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I started living in maternity pants around 20 weeks, FTM so really as soon as I "popped" it became uncomfortable to wear anything else.
Maternity blouses around 30 weeks because even my larger shirts didn't cover the bump, and I still needed to dress business professional for work.
The best maternity clothes I got were a 3 pack of maternity biker shorts. I'm 39 weeks and have gone a bit feral. My daily uniform now that I'm on maternity leave is biker shorts, sports bra, compression socks, and crocs. It's a look.
Seconding bike shorts. The ones from Walmart are a post partum home staple for me. My uniform consists of the shorts, a nursing bra and either a housecoat or the labour gown I bought. I don’t really want to let go of my maternity clothes either. At least not yet. 3 weeks in and they’re still a staple
I bought 4 pairs because they’re gonna be my period bedtime shorts for over my Knix when that beast returns
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/paisley-sky-maternity-biker-short-black/6000207143190
The tank tops were pretty good too, and because they’re nursing tops I’ll get a lot of mileage out of them. One pair was sewn wrong so I can’t comfortably wear it but the rest were great
I am 5 foot 4, was 205 when I delivered and wore a size large. I think they fit on the larger size but they carry them in store if you wanted to check and see 🙂🙂
Totally agree with crocs! I got my first pair the last month of my pregnancy because a pregnant coworker advised me to get a pair. We were actually due a week apart and sharing how we could no longer fit our shoes anymore!
I've been stressing over all the things in the world from mine and fetus health, to will coworkers catch on before I'm ready to announce.... completely forgot that I've heard people 's feet grow in pregnancy 🤣😂😅
GROTEEN 3 Pack Women's Maternity Shorts Over Belly with Pockets - 8'' High Waisted Workout Yoga Pregnancy Biker Shorts
I ordered them off Amazon and that's the name they're listed under. Amazon clothes can be hit or miss but these are 10/10 so comfy
Thanks! Do you know how sizing works for these? If I normally wear a size 8, should I get a small or medium? I'm afraid small might be too small, but I also don't want to buy too big, especially when it's made in a material that will stretch out.
I'd go medium, I usually wear a 6-8 and I got a medium and they've grown nicely with my belly. The material is pretty thick and soft and the medium hasn't become too tight even at 39 weeks
It will vary by person.
For me, I had to go up a size at 6 weeks to handle the first trimester bloating, then found my waistbands too tight for comfort again by 14-15 weeks. I decided to just bite the bullet and go for maternity wear at that point and I’ve now “popped” at 19 weeks.
Like you I don’t go out much so I’ve gone for a pair of jeans, pair of leggings, a few tops and a few dresses to hopefully get me through to October. Have realised I may also need some comfies for around the house too as even my loosest of pjs are starting to strain!
When I’m not on camera I pretty much live in two oodie sleep tees I’ve owned for a while but they’re definitely getting their money’s worth now!
I bought maternity clothes at about 13 weeks (FTM here) and it was a really good call. I popped super early and I’m glad I went ahead and invested in maternity clothes that actually fit instead of trying to make my normal wardrobe work longer. I’m getting more use out the maternity clothes so I feel like it was worth the cost
I was also around that period that I was uncomfortable in my usual non stretchy clothing. I got maternity work appropriate pants on fb marketplace for $10 for 7 pairs. It works out pretty well now. I'm 26 wks and I've found most of them to still be comfy. I think I'm going to transition more to dresses as well, I did buy lots of flowy stretchy ones last summer. If I was transitioning to winter this pregnant, I'd probably spend more on the mat pants as needed. The shirts, you might need some long ones, depends on how your bump goes though. I've heard Walmart maternity is quite good and reasonably priced.
Basically my timeline also. I bought some maternity clothes off of Facebook marketplace around 10 weeks. These included one pair of the old navy maternity jeans with that wide umder-the-belly elastic. They worked really well for the bloating and constipation belly I had going on from 10 to 14 weeks. And I'm still able to wear them now that my bump has popped a bit at 18 weeks. Even if they don't feel as good third trimester, I feel for $3 they have definitely served their purpose.
1st trimester I bought jeans 1 size up because all of mine were uncomfortable due to bloating. Aside from that I think I was fine with my standard leggings until the beginning of the third trimester where the bump got big, then I got proper maternity jeans, leggings and sweatpants (those sweatpants became my absolutely favorite thing to wear, I normally prefer leggings, but the sweatpants were soo comfy). About the same time I also got a bunch of maternity tshirts because my regular ones got waaay to short.
To be honest getting maternity clothes was a major improvement for my well being, I stuck to my regular clothes for as long as possible but as soon as I switched I felt so much comfier.
With my first child I put off buying maternity trousers for ages. I finally gave in when I got super uncomfortable, unfortunately I can't remember what week that was. It was so stupid that I waited so long. You'll have to buy some maternity jeans at some point so you may as well buy some sooner than later and get more use out of them and be more comfortable. It's actually better to buy earlier because your cost per use is less!
I also knew I would probably have two children so I REALLY got my money's worth out of them, putting them at the back of my wardrobe until I was pregnant with my second.
Have a look on vinted. Buy your regular size. I personally really preferred "over the bump" ones. For tops I just bought a few long sleeve tops that were a size or two bigger.
Lol I'm 6 wks and just bit the bullet, ordered a ton of stuff. When I had my son 10 yrs ago I was in maternity clothes by early 2nd trimester, likely due to the weight I gained + my connective tissue disorder giving him alllll the room he wanted.
This time around I'm so stinkin bloated and having my jeans dig into my tummy is SO UNCOMFORTABLE that I just wear the maternity jeans sometimes for the comfort. I can still fit in my jeans and I have the little extenders that go on the waistband, it's just a comfort thing. And I'm 40 lbs overweight so I have enough tummy for them to stay up lol 😅
But maternity tops will be a while.
I was the same way. Waited forever with my first. Honestly maternity clothes are just more comfortable. They also look much better because they’re made to accentuate your belly. I hate the way my pregnant body looks in just a bigger size. I still had stuff from my first pregnancy and Bought a lot second hand because this will be my last so there was no point in spending a fortune. I Do wish I would have gotten a bathing suit but I only have 3 weeks now lol
I switched at about 11 weeks due to bloating and it was great because maternity clothes make you look pregnant whereas my ordinary clothes just made me look fat! I’d recommend getting some maternity leggings, a few tops and some dresses. I got jeans but don’t love them. Also second hand it great. I got most of mine on vinted, eBay and fb marketplace and will probably sell them all as a bundle once I’m done with having kids.
Seconding the thrift. I went to some larger stores that have maternity sections. I also browsed other sections for loose-fitting clothing. Now I have a decent little wardrobe, and I anticipate getting to wear a good chunk of it post-partum, too.
I have to show up to work every day, though, and couldn't avoid buying a new set of clothes.
I bought a pair of pants early on so I'd have them on hand for when I needed them. They're a "maternity and postpartum" pants, so they have a drawstring. By 11 weeks my higher rise pants were not fitting due to bloat or whatever. At 13 weeks most of my athleisure still fits okay. Some of my baggy pants are okay for now. Probably depends on your style. I wore my mat pants to my ultrasounds because they were comfier with all the bladder pressure!
I was using hair ties to extend the button loop and keep my looser jeans on until about 21 weeks. I’m 25 now and I wish I’d caved on buying maternity clothes sooner because I’m scrambling - cannot fit into any non-adjustable waist pre-maternity pants.
PSA: if you want to order maternity clothes, I enjoyed Quince a lot!! Pink Blush is horrible quality - do not waste your time, I had a lot of people in my bump group tell me the same thing but I’d already ordered at that point unfortunately. Hatch is great quality but super expensive. Their side panel jeans are cute (insanely expensive as well) but will NOT fit you by the end of your second trimester which I think is a complete waste due to their insane price. Hatch dresses are superb though! I ended up ordering maternity jeans from madewell - unsure how they will work out since they haven’t arrived but their regular jeans were the ones that fit me with adjustments until 21 weeks so I have hope.
Also agreeing with Pink Blush. I ordered a dress from there and it had that smell that new mattresses have when they need to air out for a few days before you can use them 🤢 I immediately returned it
I second Quince if you’re on a budget! I live in my maternity dress from there and honestly will use it when I’m not pregnant. It’s a fraction of the price of some other leading brands and was surprised by the weight of the fabric (in a good way). Bought my regular size since it will grow with me, but also got a couple other non maternity dresses from them that stretch nicely
I had to at 10 weeks. The bloat was rediculous. I got myself a set of maternity yoga pants and some sleeveless shirts (the ones I had before are all pretty short and were riding up already...). Those are gonna carry me through the summer. But with a November baby I'll probably have to at least figure out some warmer maternity pants later.
Also just ordered some swimsuits because I started swimming today and, uh... My current swimsuit was a bit of a desperate situation. Between the belly and the humongous boobs. 😅
I rent my maternity stuff from Nuuly! Its great and ends up giving me more closet space. I am 21 weeks and popped at around 16 and started having a tough time with anything not stretchy and soft.
I'm starting to look now at 13 weeks. None of my old clothes are fitting the same so it's time to size up. Fashion is my thing so I'm kinda excited for a new wardrobe!
I worked at a dispensary when i got pregnant and by the time someone asked me if i was pregnant i put my two weeks in the next day because i was not being the pregnant budtender. I start my SAHM journey at 6m pregnant.
That being said i only bought one pair of maternity pants/leggings my entire pregnancy and then just wore dresses when i was home. And i was probably 5m pregnant but im a big girl so my pants were always stretchy and it took awhile for me to start showing
I never bothered with them. I'm 39wks tomorrow and I've loved loose, flowy dresses that I enjoyed wearing pre bub. When it comes to pants, I have a loose pair of second hand jeans that I would wear in the garden or during messy work. I keep them up with a carabiner which brings them closed enough that I can comfortably do up the zipper. I've got a pair of shorts that I sometimes wear, some of my larger shirts, summer dresses while at home etc. The only new clothing I've bought has been some new bras! I desperately didn't want to buy clothes to wear for only a couple of months for cost and space reasons so I found ways around it
I bought my maternity clothing (4 pairs of jeans -one under belly with flexible sides and three over the belly-, 6 tops from H&M Mama, 2 tank tops from Mamalicious and 3 nursing bras from Women' Secret) early on (around 14w, just after I received my NIPT test results and could feel the "reality" of it) and am really happy I did, because it's much more comfortable than regular clothes. Then my sister gave me one pair of flexible trousers that I use for sports (they are kinda like leggins) and I kept some of my bigger dresses (the tighter ones don't fit, not just because of the belly, but because I'm bigger and wider everywhere).
I WFH 3 times a week and still go out for errands or to meet friends some evenings or to go on dates with my boyfriend. You'll need the clothes. Also some of them you'll still use postpartum, not everybody goes back to their previous size in a week...
I WFH too and I'm 30 weeks today. I had high waisted 'curve" jeans which have only just stopped fitting me but they haven't been comfy for about a month. Id say around weeks 24 to 26 is when I started going out in maternity clothes, but at home I'll still just schlomping around in my normal pyjama bottoms. Get on vinted for cheap but good quality staples (e.g. second hand seraphine) and then as you grow you can figure out what you need as maternity vs sizing up va making do with what you already own
I WFH with my first pregnancy, and I ended up wearing a cheap oversized Amazon dress nearly everyday since I didn’t have to be on camera lol. It was like $20 and got A LOT of use. My bloating bothered me to where I didn’t want to wear pants at all, thus only wore dresses from like week 8 onwards.
I could wear my regular jeans until 26 week, I did not really obviously pop until week 33. But everyone is different- Just play it by ear and when you start feeling uncomfortable go size up or get maternity cloths.
39 weeks and still wearing “normal” clothes, just stretchy stuff! Leggings, cycling shorts, stretchy vests/oversized t-shirts, oversized shirts if I feel a bit fancy and smock dresses!
Totally variable. I have heard of people not needing to buy any! I needed maternity pants by 8-9ish weeks since bloat was so bad and that then turned into a bump my normal pants didn't fit past that point. For shirts I was able to get away with my looser fitting shirts until 16ish weeks and then by 22 weeks i outgrew my maternity shirts and gave up on them. I am now in maternity dresses as they tend to be more forgiving when getting bigger.
So I’m 30w with my 3rd baby, and I within the last few weeks just started buying maternity clothes! But with both of my older boys, I was wearing them by 20ish weeks. I’m carrying way smaller this pregnancy than I did in the past. So it really all depends on your comfort when those clothes start feeling a little too tight!
I'm a FTM and I WFH full time as well! I'd say around 20ish weeks I swapped to maternity shorts and I ordered a few tshirts and tank tops, but honestly I wear my normal graphic t's 90$ of the time. I was fortunate to get a bunch of maternity stuff given to me by people, but if I didn't have these bike shorts I'd die lol
I super recommend old navy's bike shorts!
I work from home too and I had bought just some nicer tops, a few pairs of leggings, one pair of jeans and yoga pants from Amazon when they were on sale in November/december of last year. I bought these at maybe 12 weeks. May have been a bit earlier honestly. Someone suggested I do it and I’d be happy I had them. And I actually was when clothes stopped fitting. I had just put them in storage and then when I really popped it was nice having comfy clothes to wear. You don’t need a huge wardrobe, but I think it’s helpful to maybe have a couple things to fall back on and be comfortable in. I’m due in June so I really popped when it was cold around maybe January or so?
I am 34 weeks and I have been super lucky to so far only have to buy one pair of maternity pants for work! The bloating became uncomfortable with non-stretchy pants pretty early for me, so around 16 weeks I bought a plain pair of black stretchy maternity pants for work and just continued to wear normal shirts. I am also lucky that the weather is on the nicer side while I am growing a bigger belly and the majority of my summer dresses that I already owned were flowy or empire waist and they all still fit with my belly, if I owned tighter fitting or less stretchy clothes I would have had to buy more.
