is it a waste to buy maternity clothes?

[Snow Ghost Seven]

i see cute ones i like--particularly dresses--but it seems like a waste because it's only a short period of time. on the other hand, i wouldn't mind feeling pretty while my body goes through these changes.
i was thinking one or two dresses, some skirts, and some cool t-shirts, but other than that--large sizes that i can give to my friends or my husband's clothes. :(
_________________
"I believe in safe spaces and everything, but eventually you got to let everybody who is cool into the party." John Cameron Mitchell

[LooseyMama]

I think, especially if you expect to be pregnant more than once (or have the opportunity to buy used, or have a good friend/sister to share with), that it's important to have at least a few items that really actually *fit* you as you're pregnant. Even in the best emotional states, you'll have days when you think you're just wayyyyy too enormous, and having some clothes that don't hang on you the way that a man's t-shirt would do ... that's really important, some days. Plus, you're likely to have some handful of events that you'll want to look nice for -- a pregnancy lasts nine months, so chances are, you'll need something for Christmas parties, or someone's wedding, or a romantic Valentine's Day date ...

But all that said, yeah, you can get by for a long time with stretchy pants and a few big shirts.

When I was pregnant, ebay was my friend. That, and the equivalent of Naked Pregnant Lady Parties, when you can find other pregnant (or newly non-pregnant) friends with whom to share or "inherit."
_________________
"Struggle is obsolete." -- my friend Barbara

[merededeux]

I say yes. I wanted to be comfortable so I bought a few pairs of pants, one pair of shorts, a couple nice shirts that showed off the belly more than just made me look chubby. I kept the ones from my first pregnancy, added a few to my second pregnancy and still have them for subsequent pregnancies, if I decide to have more children.

I invested in mostly casual, wash and wear, classic-style stuff that should still be acceptable fashion-wise in a few years. The plus side is that only wearing them for a few months at a time makes them last longer.

[olanaoaktree]

oh yes look on ebay !!

i got a lot of clothes from my mom's friends/family who just had babies.
I gave all of mine away and now we're talking about having another baby but we'll figure that out when that happens.

I know there are a lot of cheap ones at thrift stores!!

I wore a lot of expandable pants and hubby's tshrits through out my second pregnancy but i got to a point where i wanted to wear something nice so i got a pair of maternity jeans and pretty much wore them every day!! Really....you only need like two pairs of pants and like four shirts or so and maybe a comfy dress...especially if you are pregnant through the summer!!! less clothes is def. best!!

[blissed]

Yes, yes, yes to maternity clothes. Borrow from friends and buy from eBay if you can; I found lots of stuff on sale online at the Gap, and got some cheap comfy stuff at Target and Old Navy. I also tried to go for fairly classic looks. My first pregnancy, I tried holding my pants closed with a rubber band early on -- a classic trick -- but I nearly wept with relief when I finally gave up and pulled on a real pair of maternity pants. You will want, probably in this order, clothes that are comfortable, some clothes that showcase your belly (nice when you're ready for people to notice you're pregnant -- those questioning looks grow tiresome), and a few outfits that make you feel downright pretty. And you can always sell your used stuff on eBay after!

Don't forget, you'll probably be in some of your midpregnancy clothes postpartum. I lost a lot of weight at first, but most women I know took 9 mos to a year to comfortably fit into prepregnancy jeans. Shirts were also an issue for me postpartum.

Also, don't underestimate maternity bras. I picked up some sports bra styles from Bravado designs. This second pregnancy, I spent two days generally pissed off before I realized what was irritating me so: My bra was waaaay too tight.
_________________
All I ate was spearmint candy
Trying to change the flavor of the days
...But oh this time the sugar was dazzling

[jettesette]

i bought one pair of regular (low rise) jeans in a size bigger than i wore pre pregnancy- and one pair of nice maternity jeans.s. the non-maternity jeans made it pretty far i'd say 7 months or so and then i wore those after the baby as well

i had to buy a lot of maternity clothes- basically because my husband and i are the same size so borrowing from him didnt work. i bought a TON of tanktops from old navy and i used those to layer underneath all off my non maternity clothes and even under maternity clothes when THOSE started getting too small. i am still layering those maternity tanks under things because they are such a good length.

i bought a lot- but i didnt regret it at all- maternity stores can be pretty depressing though- it was so hard to find stuff that didnt look like it was from "casual corner"
_________________
I am so strong I am going to break all your rules with my bare hands! -Elliott

http://mamahuck.blogspot.com/

[bratgirl]

Yes! I would have had to have bought new clothes anyways as nothing would have fit. I went to Motherhood Maternity and they had lots of cheap stuff - esp. the sale racks!

http://www.motherhood.com/home.asp?Media=Motherhood

I figure if you have to buy new clothes, might as well buy ones that fit and are somewhat expandable (most of them have ties or something to expand the outfits).

m.

