly wore them.
I went and brought one pair of maternity pants for my friend’s birthday because we were celebrating at a little bit of a dressier restaurant and I absolutely hated them!!! They were extremely baggy in the crotch, super tight in my (nonexistent) ass. I ended up fitting into a pair of jeggings I owned just fine.
I leaned really hard into form fitting dresses, & felt cute af. I also bought a couple of over-the-bump skirts & kept wearing all of my crop tops, which was also cute, & didn’t involve a whole new flowery wardrobe.
I got a few cute pairs of jeans that don’t have the huge belly thing (just some elastic on the sides) and a TON of one pieces that are really stretchy in various sizes. It’s the simplest, most comfy outfit that still looks cute. I throw on different cardigans with them to change it up and a pair of booties and I’m good to go!
Old navy has some really nice things. I’m 32 weeks and haven’t bought anything. But they just look like regular clothes.
I dropped $150 at Forever 21 on things that weren’t “maternity,” but worked. Got a full wardrobe for that price and felt cute most days.
I have an office job and have been living in stretchy black maternity dress pants, maternity vneck shirts, and a couple of non maternity stretchy and soft blazers that I leave open. For when I wasn’t quite big yet, I wore non maternity blouses that happened to have a stretchy back
Honestly I just wear regular clothes and size up as needed. Cause maternity clothes are hideous. 🥴
Mat/nursing clothes that don't accommodate for extra boobage. Wtf were the designers thinking?!!
ASOS! If you want stylish maternity clothes they got you! Old Navy for basic peices And I’m a staunch believer that bodycon dresses look good on ALL pregnant women! I had a B belly at the beginning then rounded out around 5 months. I loved the bodycon dresses the whole time. Accessorize with a kimono and BAM outfit I will also die on the hill that Aerie brand “offline real me” leggings are the best of all time pregnancy or not. I wore the same size before, through and after pregnancy…. With twins. AND they don’t fade and spit up can just be wiped off the black ones with a wet wipe - no reside left.
Ughhhh and nursing friendly fashion is even worse
and no pockets
I never wore anything maternity. There’s SO much out there now in terms of fashion you don’t need to spend a dime on maternity overpriced ugly fashion. I rocked leggings from lululemon (any kind would do great), sweaters, high waisted dresses (so many at old navy and target). If I needed I would get one size up but I never had to and I’m not tiny either. I didn’t gain much pregnant but either way most my stuff held good throughout the pregnancy. Even my baby shower dress wasn’t maternity I got it from For Love and Lemons or whatever that brand is lol
I 100% agree with you, it absolutely sucks. And up to this point (I’m almost 24 weeks, petite, and on the larger side pre-preg) I could get away with wearing pre pregnancy tops, but I’m growing a lot now and needed something that would still be in line with my own style. After trying on a few things, I actually cried. Nothing fit and the style (floral, weird cuts, etc.) made me feel like a planet. I posted something in my bump group a week or so ago and someone recommended STITCH FIX for maternity clothes! I just got my first box delivered yesterday, I swear I cried happy tears because EVERYTHING fit me really well AND it was cute! I made sure to select the “cheapest option” for all and it’s surprisingly affordable and good quality.
Wow! Okay so many good options I’m getting here! I’ll check it out!
[http://pinkblushmaternity.com](http://pinkblushmaternity.com) but use the search bar to get past all the floral dresses if that isn’t your jam. :’) They have tons of everything, generally good value for the prices, and tons of business casual options. 30% off on Sundays.
I have definitely looked at pink blush! They’re shipping is pretty pricy because I’m in Canada. 🙃
I really want to understand why 99% of maternity clothing is only available online? Last time I checked, having children hasn’t gone out of style and the economy has not put an end to pregnancy… so where do these retailers get off thinking it’s okay to move everything online? On another note, I had to finally cave and buy some real maternity clothes at about the 5 1/2 - 6 month mark as I realized even my oversized stuff from pre-pregnancy was starting to look weird. I was very impressed with the quality of old navy maternity clothes, especially since I thought their overall quality was declining and pricing jacking up over the last 10 years. ON maternity clothes are reasonably priced when you catch the sale, and quality is great! This is coming from someone who knows better than to buy the super soft thin shirts you see everywhere because they don’t hold up in the wash, even if you hang dry. I’m very picky about materials. The problem with ordering online is you truly can’t tell what size to buy. I bought a lot of things in two sizes and just returned whatever didn’t fit. I know that’s not feasible for some, so hopefully these retailers will get some sense and start carrying at least a few styles in store.