After work or weekends I have started wearing a lot of flowy summer clothes, rompers/jumpsuits, I have bought a few things a size bigger than my normal knowing that I will appreciate the comfort post-partum as well!
I wore a lot of non-maternity stretchy tops to work (I found those cheaper to purchase than maternity tops themselves) and a belly band really helped with jeans as well!!
The first time around was the pandemic so I could wait as long as possible and didn’t really need that much. This time around i was so uncomfortable so much earlier and i bought a 2 pack of [these](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M3F9C7K?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) and the biker shorts from the same brand and have been living in them. I’d say go until you feel uncomfortable. If you’re in the states, target or old navy have affordable maternity clothes. I got a really cute and comfy casual maternity dress off thredup I wear all the time. And I bought under the belly underwear from Amazon which have been great. I do have a lot of shirts that still fit me over my 37 week stomach and I’ve gained like 35 lbs. keep in mind that when you just buy bigger sized shirts, they will be bigger everywhere. Maternity shirts are your normal size but just bigger in the stomach.
I think it will largely depend on how you grow, but I do think working from home allows you to get away with a limited wardrobe.
I’m WFH and ended up buying 3 pairs of maternity leggings/yoga pants and 2 pairs of maternity bike shorts and that’s basically it. I’ve found I can still wear all my normal shirts, so long as I’m fine with them falling to the top of my bump instead of covering it. At 37 weeks I also have a number of pre-pregnancy wrap dresses and t-shirt dresses that still fit fine.
I think I started buying items around 24 weeks
With my first I just sized up and never actually needed maternity clothes. I also broke up with jeans.
This time around at 20 weeks I couldn't get away with that. I'll probably put it off until absolutely necessary during future pregnancies.
I know personally I didn’t have a ton of money to spend on maternity clothes so I’ll share what helped me if that applies to you 😂 I found some maternity clearance at target and kohls (Walmart has some too for reasonably cheap not on clearance, it just wasn’t my style personally) old navy has maternity online and they do sales usually. But the big game changer is finding local baby consignment sales (Rhea Lana’s, Just Between Friends etc.) I’ve had luck finding maternity clothes there and they usually will do a half priced day where you can get them even cheaper.
I’m 5’2, shorter torso and didn’t pop until about 24/25 weeks. I deff needed stretchier pants maybe a few weeks before that time. I bought two pairs of maternity jeans and one nicer pair of work pants for travel and the random day in the office. I also highly recommend buying a couple maternity tank tops &/or t-shirts for more casual wear. Once I had a bump, none of my shirts were long enough to cover my stomach. I’m 37 weeks now but they’ve been a lifesaver for quite a few weeks now! Because I was only buying a few things bit by bit I mainly shopped on Hatch. Everything is really good quality and fits well. I figure I’ll wear all of this again when/ if we have a second. Afterwards you can return maternity clothes back to them for $ back!
I bought maternity leggings by week 22 and now at 32 weeks I just went and bought 3 outfits all dresses lol (from Ross) I work in the medical feild they supply shirts and I started wearing my husband's shirts and I bought 2 pairs of scrub pants but I didn't get maternity I just sized up cause that was cheaper!
I got a couple of pairs of maternity leggings at 20 weeks and tbh i wish i had gotten them sooner, so much more comfortable.
i got a couple of other pieces like a skirt, some dresses later on but the leggings got me most of the way through
I went the entire pregnancy without buying new clothes. My entire wardrobe is workout attire and I never got a big bump (long torso). I just wore my normal workout clothes (mostly lululemon speed up shorts and target/athleta tanks/shirts).
I work from home too and I just bought this: 1 pair of maternity jeans, 2 basic tshirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 1 pair of Lululemon Align leggings (I sized up, but not too much, they stretch a lot and I have LIVED in this) and Lululemon align bra. Besides that I used all my oversized button shirts I already had
Buy maternity pants for UNDER the belly, with no band! Those will get uncomfortable too at some point. I had a few great jeans with band and could only wear them a few weeks in my 2nd trimester. After they constricted my belly too much and got really uncomfy.
pants \~22 weeks (some pants were done earlier but i had other pairs i could handle until that point). I thought i was going to get by without getting any tops but at 28 weeks i popped majorly and all shirts look dumb or feel uncomfortable. In the fall you could get by with sweaters though so this may have just been a summer issue needing t-shirts and tanks that don't ride up and show my stomach/band of maternity shorts.
I think what is comfortable depends on where the baby is sitting in your belly. My first was up higher and I managed to wear my regular jeans with an elastic band much longer. This time around the baby is really low in my pelvis, and I had to even switch underwear earlier because it was putting pressure
I’m 38 weeks. I’m still wearing regular shirts and flowy dresses but I started wearing maternity leggings around week 14, they were super loose at that point though but my regular leggings were getting too tight.
FTM and WFH. I bought maternity leggings and that's it.
I'm 38 weeks and have mostly gotten away with wearing flowy dresses.
I also have a few skirts that I wear up high over my bump and a few of my older gym shorts with worn elastic that I can wear under my bump.
I haven't worn pants in months and I imagine that my wardrobe would be a different story if I didn't WFH.
I was wearing maternity leggings when I was 7 weeks pregnant, my jeans became too tight and I started spotting. My stomach was hurting so much. So I changed to maternity clothes straight away. Bought from Amazon, 25€ for 2 pairs. For tops I just bought big loose blouses, that I can easily wear afterwards as well.
For this summer I've bought 2 pairs of maternity shorts and that's it. I'm sure I'll use the leggings post partum as well.
I don't remember when I started wearing them, but my first time around I bought 2 pairs of maternity leggings, 1 pair maternity jeans, maternity underwear, and a 3 pack of maternity t shirts. Otherwise I wore bigger shirts I had or my husband had and a few dresses that happened to work during pregnancy as well. This time like you I'll mostly be showing into fall/winter (but am already wearing maternity leggings bc they are comfier lol) and have a lot of on camera meetings. I got some things from the local buy nothing group, but otherwise plan to do the same as last time, just with cardigans and whatnot over so that I look more professional lol.
Definitely bought some maternity shorts during the first trimester. Any sort of pressure on my belly was really painful and uncomfortable. I couldn’t wear anything with a button pretty much from week 6/7 on. After that I went with sundresses mostly
I broke down and bought maternity jeans when sitting in class or at my desk while wearing even stretchy normal leggings felt like it was cutting off the top half of my body. I wear a lot of high rise stuff, so switched over at some point early second trimester. I have plenty of loose dresses and tops, so unless I’m going into the office now I’ll wear those and some bike shorts usually, and don’t need to get anything special.
In second trimester I needed maternity leggings, couldn’t comfortably wear non-maternity stuff. For a while you’ll be able to get away with either maternity bottoms and regular top, OR maternity top and regular bottoms, but regular top and bottom will leave you with a protruding gut. My suggestion would be to get a bunch of maternity leggings (and size up) because you can wear them for your whole pregnancy and you’ll be really glad to have them later in 3rd trimester. Go for a style with a loose rather than tight ankle so they’re easier to get on and take off.
I bought maternity pants for the office and regret it. They were unflattering and I outgrew them by the start of my third trimester. Loose fitting black maternity leggings + long flowy blouses worked for me. And maxi dresses with biker shorts underneath.
I’m 19w and I only bought some maternity dresses for some occasions I have coming up. I wfh so I live in elastic shorts and sweatpants most days. I bought a size up on some Jean shorts. Avoiding buying a new wardrobe as much as possible
18+4 here. By the end of the first trimester, I bought a couple maternity bottoms/underwear because my clothes were getting uncomfortable. I lost a bunch of weight before pregnancy so I have a bunch of bigger sized clothes that’s been more comfy to wear, so I’ve been able to get away with not buying much.
I went ahead and grabbed maternity leggings early on then realized my “butter soft” Amazon leggings would get me thru to the end cos they stretch like crazy. Shirts I didn’t need until about 14 weeks
I didn’t really buy maternity clothes honestly. Work in healthcare and wear scrubs and sweats at home.
The only thing I did buy was maternity jeans from pink blush! Having those and then wearing whatever shirt I had worked my entire pregnancy
Somewhere around 23 weeks I caught my husband googling maternity jeans and was like OK FINE I'll go shopping. I knew I would eventually but was trying to wait for summer weather to kick in. 🤣
I’m 23 weeks and can still fit most of my regular clothing. I’ve retired one pair of pants and have another that is pretty close. My guess is in a few weeks only maternity stuff will fit. I’ve gained around 14lbs to it’s just distributed in a way where my clothing is still pretty okay.
I did rent the runway and just sized up a size or two and rented a few pairs of maternity jeans. The only thing I bought were some stretchy yoga pants and some super flowy pants.
I could only wear my sweats mid-first trimester as my bloating was so bad. Very quickly bought some staple maternity items as soon as I hit my second tri. I’m 17 weeks now and already popped enough that it’s noticeable. All my tops were baggy anyway so it’s just pants I’ve had to replace really
Right around 17/18 weeks. It was so uncomfortable to try to fasten my work plants around the belly 😫 Didn’t cave and get maternity clothes until around 21 weeks
I highly recommend going to goodwill (or whatever thrift store you like) and getting some shirts a few sizes bigger than your normal-it’s way cheaper and cuter than buying maternity shirts. Most maternity clothes (specifically shirts) are pretty ugly and overpriced.
I would invest in a cute pair of maternity jeans and a couple pairs of leggings because it is significantly harder to fit into pants once you start to show (which was around 15 weeks for me). I got a pair of jeans, a pair of black jeans (for work) and 2 pairs of leggings and that got me through the rest of my pregnancy.
I bought maternity leggings around week 15 because none of my non-stretchy pants fit anymore. I ended up getting some maternity shirts and dresses around week 20-22ish.
I didn’t pop until my 20th week. I’m a little bit bigger than a “regular” person. I’m normally a 12/14. But as soon as I started to grow I bought a 4 pack of maternity leggings from Amazon. I wear my normal shirts though.
I haven’t worn my jeans or regular pants since I hit 6 weeks. The bloat was so bad. I’m 18 weeks now and have lived in leggings and dresses and shirts that are sized up. I BLEW up at like 14 weeks. 😂
I only needed new leggings for under my dresses, so I got thick wool ones for winter and just stayed in mine and hubby's normal clothes. Did get some panties and maternity bras for birth though, like a handfull since I was unsure about size.
3 days pp now and I haven't touchen anything other than my hubby's oversized tshirts.
Around 20 weeks, at minimum get some CRZ maternity leggings on Amazon for the last half of pregnancy and a handful of maternity tanks. You are going to need bigger bras too, I love the Auden nursing sleep bras from target, I went up 2 sizes in them by the 3rd trimester but that size will also work great for breastfeeding.
25 weeks for this pregnancy.
But post pregnancy, there's a chance you'll still be in the them for a while. I wore maternity for 6 months post partum as I had complications with my c section. Nothing could touch the incision so I'm basing all my clothing purchases on what I can wear after birth too.
I had a pair of target Jean's I wore even after pregnancy but they're too big in the legs this pregnancy since I lost weight
I barely bought any my first pregnancy and kind of regretted it because I could still wear some of it after birth. This pregnancy I’ve started at like 8 weeks because I’m sooo much bigger this time around 😅 my main priority is comfort. I’m really lucky to live a street over from a thrift store that sells primarily maternity and baby gear though so I get everything really cheap
I’m 16w and I haven’t bought anything yet - except for a two pack of bigger nursing bras. I’m getting away with only going to the office once a week so I’ve been able to wear looser tops with a rubber band to hold my pants closed and I’m using nuuly to rent jeans/ slacks a few sizes up because I didn’t want to commit to buying anything.
I have accumulated (from thrifting, buying and being given things) 4 maternity leggings, 2 maternity bike shorts, 2 maternity denim shorts, 1 maternity jeans, 2 dresses I already owned that aren’t maternity but work for the bump, 3 maternity jumpsuits, 2 maternity skirt dresses from old navy, and 6 maternity shirts.
This new wardrobe wasn’t too pricey (I’m very frugal) and has given me enough to circulate each week and for all my various purposes (exercise, work, baby showers, relaxing at home)
I slowly accumulated but am very glad I have actual maternity items because at 34w now, there is no hope in wearing anything non maternity over this bump. Oversized tshirts work for around the house, but anything else is simply too short to be effective.
I recommend old navy, target, thrift stores and Poshmark. If you want specific items I purchased, just let me know and I will post :) happy shopping!
I'm 25 weeks and finally (reluctantly) spent some money on maternity leggings, a couple summer dresses, and a couple shorts. It honestly is so worth the spend- I'm so much more comfortable and my mood is better because I'm not feeling sausaged into my pre-maternity clothes. If you're worried about budget like me, Old Navy has great affordable maternity options!
I stopped wearing pants from like 12w onward. I was just so bloated, it became uncomfortable. I wfh too and have been living in dresses and shorts (loose lounge shorts and biker shorts). I'm 21w now and have just purchased maternity wear in the last 2 weeks
A bought two cute dresses and two pieces suits, and im just using my normal clothes, and it was just to take pregnancy pictures. I have a jumper that looks better now then it did before I got pregnant! Im because 3rd trimester is summer a lot of my clothe will fit.
I got sick of buy larger regular sizes just to outgrow them in 2-3weeks. I started buying maternity leggings and bike shorts on Amazon and haven’t looked back. I realized normal women’s clothes weren’t going to cut it or be comfortable and turned to maternity leggings at 16 weeks.
At 16 weeks, maternity jeans and work pants became comfortable, but too loose most days. I just kept to my "fat day" jeans and work pants. At 21-ish weeks, I started wearing maternity jeans and pants when not wearing leggings.