[slowgraffiti220]

i don't understand how people get away with not buying maternity clothes. i tried the whole low rise pants and then i moved on to the low rise band thing... blech. may ass was always hanging out and they made me feel all squeezed out the top. i say, buy two good pair of pants with those big high panels... soooo comfortable, and they feel like they support your tummy and back. i lived in those kind of pants. and you're going to definately need shirts... get stretchy. i bought some cute silk tops, but i got damn big and i was busting out of them within a month or two... but at first they looked HUGE. the best deals were target clearance rack for pants -- i never paid more than $13 for a pair --and target and gap for shirts.

[Snow Ghost Seven]

thanks! i feel better now. i was purusing online stores last night and found some cute things but damn! i forgot ebay! and i love ebay!
maternity tank tops--that sounds like a really good idea. check.
:)
_________________
"I believe in safe spaces and everything, but eventually you got to let everybody who is cool into the party." John Cameron Mitchell

[TayLynn]

I actually didn't buy those cloths. I just wore my husbands and had a few PJ pants that I made threw the whole thing. If I was to do it again Yeah I think that I would buy or trade for them. I would be alot better. Just depends on what money you have and what stores you have. All I have is Walmart for 200 miles!

[happyapple]

I guess it really depends on how big you get. I got away with not buying any until I was about 7 months along. And then I only bought 2 pairs of pants and 2 shirts. I would suggest not purchasing them until you need them. I never bought any maternity underwear either, my low rise panties were comfy and fit well.

[blissed]

Oh yeah, on underwear -- I wore my regular cotton ones the first time around, and while I certainly noticed my butt was huge I didn't realize how huge until several months post-partum, when I saw how stretched out all my underwear had become. Second time around, I just bought a handful a size larger and set aside my cute underwear so I wouldn't ruin it.
_________________
All I ate was spearmint candy
Trying to change the flavor of the days
...But oh this time the sugar was dazzling

[LooseyMama]

Oh, and a word about underwear, postpartum: if you end up with a c/section, you do not want bikini underwear, as the elastic will be really uncomfortable across your scar -- the high-rise or french-cut are muuuuuch better.
_________________
"Struggle is obsolete." -- my friend Barbara

[notthemama]

[skybluepink]

I resisted getting maternity clothes early on - I just got a slightly larger pair of regular jeans when I needed more belly space. I figured since I'm not that big to start, and I seemed only to be gaining in the belly zone, maybe I could avoid spending on actual maternity clothes. But as I got bigger, it became clear that I was MUCH more comfortable in maternity. Old Navy was *awesome*. Their stuff is cute, and they have frequent sales. I got a bunch of sweaters for like $4 each!

Underwear: yes to maternity undies. Old Navy's rock, very low in front so they don't cut you across the belly. And I'm still wearing 'em.

For pants, I stuck with the kind that has a narrow stretchy band and rides below the belly for a long time. But eventually, my belly started pushing them down, and I was at risk for showing pregnant lady buttcrack when I bent over. So I installed drawstrings, which helped, but only for a while. Eventually I had to suck it up (in?) and get me a pair of jeans with the giant scary stretchy maternity panel in front - the kind that pull up over your belly and extend up to somewhere below your boobs. The kind I swore I would NEVER EVER resort to wearing, no matter what. Yep. When I tried them on the first time, Mr. Pink and I laughed until we cried. But HOLY CRAP they were SOOO COMFORTABLE! So my advice is: embrace the giant scary stretchy maternity panel! Welcome the giant scary stretchy maternity panel! LOVE the giant scary stretchy maternity panel - it is your friend.

And finally, borrow as much as you can, and check out places like consignment shops and freecycle. I freecycled all my stuff when I was done with it. Giant scary stretchy maternity panel pants - I miss you! But (sigh) I'm sure you are making some other pregnant woman happy now.
_________________
goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere.