Maternity clothes

hi everyone! i was wondering what some of you ladies have done or are planning to do about clothes while you're pregnant. i am 22 years old and just about six months pregnant. its getting to the point now where i can't seem to find anything that fits. so, i've broke down and decided its time to shop. only, i don't know where to shop or what to shop for. summer is over, so i have to think about fall clothes but i KNOW i'm not ready for "maternity" and i obviously can't shop in the juniors department like i usually do. so i'm kind of stuck in the middle. are there any suggestions on how to look and feel great without being frumpy? jeans are out of the question, i haven't been able to put on a pair since i was 6 weeks pregnant, but there's gotta be an alternative to the elastic waist maternity pant...right? please share your thoughts.

have a great day!

[AndiJ78]

I adore LEI low rise jeans. They aren't maternity but they have worked wonderfully thus far and I am almost 34 weeks. I do have maternity clothes, but rarely wear the maternity pants as I can't stand the way they fit.

Andi

[HIS GIFT TO US]

Low rise jeans wks great bc most mat.shirts are long enough so you can bend down & not feel a draft :) LOL

[luv_babies]

Also they do make "real waist" maternity pants, they have them at Old Navy. I think Old Navy has a lot of cute maternity clothes that don't look frumpy. Or you could take Andi's route. I have a friend that wore her normal low rise jeans her whole pregnancy. Are there any resale shops close to you? There is one by me and they have cute stuff at cheap prices, some of it still has the price tags on it!

[jackiemoo]

Gouchos! They are the best and they are professional too. I still by juniors tops at styles for less. They sell reall long tops. I am 6 months along and this is my second so my belly is big. I have a pair of real waist maternity shorts I wear in the weekends, but I wear gouchos and long skirts with elastic waists to work.

Fashion Bug is a great place to go too.

[krushing]

As previously posted Old Navy and Gap have cute maternity clothes.

[Jenny77]

I also hate the traditional maternity pants, they're grose. I can't stand to have anything covering my stomach. I did buy a few pairs of maternity low rise jeans/pants and I think they are wonderful. No one can tell they're maternity and they are super comfortable, which is a good thing during pregnancy. Believe me, if you get a chance, try a pair of the maternity low rise on and see if they would work for you. Like someone else said, thye also have "real waist" maternity pants, as well as just normal low rise (maybe in a bigger size). The thing is that sometimes you grow in other parts than just your tummy so a bigger size or the elastic is actually really nice during pregnancy. All in all, maternity clothing has definitely come a long way. You can buy maternity clothing that is just like any other type of clothing, just a little more room in the belly area, which honestly, just can't be avoided. Once your tummy starts getting bigger, you will want to have shirts that cover it a little more. I shopped at Old Navy (Oldnavy.com is good too if your local store doesn't carry maternity.)Also GAP has a lot of really trendy maternity clothes. Once you start looking, you'll see its not the same as our mothers or grandmothers had.
Good luck. Sometimes, just buying bigger sizes works, or at least works for a while. Also, I always tell people to buy normal bikini underwear that is a size or 2 bigger. Don't ever waste your money on maternity underwear.

[Gili]

Where do you live?  If the weather is mild, I suggest low-rise yoga pants.  They are sooo comfortable.  I bought a few pair of maternity pants during the first trimester and I never wore them.  It's the best to buy when you need them.

[dandeelyon]

Target has some very cute and fashionable maternity jeans.  What's better is that they are on sale right now. At least at my Target.  I got a pair for $6.87. Gotta love that.  If you decide to shop at Walmart, their maternity clothes seem to run a bit small.  I wear the same size at all stores except there.  I'm a size bigger.

For professional clothes, I had the best luck with Pennys.

[AnnieBrooke]

I got almost all my maternity clothes on eBay.  It was great; I saved tons of money and the clothes were usually new.  I also could do word searches for exactly what I needed, and they give the inch measurements, not just some vague "small medium large" label.  I did buy maternity jeans with the elastic band top and some "real waist" ones as well.  Try for t-shirts in your normal size for a while but look for ones that are longer, because you'll start to need the length to cover your tummy before you need the width.  Also, as you need bigger bras, don't go to maternity bras too fast, just go up in size in normal bras.  You don't know where your bosom size will end up by the time you are nursing, and nothing is sadder than having a nursing bra (with added expense) that you have grown out of already. :)

[cugirl]

I had some of the low rise maternity jeans  from motherhood maternity but I cant wear them any more...I have the same ones as the above poster has and I love them.  No one can tell they cover your stomach.  And by now Im so big my tummy has to hold them up...if I wore the low rise now they would roll right off me.  But Ive been wearing maternity clothes since I was about 12 weeks....as soon as I found out I was pregnant at 7 weeks my clothes hardly fit me anymore!