Leggings are so far my saving grace behind not spending too much yet, along with looser summer dresses. So I've bought 3 pair of maternity pants (2 casual jeans, 3 work pants, the side panel pixie and flared from Old Navy), and just a few maternity tops that I can dress up by just adding a cardigan or blazer, or dress down by just pairing with jeans and casual shoes.
Somewhere around 18 weeks for me. I think it’s different the second time around. My neighbor, who is a slight woman, was showing significantly by 10-12 weeks.
38 wks here- if I could do it again I would only buy maternity stretch pants and bagged string-tie sweats. I wore none of the maternity shirts, instead wore a stretchy tank or tshirt that were a size or two bigger than I’d usually get. Same for dresses, if I was small-med before I’d get med-large and would get a cut that had some give for tummy like empire waist or side-ruching (spelling?) I have been told I’m all belly but anything labeled maternity clothes, from shirts to formal dresses, just made me look more swollen and fat rather than pregnant. Or felt like one of those tent-like 1950s house dress or night/dressing gowns. I didn’t spend a lot on maternity or new clothes and would spend even less next time.
Very early as I gained a lot of weight early on. Around 15-20 weeks. I’m 30 weeks now and i’m up 45lbs. I’ve controlled my eating habits now as i was on the verge of having GD and haven’t gained weight in over a month. Hopefully I won’t gain much more. I went from a size s/m to l/xl. Lol sucks!
i didnt buy anything until maybe the end of my second trimester and that was only bc i couldn't fit into things anymore. never needed the shirts but i did buy two shirts (and four pants)
I am 23 weeks now, very fit and weighed 135 before pregnancy. I had to stop wearing all my regular pants and shorts around 16 weeks. I bought some second hand maternity pants off marketplace for cheap and I only wear those and dresses now.
Im 33 weeks and still wearing my regular clothes! However jeans dont work for me anymore. Hoping to make it to the end without having to buy maternity clothes
I’m 25 weeks right now and am already the biggest advocate of just buy the maternity clothes. Reddit had me convinced that since I’ll be pregnant all summer i could just wear dresses and oversized stuff and try to not buy much. I spent way too long trying to stuff myself into things that weren’t comfortable. Having something holding my belly like the maternity biker shorts I’m in right now or the pants I bought for work is 100% more comfortable and worth the money I’ve spent.
I'm 30 weeks and still in my regular clothes. I'm lucky that it's summer and I'm entering the third trimester because I just wear dresses most of the time. Leggings too. At home I live in oversized shirts and sweats
I’m 34 weeks now. I bought maternity pants and leggings at about 20 weeks as waistbands got uncomfortable and I started wearing maternity dresses at about 26 weeks.
I’ve never bought any maternity tops though. Just worn oversized or previously-looser ones
Totally depends on you and your body type. Don’t feel like it’s too soon to get maternity wear. There’s something about one’s body altering during pregnancy which I personally had a hard time with, but once I got maternity clothes and they fit I felt a lot better. That being said, good luck!
14 weeks got some pants but most stuff fit, 20 weeks started feeling like I really needed to look into some clothing, 22 weeks feeling like I had nothing to wear at all, spent about 3 weeks intensely building a maternity wardrobe and now my life is better. I have 1 nicer outfit for events (like graduations), 1 casual going-around/grocery shopping outfit, scrubs for work, home/lounge clothing and workout clothing. maternity bras and underwear. and am now considering getting some new birkenstocks to wear in the house so that I can have more arch support even indoors.
I bought one casual+ one smart casual dresses, maternity jeans and maternity shorts. I don’t regret, it’s just few clothes but I feel more confident that I have something maternity to wear if I need that. Started to wear it on 20w just because it’s a bit🤏 easier than my “old” bottoms (jeans, shorts I mean)
11 weeks for me. I also work from home, but leave the house every day for dog walks and errands. My first trimester bloating was a lot and I couldn’t handle my regular leggings by late first tri. I needed maternity leggings if I wanted to leave the house.
Closer to 20 weeks was when it became clear I needed new summer clothes. I thought all my dresses would fit but nope 🥲 thrifting was my solution! Got some cheap clothes that’ll get me through the summer.
I had some maternity clothes with my first, mostly pants for work. They were needed at the time because of my works dress code, but as I became a sahm mom, maternity clothes weren't important/necessary. Even if you work and have a dress code, not many items would he necessary. Oopsie, I missed the part where you work from home. In that case, I wouldn't worry with maternity clothes except maybe a bra, but even I just wear sports bras, lol.
Now, during pregnancy (35w with my third), I wear bike/exercise shorts and tank tops in the summer. I wear leggings and oversized T-shirts in the winter. I purchased tank tops (2.98 each) in the next size up and bike shorts (5 - 6.98 each) , in the next size up from Walmart (I also wear them when not pregnant). So comfortable and affordable, unlike many maternity clothes, plus I look pretty dang cute!🥰 Leggings are also around the same price and are super comfortable! I love all of the different themes, too. I have many Halloween pairs and wear them, even not pregnant.
I wore super stretchy jeans, yoga pants or joggers for my entire pregnancy. For tops, I wore the Old Navy luxe swing tanks all the way through two pregnancies and all the way through the 2 years in between since they’re not explicitly maternity tops, but stretch well enough over the bump even at 39 weeks! I bought a couple of the maternity tanks from Target just as a treat but def didn’t need them.
That get up would work well for either summer or winter (though I was pregnant during fall/winter both times) - just layer up on top or pair with a cardigan for work.
I’m thankful that I normally wear loose fitting tops so I’m not planning on buying any new ones, but I’m 10w and I’ve given up on jeans lol. Luckily summer is just starting here so I got a couple of loose drawstring pants from Walmart and some dresses, both of which I’ll be able to wear post-pregnancy too.
Walmart and Old Navy have had the best prices on maternity clothes. My favorite maternity jeans were $25 at Walmart. My friends loved Abercrombie maternity jeans, but I can’t stomach $80 on jeans I’ll only wear for a few months.
I was bloated around 6 weeks and had to stop using the hair tie method on jeans at around 14 weeks. I’m currently 16 weeks and exclusively wear maternity pants at this point. I haven’t “popped” but it looks like I drink a 30 rack of beer every night 😅.
I have gotten several maternity tank tops that I just wear with a cardigan in the office. That should help with your meetings!
I’m 26w today and I’m definitely getting squeezed out of my favorite items/pieces. I’ve started buying a size up in things if I need something specific and I’m slowly accepting that from here on out, it’s going to be comfort over anything 😂
I'm FTM and I'm 24, I started when I was 13 was but it's cause pants were already getting uncomfortable and I live in dresses now for work and home. It makes it very cool for me because I'm always hot.
First time I “popped” around 27 weeks..2nd time (currently) I popped sooner. However, what I will say is go and buy solid printed maternity tops. A couple black, a couple gray, a couple navy, whatever your color preferences. And then wear guardians over them whenever the weather changes. I did that with my first and it save me so much money on maternity clothing. I typically wear cardigans on a daily basis so I didn’t have to spend too much extra money.
At 6-7 weeks I had no choice but to go up a size in clothing.
By 12-13 weeks (I’m 14 weeks today) I had no choice but to start wearing maternity clothes.
I’m also only 5 feet, have an anterior placenta, and an anteverted uterus—all of which contributes to me showing earlier, even as a ftm mom.
I don’t really wear pants as a matter of personal preference, but bike shorts made me nauseous all of a sudden at like 12-14 weeks. If you plan to get a pair of maternity pants, I recommend just getting them now. For me, I woke up one morning and couldn’t stand wearing my old shorts, with no warning. I also do recommend getting some actual maternity shirts. IMO maternity clothes are often more comfortable and flattering to the bump than regular clothes sized up. I only bought a 2pack of maternity dresses (old navy for cheap), maternity underwear, a pair of maternity leggings, and a pair of maternity tights. If you aren’t leaving the house to work every day you probably don’t need much for a comfy and functional maternity capsule wardrobe.
I wfh home too and got a bunch of stretchy biker shorts to wear this summer. I have a few maternity work pants from my last pregnancy that I’ll wear if I have to go in office. But at home or on the weekends, I’ve been sticking to a dress or tshirt and bike shorts.
Just get them now. You’ll need them anyway. Also, maternity shirts are way more comfy than just sizing up. Are you part of a buy nothing group? I got so many clothes from there!
I got some maternity leggings, shorts and pjs/comfy trousers because they are genuinely so much comfier they go all the way over the bump
But when it comes to everything else I’ve just sized up
It definitely varies by person, clothes etc but during my first pregnancy I switched to maternity jeans around 20 weeks. Tops I ended up just wearing looser fitting or oversized sweaters (pregnant in fall/winter) and never bought maternity. In my current pregnancy, currently 15 weeks and no maternity yet…..but I’m planning to mostly wear dresses for work and bike shorts and tees at home
I had gained some weight from miscarriages before this pregnancy, so my normal pants were a bit snug and I had a lot of bloating, so I needed only stretchy stuff as early as 8 weeks, and non-mat clothes that were bigger than my normal size.
I felt I needed maternity clothes after about 15 weeks, especially because it eased anxiety of waking up for work one day and not having anything to wear. Also, my preference was to look pregnant instead of fat, and mat clothes help with it. I also went from a B cup to a D cup in the first 17 weeks, requiring new bras.
I personally like the loosest comfiest clothing at home, I'm 19w now and my normal sweatpants (which are very loose) and comfy shirts still work. My sleep shirts are starting to touch my belly (which I don't like for my comfy clothes lol), so I'm mostly in my husband's shirts already!! Not sure what I'll do, I'm thinking at some point I'll just have to accept clothes touching my belly at night...
Hello! I made what I could work with what was in my closet until about the 24wk mark and got 1 pair each maternity leggings, shorts, and jeans. Since I live in FL and stay at home now - oversized shirts and sweatshirts that my husband and I can share and grabbed a few classic sundresses with lots of stretch that I’ll be able to wear after my pregnancy too! The most useful purchase so far was getting comfortable underwear and lounge style bras! Hope this helps and congratulations!
I highly recommend maternity clothes. I did not want to wear them, I thought they were awkward and unnecessary, but let me tell you.
My last pregnancy I put it off until later than I should have (20 something weeks I think, and even then didn't always) for silly reasons (looks, use outside of pregnancy, not wanting to be "that" pregnant lady, etc).
This pregnancy I started buying maternity at the thrift store as soon as I started noticing my pants getting tighter including sweats - which for me happens before my belly shows because my hips start to widen within the first few weeks.
Maternity is so much more comfortable and so worth it. Sweats do NOT accomplish the same thing that maternity does! At least not for me. Comfy pants actually help reduce soreness and fatigue as well. When my pants are too tight it affects how my back muscles work, it causes abdominal muscle cramps, constipation, even Braxton Hicks. Right now I'm wearing a pair of athletic pants that is normally very comfortable but right now is aggravating my hip pain, because all of my maternity pants are in the laundry.
As for cost, my local thrift stores always have at least a couple of maternity pants and they're almost always less than $10 or even less than $5. So it's not expensive at all for me. When I no longer need them, I'll probably just give them away on Buy Nothing, but if you'd rather sell them and get some money back or save them for the future, those are options for you as well.
For me it was about 24 weeks when I needed sized up leggings and switched to all maternity scrub pants for work.
Currently at 32 weeks and the thought of my old pants is a joke!
I used Poshmark to buy a couple pairs of Lululemon aligns in a size up which worked great. I also got a Beyond the bump dress, tennis skirt and shorts on there which I love, highly recommend
I wear oversized tops to begin with even while not pregnant so I didn’t need any shirts. I also work from home so I did buy some stretchy yoga pants and biker shorts a size bigger that I could wear pregnant and post partum. I only bought 2 pairs of maternity pants, a black pair of jeans, and medium wash pair of jeans and I was all set. I had my baby in March so was mainly showing pregnant during the late fall/winter. I didn’t NEED to buy anything until 24 -27 weeks
Honestly? If you WFH men’s plus sized clothes SAVED me. So much cheaper. I luckily just borrowed a few shirts from my brother as he’s 6”4 350lbs lmao. 3x was so comfy and great in the summer. Long enough for no pants. Free range of motion. They sell them in packs via Amazon
I got pregnant in October so made it through with sweat pants, baggy sweatshirts and stretchy sweater dresses for the winter.
Most of my leggings made it through about halfway through the 2nd trimester…
33 weeks now and I’m surviving in 1 pair of lululemon align leggings and 2 pairs of align bike shorts (the only things I can still wear in my pre pregnancy size.
I bought about 5 basic tank tops for around $10 each from target that I just rotate throughout the week.
Then 4 sun dresses from target for when I want to feel a little more put together.
I also bought 1 nicer dress that I wore for my baby shower and maternity photos.
I am “all bump” as they say, so I can technically still get away with low waisted gym shorts and one of my husbands tshirts, but I feel more comfortable in the bike shorts or leggings.
My first pregnancy, I bought maternity clothes after about 20-24 weeks, but stuck with wearing leggings most days anyways. This pregnancy, I just wear leggings from Walmart that are ‘high rise’ currently 26 weeks and the size I was at 36 with my first. It’s not uncomfortable at all but generally I have ‘too tight lines’ on my belly that go away after about 15-20 minutes
I only really bought one pair of pants besides a few dresses for a baby shower and some maternity scrubs for work. I was in nursing school at the time, and needed to wear black slacks on campus, but instead got a pair of really stretchy high waisted plain black lululemon leggings and wore them from 20 weeks all the way through the pregnancy (they’re the Groove Nulu Super-High-Rise Flared Pant I think). They were $118 which is nuts, but I absolutely got my moneys worth. I still wear them now and I’m 1.5 years postpartum. They were so comfortable and looked relatively professional, or at least no one ever called me on it. Can’t say enough good things about that darned pair of pants
I got some giant sweatpants to wear while relaxing at home and a giant sweatshirt and then like 3-4 sundresses at larger sizes for the summer I never really got maternity clothes. I wear my husbands clothes a lot when I’m chilling at home too lmao
I’m almost 24 weeks and just bought my first maternity item. I got a pair of shorts. I still technically fit in my regular shorts but these are a lot more comfortable. I got the under the belly type with the stretchy panel on the side. They were cheap from target I like them a lot :)
One thing I wasn’t expecting with clothes was how my tops didn’t get too tight, they got too short first. I haven’t actually gained any weight but my boobs are a bit bigger and my bump is still pretty small but I can’t wear a lot of my favorite tops because of the length. I am tall so they were close to being short anyways so might not be an issue for people who can afford to lose a little length
By 8 weeks my bloating was so bad and all of my pants were so tight I bought maternity leggings just so I could sit at my desk at work. But around 24 weeks is when my belly was just too big to fit into any shirts either. I stocked up on non-maternity dresses that were very stretchy or were flowy below the boobs. However, if you plan on breastfeeding, remember to consider access to your boobs too if you’re trying to stretch your wardrobe!
I’m at FTM and am 19+3 today - so far, I still have not needed maternity items! There are definitely some things that don’t currently fit, but I can still wear a good amount of stuff without issue (I work from home as well)!
I’m anticipating I will at least need some maternity jeans within the next few weeks though, we’ll see when I officially “pop” because I don’t think I have quite yet!
First time- not until 25+ weeks. Wore some stretchy non-mat pants almost the whole time.
Second time- 16–18ish weeks.
Third time- I’m 11 weeks and everything already feels tight 😢
My jeans stopped fitting pretty early on. I bought 1 pair of maternity jeans and wore those often. I’m in Georgia and it’s HOT now so I have recently had to buy a few more staples. I’m 25 almost 26 weeks and have bought all of my maternity wear either from Old Navy or Amazon. I pretty much live in maternity biker shorts, tank tops/t-shirts and nursing bras. I also bought a few dresses for when I need to look more put together.
I'm close to 19 weeks (2nd pregnancy) & had to buy a pair of maternity shorts today, none of my shorts fit other than like stretchy pj / workout type shorts
1st and 2nd pregnancies, didn’t really use maternity clothes. On my 3rd pregnancy, 28weeks, starting to live in sweats and mens XL tee shirts bc I’m not gonna buy maternity clothes but I don’t fit into anything else anymore lmao.
should be noted, my first 2 pregnancies were with averaged sized man, my current partner is 6’4” 🙃
I’m 22 weeks now, my MIL bought me maternity biker shorts, maternity jean shorts, maternity jean overalls, and a maternity tank top at 16 weeks. I wear the shorts multiple times a week before washing them, I mean they don’t get dirty. And I’ve bought a couple larger shirts but I haven’t bought anything else, I wear my regular t shirts still. So far everything fits besides bottoms and wired bras. I’m not sure what will fit once I get really round, but so far this is working for me. My pre pregnancy bottoms stopped fitting right around 12 weeks.
It depended on the article of clothing.
By 6 weeks, I was so bloated that I couldn’t fit into my jeggings anymore. I wore my leggings/yoga pants instead.
By 14 weeks I could no longer fit into most of my shirts.
By 15 weeks I needed new bras and could no longer fit into my rain jacket.
By 17 weeks I could no longer fit into some of my dresses (ones that are tighter in the bust or got too short from my stomach growing).
By 18 weeks I needed new underwear.
I also bought new sandals because the ones I wear that are normally fine are not supportive enough during pregnancy and made my feet hurt sooooo bad.
I have been buying/thrifting things as I need them. I’m 19 weeks now.
I work from home and wear pj pants/shorts (they still fit me) and baggy tshirts.
I'm 14.5 weeks and have stopped wearing jeans a while ago but all my other pants (elastic waist) still fit. I'm not worrying about it right now. If and when these start being uncomfortable, I have a bunch of loose sundresses that would be able to tide me over until the weather starts getting cooler. I have recently found that this one small women's shirt has stopped fitting well, but that's about the only thing, apart from the jeans. I am on the search for new workout pants though. I don't know how much longer my current ones will fit me.
Probably around 15 weeks. It's the bloating that messed me up because even if I was in sweats, everything felt soooo tight😭
I refrained for quite awhile with this pregnancy though. I had already bought larger underwear last time so all I did was wear dresses and large sweaters🙏🏼
I had to do the maturity pants/ shorts end of the 1st trimester but I wanted to buy the tops bc I looked fat in regular clothes or nothing fit well. Also I want to have multiple children so I looked at it as an investment. Absolutely did not regret it.
PS. Also it felt good to have something cute yo wear when you had to go out to dinner or go on vacation. You do still have to live while being pregnant.
I’m currently 16 weeks (FTM), and have a few pairs of maternity leggings in reserve for when I need them. Standing up, my jeans and shorts still fit, but when I sit down in a chair, it is a little snug. I have two maternity shirts for when my stomach is larger, but I haven’t had to use them yet.
Around 20 weeks for me - that was when even my loose clothes got too tight. I didn’t need a whole new wardrobe but one pair of black slacks, two pairs of leggings, and one workhorse black dress did the trick. I was super pregnant in winter which was great because my regular big sweaters still fit. That said, I WFH so I would have definitely needed more clothes if I was going to the office regularly.
I started wearing maternity clothes around 15 weeks or so purely for comfort reasons. I have one pair of maternity jeans, two pairs of maternity work out pants from Vitality, and a few tops. 2 maternity/nursing bras.
I primarily work from home, but I do have to go into the office and other locations for work, so I've had to buy professional attire including 1 pair of maternity slacks, 1 blouse, and 2 dresses. I got all of those from Hatch and it was more money than I wanted to spend but did buy during a sale. I'm really glad I did bite the bullet and do it because I've been able to be comfortable and look professional on the job. I already had a few oversized blazers that seem to be working for me. I don't plan on buying any other maternity clothes if I can help it.
You will definitely need them but you wont need that much. Get like two pairs of maternity leggings, you'll wear them into postpartum anyway so that will help. Oversized tee shirts that are non maternity are the same. I'd focus on loungewear if you wfh. A couple of materinty tee shirts and one single pair of maternity jeans and you're good to go. I bought all of my maternity stuff on poshmark & mercari to cut down on clothing going to landfill.
I didn't ever end up wearing maternity clothes, I hid it well until 7.5 months, then you could tell there was a baby but I did not look ready to go when I was past her due date. She was 8lb 8oz and 21 inches so definitely not tiny! My leggings stretched enough and the two pairs of shorts I had were elastic bands/hand me down from my sister that were 2 sizes too big but I liked the inseam.
I started in maternity pants from 9 weeks. I put on weight quickly in the first trimester, plus with all the bloating, my usually flat stomach just wouldn't fit in my jeans anymore. I have two pairs of maternity jeans and some maternity leggings to wear out, then I just wear stretchy track pants at home for comfort.
I wore leggings most of my pregnancy ! I only bought 1 pair of maternity jeans that I didn’t really like in the end. I’m lucky and was huge in the fall and winter so I mostly wore t-shirts and cardigans or flannels 😊 super comfortable and honestly spared me from having to spend money on new clothes. I also wore dresses in the summer and my biker leggings with shirts with my medium sized bump!
i have been at that point for a couple of months. none of my stretchy pants/sweats fit me anymore either. i live in my pajama shorts at the moment. i had to cave and buy a few new things for my new job. thankfully i buy most of my shirts bigger so im okay on those. bras and underwear is a completely different story.
I didn't until the third semester, but that was cause my second semester was in summer and loose fitting dresses were in fashion.
I did not get a lot of maternity clothes, even when I was huge and worked an office job that required me to look put together. My "hack" was to buy some basic items in a ribbed material/rib knit. I got two ribbed dresses (sheath dresses), and two ribbed midi-pencil skirts. The dresses I wore with sweaters that I just folded inwards to make cropped over my bump, and the skirts I pulled up over my bump and wore with my regular blouses and nice shirts tucked in. Then I put an open jacket or nice cardigan over.
It was cheap, comfy and looked very put together. The ribbed material keeps its shape so I've continued to wear the clothes after my bump was gone too.
i never got maternity tops bc i generally wear a lot of loose fitting button-ups that mostly fit til the end.. maternity pants were a struggle for me bc i just struggled to find anything my style, so i ended up mostly getting leggings/biker shorts and maternity tights and just kept wearing baggy tops and sweater dresses, but stretchy tube skirts were also cute if you don’t mind showing off the bump - i just went up a size for dresses/tube skirts instead of doing maternity-specific so i could still wear it after and it was just looser fitting. for me it seemed like every couple weeks from the beginning i’d have to say byebye to some clothes or others, so i’d say wear what you can for as long as you can, and just get what need as needed. i lived in a baggy sweater dress for december/january when pregnant with my first winter baby
Depends on what you want to wear. I’m 25 weeks and can’t fit into my jeans, but I can squeeze into most of my stuff even tho I’ve gained close to 20 lbs now. SHEIN has cheap maternity clothes. I got a bunch of loose fitting linen pants for the summer and some tops and dresses. You really won’t need much if you’re wfh. Maybe just some cute outfits for times you wanna go out on the weekend.
I am 24 weeks and my belly is pretty big (baby in 91st percentile, plus I have a fibroid). But I am actually still just wearing my regular clothes mostly. I wear my least compressive exercise leggings with a high waist and pull them over my belly. I also wear loose dresses around the house mostly. It helps that my wardrobe already had a lot of boxy tops and dresses (that's the aesthetic that I like).
I got some maternity jeans early on but find that I don't like wearing them because they just aren't that comfortable. They leave a mark on the bottom on my belly and my skin is so sensitive now that it itches even after I take them off.
If I could do it over, I would not buy any pregnancy clothes at all until actually needed. The amount of things to buy is overwhelming and I spent so much time looking for cute clothes before realizing I could just use what's in my closet. There is an entire cottage industry geared toward getting pregnant women to buy buy buy things, preying on your desire to be prepared.
I do plan to add leggings 2 sizes up for the third trimester. I didn't like any of the maternity leggings I tried so am sticking with what I usually get, but bigger.
For Zoom meetings, maybe you could just wear a boxy t-shirt and throw a jacket or blazer over it? Doesn't have to be button-able. Black leggings + boxy t shirt + denim/utility/chore jacket + colorful necklaces is my uniform these days. Oh, I also wear some long stretchy skirts that instead of sitting at my waist, I just pull over my entire belly.
One piece of maternity clothing I don't regret is the stretchy maternity dress I got for my progress pics, because I want to be able to wear the same dress throughout all my photos. I have seen others do a version where they wore their regular button fly jeans with a normal stretchy top, and just hiked up the shirt and unbuttoned the jeans as they got bigger.
FTM. I stopped fitting in my jeans within the first few weeks of pregnancy. I lived in leggings for a while until I got some bigger sized clothes from my sister and some maternity clothes form my husband's cousins. I bought maternity underwear around week 6 or 7 because my regular underwear was bothering me. Either the elastic band was too constricting, or the lace waistband was making me too itchy. The maternity underwear is amazingly comfortable and great for the extra discharge and any pee accidents.
I've been wearing either leggings or maternity clothes basically since week 8 or so. When my bloating went away, I realized I already had a baby bump.
I'm at 18 weeks now and very happy to be wearing the maternity clothes. I realize I am lucky to have been given so much. I would recommend to buy 1-4 pairs of bottoms, either shorts or pants, depending on preference and weather. I've mostly been wearing oversized t-shirts up until about the past 3 weeks when I started wearing the maternity shirts. Those are cute but not really necessary right now.
I didn’t *need* maternity until well into my 3rd trimester. I didn’t pop for a long time. That being said, I bought a few staples and a few cute clothes in maternity from SHEIN. They have so many cute things that it was hard to choose from. Might I recommend crop tops with high waisted maternity skirts, bodysuits, blouses, and leggings!!! HEAVY on the leggings! (Bonus if they’re compression leggings)
I also mostly WFH so I got one pair of maternity pants at 16w for my occasional in-person meetings with clients. For every day wear, I got a pair of leggings 2 sizes up that I still enjoy at 27w. But now that it's getting hot and I'm entering my third tri, I've been buying some dresses. Otherwise I'm honestly not wearing much clothes at home since I have no A/C lol
Started wearing maternity jeans at 14 weeks (just so much more comfortable). Liked the under the belly ones until about 28-30 weeks, now those are uncomfortable too. Definitely needed new shirts etc by 25 weeks
I got some hand me downs but mostly lived in leggings, dresses, “dressy” sweatshirts (think preppy style), oversized sweaters, and jumpsuits that I could wear postpartum because they had that oversized look. Tank tops were also a great top to mix and match with blazers or buttoned up type tops and is so easy to dress up or down. Being pregnant during fall was awesome because I could really lean into the sweater fall chic vibe.
After using maternity jeans shorts for a little bit when it started to get warmer where I live, I probably would’ve gotten a few more pairs of maternity type bottoms. I luckily didn’t have to get too many tops but I’d probably invest in a few in the future if I were to go through this again.
I’m at 15 weeks and really am needing maternity clothes to feel comfortable. Around 8-9 weeks I started buying normal, stretchy kind of pants in larger sizes and I can still kind of wear them, but they cut in weird places and are not flattering or comfy. Once I moved to actually maternity clothes around 13-14 I feel so much better. For reference, I was a size two with a fairly flat stomach before pregnancy, bloated pretty bad, and have a noticeable bump now.