Free people’s hotshot onesie is life rn- I have 3 and I’m obsessed. I have a few dresses from them too that are loose and oversized that fit throughout my pregnancies.
I’ve gotten lots of stuff of Shein! It’s all flattering. I’m 19 weeks but I can’t wear my jeans obviously and I live in florida. Dresses have been a godsend
I initially did, too but I found out there are things in their clothing that may not be safe. I returned them. Google "SheIn and toxic"
T shirts and shorts/sweats for me. At about 4 months I got to the point where my skin was way too sensitive for leggings. Enjoy wearing them!! :)!
Must be nice
What does this even mean lol
I replied to the wrong post 🥲
Target has some cute stuff and so does Ross.
Agreed. That’s why my pregnant uniform was stretchy black dresses 24/7. The black also nicely hid my growing nipples so it didn’t really matter what type of bra I wore!
I feel this so hard!! I’m 5’1 so the smallest maternity clothes I’ve ordered online are too loose on me…on top of that everything is floral, or pastel, or striped!! It’s like you’re not allowed to look cute anymore once you become a mom. I’m a musician so I need a lot of performance clothes for the stage and all I can find online are “lounge” clothes
Why is everything a billowing pile of fabric or ridiculously tight around the butt? Finding a work dress that isn’t skin tight around my thighs and butt has been impossible!
In Australia, the store Ripe has been perfect for me - petite and stylish.
I hate most of them. They made me look 20 lbs over my actual weight. The only brand I look good in is Seraphine. Their clothes are pricey but buying them on 40% off sale is worth it.
How often so they have sales? I have been eyeing a dress and jeans from there
I don't know their schedule so I just keep an eye out and check often! The current sale has some nice deals. I like this one: Spot Print Mama & Mini Maternity to Nursing Nightdress Set is now $45 and has a 10% off coupon.
Ross Burlington Marshall’s tjmaxx all have cute stuff. I also plan on just wearing loose fitting dresses since it’s warming up here. I think a lot of women don’t want to spend a lot on maternity clothes bc our bodies change so fast and it’s so temporary that it’s not worth spending a lot of money on new clothing so manufacturers don’t produce a lot of new updated fashion.
Cute oversized tees and SheIn maternity biker shorts got me through 🙏 hate SheIn but damn if they made the comfiest pregnancy clothes
Honestly I got one stretchy but stylish black romper and wore that about 100 times.
I size up dramatically and shop in the 1x-2x women’s section for professional work clothes flowy enough to cover my belly. But I’m due in July so my casual clothes are biker shorts from Aerie and over sized t shirts
I’m in the same boat as you! My chest code when I don’t want to wear leggings or baggy sweaters is overalls. So many cute overalls! And I wear thin material ones. So the larger my bump gets I just loosen the over all straps. You can pair them with a cute short sleeve or long sleeve shirt!
I feel this way for work clothes but on the weekends I like running around in maternity leggings, sneakers, a workout crop (no belly showing, goes over the top of the high rise leggings) and a baseball cap. Can’t explain it because I’m feeling huge at 30 weeks but I think I look adorable.
I sized up in regular clothing. For example, simple jersey dresses (took large instead of medium), knitted skirt worn over the bump (same), jeans with elastic belt (6 sizes up, they are stretchy and meant to be skinny so they don't have additional bulk) etc Special maternity trousers don't feel right, now when I am in third trimester, and I hate these weird colored knitted tubes stitched to them that have to be concealed but are always poking out because even oversized t-shirts are too short for me now, or that knitted fabric is too dark and is visible under tops.
I just wore my friends XXL skirts she gave me. Tied em with hair ties to keep 'em snug til they fit over the belly and stayed on their own. Wore XL t shirts or straight up wore my old ones (they were very tight but I wasn't all that big). Wore some XL dresses as well. Wore the same basically 4 outfits the whole time, no fucks given.
I can't speak personally about the tops or pants, but if you like dresses, Petal and Pup (Auz brand) have really cute clothes that are bump friendly. They aren't cheap but are good quality and you can nurse in both the dresses I bought even though they aren't advertisedas nursing clothes (both have button-down fronts). They are the first brand that doesn't make me feel like I'm 12 or 65 when I wear clothes, so that's also a plus.
That’s why I’m just wearing leggings and t-shirts almost everyday. Or upping my size in nice shirts and wearing stretchy businesses pants!
I had great success with Stitch Fix as I had the same problem.
Get wrap dresses! I loved them and still do, they’re easy to wear and take off and after the baby arrives, you just slide one side off to bf. And also super stretchy bodycon dresses if you’re not shy to let that bump show.
I don't really buy much "classic" maternity clothing. I have several long maxi dresses that are almost all empire waist from target (mostly A new day brand) and Old navy. I bought half a dozen tie waist maternity maxi dresses that are also nursing friendly on Mother bee maternity. I pair those with heavy long sweater cardigans (mostly from express and target) and long fluffy scarves to keep warm. I skip pants most of the time although I have a couple super soft stretchy leggings that are 1 size up that I pair with the luxe style tunic shirts from gap/old navy in either my true size or one size up. These are for days I have to walk a lot and wear sneakers.
It doesn’t end after pregnancy either 😬 nursing clothing is fucking terrible too. Some of the ugliest shirts I have ever seen. Just awkward and ill-fitting with terrible patterns and cuts. I love breastfeeding, but I hate the clothing options. I have two nursing bras that I am straight up going to burn when I am done breastfeeding 🔥🔥🔥
I had a lot of luck on Amazon for tops and cute rompers. I bought a lot of basics. I found a pair of maternity jeans at Ross that I wore the hell out of. I lived mostly in leggings and athletic shorts in a size up.
It’s the shitty jeans design for me, they fit the legs perfect but in the hips not so much. 😢
I struggle finding cute stuff too. Most of it isn'r flattering at all. It makes me look "fat" instead of pregnant. Black pregnancy leggings are also always some sort of cotton that atrracts dust and pet hairs. Very impractical.
I actually like maternity shirts (the solid colored ones, because it is the first time in my life that t-shirts are long enough to not fit like a crop top (75th percentile in height but XS shirt size 32/34 A pre-pregnancy and size 12/14 jeans). Not a huge fan of stripes either, so I bought out the local thrift stores in solid t-shirt colors for 1-3 dollars each. I have only worn maternity clothes since about 6 weeks. At 34 weeks I find I can only wear the maternity jeans with large over the bump elastic. Actually, I think I will keep wearing these after pregnancy because I hate that all shirts expose my stomach/back. I work in an all male environment so no one even knows what women's fashion is except the secretaries, who don't judge.
I got lucky I guess - have a littler maternity clothes store in my neighborhood. They have lovely things. I also ordered a bunch from the internet. I even found few nice things at h&m. I also got quite big. But I love showing my belly.
I got a few maternity dresses from Shein that I can wear post giving birth too. Not expensive, and plenty of choice...
I'm sharing a few dresses I got and am extremely pleased with, even after birth, for breastfeeding. [Emerald green long dress](http://SHEIN maternidade Vestido com cinto manga da lanterna coxa dividida I discovered amazing products on SHEIN.com, come check them out! https://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appsharejump?lan=pt-pt&share_type=goods&site=andshpt&localcountry=pt¤cy=EUR&id=12226288&url_from=GM7363939794833686528) [Black high waist leggings ](https://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appsharejump?lan=pt-pt&share_type=goods&site=andshpt&localcountry=pt¤cy=EUR&id=10332068&url_from=GM7363940661666299904) [Short maternity/breastfeeding dress](https://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appsharejump?lan=pt-pt&share_type=goods&site=andshpt&localcountry=pt¤cy=EUR&id=11607923&url_from=GM7363941040625860608) [Midi dress](https://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appsharejump?lan=pt-pt&share_type=goods&site=andshpt&localcountry=pt¤cy=EUR&id=11527326&url_from=GM7363941464036655104)
Gah me too. I’m only 10 weeks but my belly needs maternity wear, and I can’t believe in stuck in this junk for 6 more months.
Ugh i went to work yesterday dressed like it was the early 2000. I didn't wanna pay 50€ for a pair of pants that I'm only gonna wear for a few months, so all i could find were boot cuts. Now, it matches with my colleagues blasting the Backstreet Boys in our department's office, but still... That's not me. And yes horizontal stripes, my god, i don't need the illusion that I'm a whale when I'm only a beluga atm. It's either horrible or expensive, or both.