[gml24]

I also still like to shop in the juniors department, and was horrified of maternity clothes, but today I actually wore my first ever pair of maternity jeans, and it is so much better than trying to stuff yourself into normal clothes.  I had been wearing my old jeans with a bella band over so I didn't have to button them, but the waistband STILL cut into my stomach.  I got these jeans from gap maternity in the same style of gap jeans I usually wear, and you can't really tell the difference between them and my old ones, as long as your shirt covers the top of them.  I also love Old Navy maternity, I just ordered a bunch of stuff from them too.  There are cute maternity clothes out there, you just have to know where to look.

[mary345]

i don't know where you live but i am in florida and i go to a store called motherhood maternity. i think they have real cute clothes and they are not over priced.

[amy524]

E-BAY!  I didn't read other people's responses so hopefully I"m not repeating, but this was a GREAT way for me to save money!  Who really has enough extra money to practically buy a whole new wardrobe!  Find a brand that you like and search on there!!! :)

Amy

[Facere23]

I'v found that the low riding low band maternity pants are pretty comfy.  I like that they ride underneath my belly so there is no pressure and i also noticed that they kinda help support a little bit!  At least in my case!

[misseltoe]

I love my maternity jeans.  They do have the elastic covering the tum, but it's a good thing for me.  My tum keeps getting bigger and these jeans will probably see me through the whole pregnancy, or very close to the end (nothing really fits at the end of pregnancy).  They look like real jeans but have the elastic over the tum.  Maybe if I were skinny I could get away with wearing low rise, but I'm not. I'm six months pregnant too and I haven't been able to wear non maternity clothes in quite a while.

I love the shirts at old navy.  They are great and comfortable.  They aren't the stretch kind which I like.  It is hard to find nonstretch maternity shirts.  But since getting pregnant I like covering up more.  I don't hide my body, but I don't want my clothes sticking to me either.

You can easily find maternity clothes at Target or Walmart or Old Navy or The Gap.  I'd just suggest to going to one of those places and trying on a bunch of clothes.  Maternity clothes today are made to look like regular clothes.  I was thrilled to finally be in maternity clothes, and I'm going to miss some of my maternity shirts once I'm not pregnant.  I really like the ones I got from Old Navy, but they do indeed accentuate the tum and I won't want that when I am not pregnant anymore.

[DollChina]

I am 31 weeks and still able to wear some regular clothes from the junior department.  NY&CO. as well since their sizes run big.  Pants wise, you might want to invest in a couple pairs of jeans and nice pants because you will get too uncomfortable later on if you just wear bigger regular pants.  They just won't fit right.  You might be able to but I am small too but I can't wear them because it's so uncomfortable and makes me wants to pee more.
Good luck!
Target, bellies&babies.com, Babydepot.com, etc.

[myproblem]

I agree to look on ebay. I got great name brand stuff, all new or like new for under $10 pre pair of pants incl. shipping. I like Old Navy, and Gap because the clothes don't make you look like noone will ever want to have sex with you again.I don't want to look like a fashion retard just because I'm pregnant. I got all underbelly/low rise pants. I didn't have much trouble finding cute tops on the sale rack at Motherhood. I can't buy tops without trying them on unless they're t-shirts because my boobs are out of control. I also found a few things at Goodwill for $6 or less. One skirt was only $5 and still had the tag. JC Penney aalso has a maternity section, but I only got t-shirts there.

[sgtbabyguns]

I am 24 do  probably have similar ideas of what we are willing and not willing to wear.  I have found target has good jeans in the maternity section(you probably have to get a size smaller than you think you are) Motherhood is a good store not expensive ( wide variety of stuff, cuts, sizes, styles) Actually went there today. :)  Also got some shirts from target and kohl's  those layering shirts are great. Especially when you get to the point where one minute you're hot, the next your freezing. Plus, they are all real comfy feeling and clothes are being cut longer so you don't have to always go into the maternity section.