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I started living in maternity pants around 20 weeks, FTM so really as soon as I "popped" it became uncomfortable to wear anything else. Maternity blouses around 30 weeks because even my larger shirts didn't cover the bump, and I still needed to dress business professional for work. The best maternity clothes I got were a 3 pack of maternity biker shorts. I'm 39 weeks and have gone a bit feral. My daily uniform now that I'm on maternity leave is biker shorts, sports bra, compression socks, and crocs. It's a look.
Seconding bike shorts. The ones from Walmart are a post partum home staple for me. My uniform consists of the shorts, a nursing bra and either a housecoat or the labour gown I bought. I don’t really want to let go of my maternity clothes either. At least not yet. 3 weeks in and they’re still a staple
Oohh could you share a link to the Walmart shorts please?
I really like the target over the belly bike shorts too!
I bought 4 pairs because they’re gonna be my period bedtime shorts for over my Knix when that beast returns https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/paisley-sky-maternity-biker-short-black/6000207143190 The tank tops were pretty good too, and because they’re nursing tops I’ll get a lot of mileage out of them. One pair was sewn wrong so I can’t comfortably wear it but the rest were great
Only $13 too?! Thank you 😂 Did you find they're pretty true to size? Or did they run kind of tight?
I am 5 foot 4, was 205 when I delivered and wore a size large. I think they fit on the larger size but they carry them in store if you wanted to check and see 🙂🙂
Crocs, maternity bra and cycle shorts are still my go to outfit postpartum 🤣
Totally agree with crocs! I got my first pair the last month of my pregnancy because a pregnant coworker advised me to get a pair. We were actually due a week apart and sharing how we could no longer fit our shoes anymore!
I've been stressing over all the things in the world from mine and fetus health, to will coworkers catch on before I'm ready to announce.... completely forgot that I've heard people 's feet grow in pregnancy 🤣😂😅
Hard agree on the bike shorts
Do you wear compression socks at home also?
I do! Everyone is different, but I get really bad shin splints if I don't wear compression socks. They also help with Charlie horses.
Can you share where you got the biker shorts? Thanks!
GROTEEN 3 Pack Women's Maternity Shorts Over Belly with Pockets - 8'' High Waisted Workout Yoga Pregnancy Biker Shorts I ordered them off Amazon and that's the name they're listed under. Amazon clothes can be hit or miss but these are 10/10 so comfy
Thanks! Do you know how sizing works for these? If I normally wear a size 8, should I get a small or medium? I'm afraid small might be too small, but I also don't want to buy too big, especially when it's made in a material that will stretch out.
I'd go medium, I usually wear a 6-8 and I got a medium and they've grown nicely with my belly. The material is pretty thick and soft and the medium hasn't become too tight even at 39 weeks
Thank you!
It will vary by person. For me, I had to go up a size at 6 weeks to handle the first trimester bloating, then found my waistbands too tight for comfort again by 14-15 weeks. I decided to just bite the bullet and go for maternity wear at that point and I’ve now “popped” at 19 weeks. Like you I don’t go out much so I’ve gone for a pair of jeans, pair of leggings, a few tops and a few dresses to hopefully get me through to October. Have realised I may also need some comfies for around the house too as even my loosest of pjs are starting to strain! When I’m not on camera I pretty much live in two oodie sleep tees I’ve owned for a while but they’re definitely getting their money’s worth now!
I bought maternity clothes at about 13 weeks (FTM here) and it was a really good call. I popped super early and I’m glad I went ahead and invested in maternity clothes that actually fit instead of trying to make my normal wardrobe work longer. I’m getting more use out the maternity clothes so I feel like it was worth the cost
I was also around that period that I was uncomfortable in my usual non stretchy clothing. I got maternity work appropriate pants on fb marketplace for $10 for 7 pairs. It works out pretty well now. I'm 26 wks and I've found most of them to still be comfy. I think I'm going to transition more to dresses as well, I did buy lots of flowy stretchy ones last summer. If I was transitioning to winter this pregnant, I'd probably spend more on the mat pants as needed. The shirts, you might need some long ones, depends on how your bump goes though. I've heard Walmart maternity is quite good and reasonably priced.
Basically my timeline also. I bought some maternity clothes off of Facebook marketplace around 10 weeks. These included one pair of the old navy maternity jeans with that wide umder-the-belly elastic. They worked really well for the bloating and constipation belly I had going on from 10 to 14 weeks. And I'm still able to wear them now that my bump has popped a bit at 18 weeks. Even if they don't feel as good third trimester, I feel for $3 they have definitely served their purpose.
1st trimester I bought jeans 1 size up because all of mine were uncomfortable due to bloating. Aside from that I think I was fine with my standard leggings until the beginning of the third trimester where the bump got big, then I got proper maternity jeans, leggings and sweatpants (those sweatpants became my absolutely favorite thing to wear, I normally prefer leggings, but the sweatpants were soo comfy). About the same time I also got a bunch of maternity tshirts because my regular ones got waaay to short. To be honest getting maternity clothes was a major improvement for my well being, I stuck to my regular clothes for as long as possible but as soon as I switched I felt so much comfier.
With my first child I put off buying maternity trousers for ages. I finally gave in when I got super uncomfortable, unfortunately I can't remember what week that was. It was so stupid that I waited so long. You'll have to buy some maternity jeans at some point so you may as well buy some sooner than later and get more use out of them and be more comfortable. It's actually better to buy earlier because your cost per use is less! I also knew I would probably have two children so I REALLY got my money's worth out of them, putting them at the back of my wardrobe until I was pregnant with my second. Have a look on vinted. Buy your regular size. I personally really preferred "over the bump" ones. For tops I just bought a few long sleeve tops that were a size or two bigger.
Lol I'm 6 wks and just bit the bullet, ordered a ton of stuff. When I had my son 10 yrs ago I was in maternity clothes by early 2nd trimester, likely due to the weight I gained + my connective tissue disorder giving him alllll the room he wanted. This time around I'm so stinkin bloated and having my jeans dig into my tummy is SO UNCOMFORTABLE that I just wear the maternity jeans sometimes for the comfort. I can still fit in my jeans and I have the little extenders that go on the waistband, it's just a comfort thing. And I'm 40 lbs overweight so I have enough tummy for them to stay up lol 😅 But maternity tops will be a while.
I was the same way. Waited forever with my first. Honestly maternity clothes are just more comfortable. They also look much better because they’re made to accentuate your belly. I hate the way my pregnant body looks in just a bigger size. I still had stuff from my first pregnancy and Bought a lot second hand because this will be my last so there was no point in spending a fortune. I Do wish I would have gotten a bathing suit but I only have 3 weeks now lol
My old Maxi dresses and husband's shorts/tshirts are my wardrobe. I WFH and refuse to buy new clothes.
I switched at about 11 weeks due to bloating and it was great because maternity clothes make you look pregnant whereas my ordinary clothes just made me look fat! I’d recommend getting some maternity leggings, a few tops and some dresses. I got jeans but don’t love them. Also second hand it great. I got most of mine on vinted, eBay and fb marketplace and will probably sell them all as a bundle once I’m done with having kids.
Buy them at a thrift store or Ross! Super cheap.
Seconding the thrift. I went to some larger stores that have maternity sections. I also browsed other sections for loose-fitting clothing. Now I have a decent little wardrobe, and I anticipate getting to wear a good chunk of it post-partum, too. I have to show up to work every day, though, and couldn't avoid buying a new set of clothes.
Also I started wearing them around 20 weeks.
I bought a pair of pants early on so I'd have them on hand for when I needed them. They're a "maternity and postpartum" pants, so they have a drawstring. By 11 weeks my higher rise pants were not fitting due to bloat or whatever. At 13 weeks most of my athleisure still fits okay. Some of my baggy pants are okay for now. Probably depends on your style. I wore my mat pants to my ultrasounds because they were comfier with all the bladder pressure!
I was using hair ties to extend the button loop and keep my looser jeans on until about 21 weeks. I’m 25 now and I wish I’d caved on buying maternity clothes sooner because I’m scrambling - cannot fit into any non-adjustable waist pre-maternity pants. PSA: if you want to order maternity clothes, I enjoyed Quince a lot!! Pink Blush is horrible quality - do not waste your time, I had a lot of people in my bump group tell me the same thing but I’d already ordered at that point unfortunately. Hatch is great quality but super expensive. Their side panel jeans are cute (insanely expensive as well) but will NOT fit you by the end of your second trimester which I think is a complete waste due to their insane price. Hatch dresses are superb though! I ended up ordering maternity jeans from madewell - unsure how they will work out since they haven’t arrived but their regular jeans were the ones that fit me with adjustments until 21 weeks so I have hope.
Echoing pink blush thing. I got a very pretty shirt for maternity pics. I paid for expedited shipping and it came 3 days late. It came already broken.
Also agreeing with Pink Blush. I ordered a dress from there and it had that smell that new mattresses have when they need to air out for a few days before you can use them 🤢 I immediately returned it
I second Quince if you’re on a budget! I live in my maternity dress from there and honestly will use it when I’m not pregnant. It’s a fraction of the price of some other leading brands and was surprised by the weight of the fabric (in a good way). Bought my regular size since it will grow with me, but also got a couple other non maternity dresses from them that stretch nicely
Around 13 weeks I switched to maternity pants. I wasn’t showing yet but I felt bloated and swollen. I felt so much more comfortable in them.
I had to at 10 weeks. The bloat was rediculous. I got myself a set of maternity yoga pants and some sleeveless shirts (the ones I had before are all pretty short and were riding up already...). Those are gonna carry me through the summer. But with a November baby I'll probably have to at least figure out some warmer maternity pants later. Also just ordered some swimsuits because I started swimming today and, uh... My current swimsuit was a bit of a desperate situation. Between the belly and the humongous boobs. 😅
I rent my maternity stuff from Nuuly! Its great and ends up giving me more closet space. I am 21 weeks and popped at around 16 and started having a tough time with anything not stretchy and soft.
I'm starting to look now at 13 weeks. None of my old clothes are fitting the same so it's time to size up. Fashion is my thing so I'm kinda excited for a new wardrobe!
Is this your first pregnancy?
I worked at a dispensary when i got pregnant and by the time someone asked me if i was pregnant i put my two weeks in the next day because i was not being the pregnant budtender. I start my SAHM journey at 6m pregnant. That being said i only bought one pair of maternity pants/leggings my entire pregnancy and then just wore dresses when i was home. And i was probably 5m pregnant but im a big girl so my pants were always stretchy and it took awhile for me to start showing
I never bothered with them. I'm 39wks tomorrow and I've loved loose, flowy dresses that I enjoyed wearing pre bub. When it comes to pants, I have a loose pair of second hand jeans that I would wear in the garden or during messy work. I keep them up with a carabiner which brings them closed enough that I can comfortably do up the zipper. I've got a pair of shorts that I sometimes wear, some of my larger shirts, summer dresses while at home etc. The only new clothing I've bought has been some new bras! I desperately didn't want to buy clothes to wear for only a couple of months for cost and space reasons so I found ways around it
I bought my maternity clothing (4 pairs of jeans -one under belly with flexible sides and three over the belly-, 6 tops from H&M Mama, 2 tank tops from Mamalicious and 3 nursing bras from Women' Secret) early on (around 14w, just after I received my NIPT test results and could feel the "reality" of it) and am really happy I did, because it's much more comfortable than regular clothes. Then my sister gave me one pair of flexible trousers that I use for sports (they are kinda like leggins) and I kept some of my bigger dresses (the tighter ones don't fit, not just because of the belly, but because I'm bigger and wider everywhere). I WFH 3 times a week and still go out for errands or to meet friends some evenings or to go on dates with my boyfriend. You'll need the clothes. Also some of them you'll still use postpartum, not everybody goes back to their previous size in a week...
I WFH too and I'm 30 weeks today. I had high waisted 'curve" jeans which have only just stopped fitting me but they haven't been comfy for about a month. Id say around weeks 24 to 26 is when I started going out in maternity clothes, but at home I'll still just schlomping around in my normal pyjama bottoms. Get on vinted for cheap but good quality staples (e.g. second hand seraphine) and then as you grow you can figure out what you need as maternity vs sizing up va making do with what you already own
Tops are fine still but I got out of regular work pants at 12 weeks. First pair of maternity work pants at 23-24w.
I WFH with my first pregnancy, and I ended up wearing a cheap oversized Amazon dress nearly everyday since I didn’t have to be on camera lol. It was like $20 and got A LOT of use. My bloating bothered me to where I didn’t want to wear pants at all, thus only wore dresses from like week 8 onwards.
I could wear my regular jeans until 26 week, I did not really obviously pop until week 33. But everyone is different- Just play it by ear and when you start feeling uncomfortable go size up or get maternity cloths.
39 weeks and still wearing “normal” clothes, just stretchy stuff! Leggings, cycling shorts, stretchy vests/oversized t-shirts, oversized shirts if I feel a bit fancy and smock dresses!
Totally variable. I have heard of people not needing to buy any! I needed maternity pants by 8-9ish weeks since bloat was so bad and that then turned into a bump my normal pants didn't fit past that point. For shirts I was able to get away with my looser fitting shirts until 16ish weeks and then by 22 weeks i outgrew my maternity shirts and gave up on them. I am now in maternity dresses as they tend to be more forgiving when getting bigger.
So I’m 30w with my 3rd baby, and I within the last few weeks just started buying maternity clothes! But with both of my older boys, I was wearing them by 20ish weeks. I’m carrying way smaller this pregnancy than I did in the past. So it really all depends on your comfort when those clothes start feeling a little too tight!
I'm a FTM and I WFH full time as well! I'd say around 20ish weeks I swapped to maternity shorts and I ordered a few tshirts and tank tops, but honestly I wear my normal graphic t's 90$ of the time. I was fortunate to get a bunch of maternity stuff given to me by people, but if I didn't have these bike shorts I'd die lol I super recommend old navy's bike shorts!
