Maternity Clothes Must-Haves

LegacyUser

I was just wondering if anyone has tips on the 'must have' maternity wear items (as well as what's not really necessary)? Please share your insights on nursing bras, maternity support belts and general clothing you found helpful/useless. I've been seeing all kinds of contraptions on the market and was wondering what's really worthwhile! Many thanks!

Neyite

Use a hair bobbin as a waist extender rather than buy those stupid yokes in Mothercare for €17.

I bought one nursing bra and used it once. Other women found them invaluable.

A handy and cheap way to continue to use your own clothes for longer is belly-bands. I was able to use tops from Penny's to cover my bump right until the end, others find they have to move into maternity wear earlier.

I got 2 pairs of maternity jeans, which I was able to wear to work, so that's all I really used.

lazygal

I bought maternity leggings and tights and found them very comfy. I don't wear jeans a lot so I didn't buy them. I found proper support bands invaluable. I started wearing them much sooner on my second pregnancy and avoided a lot of backache. I bought some maternity dresses and tops as I found going up a size in regular clothes didn't give the best fit and they just looked sloppy. I bought one really nice dressy dress and wore it to every single night out and wedding I attended. It was expensive but worth it and I got a lot of compliments on it.

And another thing, get fitted for proper bras. I went up several cup sizes during pregnancy.

nikpmup

I found black belly bands from Dunnes invaluable, as well as over-the-bump jeans from red herring (debenhams) I also bought several Belvia bra-style soft crop tops for wearing in bed - my knockers are big anyway but they were ridiculous when I was pregnant, the soft tops stopped them from running away with me altogether Long maternity vest tops from H&M were great for layering.

pwurple

Cardigans. Just ordinary non-maternity cardigans.

I got swizzed on those daft waist extenders as well. Much more useful for me was this things... bump bands I think they are called? I wore them under shirts in case of any gaps. and they protected my belly button when it turned into an "outtie" from chaffing on things, which was brill.

You wear them like this

spottybananas

For me the hair bobble on my jeans/jeggings only worked for about 2 weeks really early on, despite having a very small bump it was low enough and uncomfortable enough in my normal jeans to make me need maternity ones by about 16-18 weeks, and the bobble wasn't providing enough tightness to keep my pants up if I bent or moved at all. I got fab jeggings in H&M, two pairs in different colours, and have been living in them since. I bought one pair of maternity leggings there and haven't worn them at all, I might wear them more now as the weather gets warmer but I really love my jeans from there. I just bought XL tights in Penneys because I couldn't find any maternity tights in my size anywhere, they're a bit loose on my legs but come right up to my bra

I haven't needed new bras so far at all (29-30 weeks at the mo), just an extender on my normal bras, my ribs have widened but my cup size doesn't appear to have changed at all yet. Delighted, they're big enough already and it's saving me on buying new bras!

I have some belly bands but don't really use them, I have a lot of Vero Moda long vest tops anyway which I'm still wearing so they do the same thing.

I bought two lovely "normal" shirts in Penneys that are my normal size 12 and are meant to be flowy/loose, they're great, and I'll still wear them afterwards.

ariana`

spottybananas wrote: »

I have a lot of Vero Moda long vest tops anyway which I'm still wearing so they do the same thing.

I swear by these! Vero Moda Or "Only" brand vests & long sleeve tops depending on the season, these have got me through 3 pregnancies. I buy a Large size and they're lovely and long to cover the bump. They come in every colour under the sun and the shades available will vary depending on the season. I team with a long cardigan (doesn't need to be maternity), nice jeans or trousers for work & a nice scarf or neck piece & nice boots. You can do a classy or a casual look very easily by varying the footwear & accessories.

http://only.com/only/l-s-tops/live-love-long-o-neck-ls-top-rp/15060054,en_GB,pd.html?dwvar_15060054_colorPattern=15060054_BLACK&forceScope=

Otherwise i think it's all about comfy, either new bras or bra extenders. A couple of pairs of maternity jeans and/or leggings. That along with the tops above & long cardigans are probably 80% of my maternity wardrobe.

I've a couple of dressy maternity tops/dresses as well.

Sligo1

Boob nursing tops! Google them. They are amazing and I would've been lost without them!

