Maternity top or larger size?

[Peepa]

First time with a bun in the oven and not sure if I can get away with buying larger sizes, rather than designated maternity clothes?
As for bottoms, I''ll buy them in the maternity section as they have the stretchy material around the waist area, but for items like tanks and tshirts, can I just buy in larger sizes?

 

[DivaDiamond007]

When you are first starting to show a larger top might be appropriate, but as the belly grows, you''ll need more fabric in the front to cover the bump.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

 

[anchor31]

I guess it depends how well larger sizes fit you? I''m on the petite side and have a pretty small chest, so larger sized tops don''t look too good on me. I''m loving my maternity clothes, because I actually look pregnant and not just fat. Loads better on the self-esteem.

Congrats on the pregnancy!

 

[Circe]

Hey, Peepa, congratulations! How far along are you?

Re: maternity clothing ... honestly, I think it''s really individualized. I''m pregnant with my first right now, currently 16 weeks along, and I''d planned to just buy larger sizes for as long as I could. Then I started showing at 12 weeks ... and now I''m at the point where none of my pants fit, except for the super low-riding ones. And I''ve only gained 5 lbs, so damned if I can figure out where the large protrusion on my midsection *came* from!

Right now, I can still wear some of my old tops, and shop for stretchy things, but most of them fit unevenly: the hem rides up higher on the bump than it does in the back. As I get bigger, I imagine it will start to look a bit indecent unless I layer it with a very long tank, or a bella band, or something. I''m going to resign myself to just finding the coolest maternity clothes I can (started a thread in shopping), and hope for the best!

 

[Circe]

Oh, P.S. - a blog I really like on pregnancy clothes: www.pregnantfashionista.com.

 

[Sabine]

Some non-maternity shirts fit me up until the last few weeks if they were larger and stretchy. You mentioned tees and tanks...I LOVED old navy''s regular tees and tanks in non-maternity, but I did get up to XL at the end, and they will be HUGE on me after I deliver. But I can''t imagine not having any maternity shirts. Another suggestion is to buy some maternity cami''s that you can wear under regular shirts that get a bit short.

Also, early on, before you really "look" pregnant, regular shirts can make some people (like me!) look extra chubby but not pregnant, but mat. shirts can make you look more pregnant than you are.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 7/28/2009 7:21:23 PM
Author: anchor31
I guess it depends how well larger sizes fit you? I''m on the petite side and have a pretty small chest, so larger sized tops don''t look too good on me. I''m loving my maternity clothes, because I actually look pregnant and not just fat. Loads better on the self-esteem.

Congrats on the pregnancy!

Ditto! Plus the larger sizes were too short to cover up my growing bump unless I specifically sought out really long shirts. It was just easier to go to maternity. Plus, I found some really cute tops at Gap Maternity that didn''t look to maternity looking (just a few gathers on the sides).

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I''m not sure I ever really got any maternity clothes - maybe one or two things arrived a gifts.

I basically just got clothes that were cut differently [empire waist, skinny skirts and big tops, etc.] I still wear some of them! LOL!

 

[Blenheim]

This sounds very weird, but I actually grew out of many of my maternity tops by the end but still fit into some regular clothing. The key things are length - they need to be long enough to cover the belly - and either stretchiness or fit. Empire waist with a lot of material around the stomach did well, as well as really stretchy tank tops. At the end, I wore a lot of stretchy tanks with cardigans that just had the top button done.

 

[qtiekiki]

Ditto. The length and stretchy materials are keys. I could still wear some of my tunic top when my belly started getting big.

 

[swingirl]

Maternity clothes usually get you through the whole 6 months that you show the bump. Buying clothes in a bigger size will just make the shoulders and torso wider but not add the extra length for the front or the styling that allows for only the belly getting bigger without the arms and shoulders getting big.

Personally speaking, when a pregnant woman is not wearing maternity clothes it reminds me of a high school girl who got knocked up, won't admit it and still wants to wear her high school wardrobe. Maternity clothes are so cute!!

 

[Courtneylub]

I got mediums and larges at American Eagle. Their shirts are typically really long, so they were perfect! They fit up until the last 10 weeks I''d say.

 

[MustangGal]

I had regular tanks that fit almost the whole time, but being small chested, larger size tops weren''t much of an option after I was 1 size up from normal. If won''t hurt to get an assortment of tops and bottoms a size up from normally, you''re probably going to need those after the baby arrives. The last thing you''ll want to do PP is shopping!

Maternity clothes are actually pretty cute these days, and I found a lot really cheap on the clearence racks at Old Navy, Kohls, and amazingly on the Wal-Mart website.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Like others have said, buying a size larger might work for the first few months when you''re just a little bigger, but in the long run I think maternity shirts will be necessary. I have a friend who keeps telling me that her daughter never wore any maternity clothes -- she just wore billowy peasant dresses -- but I don''t believe her! I have dresses like that, but with my bump they''d be way too short in the front! I mean, didn''t this woman ever work out or do anything that she wouldn''t want to wear a dress for?