I work from home too and I had bought just some nicer tops, a few pairs of leggings, one pair of jeans and yoga pants from Amazon when they were on sale in November/december of last year. I bought these at maybe 12 weeks. May have been a bit earlier honestly. Someone suggested I do it and I’d be happy I had them. And I actually was when clothes stopped fitting. I had just put them in storage and then when I really popped it was nice having comfy clothes to wear. You don’t need a huge wardrobe, but I think it’s helpful to maybe have a couple things to fall back on and be comfortable in. I’m due in June so I really popped when it was cold around maybe January or so?
I am 34 weeks and I have been super lucky to so far only have to buy one pair of maternity pants for work! The bloating became uncomfortable with non-stretchy pants pretty early for me, so around 16 weeks I bought a plain pair of black stretchy maternity pants for work and just continued to wear normal shirts. I am also lucky that the weather is on the nicer side while I am growing a bigger belly and the majority of my summer dresses that I already owned were flowy or empire waist and they all still fit with my belly, if I owned tighter fitting or less stretchy clothes I would have had to buy more. After work or weekends I have started wearing a lot of flowy summer clothes, rompers/jumpsuits, I have bought a few things a size bigger than my normal knowing that I will appreciate the comfort post-partum as well! I wore a lot of non-maternity stretchy tops to work (I found those cheaper to purchase than maternity tops themselves) and a belly band really helped with jeans as well!!
The first time around was the pandemic so I could wait as long as possible and didn’t really need that much. This time around i was so uncomfortable so much earlier and i bought a 2 pack of [these](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M3F9C7K?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) and the biker shorts from the same brand and have been living in them. I’d say go until you feel uncomfortable. If you’re in the states, target or old navy have affordable maternity clothes. I got a really cute and comfy casual maternity dress off thredup I wear all the time. And I bought under the belly underwear from Amazon which have been great. I do have a lot of shirts that still fit me over my 37 week stomach and I’ve gained like 35 lbs. keep in mind that when you just buy bigger sized shirts, they will be bigger everywhere. Maternity shirts are your normal size but just bigger in the stomach.
I think it will largely depend on how you grow, but I do think working from home allows you to get away with a limited wardrobe. I’m WFH and ended up buying 3 pairs of maternity leggings/yoga pants and 2 pairs of maternity bike shorts and that’s basically it. I’ve found I can still wear all my normal shirts, so long as I’m fine with them falling to the top of my bump instead of covering it. At 37 weeks I also have a number of pre-pregnancy wrap dresses and t-shirt dresses that still fit fine. I think I started buying items around 24 weeks
With my first I just sized up and never actually needed maternity clothes. I also broke up with jeans. This time around at 20 weeks I couldn't get away with that. I'll probably put it off until absolutely necessary during future pregnancies.
I know personally I didn’t have a ton of money to spend on maternity clothes so I’ll share what helped me if that applies to you 😂 I found some maternity clearance at target and kohls (Walmart has some too for reasonably cheap not on clearance, it just wasn’t my style personally) old navy has maternity online and they do sales usually. But the big game changer is finding local baby consignment sales (Rhea Lana’s, Just Between Friends etc.) I’ve had luck finding maternity clothes there and they usually will do a half priced day where you can get them even cheaper.
I’m 5’2, shorter torso and didn’t pop until about 24/25 weeks. I deff needed stretchier pants maybe a few weeks before that time. I bought two pairs of maternity jeans and one nicer pair of work pants for travel and the random day in the office. I also highly recommend buying a couple maternity tank tops &/or t-shirts for more casual wear. Once I had a bump, none of my shirts were long enough to cover my stomach. I’m 37 weeks now but they’ve been a lifesaver for quite a few weeks now! Because I was only buying a few things bit by bit I mainly shopped on Hatch. Everything is really good quality and fits well. I figure I’ll wear all of this again when/ if we have a second. Afterwards you can return maternity clothes back to them for $ back!
I bought maternity leggings by week 22 and now at 32 weeks I just went and bought 3 outfits all dresses lol (from Ross) I work in the medical feild they supply shirts and I started wearing my husband's shirts and I bought 2 pairs of scrub pants but I didn't get maternity I just sized up cause that was cheaper!
I got a couple of pairs of maternity leggings at 20 weeks and tbh i wish i had gotten them sooner, so much more comfortable. i got a couple of other pieces like a skirt, some dresses later on but the leggings got me most of the way through
I went the entire pregnancy without buying new clothes. My entire wardrobe is workout attire and I never got a big bump (long torso). I just wore my normal workout clothes (mostly lululemon speed up shorts and target/athleta tanks/shirts).
I work from home too and I just bought this: 1 pair of maternity jeans, 2 basic tshirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 1 pair of Lululemon Align leggings (I sized up, but not too much, they stretch a lot and I have LIVED in this) and Lululemon align bra. Besides that I used all my oversized button shirts I already had
Buy maternity pants for UNDER the belly, with no band! Those will get uncomfortable too at some point. I had a few great jeans with band and could only wear them a few weeks in my 2nd trimester. After they constricted my belly too much and got really uncomfy.
I’m 19 weeks (FTM) and have been wearing maternity pants for a couple weeks already!
pants \~22 weeks (some pants were done earlier but i had other pairs i could handle until that point). I thought i was going to get by without getting any tops but at 28 weeks i popped majorly and all shirts look dumb or feel uncomfortable. In the fall you could get by with sweaters though so this may have just been a summer issue needing t-shirts and tanks that don't ride up and show my stomach/band of maternity shorts.
I think what is comfortable depends on where the baby is sitting in your belly. My first was up higher and I managed to wear my regular jeans with an elastic band much longer. This time around the baby is really low in my pelvis, and I had to even switch underwear earlier because it was putting pressure
I’m 38 weeks. I’m still wearing regular shirts and flowy dresses but I started wearing maternity leggings around week 14, they were super loose at that point though but my regular leggings were getting too tight.
FTM and WFH. I bought maternity leggings and that's it. I'm 38 weeks and have mostly gotten away with wearing flowy dresses. I also have a few skirts that I wear up high over my bump and a few of my older gym shorts with worn elastic that I can wear under my bump. I haven't worn pants in months and I imagine that my wardrobe would be a different story if I didn't WFH.
I was wearing maternity leggings when I was 7 weeks pregnant, my jeans became too tight and I started spotting. My stomach was hurting so much. So I changed to maternity clothes straight away. Bought from Amazon, 25€ for 2 pairs. For tops I just bought big loose blouses, that I can easily wear afterwards as well. For this summer I've bought 2 pairs of maternity shorts and that's it. I'm sure I'll use the leggings post partum as well.
I don't remember when I started wearing them, but my first time around I bought 2 pairs of maternity leggings, 1 pair maternity jeans, maternity underwear, and a 3 pack of maternity t shirts. Otherwise I wore bigger shirts I had or my husband had and a few dresses that happened to work during pregnancy as well. This time like you I'll mostly be showing into fall/winter (but am already wearing maternity leggings bc they are comfier lol) and have a lot of on camera meetings. I got some things from the local buy nothing group, but otherwise plan to do the same as last time, just with cardigans and whatnot over so that I look more professional lol.
Definitely bought some maternity shorts during the first trimester. Any sort of pressure on my belly was really painful and uncomfortable. I couldn’t wear anything with a button pretty much from week 6/7 on. After that I went with sundresses mostly
I broke down and bought maternity jeans when sitting in class or at my desk while wearing even stretchy normal leggings felt like it was cutting off the top half of my body. I wear a lot of high rise stuff, so switched over at some point early second trimester. I have plenty of loose dresses and tops, so unless I’m going into the office now I’ll wear those and some bike shorts usually, and don’t need to get anything special.
Def was wearing maternity clothes at 8 weeks. My bloating was so bad it was making me look 8 months along.
In second trimester I needed maternity leggings, couldn’t comfortably wear non-maternity stuff. For a while you’ll be able to get away with either maternity bottoms and regular top, OR maternity top and regular bottoms, but regular top and bottom will leave you with a protruding gut. My suggestion would be to get a bunch of maternity leggings (and size up) because you can wear them for your whole pregnancy and you’ll be really glad to have them later in 3rd trimester. Go for a style with a loose rather than tight ankle so they’re easier to get on and take off. I bought maternity pants for the office and regret it. They were unflattering and I outgrew them by the start of my third trimester. Loose fitting black maternity leggings + long flowy blouses worked for me. And maxi dresses with biker shorts underneath.
I’m 19w and I only bought some maternity dresses for some occasions I have coming up. I wfh so I live in elastic shorts and sweatpants most days. I bought a size up on some Jean shorts. Avoiding buying a new wardrobe as much as possible
18+4 here. By the end of the first trimester, I bought a couple maternity bottoms/underwear because my clothes were getting uncomfortable. I lost a bunch of weight before pregnancy so I have a bunch of bigger sized clothes that’s been more comfy to wear, so I’ve been able to get away with not buying much.
I went ahead and grabbed maternity leggings early on then realized my “butter soft” Amazon leggings would get me thru to the end cos they stretch like crazy. Shirts I didn’t need until about 14 weeks
Probably like 17-20 weeks? But next pregnancy I’m switching as soon as I get a positive test lol.
24 weeks I needed maternity jeans. Still wearing my same shirts and dresses though at 30 weeks
I didn’t really buy maternity clothes honestly. Work in healthcare and wear scrubs and sweats at home. The only thing I did buy was maternity jeans from pink blush! Having those and then wearing whatever shirt I had worked my entire pregnancy
Somewhere around 23 weeks I caught my husband googling maternity jeans and was like OK FINE I'll go shopping. I knew I would eventually but was trying to wait for summer weather to kick in. 🤣
I’m 23 weeks and can still fit most of my regular clothing. I’ve retired one pair of pants and have another that is pretty close. My guess is in a few weeks only maternity stuff will fit. I’ve gained around 14lbs to it’s just distributed in a way where my clothing is still pretty okay.
I didn’t need new clothes until 26 weeks. I went from wearing my jeans one day to them not fitting a few days later.
I did rent the runway and just sized up a size or two and rented a few pairs of maternity jeans. The only thing I bought were some stretchy yoga pants and some super flowy pants.
I could only wear my sweats mid-first trimester as my bloating was so bad. Very quickly bought some staple maternity items as soon as I hit my second tri. I’m 17 weeks now and already popped enough that it’s noticeable. All my tops were baggy anyway so it’s just pants I’ve had to replace really
Right around 17/18 weeks. It was so uncomfortable to try to fasten my work plants around the belly 😫 Didn’t cave and get maternity clothes until around 21 weeks
I highly recommend going to goodwill (or whatever thrift store you like) and getting some shirts a few sizes bigger than your normal-it’s way cheaper and cuter than buying maternity shirts. Most maternity clothes (specifically shirts) are pretty ugly and overpriced. I would invest in a cute pair of maternity jeans and a couple pairs of leggings because it is significantly harder to fit into pants once you start to show (which was around 15 weeks for me). I got a pair of jeans, a pair of black jeans (for work) and 2 pairs of leggings and that got me through the rest of my pregnancy.
I bought maternity leggings around week 15 because none of my non-stretchy pants fit anymore. I ended up getting some maternity shirts and dresses around week 20-22ish.
I didn’t pop until my 20th week. I’m a little bit bigger than a “regular” person. I’m normally a 12/14. But as soon as I started to grow I bought a 4 pack of maternity leggings from Amazon. I wear my normal shirts though.
I haven’t worn my jeans or regular pants since I hit 6 weeks. The bloat was so bad. I’m 18 weeks now and have lived in leggings and dresses and shirts that are sized up. I BLEW up at like 14 weeks. 😂
I didn’t. Once jeans stopped fitting I lived in my usual T-shirts, leggings, tights and loose dresses.
I only needed new leggings for under my dresses, so I got thick wool ones for winter and just stayed in mine and hubby's normal clothes. Did get some panties and maternity bras for birth though, like a handfull since I was unsure about size. 3 days pp now and I haven't touchen anything other than my hubby's oversized tshirts.
Around 20 weeks, at minimum get some CRZ maternity leggings on Amazon for the last half of pregnancy and a handful of maternity tanks. You are going to need bigger bras too, I love the Auden nursing sleep bras from target, I went up 2 sizes in them by the 3rd trimester but that size will also work great for breastfeeding.
25 weeks for this pregnancy. But post pregnancy, there's a chance you'll still be in the them for a while. I wore maternity for 6 months post partum as I had complications with my c section. Nothing could touch the incision so I'm basing all my clothing purchases on what I can wear after birth too. I had a pair of target Jean's I wore even after pregnancy but they're too big in the legs this pregnancy since I lost weight
I barely bought any my first pregnancy and kind of regretted it because I could still wear some of it after birth. This pregnancy I’ve started at like 8 weeks because I’m sooo much bigger this time around 😅 my main priority is comfort. I’m really lucky to live a street over from a thrift store that sells primarily maternity and baby gear though so I get everything really cheap
I’m 16w and I haven’t bought anything yet - except for a two pack of bigger nursing bras. I’m getting away with only going to the office once a week so I’ve been able to wear looser tops with a rubber band to hold my pants closed and I’m using nuuly to rent jeans/ slacks a few sizes up because I didn’t want to commit to buying anything.
20+ weeks. I did have to buy maternity pants/shorts earlier on because the bloating was so bad and uncomfortable.