Neyite

It kind of depends on your normal style of dress as well - if you normally wear lots of dresses then leggins+dress over it is going to feel more 'you'

I wear jeans, and rarely anything else so it was jeans for me. Others need to dress formally for work so in that case a pair of black trousers is probably going to be the staple item for them.

I wore my own jeans up until 7 months with hairbobbin to close the gap and a belly band, but I do think thats really down to the sort of bump you'll have. Same goes for under-belly/over belly choice of waistbands. What suits some women wont suit another so it's really just a case of waiting a little while until you see what suits and buy bits here and there.

The other thing to bear in mind is that sometimes your body temperature changes during pregnancy. I've always been a cold creature but was roasted during pregnancy which I put down to hormones. Where I'd normally wear a big coat I was sweltering in a cardi.

So a wait-and-see approach might not be a bad idea.

contrary_mary

Neyite wrote: »

So a wait-and-see approach might not be a bad idea.

I would completely agree with this - don't rush out and buy loads. And don't be in a rush to get into maternity clothes even though I know how exciting it is - you will be sick of the sight of them by the end! I stayed neat until the last couple of weeks (when my bump suddenly got huge) so I got ages out of my normal clothes and then survived on a couple of pairs of jeans and a few dresses and loose tops.

In hindsight I wish I had bought a few dual-purpose maternity/nursing tops as they would have come in handy in the first couple of months for feeding. Otherwise I would say keep it minimal as you'll only be wearing them a short time.

Oh - and I found the bump band from topshop to be far superior to any other brand. Great stretch and support and even kept my under-bump jeans up at the very end!

meeeeh

Couple of dresses, some leggings, decent tights, jeans, some tops, a shirt and one or two cardigans. I had to wear mathernity clothing from early on and I found it fitted my body much better than nonmaternity stuff. I remember wearing one of my regular empire line or whatever they are called dresses. Because it was so much wider at the bottom a gust of wind almost lifted it. I was pregnant over the winter with first one and had to buy a proper jacket that I could close. I was freezing.

When pregnant with first I also had to buy elegant shoes with minimal heal because I had none. And five inch plus heels aren't always practical. I don't wear much jewellery but then my simple necklace was replaced with bigger statement pieces. I found them great to make outfits more versatile.

I bought yoga pants that were a bit too big, expensive and complete waste of money because I don't do sporty clothing outside exercising. And I definitely don't do yoga.

I think it depends a lot on your lifestyle and what shape you are. So buy things when you need them and not when you think you will need them.

supersheeps

The Vero Moda vests are amazing for bump coverage! I wore them from 3 months to the day I had my daughter, and they didn't stretch or fade. They also had a bit of support in them which helped keep the bump in place.
I bought two pairs of maternity skinny jeans and a pair of maternity boyfriend jeans (all €20ish in H&M) and they were great, I felt like myself in them. I wore them with the Vero Moda vests, kimonos, long cardis and loose vests (all stuff I had already, or picked up cheaply) Skater dresses and long vests worked well with maternity leggings. I also had a few basic t-shirt style maxi dresses which I wore with scarves.
I hated most of the maternity wear out there, so was very happy to be able to wear my usual style of clothes once I had the bottoms & vests sorted. You don't need to spend lots on specialist clothes, it's only a few months!
I bought bump support bands in Boots, they were expensive enough at €15 each, but I work in retail and they were amazing for relieving pressure on my back and bump while on my feet. There was the added advantage that they worked like a wonderbra for my bump, keeping it looking all lovely and pert!

seventeen sheep

Maternity tights are essential in my opinion (if you're likely to be wearing skirts/dresses), they are sooo comfy. I think I used to get mine in Dunnes, they're pricey enough, but wash very well.

Quite a few bits of my maternity clothes were just regular clothes, sometimes in a bigger size or in a different style than I'd usually wear. I was able to pass most of them onto my mum or friends afterwards.

Definitely leave room in your budget for comfy shoes. And bear in mind that your foot size may go up towards the end! :eek: (Mine went up half a size, and it took a year for them to go back to normal!)

I always wore wired bras before I got pregnant, but maternity bras usually don't have underwire, and are actually way more comfortable because of this. However this doesn't mean you need a specific "maternity" bra - but it's worth giving a non-wired bra a try, even if you don't usually wear them.

