Maternity wear

osian

Hi, I am pregnant with my first baby, I haven't got a bump yet (9 weeks) but I have been having a look online at the maternity wear that is available for when I do.

I have seen one of those belly belts (see link below for what I mean) and was wondering if they are any good to extend the waistband of normal jeans and trousers. I thought I could then cover up the unsightly bit with a belly band or a longer top.

www.mothersbliss.com/shopping/maternitybelt.asp

If you've used one of these what did you think of it, did it work?

Also, I would be grateful for your suggestions on maternity clothes - what items do you consider essential in your wardrobe (and how many items of each) and where are the best places to shop? I don't want to spend a fortune on clothes that I am only going to wear for a short while.

Many Thanks!

tcclalel

Hi, I bought the belly belt and never used it, from what I remember my trousers kept falling down...
My best purchase for clothes was the jeans with the fabric panel and I had 2 dresses from h&m that did for work and going out in the eve, just plain tshirt material

Janepig

I had a belly belt which I thought was great, although I didn't have much of a problem with my normal jeans fitting as I didn't put an awful lot of weight on (had enough to start with) as I felt nauseous all the time and I also carried pretty high. I also found H&M stuff excellent and not expensive.

Jxx

Counting_Pennies_2

In both my pregnancies everything changed shape, so one of these wouldn't have been any use for me.

My most successful maternity wear were a pair of trousers from H&M. They dont have a waistband or elastic top, they are a stretchy, but not jersey, difficult to describe but very good quality. They cost £20 and have lasted throughout the entire pregnancy and I still wear them now as I have had a bad recovery from the pregnancy so things are too tender around the tummy area, so they have definitely earnt the money I spent on them.

H&M were fantastic for me for maternity tops also. I bought a dress from Isabella Oliver for a smart wedding I attended, and made my money back selling it on Ebay. There is a company called maternity exchange, very poor website, but if you can make it to their little outlets you can find some amazing bargains of good quality clothes. Google for it, based in Bourne End.

Good luck with the pregnancy.

Doozergirl

I had cheapy lycra boob tubes which I wore lower down over my bump!

Covered up not only the gap between ny regular clothes and my jeans, but when I couldn't do the top button up, it would cover that over as well so you couldn't see the top of my jeans at all.

Later on I'd wear it under my trousers so it just covered the gap between the bottom of my bump and the top of my trousers. I was still wearing my usual t-shirts right until she was born - 3years ago yesterday

I never liked the trouser that pulled right up over the bump though I admit I had one pair of jeans that was constantly getting yanked up.

I bought all my maternity clothes in the sales. I even bought shorter length jeans (i'm a 32" inside leg) and folded up the hems and wore them like 3/4 lengths!

Js_Other_Half

I used the belly belt for a while - check out ebay, there are always some for sale on there.

I had some maternity camisoles from H&M for around £6, and wore them under a lot of my ordinary t shirts/tops in co-ordinating colours.

Ebay is your friend for maternity clothing:D

yorkiefemme

I bought the belly belt, used it for a bit as I felt I had to...having paid the money and all but to be honest, although it makes your clothes fit for a tiny bit longer, it also leaves a funny lumpy shape under your top and you have to make sure your clothes are long enough to cover the gap where your flies should be!

My essential maternity item was a bump band (bit like a boob tube but for your bump) they come in allsorts of colours for about £5 from topshop and let you wear normal tops as they cover your baby bump which will pop out of the bottom of your clothes from about 4 months.

I agree with other posts about the jersey band clothes - they are just the comfiest, I have tried all combos with my 2 babies, the elastic panels at the sides of clothes are only good till about 16 weeks, then they are just too tight. My main tip would be to take a big cushion with you when trying on and shove it down the front to give you an idea of how big you will get. The most worn of my maternity gear have huge jersey panels covering the entire waist area front and back - not great in the style stakes but you cant see it under your tops!

NCT sales are good for second hand, but depending on your style and budget I found some real gems in H&M and Topshop. Proper maternity wear is definately worth buying and dont think of it as a waste as you will be wearing the same wardrobe for months. My youngest is 6 months now and I have just packed the last of my maternity wear away. (Its only posh spice who can wear size 6 jeans home from hospital)

On the normal clothes front - wrap tops are good as they grow with you and you can wear vests underneath. Buy cheap big knickers instead of expensive maternity ones. Finally, if you are only going to buy one maternity item, please make it a decent, professionally measured and fitted bra - your boobs will thank you

x

jak

Those tunic tops that were in last summer have kept me going so far- i'm 28 weeks. Also dorothy perkins have got some nice trousers. You should ask any friends who've been pg for their cast offs- you could always take them in etc if they aren't the right size?

Congratualtions
x

Becles

I liked the trousers, that have elastic with buttonholes in the waistband. You pull the elastic in and button it tight, then let it out as your tummy gets bigger.

I bought a few casual things and a couple of business outfits for work from H&M and ebay.

At home I just slopped around in larger sized non-maternity jogging bottoms from Asda or Primark (about £3-5 a pair!), and I pinched my husbands t-shirts!

Nicifer_noonoo

You can't beat Moda for Mothercare for basic black trousers - I've been wearing the same pair from 6 weeks to 33 weeks. They really do grow with you - the zips at the side can be left undone as there's stretchy black fabric covering the gap, and two 'belts' of material that can be adjusted with buttons to make sure you're comfortable whatever stage you're at.

taliwillow

I have a 5 month old daughter and I am still wearing my black maternity trousers that I bought from Red Herring at Debenhams when pregnant with her. They are just so comfy and you can wear them all the way through the pregnancy as they are the ones with the elastic and buttons in the waist so you can make them as big or small as you want. I currently have them on the tightest setting but as I am also 9 weeks pregnant they will soon start expanding again. I was impressed at the quality, fit and price of Red Herring maternity wear. Particularly in the sales! I got one top reduced from £25 to £7 and it has had so much wear already. I have definately had my monies worth out of it and I have seen other red herring items that i own go for around £7 on ebay so guess where my clothes will be going after this pregnancy!