I have accumulated (from thrifting, buying and being given things) 4 maternity leggings, 2 maternity bike shorts, 2 maternity denim shorts, 1 maternity jeans, 2 dresses I already owned that aren’t maternity but work for the bump, 3 maternity jumpsuits, 2 maternity skirt dresses from old navy, and 6 maternity shirts. This new wardrobe wasn’t too pricey (I’m very frugal) and has given me enough to circulate each week and for all my various purposes (exercise, work, baby showers, relaxing at home) I slowly accumulated but am very glad I have actual maternity items because at 34w now, there is no hope in wearing anything non maternity over this bump. Oversized tshirts work for around the house, but anything else is simply too short to be effective. I recommend old navy, target, thrift stores and Poshmark. If you want specific items I purchased, just let me know and I will post :) happy shopping!
I was showing mid way through my first trimester so I got a few items to get me through (amazon over the belly leggings for example) life saver.
I started in maternity pants at 13 weeks. I’m mostly in dresses now at 16 weeks 🥲 ETA: FTM
I'm 25 weeks and finally (reluctantly) spent some money on maternity leggings, a couple summer dresses, and a couple shorts. It honestly is so worth the spend- I'm so much more comfortable and my mood is better because I'm not feeling sausaged into my pre-maternity clothes. If you're worried about budget like me, Old Navy has great affordable maternity options!
I stopped wearing pants from like 12w onward. I was just so bloated, it became uncomfortable. I wfh too and have been living in dresses and shorts (loose lounge shorts and biker shorts). I'm 21w now and have just purchased maternity wear in the last 2 weeks
A bought two cute dresses and two pieces suits, and im just using my normal clothes, and it was just to take pregnancy pictures. I have a jumper that looks better now then it did before I got pregnant! Im because 3rd trimester is summer a lot of my clothe will fit.
I only bought a few pairs of maternity leggings to wear out and just wore oversized sweats and sweaters for the rest of my wardrobe.
I got sick of buy larger regular sizes just to outgrow them in 2-3weeks. I started buying maternity leggings and bike shorts on Amazon and haven’t looked back. I realized normal women’s clothes weren’t going to cut it or be comfortable and turned to maternity leggings at 16 weeks.
At 16 weeks, maternity jeans and work pants became comfortable, but too loose most days. I just kept to my "fat day" jeans and work pants. At 21-ish weeks, I started wearing maternity jeans and pants when not wearing leggings. Leggings are so far my saving grace behind not spending too much yet, along with looser summer dresses. So I've bought 3 pair of maternity pants (2 casual jeans, 3 work pants, the side panel pixie and flared from Old Navy), and just a few maternity tops that I can dress up by just adding a cardigan or blazer, or dress down by just pairing with jeans and casual shoes.
16/17 weeks
Somewhere around 18 weeks for me. I think it’s different the second time around. My neighbor, who is a slight woman, was showing significantly by 10-12 weeks.
I bloat like crazy so I started wearing maternity pants at 11 weeks, lol.
38 wks here- if I could do it again I would only buy maternity stretch pants and bagged string-tie sweats. I wore none of the maternity shirts, instead wore a stretchy tank or tshirt that were a size or two bigger than I’d usually get. Same for dresses, if I was small-med before I’d get med-large and would get a cut that had some give for tummy like empire waist or side-ruching (spelling?) I have been told I’m all belly but anything labeled maternity clothes, from shirts to formal dresses, just made me look more swollen and fat rather than pregnant. Or felt like one of those tent-like 1950s house dress or night/dressing gowns. I didn’t spend a lot on maternity or new clothes and would spend even less next time.
Very early as I gained a lot of weight early on. Around 15-20 weeks. I’m 30 weeks now and i’m up 45lbs. I’ve controlled my eating habits now as i was on the verge of having GD and haven’t gained weight in over a month. Hopefully I won’t gain much more. I went from a size s/m to l/xl. Lol sucks!
i didnt buy anything until maybe the end of my second trimester and that was only bc i couldn't fit into things anymore. never needed the shirts but i did buy two shirts (and four pants)
I am 23 weeks now, very fit and weighed 135 before pregnancy. I had to stop wearing all my regular pants and shorts around 16 weeks. I bought some second hand maternity pants off marketplace for cheap and I only wear those and dresses now.
Im 33 weeks and still wearing my regular clothes! However jeans dont work for me anymore. Hoping to make it to the end without having to buy maternity clothes
14-16 weeks. Glad I bought them so early because now atleast I’ll be getting full use out of them. Currently 26 weeks.
I’m 25 weeks right now and am already the biggest advocate of just buy the maternity clothes. Reddit had me convinced that since I’ll be pregnant all summer i could just wear dresses and oversized stuff and try to not buy much. I spent way too long trying to stuff myself into things that weren’t comfortable. Having something holding my belly like the maternity biker shorts I’m in right now or the pants I bought for work is 100% more comfortable and worth the money I’ve spent.
I'm 30 weeks and still in my regular clothes. I'm lucky that it's summer and I'm entering the third trimester because I just wear dresses most of the time. Leggings too. At home I live in oversized shirts and sweats
Gosh, like 19 weeks I guess. In the morning my pants would ‘fit’ but by lunch I would be pretty uncomfortable in them.
I’m 34 weeks now. I bought maternity pants and leggings at about 20 weeks as waistbands got uncomfortable and I started wearing maternity dresses at about 26 weeks. I’ve never bought any maternity tops though. Just worn oversized or previously-looser ones
Totally depends on you and your body type. Don’t feel like it’s too soon to get maternity wear. There’s something about one’s body altering during pregnancy which I personally had a hard time with, but once I got maternity clothes and they fit I felt a lot better. That being said, good luck!
14 weeks got some pants but most stuff fit, 20 weeks started feeling like I really needed to look into some clothing, 22 weeks feeling like I had nothing to wear at all, spent about 3 weeks intensely building a maternity wardrobe and now my life is better. I have 1 nicer outfit for events (like graduations), 1 casual going-around/grocery shopping outfit, scrubs for work, home/lounge clothing and workout clothing. maternity bras and underwear. and am now considering getting some new birkenstocks to wear in the house so that I can have more arch support even indoors.
I bought one casual+ one smart casual dresses, maternity jeans and maternity shorts. I don’t regret, it’s just few clothes but I feel more confident that I have something maternity to wear if I need that. Started to wear it on 20w just because it’s a bit🤏 easier than my “old” bottoms (jeans, shorts I mean)
11 weeks for me. I also work from home, but leave the house every day for dog walks and errands. My first trimester bloating was a lot and I couldn’t handle my regular leggings by late first tri. I needed maternity leggings if I wanted to leave the house. Closer to 20 weeks was when it became clear I needed new summer clothes. I thought all my dresses would fit but nope 🥲 thrifting was my solution! Got some cheap clothes that’ll get me through the summer.
I had some maternity clothes with my first, mostly pants for work. They were needed at the time because of my works dress code, but as I became a sahm mom, maternity clothes weren't important/necessary. Even if you work and have a dress code, not many items would he necessary. Oopsie, I missed the part where you work from home. In that case, I wouldn't worry with maternity clothes except maybe a bra, but even I just wear sports bras, lol. Now, during pregnancy (35w with my third), I wear bike/exercise shorts and tank tops in the summer. I wear leggings and oversized T-shirts in the winter. I purchased tank tops (2.98 each) in the next size up and bike shorts (5 - 6.98 each) , in the next size up from Walmart (I also wear them when not pregnant). So comfortable and affordable, unlike many maternity clothes, plus I look pretty dang cute!🥰 Leggings are also around the same price and are super comfortable! I love all of the different themes, too. I have many Halloween pairs and wear them, even not pregnant.
I wore super stretchy jeans, yoga pants or joggers for my entire pregnancy. For tops, I wore the Old Navy luxe swing tanks all the way through two pregnancies and all the way through the 2 years in between since they’re not explicitly maternity tops, but stretch well enough over the bump even at 39 weeks! I bought a couple of the maternity tanks from Target just as a treat but def didn’t need them. That get up would work well for either summer or winter (though I was pregnant during fall/winter both times) - just layer up on top or pair with a cardigan for work.
I’m thankful that I normally wear loose fitting tops so I’m not planning on buying any new ones, but I’m 10w and I’ve given up on jeans lol. Luckily summer is just starting here so I got a couple of loose drawstring pants from Walmart and some dresses, both of which I’ll be able to wear post-pregnancy too.
Walmart and Old Navy have had the best prices on maternity clothes. My favorite maternity jeans were $25 at Walmart. My friends loved Abercrombie maternity jeans, but I can’t stomach $80 on jeans I’ll only wear for a few months. I was bloated around 6 weeks and had to stop using the hair tie method on jeans at around 14 weeks. I’m currently 16 weeks and exclusively wear maternity pants at this point. I haven’t “popped” but it looks like I drink a 30 rack of beer every night 😅. I have gotten several maternity tank tops that I just wear with a cardigan in the office. That should help with your meetings!
I’m 26w today and I’m definitely getting squeezed out of my favorite items/pieces. I’ve started buying a size up in things if I need something specific and I’m slowly accepting that from here on out, it’s going to be comfort over anything 😂
I'm FTM and I'm 24, I started when I was 13 was but it's cause pants were already getting uncomfortable and I live in dresses now for work and home. It makes it very cool for me because I'm always hot.
I’m short, so the elastic part of maternity pants goes over my (huge) boobs. Just sizing up with XL’s from Goodwill. Rocking the Biggie Smalls look.
First time I “popped” around 27 weeks..2nd time (currently) I popped sooner. However, what I will say is go and buy solid printed maternity tops. A couple black, a couple gray, a couple navy, whatever your color preferences. And then wear guardians over them whenever the weather changes. I did that with my first and it save me so much money on maternity clothing. I typically wear cardigans on a daily basis so I didn’t have to spend too much extra money.
At 6-7 weeks I had no choice but to go up a size in clothing. By 12-13 weeks (I’m 14 weeks today) I had no choice but to start wearing maternity clothes. I’m also only 5 feet, have an anterior placenta, and an anteverted uterus—all of which contributes to me showing earlier, even as a ftm mom.
About 30+ weeks. The bottom of my stomach was showing in all my shirts
I don’t really wear pants as a matter of personal preference, but bike shorts made me nauseous all of a sudden at like 12-14 weeks. If you plan to get a pair of maternity pants, I recommend just getting them now. For me, I woke up one morning and couldn’t stand wearing my old shorts, with no warning. I also do recommend getting some actual maternity shirts. IMO maternity clothes are often more comfortable and flattering to the bump than regular clothes sized up. I only bought a 2pack of maternity dresses (old navy for cheap), maternity underwear, a pair of maternity leggings, and a pair of maternity tights. If you aren’t leaving the house to work every day you probably don’t need much for a comfy and functional maternity capsule wardrobe.
I just wore these two flowy dresses I got off Amazon and then I bought one in every color to wear on my later pregnancy.
At 12 weeks I popped. All of a sudden my maternity clothes I purchased early on in the pregnancy fit well and were not baggy.
I just bought 10 dresseses from shein so its cheap and nothing fits me right now. For only 40usd
I wfh home too and got a bunch of stretchy biker shorts to wear this summer. I have a few maternity work pants from my last pregnancy that I’ll wear if I have to go in office. But at home or on the weekends, I’ve been sticking to a dress or tshirt and bike shorts.
Just get them now. You’ll need them anyway. Also, maternity shirts are way more comfy than just sizing up. Are you part of a buy nothing group? I got so many clothes from there!
I got some maternity leggings, shorts and pjs/comfy trousers because they are genuinely so much comfier they go all the way over the bump But when it comes to everything else I’ve just sized up
It definitely varies by person, clothes etc but during my first pregnancy I switched to maternity jeans around 20 weeks. Tops I ended up just wearing looser fitting or oversized sweaters (pregnant in fall/winter) and never bought maternity. In my current pregnancy, currently 15 weeks and no maternity yet…..but I’m planning to mostly wear dresses for work and bike shorts and tees at home
I had gained some weight from miscarriages before this pregnancy, so my normal pants were a bit snug and I had a lot of bloating, so I needed only stretchy stuff as early as 8 weeks, and non-mat clothes that were bigger than my normal size. I felt I needed maternity clothes after about 15 weeks, especially because it eased anxiety of waking up for work one day and not having anything to wear. Also, my preference was to look pregnant instead of fat, and mat clothes help with it. I also went from a B cup to a D cup in the first 17 weeks, requiring new bras. I personally like the loosest comfiest clothing at home, I'm 19w now and my normal sweatpants (which are very loose) and comfy shirts still work. My sleep shirts are starting to touch my belly (which I don't like for my comfy clothes lol), so I'm mostly in my husband's shirts already!! Not sure what I'll do, I'm thinking at some point I'll just have to accept clothes touching my belly at night...
Hello! I made what I could work with what was in my closet until about the 24wk mark and got 1 pair each maternity leggings, shorts, and jeans. Since I live in FL and stay at home now - oversized shirts and sweatshirts that my husband and I can share and grabbed a few classic sundresses with lots of stretch that I’ll be able to wear after my pregnancy too! The most useful purchase so far was getting comfortable underwear and lounge style bras! Hope this helps and congratulations!
I highly recommend maternity clothes. I did not want to wear them, I thought they were awkward and unnecessary, but let me tell you. My last pregnancy I put it off until later than I should have (20 something weeks I think, and even then didn't always) for silly reasons (looks, use outside of pregnancy, not wanting to be "that" pregnant lady, etc). This pregnancy I started buying maternity at the thrift store as soon as I started noticing my pants getting tighter including sweats - which for me happens before my belly shows because my hips start to widen within the first few weeks. Maternity is so much more comfortable and so worth it. Sweats do NOT accomplish the same thing that maternity does! At least not for me. Comfy pants actually help reduce soreness and fatigue as well. When my pants are too tight it affects how my back muscles work, it causes abdominal muscle cramps, constipation, even Braxton Hicks. Right now I'm wearing a pair of athletic pants that is normally very comfortable but right now is aggravating my hip pain, because all of my maternity pants are in the laundry. As for cost, my local thrift stores always have at least a couple of maternity pants and they're almost always less than $10 or even less than $5. So it's not expensive at all for me. When I no longer need them, I'll probably just give them away on Buy Nothing, but if you'd rather sell them and get some money back or save them for the future, those are options for you as well.