But I do think it''s important to have larger clothes. I lost weight a few years ago, so although I was wearing a 0/2 when I got pregnant (sigh), I have all the way up to size 8 in pants. I made it to the 4s in early pregnancy, but then the way my belly stuck out made it so that when I needed a bigger size, the 6s just didn''t lie right. But I''m glad I have all those different sizes so that PP when I inevitably freak out about how my body is still huge/weirdly shaped, I''ll have a lot of options. I think having to go clothes shopping then would just upset me more.

 

[cdt1101]

I actually just posted this in the pregnancy thread, but I got away w/ wearing regular tops one size larger than my normal size throughout my whole pregnancy. I wore maternity pants for sure. But I just never felt comfortable in maternity tops...besides they all seemed too wide for me in the chest area.

ETA - my belly was ALWAYS covered....I never had any issues w/ the length of the regular tops, but I guess most of them were made to be longer anyway, so that's why they worked??? i don't know...but I never thought I looked trashy or like a teenage

 

[Peepa]

Date: 7/28/2009 7:32:07 PM
Author: Circe
Hey, Peepa, congratulations! How far along are you?

Re: maternity clothing ... honestly, I think it''s really individualized. I''m pregnant with my first right now, currently 16 weeks along, and I''d planned to just buy larger sizes for as long as I could. Then I started showing at 12 weeks ... and now I''m at the point where none of my pants fit, except for the super low-riding ones. And I''ve only gained 5 lbs, so damned if I can figure out where the large protrusion on my midsection *came* from!

Right now, I can still wear some of my old tops, and shop for stretchy things, but most of them fit unevenly: the hem rides up higher on the bump than it does in the back. As I get bigger, I imagine it will start to look a bit indecent unless I layer it with a very long tank, or a bella band, or something. I''m going to resign myself to just finding the coolest maternity clothes I can (started a thread in shopping), and hope for the best!

I''m at 16 wks too!

 

[nycbkgirl]

i wore stretchy tanks (oldnavy) w. or w.o. cardiagans on top and jeans (from motherhood) ..love them so much im still wearing them!!

 

[Girlrocks]

Also if you get larger sizes in regular cloths, the arms/chest etc are going to be way too big. I''d go with maternity tops. They fit you regularly everywhere else, just give you the extra space in your tummy.

 

[Sha]

Date: 7/28/2009 10:20:59 PM
Author: swingirl
Maternity clothes usually get you through the whole 6 months that you show the bump. Buying clothes in a bigger size will just make the shoulders and torso wider but not add the extra length for the front or the styling that allows for only the belly getting bigger without the arms and shoulders getting big.

Personally speaking, when a pregnant woman is not wearing maternity clothes it reminds me of a high school girl who got knocked up, won''t admit it and still wants to wear her high school wardrobe. Maternity clothes are so cute!!

Yes, that''s just how I felt this weekend when I was trying to squeeze into my old casual shirts!

They still fit - but it just doesn''t look right. The front of it is too short and it rides up and shows my belly. The look is kind of immature and trashy, IMO. My mother says the same thing - she hates to see girls (especially the young ones) squeezing into their pre-preg clothes - it just looks indecent, she says.

But I agree with Sabine that maternity wear can also make you look larger. I''m almost 21 weeks now, just really started showing. I''m in this in- between stage now my old clothes still fit but make me look a bit ''stuffed'', while the maternity wear makes me look way more pregnant than I am. Especially my work shirts - which are really long in the front. But I guess as I grow the extra length will come in handy.

I was sorting out my maternity wear today and was wondering if I should''ve just gotten everything in a larger size. Like most persons said - I think it''ll work for a time but not very well in the later stages. I do find that my old empire-waisted shirts are fitting me very well now, though. Not sure how much they''ll hold up from 7-9 months, though.

I like the maternity wear from Motherhood Maternity - motherhood.com. I also ordered some things from Old Navy but the fit was really off - the sizes seem to run wayyyy bigger than normal, IMO. I had to take everything I got from ON taken in.

 

[Circe]

Date: 7/29/2009 3:35:38 PM
Author: Peepa

Date: 7/28/2009 7:32:07 PM

Author: Circe

Hey, Peepa, congratulations! How far along are you?


Re: maternity clothing ... honestly, I think it''s really individualized. I''m pregnant with my first right now, currently 16 weeks along, and I''d planned to just buy larger sizes for as long as I could. Then I started showing at 12 weeks ... and now I''m at the point where none of my pants fit, except for the super low-riding ones. And I''ve only gained 5 lbs, so damned if I can figure out where the large protrusion on my midsection *came* from!