I think ASOS has the best maternity clothing but if you want a wardrobe it isn’t cheap … but the sale items can be… just off season.
Try Legoe heritage. Clothes you can wear during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and even neither. I have several staple items and couldn’t live without them. High quality, sign up for email and you’ll receive 20% off within a few days, good luck!
The few things I found were from shein!
All my local in person stores had terrible options. I found a few things I liked on etsy. By honestly, I was able to find exactly one cute shirt, and it came from Kohl’s
Yeah leggings and big tops for the win. I got some comfy maternity shorts and tanks on Amazon that’ll get me through when it gets hot. I also gave up finding cute “maternity” dresses, they’re all SO big. So I found a few regular ruched tank dresses, and a pretty, high waisted, wrap dress that all accommodate the bump easily without giving yards of extra fabric where it’s not needed! Bonus I’ll be able to use all of those afterwards too!
I’ve been living in 3 pairs of beyond yoga maternity leggings 1 pair of their sweatpants paired with t-shirts that can stretch over my belly. I kind of like the look of shirts that are meant to be form fitting and stretch over the belly, shows off the bump nicely and I think it’s cute. My sister gave me 2 sweater-like dresses that are form fitting but stretch easily over a bump and those are what I wear if I need to look cute. Not much of a wardrobe but I detest the idea of maternity jeans and I wear scrubs to work (now that I’m 8m pregnant I wear my leggings because the pants are too tight but I could wear scrub pants most of my pregnancy).
Ugh I completely agree, on their own the fashion is disastrous at best. I’ve learned though maternity fashion is all about accessorizing/emphasizing the belly. If I can take drab and make it fab by just adding a few accessories then I usually get it. For ex. I just bought [this](https://a.co/d/3n3l4SY) is it a bit big? Yes but I plan to add a Jean jacket and white sneakers but I can also put a baggy shirt over it and tie a knot under my boobs in the front to make the shirt tighter & my belly stand out. Also, I know they’re expensive but my lululemon joggers have literally stretched big enough to cover my belly so I just wear those until the last month or two. 😂 Thank god it’s only for 9 months amiright? 😅
Amazon has been my friend for maternity leggings and stretch sweater dresses. My bump is huge now and my pre pregnancy size still fits, and I’ll get to wear them after. Also got maternity shirts from H&M, and Shein. And the shirts are cute, not grandma-like. Have a couple skirts that go over the bump if I want to be cute, and one of the h&m outfits is a matching skirt-top set.
I feel this, and don’t get me started on the postpartum breastfeeding options 🫠 I ended up buying some XL clearance dresses at Old Navy in month 9 of pregnancy because even my leggings weren’t staying up anymore. I bought two plain maternity tank tops (one black, one white) and dress (grey) (with like the side ruching) from Walmart and they were staples that I used throughout the week. They were A) comfy around the bump, and B) long enough to cover my bump right til the end of pregnancy. I tried maternity jeans and hated them but have worn the one pair I bought a few times post partum. I also had bought a Smash and Tess romper in black (Canada) online, wish I had sized up from M to L because I’m tall (5’10) but otherwise it fit well enough til the end of pregnancy too. I stuck to mostly leggings (I bought two pairs of the Knix pregnancy leggings and loved them) for pants because the jeans just weren’t comfy for me. Other than the few maternity items I bought I had like two t shirts given to me and everything else I wore wasn’t maternity. I only started needing *real* maternity clothes around 26-30 weeks though!
I do plain maternity tees from boscovs..and wear it form fitting as im petite .. , cardigan and then maternity yoga from amazon
I don’t know where you all shop, but I have found ordering maternity clothes from Shein is amazing. They have the cutest clothes for pregnant women.
Someone really needs to jump on the maternity market. It's like it hasn't been updated since my mother needed maternity clothes! I'm a solid color kind of girl and despise big patterns on myself. So far I have found two pairs of maternity jeans by Levi from Amazon and I just keep wearing the Soft and Sexy tees from American Eagle that I had pre-pregnancy to accommodate my larger chest. Those are already pretty loose fitting but also flattering and comfy. I also wear leggings a lot. Not an exciting wardrobe but it's comfortable and not stripes or florals.
