Maternity clothes questions

[Shugardrawers]

My best friend is 12 weeks pregnant and her clothes are starting to get really tight. She's been out of work since hurricane Katrina and her boyfriend is being no help at all so I thought I'd help her out by getting her some maternity clothes she can wear to her new job. Aside from thrift stores and consignment shops which so far haven't had what I'm looking for, where would you go to find inexpensive maternity clothes suitable for business casual?

How do you judge size? I know her normal size is 10/12. Do maternity sizes run pretty much the same? What size would a medium or large translate to? Will she wear the same size the whole time or will her size go up as she gets bigger? I've never been pregnant so all this is completely foreign to me.

I know I once saw a whole set that was coordinated and had like 8 different pieces you could mix and match. Anyone know where to find something like that?

Any advice you can give me is really appreciated. Any tips on buying and saving money on this stuff? I'm totally clueless here. Help me!!!

 

[lyeag]

My best friend is 12 weeks pregnant and her clothes are starting to get really tight. She's been out of work since hurricane Katrina and her boyfriend is being no help at all so I thought I'd help her out by getting her some maternity clothes she can wear to her new job. Aside from thrift stores and consignment shops which so far haven't had what I'm looking for, where would you go to find inexpensive maternity clothes suitable for business casual?

How do you judge size? I know her normal size is 10/12. Do maternity sizes run pretty much the same? What size would a medium or large translate to? Will she wear the same size the whole time or will her size go up as she gets bigger? I've never been pregnant so all this is completely foreign to me.

I know I once saw a whole set that was coordinated and had like 8 different pieces you could mix and match. Anyone know where to find something like that?

Any advice you can give me is really appreciated. Any tips on buying and saving money on this stuff? I'm totally clueless here. Help me!!!

When I was teaching I liked JC Penny's Duo materntiy line. It wasn't ultra cheap, but It did hold up and if you hit a sale it was well worth the cost.

A lot of the sizing for later on will depend on how she carries. If she is a 10/12 now, I would go for a size large. If you are looking at number sizes in pants only go for the 12/14 (not the 10) and then try to buy things that are adjustable. That is why I loved the Duo line. I was able to expand the waist with these velcro things on the side. They were comfortable and I was able to wear them until I went back down to my normal size. I also found some cute casual things at Target. Don't buy too much too early. You never know what body parts are going to shock you and get huge! I carried EVERYTHING up front with my kids, but some women get large in the rear.

 

[SadieDog]

I have seen maternity clothes at Old Navy. Wish they had some when I was pregnant.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

It's been a while, but I think the maternity clothes sizes ran about the same size as regular clothes, just roomier in the tummy. Unfortunately though, most of us gain weight in more places than that!

I got most of my maternity clothes at a place called Don Howard Maternity Outlet, but they weren't cheap. I'm not sure if it's a chain or just in my area. Another good place to look is garage sales in high-end neighborhoods, because women will sell nice outfits that haven't been worn much. Talk to other women you know who have young kids and don't plan any more. Lots of friends loaned or gave me maternity clothes without my even asking. It's a shame to see nice, barely worn clothes go to waste, so many women enjoying passing these from friend to friend.

Good luck.

 

[ceiligh1]

For clothes on the cheaper end look at target they have some good mix and match stuff. ALso motherhood maternity has good clothes for work that last. My job required scrubs but when I couldnt fit into them anymore these two places were where I went to buy clothes. I didnt want to spend $100's of dollars on clothes that I would only wear for 5 months. Both stores also tend to have good sales. You are such a kind friend to do this for her.

 

[Beth76]

Old Navy and Target are fairly cheap. I would guess she would be a size large. My pre-pregnancy size was about an 8 and I wore a lot of mediums and some larges.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

She will need different bottoms at least for second and third trimester.

You may look at some consignment shops and also motherhood maternity clearance racks.

I gained wait in my butt and thighs--so maternity sizes unfortunately didn't line up with me . I wear bigger sizes in maternity.

How very thoughtful of you to help her out.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Another idea...

there is a maternity clothing rental business in my area. I never used it and don't know how common they are across the country, but you might want to do a search for one. I just remember reading an article in the paper about it, and it sounded like a pretty good deal, especially if you need business-like or dressy items.

Also, since she's at 12 weeks, she can probably get away with the rubber band trick for a little while. For pants/skirts that are just a little too tight, pull a small rubber band through the button hole, then loop both ends around the button, and voila! an extra half inch or so in the waist! If she wears her shirt untucked, no one will ever know! A few non-maternity items in the next bigger size would be good for now, too, as well as for after the baby is born.

 

[HayGan]

Ebay is a great place to get a bunch of clothes cheap. I wish I would have know that someone here could have used them as I just donated a bunch to the Vets!

I would also search the thrift stores for regular pants that have a tie waist or an elastic waist in the next size up. I had a pair of Liz Clairbone pants that were a tie waist and they lasted for me well into my 2nd trimesters.

 

[ceiligh1]

I just thought of one more thing. I am not sure if you have heard of Bella Bands. http://store.babycenter.com/product/clothing_maternity/clothing_for_mom/maternity_clothing/5633
THey are a strechy fabric ring that you can wear under tops and over pants that are not buttoned. It will hold the pants together and you dont have to worry that someone would see a gap. It will help her stay in the clothes she is wearing now longer.

 

[WendyDarling]

Once you know her size, I second the ebay suggestion - if you think about it, if maternity clothes have only been worn through one pregnancy, they are most likely going to be in pretty good 'used' shape. I bought a lot off ebay and I also made a ton of money selling all my clothes afterwards on ebay.

I also really liked the JC Penney maternity section. Plus, when they had a sale, it was for all maternity clothes, so I would wait for the sale and then go clean house.

If there's a Kohl's around you, they have a small but low priced section. I usually did well there just for some plain shirts.

 

[bekkiz]

I think the set you're thinking of is Belly Basics (http://www.bellybasics.com/). It's not cheap at all (the 4 piece kit w/ a skirt, dress, pants and top that all coordinate) is like $150.

That said, I'm pretty sure you can wear all four for the whole pregnancy, and each piece comes out to like 37 dollars, so it might be ok.

Congrats to your friend! I'm sure it's a happy blessing considering what they've been through

 

[aynt79]

When my SIL was pregnant a few years ago we bought her a few outfits from Old Navy. They usually have a pretty good selection of clearance things online and I think alot of the stores are now carrying maternity clothes as well. The nice thing about Old Navy maternity online is that they will send you a postage paid return sticker so it won't cost anything to return it if you need to and don't have a local store nearby.

Otherwise, I always looked to see if there was anything good on clearance at Wal-Mart/Target/Sears etc.

 

[va32h]

Target has a line called Liz Lange Maternity - my local store devotes a huge section to it. Lots of good mix and match items for casual business wear, and nearly always a substantial clearance section.

In my last pregnancy, I also purchased some very cute and comfy things at Kohls that were inexepensive (Kohl's has a lot of sales).

Whatever size she wore before she was pregnant would be the same size she'd wear in maternity clothes.

I have a maternity bathing suit that needs a new home. I know it might sound kind of icky to offer a used bathing suit to a stranger, but I know I'll never wear it again, and it has been washed!

 

[bellacam]

Ebay is a great place to get a bunch of clothes cheap. I wish I would have know that someone here could have used them as I just donated a bunch to the Vets!

I agree! Check out ebay!

 

[GraysMom]

I found a lot of business/casual clothes at Motherhood Maternity, but had a hard time paying full price for something I would get so little use out of. I discovered that the outlet center near us had a Motherhood Maternity outlet where prices were definitely better than the retail store! You are such a sweet person to help out your friend like this .

GraysMom

 

[camreesmom]

Kohl's usually has pretty good clearance items. I also found a lot of stuff at Sears.

 

[Marla Hellwig]

If the bottoms (skirt, pants, shorts) have that tummy panel that does help as she grows.

I had a couple jumpers that I pretty much wore the whole time, just changed the tops to go with them.

I got by with 1 pair of jeans - worn them all the time when I wasn't working.

You are a good friend to be helping her out. I would also suggest Goodwill, especially if there is more than 1 store in your area (we have 3 here).

I haven't looked but I did find a couple of things at KMart, that didn't break the budget either (one was a plain black skirt - wore it to death - lol)

 

[ReneeA]

I've seen alot of maternity clothes on the clearance racks at Target that are really cute. I pick them up and then realize they are Maternity...then I throw them down and run the opposite way.

 

[southernbella]

Liz Lange makes a tee-shirt top that has 3/4 sleeves. I got one in every color. It is made from the softest material & at the end of 9 months, still looked like new. Trust me, I spilled alot on my shirts!

Also, think of overalls. I wore overalls towards the end because I couldn't stand having anything restricting my belly. Sbella