Right now, I can still wear some of my old tops, and shop for stretchy things, but most of them fit unevenly: the hem rides up higher on the bump than it does in the back. As I get bigger, I imagine it will start to look a bit indecent unless I layer it with a very long tank, or a bella band, or something. I''m going to resign myself to just finding the coolest maternity clothes I can (started a thread in shopping), and hope for the best!

I''m at 16 wks too!

Hey, awesome! We can bemoan the sad stages of maternity fashion side-by-side!

 

[atroop711]

I''ve had 3 kids and I just bought larger sizes for a long time...With the styles that are out now you can get away with just getting reg. clothing in larger szs. Also the preg. yoga pants are SOOOOO comfortable esp in the later months when you just want comfort.

 

[mrssalvo]

I couldn''t get away with larger sizes b/c they always ended up making me look like a 5 year old wearing her daddy''s tee-shirt. they just looked baggy and not flattering. I totally loved Old Navy maternity clothes. they are inexpensive, trendy, cute etc. and worked well for me. I''m only 5''3" and gained almost 40 lbs with each of my pregnancies. I really think it will depend on your body type and and the places you do or don''t gain weight with your pregnancy.

 

[D&T]

I used a larger top until about five months because I was in between sizes (didn''t really fit the any maternity clothes as I am very petite) then I had to go for maternity tops because I wanted the relief of the stretchy belly.

 

[sbde]

peepa, although i could also fit into some of my regular shirts (flowy, empire waist ones) til about 7-8 mos i did find that wearing maternity clothes made me look *better*. i always just felt fat when i wore larger shirts (sometimes my hubby''s) while maternity shirts emphasized all the right spots and made me look pregnant rather than fat.

 

[MustangGal]

You''ll probably go through a few stages of maternity clothes too. Not many will look right for the entire pregnancy. I bought a lot of small sized tops and medium bottoms that worked most of the way, but the last month or two I moved on to fuller tops in medium and even a few large bottoms (and I only gained 33 pounds and didn''t look that big).

One of the other places I got several things for a work wardrobe was Ross. I didn''t even know they had maternity clothes until I was shopping in the baby section and saw them over there.

 

[Circe]

Date: 7/30/2009 1:17:26 PM
Author: MustangGal
One of the other places I got several things for a work wardrobe was Ross. I didn''t even know they had maternity clothes until I was shopping in the baby section and saw them over there.

This is *such* a useful tip ... thanks!

 

[soocool]

It's been a few years (almost 17) since I was pregnant and I remember wearing the same size tops throught my pregnancy. What I needed were the maternity pants. I only gained 20 lbs with my pregnancy and I was surprised that my size didn't change that much until the final month. Then my belly really did pop out! I just wore jumpers ( I had several ) and a couple of dresses that I was able to wear that fit over my belly. It all depends on your body type and where you put on the weight. Mine luckily was only in my belly.

edited to add: I just remember wearing men's button shirts in the small size and they were longer and for some reason gave me some room around my belly more so that women's blouses in my size

 

[MustangGal]

Date: 7/30/2009 1:29:35 PM
Author: Circe

Date: 7/30/2009 1:17:26 PM
Author: MustangGal
One of the other places I got several things for a work wardrobe was Ross. I didn''t even know they had maternity clothes until I was shopping in the baby section and saw them over there.

This is *such* a useful tip ... thanks!

And they''re so inexpensive (like $8 per top)! I also got one of my favorite pairs of maternity jeans there, which I wore during the begining of the pregnancy, and for a while PP.

I didn''t like spending money on clothes I wouldn''t wear long, but you get sick of wearing the same things over and over! I''ve boxed everything up for my SIL, who''s going to TTC for #2 this October

 

[Kay]

It seems like I had the opposite experience to most posters. I needed mat tops well before mat pants. I was carrying high until the last month, so some of my low rise pants fit fine under the belly until the 3rd trimester. (I wore my pre-preggo yoga pants and capris through the whole pregnancy.) I just needed longer/fuller tops to keep the belly covered.

We did not announce the pregnancy until 19 weeks, so I just wore larger size regular tops until then. I looked a little chunky through the waist, but not really preggo. Once we announced, I wanted to look preganant, not fat! The maternity tops made my belly look even bigger than it was, but at least I did not look chubby. Plus, mat tops are more flattering for the bosom IMO.

 

[Burk]

Throughout my pregnancy I think I purchased 2 pairs of maternity pants. I wore many of my pre-pregnancy work pants and jeans throughout my entire pregnancy. Some only made it to about 30 weeks when my hips began to widen and my a** got bigger, but others were fine (especially wide leg pants). I started using the bella band at around 23 weeks and that thing was my savior!

As for shirts, I wore many empire waist, non maternity tops for much of my pregnancy. I also bought longer regular cotton non-maternity shirts in a size larger and had no issues. I also had some super cute maternity shirts, so overall I had a pretty good mix there.