For me, my essential items were - a couple of pairs of over-the-bump skinny jeans (Debenhams/New Look), a pair of over-the-bump work trousers (H&M), a few flowy non-maternity dresses from H&M/Penneys, a few non-maternity cardigans (probably Dunnes/H&M), a few maternity tops that were suitable for work or outside work (New Look, H&M), several long non-maternity vests for wearing under other tops (Penneys.) I never bothered with belly bands or waist extenders etc.

eviltwin

The only thing I ever bought was a bump band. Everything else in my wardrobe I continued to wear. I found that most normal clothing is fine when your pregnant. Go to the maternity section and prices shoot up, you might be able to get through the nine months without having to buy anything.

How Strange

Over the bump trousers and jeans from h&m. They were so comfie that I wanted to keep wearing them after the babies were born.

If I was having another I'd invest in a couple of boob (brand name!) tops for pregnsncy/nursing. I was given one second hand for breastfeeding and it was great for hiding the flabby tummy. I practically lived in it for months on maternity leave. The same with boob fast food birdsong bras. I'd buy them in the last trimester and use them for first 3-4 months of nursing.

meeeeh

eviltwin wrote: »

The only thing I ever bought was a bump band. Everything else in my wardrobe I continued to wear. I found that most normal clothing is fine when your pregnant. Go to the maternity section and prices shoot up, you might be able to get through the nine months without having to buy anything.

I think it very much depends from person to person. I went from size 10 before pregnancy to size 14 after. I lost most of the weight quickly so I don't know how much of it was water but there is no denying that I gained more than I was supposed to and more than my regular clothing could stretch to. Also if you wear tailored stuff , forget about it, no matter how small you are.

I actually found H&M very reasonably priced.

Sligo1

meeeeh wrote: »

I think it very much depends from person to person. I went from size 10 before pregnancy to size 14 after. I lost most of the weight quickly so I don't know how much of it was water but there is no denying that I gained more than I was supposed to and more than my regular clothing could stretch to. Also if you wear tailored stuff , forget about it, no matter how small you are.

I actually found H&M very reasonably priced.

+1. I went from 8st7 lb to 11st7lb. Not a hope would I fit into my normal size 8. Back down to 8st4lb within a few months tho.

Usually I just bought bigger sizes in tops or dresses. But I found a couple of over the bump maternity pants essential. For breastfeeding "boob" tops were a godsend.

Typer Monkey

Another vote for over the bump skinny jeans from H&M here. So comfortable and let me keep some of my pre-pregnancy style. I ended up with 4 pairs and lots of bigger size T shirts and cardigans from penny's carried me through. Also second the vero moda long vests and long sleeve tops

c07

Belly bands, belly bands, belly bands. These were the business.
and over the bump jeans and trousers. They were my must haves.
any stretchy/flowy tops were fine in conjunction with the belly bands.

Allirog

I agree with the over the bump trousers and jeans, they are a god send! Also M&S maternity/nursing bras are fantastic and I would be lost without them!

theLuggage

I hated over the bump trousers/jeans. Found them so itchy and uncomfortable. Definitely preferred the ones that sit under the bump. So try on and make sure it feels comfortable before buying!

Moonbeam

over the bump maternity jeans are great.
Maternity bras really depend on the size of your bust.
The Change ones are great for a bigger bust.
I put on 0 weight during my pregnancies so I always just got my normal size in maternity clothes.
By the 3rd pregnancy I discovered pregnancy leggings and decided they are awesome:)

John Mason

I bought 2 maternity jeans and 2 maternity bras that was it tbh.


Don't going loads, chances are you wont need anything

sm213

New look has some nice stuff as does h&m and topshop.
Penney's had a maternity range for a bit got a lovely black dress and some maternity leggings there.
I also happened across a great dress in aldi/lidl with boob access and everything for 7 euro.
Leggings are a must.
Shoes with a bit of support when you get heavier.
I lived in running shoes for the end of my pregnancy. I love my ballerina flats but feet would be in bits after an hour walking in them.
Those support belts are amazing but quite pricey. But they give your bump so much support makes it so much easier to move when bump gets heavy.