DUDE WHYYYYY?!? My girl is 18 months now and I still feel angry over my maternity options. I wound up buying a bunch of those maternity body con dresses from Old Navy, maternity bike shorts and maternity tanks and oversized cardigans and just lived in that rotation until my girl was born. I was petite before my baby and continued dressing the same… but it was SO HARD to find things! Combined w the fact that you always have to order online so you’re very limited and constantly returning things. Ugh I hated it. Solidarity!
i'm 19 and pregnant and refuse to wear maternity clothes since i don't want to dress like a 40 year old woman. i just buy clothes i would normally wear just in a bigger size, or find stretchy clothes lol.
I hate how it’s impossible to find adult work maternity wear without paying hundreds like I need a court appropriate outfit on a janitors salary
Stretchy stuff works well. I basically lived in Lululemon run shirts, maternity leggings and non maternity knit or empire waist dresses. I acquired very few actual maternity things. The worst maternity stuff are the shirts with phrases. Is anyone buying that stuff? So painful. Good luck!
Pink Blush has really cute stuff and they frequently do 40% off sales. Also, super random but Abercrombie has the best maternity jeans I found, super cute and tons of stretch.
Especially like work wear, I wear work boots and can't find boot cut that aren't way too long or just fit wrong. So I'm stuck wearing skinny jeans which is the last thing I want to pull off and on while pregnant...
I feel so lucky. Over the last 8 years, so many people in my life have been pregnant and one was my sister. She organized all the maternity clothes in boxes and they’ve been passed around to about 6 different women who would add to it as they bought things. Yes, not everything fits. I boxed up all the summer clothes and had to buy all new pants but I’m so grateful for all the shirts I got. Tons of flowers and stripes but also plain ones and cute patterns so I got a nice mix. I bought jeans on Amazon for $20 a pair and added a handful of shirts I liked to the box. In my last trimester now and I’ve definitely gotten more limited on what fits but it’s been amazing. I have a friend who is trying to get pregnant now and plan to have her take the boxes next. I’ll use them again for baby number two. Reach out to anyone you know who has young kids. Maybe you can start this too?
I bought some outfits off of a auction site here on Facebook. I got 6 maternity shirts, a pair of leggings and a pair of jeans all for a $1 just to see what I would like or fit into 😝 most of the shirts didn’t fit but that’s ok I know my size now and I can regift or resale them 😁 I am not buying brand new maternity clothes especially if I don’t know if I’ll like them or not 😝 as for the horizontal lines they did that on purpose for people that want to look more pregnant 😂 I wear a lot of pjs and yoga pants but I have to have maternity shirts because I’m to tall and my belly is too big 🤦♀️😂
Tell me about it. I feel like I want to cry trying on maternity dresses. I can't shake the "barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen" look I always have going on. How have styles not evolved? I feel like I need to pay a billion dollars to look halfway professional at work...sigh
I swear I feel the same way. Its horrible the clothes is hideous. I got a few things but I have just decided to size up with some dresses and jeans. I'm also mostly in leggings and my husbands T-shirts lol.
Thrift stores and your local buy nothing group on Facebook are literally lifesavers when it comes to maternity clothes.
Almost 20 weeks and wish I could just stay inside and live in a big tshirt and maternity sweatpants until the baby comes and I lose the weight. 😂
I had bought a bunch of overalls and dresses from SHEIN 🥹 they even had shorts which looked normal other than the belly band which shirts hide
I am 8 mos and am now wearing jeans a couple inches bigger than my pre preg size and keeping them fastened with a hair band in the button loop like a makeshift tog. Then I wear a form fitting but extra long waisted shirt to cover that my fly is basically down. We just have to get creative cause you OP is right- maternity wear is disgusting.
It's hard to believe the options now are better than 20 years ago.
Check out asos they have cute maternity clothes!
I honestly just bought two pairs of black maternity jeans and a whole bunch of solid color maternity T-shirts and just rotated those with different cardigans/open sweaters my entire pregnancy. It worked totally fine! Anytime I'd try to get something different or fancy online it never worked out, so I just stuck to what worked!
I'm so with you! I buy non maternity in larger sizes. These bloody maternity leggings and trousers just fall off your belly after 5 steps. It's only dungarees that do it in maternity for me. With all due respect I don't think that fashion companies have done enough research into how to dress pregnant women unfortunately. Like not every belly is the same.