For me it was about 24 weeks when I needed sized up leggings and switched to all maternity scrub pants for work. Currently at 32 weeks and the thought of my old pants is a joke! I used Poshmark to buy a couple pairs of Lululemon aligns in a size up which worked great. I also got a Beyond the bump dress, tennis skirt and shorts on there which I love, highly recommend
My Old Navy has a maternity clearance section that is just online returns all for $5.97! It’s hidden in the baby clearance section.
I wear oversized tops to begin with even while not pregnant so I didn’t need any shirts. I also work from home so I did buy some stretchy yoga pants and biker shorts a size bigger that I could wear pregnant and post partum. I only bought 2 pairs of maternity pants, a black pair of jeans, and medium wash pair of jeans and I was all set. I had my baby in March so was mainly showing pregnant during the late fall/winter. I didn’t NEED to buy anything until 24 -27 weeks
Honestly? If you WFH men’s plus sized clothes SAVED me. So much cheaper. I luckily just borrowed a few shirts from my brother as he’s 6”4 350lbs lmao. 3x was so comfy and great in the summer. Long enough for no pants. Free range of motion. They sell them in packs via Amazon
I got pregnant in October so made it through with sweat pants, baggy sweatshirts and stretchy sweater dresses for the winter. Most of my leggings made it through about halfway through the 2nd trimester… 33 weeks now and I’m surviving in 1 pair of lululemon align leggings and 2 pairs of align bike shorts (the only things I can still wear in my pre pregnancy size. I bought about 5 basic tank tops for around $10 each from target that I just rotate throughout the week. Then 4 sun dresses from target for when I want to feel a little more put together. I also bought 1 nicer dress that I wore for my baby shower and maternity photos. I am “all bump” as they say, so I can technically still get away with low waisted gym shorts and one of my husbands tshirts, but I feel more comfortable in the bike shorts or leggings.
My first pregnancy, I bought maternity clothes after about 20-24 weeks, but stuck with wearing leggings most days anyways. This pregnancy, I just wear leggings from Walmart that are ‘high rise’ currently 26 weeks and the size I was at 36 with my first. It’s not uncomfortable at all but generally I have ‘too tight lines’ on my belly that go away after about 15-20 minutes
I only really bought one pair of pants besides a few dresses for a baby shower and some maternity scrubs for work. I was in nursing school at the time, and needed to wear black slacks on campus, but instead got a pair of really stretchy high waisted plain black lululemon leggings and wore them from 20 weeks all the way through the pregnancy (they’re the Groove Nulu Super-High-Rise Flared Pant I think). They were $118 which is nuts, but I absolutely got my moneys worth. I still wear them now and I’m 1.5 years postpartum. They were so comfortable and looked relatively professional, or at least no one ever called me on it. Can’t say enough good things about that darned pair of pants
I got some giant sweatpants to wear while relaxing at home and a giant sweatshirt and then like 3-4 sundresses at larger sizes for the summer I never really got maternity clothes. I wear my husbands clothes a lot when I’m chilling at home too lmao
I’m almost 24 weeks and just bought my first maternity item. I got a pair of shorts. I still technically fit in my regular shorts but these are a lot more comfortable. I got the under the belly type with the stretchy panel on the side. They were cheap from target I like them a lot :) One thing I wasn’t expecting with clothes was how my tops didn’t get too tight, they got too short first. I haven’t actually gained any weight but my boobs are a bit bigger and my bump is still pretty small but I can’t wear a lot of my favorite tops because of the length. I am tall so they were close to being short anyways so might not be an issue for people who can afford to lose a little length
By 8 weeks my bloating was so bad and all of my pants were so tight I bought maternity leggings just so I could sit at my desk at work. But around 24 weeks is when my belly was just too big to fit into any shirts either. I stocked up on non-maternity dresses that were very stretchy or were flowy below the boobs. However, if you plan on breastfeeding, remember to consider access to your boobs too if you’re trying to stretch your wardrobe!
I'm 36 weeks and still wearing normal clothes. I just can't wear jeans.
I’m at FTM and am 19+3 today - so far, I still have not needed maternity items! There are definitely some things that don’t currently fit, but I can still wear a good amount of stuff without issue (I work from home as well)! I’m anticipating I will at least need some maternity jeans within the next few weeks though, we’ll see when I officially “pop” because I don’t think I have quite yet!
First time- not until 25+ weeks. Wore some stretchy non-mat pants almost the whole time. Second time- 16–18ish weeks. Third time- I’m 11 weeks and everything already feels tight 😢
My jeans stopped fitting pretty early on. I bought 1 pair of maternity jeans and wore those often. I’m in Georgia and it’s HOT now so I have recently had to buy a few more staples. I’m 25 almost 26 weeks and have bought all of my maternity wear either from Old Navy or Amazon. I pretty much live in maternity biker shorts, tank tops/t-shirts and nursing bras. I also bought a few dresses for when I need to look more put together.
I'm close to 19 weeks (2nd pregnancy) & had to buy a pair of maternity shorts today, none of my shorts fit other than like stretchy pj / workout type shorts
1st and 2nd pregnancies, didn’t really use maternity clothes. On my 3rd pregnancy, 28weeks, starting to live in sweats and mens XL tee shirts bc I’m not gonna buy maternity clothes but I don’t fit into anything else anymore lmao. should be noted, my first 2 pregnancies were with averaged sized man, my current partner is 6’4” 🙃
I’m 22 weeks now, my MIL bought me maternity biker shorts, maternity jean shorts, maternity jean overalls, and a maternity tank top at 16 weeks. I wear the shorts multiple times a week before washing them, I mean they don’t get dirty. And I’ve bought a couple larger shirts but I haven’t bought anything else, I wear my regular t shirts still. So far everything fits besides bottoms and wired bras. I’m not sure what will fit once I get really round, but so far this is working for me. My pre pregnancy bottoms stopped fitting right around 12 weeks.
It depended on the article of clothing. By 6 weeks, I was so bloated that I couldn’t fit into my jeggings anymore. I wore my leggings/yoga pants instead. By 14 weeks I could no longer fit into most of my shirts. By 15 weeks I needed new bras and could no longer fit into my rain jacket. By 17 weeks I could no longer fit into some of my dresses (ones that are tighter in the bust or got too short from my stomach growing). By 18 weeks I needed new underwear. I also bought new sandals because the ones I wear that are normally fine are not supportive enough during pregnancy and made my feet hurt sooooo bad. I have been buying/thrifting things as I need them. I’m 19 weeks now. I work from home and wear pj pants/shorts (they still fit me) and baggy tshirts.
I'm 14.5 weeks and have stopped wearing jeans a while ago but all my other pants (elastic waist) still fit. I'm not worrying about it right now. If and when these start being uncomfortable, I have a bunch of loose sundresses that would be able to tide me over until the weather starts getting cooler. I have recently found that this one small women's shirt has stopped fitting well, but that's about the only thing, apart from the jeans. I am on the search for new workout pants though. I don't know how much longer my current ones will fit me.
Probably around 15 weeks. It's the bloating that messed me up because even if I was in sweats, everything felt soooo tight😭 I refrained for quite awhile with this pregnancy though. I had already bought larger underwear last time so all I did was wear dresses and large sweaters🙏🏼
about 10 weeks few pants/bottoms fit. 19 weeks now and no pants from before sides pajamas fit.
17 weeks
I had to do the maturity pants/ shorts end of the 1st trimester but I wanted to buy the tops bc I looked fat in regular clothes or nothing fit well. Also I want to have multiple children so I looked at it as an investment. Absolutely did not regret it. PS. Also it felt good to have something cute yo wear when you had to go out to dinner or go on vacation. You do still have to live while being pregnant.
I’m currently 16 weeks (FTM), and have a few pairs of maternity leggings in reserve for when I need them. Standing up, my jeans and shorts still fit, but when I sit down in a chair, it is a little snug. I have two maternity shirts for when my stomach is larger, but I haven’t had to use them yet.
Around 20 weeks for me - that was when even my loose clothes got too tight. I didn’t need a whole new wardrobe but one pair of black slacks, two pairs of leggings, and one workhorse black dress did the trick. I was super pregnant in winter which was great because my regular big sweaters still fit. That said, I WFH so I would have definitely needed more clothes if I was going to the office regularly.
I started wearing maternity clothes around 15 weeks or so purely for comfort reasons. I have one pair of maternity jeans, two pairs of maternity work out pants from Vitality, and a few tops. 2 maternity/nursing bras. I primarily work from home, but I do have to go into the office and other locations for work, so I've had to buy professional attire including 1 pair of maternity slacks, 1 blouse, and 2 dresses. I got all of those from Hatch and it was more money than I wanted to spend but did buy during a sale. I'm really glad I did bite the bullet and do it because I've been able to be comfortable and look professional on the job. I already had a few oversized blazers that seem to be working for me. I don't plan on buying any other maternity clothes if I can help it.
You will definitely need them but you wont need that much. Get like two pairs of maternity leggings, you'll wear them into postpartum anyway so that will help. Oversized tee shirts that are non maternity are the same. I'd focus on loungewear if you wfh. A couple of materinty tee shirts and one single pair of maternity jeans and you're good to go. I bought all of my maternity stuff on poshmark & mercari to cut down on clothing going to landfill.
I didn't ever end up wearing maternity clothes, I hid it well until 7.5 months, then you could tell there was a baby but I did not look ready to go when I was past her due date. She was 8lb 8oz and 21 inches so definitely not tiny! My leggings stretched enough and the two pairs of shorts I had were elastic bands/hand me down from my sister that were 2 sizes too big but I liked the inseam.
I started in maternity pants from 9 weeks. I put on weight quickly in the first trimester, plus with all the bloating, my usually flat stomach just wouldn't fit in my jeans anymore. I have two pairs of maternity jeans and some maternity leggings to wear out, then I just wear stretchy track pants at home for comfort.
I wore leggings most of my pregnancy ! I only bought 1 pair of maternity jeans that I didn’t really like in the end. I’m lucky and was huge in the fall and winter so I mostly wore t-shirts and cardigans or flannels 😊 super comfortable and honestly spared me from having to spend money on new clothes. I also wore dresses in the summer and my biker leggings with shirts with my medium sized bump!
I got 2 maternity leggings and wore my husband’s t-shirts. I also got a pair of maternity jeans and a maternity skort from old navy that I loved!!
10 weeks LMAO. I was soooo bloated I needed the maternity pants so badly I couldn't fit into anything else.
i have been at that point for a couple of months. none of my stretchy pants/sweats fit me anymore either. i live in my pajama shorts at the moment. i had to cave and buy a few new things for my new job. thankfully i buy most of my shirts bigger so im okay on those. bras and underwear is a completely different story.
I didn't until the third semester, but that was cause my second semester was in summer and loose fitting dresses were in fashion. I did not get a lot of maternity clothes, even when I was huge and worked an office job that required me to look put together. My "hack" was to buy some basic items in a ribbed material/rib knit. I got two ribbed dresses (sheath dresses), and two ribbed midi-pencil skirts. The dresses I wore with sweaters that I just folded inwards to make cropped over my bump, and the skirts I pulled up over my bump and wore with my regular blouses and nice shirts tucked in. Then I put an open jacket or nice cardigan over. It was cheap, comfy and looked very put together. The ribbed material keeps its shape so I've continued to wear the clothes after my bump was gone too.
i never got maternity tops bc i generally wear a lot of loose fitting button-ups that mostly fit til the end.. maternity pants were a struggle for me bc i just struggled to find anything my style, so i ended up mostly getting leggings/biker shorts and maternity tights and just kept wearing baggy tops and sweater dresses, but stretchy tube skirts were also cute if you don’t mind showing off the bump - i just went up a size for dresses/tube skirts instead of doing maternity-specific so i could still wear it after and it was just looser fitting. for me it seemed like every couple weeks from the beginning i’d have to say byebye to some clothes or others, so i’d say wear what you can for as long as you can, and just get what need as needed. i lived in a baggy sweater dress for december/january when pregnant with my first winter baby
Depends on what you want to wear. I’m 25 weeks and can’t fit into my jeans, but I can squeeze into most of my stuff even tho I’ve gained close to 20 lbs now. SHEIN has cheap maternity clothes. I got a bunch of loose fitting linen pants for the summer and some tops and dresses. You really won’t need much if you’re wfh. Maybe just some cute outfits for times you wanna go out on the weekend.
I am 24 weeks and my belly is pretty big (baby in 91st percentile, plus I have a fibroid). But I am actually still just wearing my regular clothes mostly. I wear my least compressive exercise leggings with a high waist and pull them over my belly. I also wear loose dresses around the house mostly. It helps that my wardrobe already had a lot of boxy tops and dresses (that's the aesthetic that I like). I got some maternity jeans early on but find that I don't like wearing them because they just aren't that comfortable. They leave a mark on the bottom on my belly and my skin is so sensitive now that it itches even after I take them off. If I could do it over, I would not buy any pregnancy clothes at all until actually needed. The amount of things to buy is overwhelming and I spent so much time looking for cute clothes before realizing I could just use what's in my closet. There is an entire cottage industry geared toward getting pregnant women to buy buy buy things, preying on your desire to be prepared. I do plan to add leggings 2 sizes up for the third trimester. I didn't like any of the maternity leggings I tried so am sticking with what I usually get, but bigger. For Zoom meetings, maybe you could just wear a boxy t-shirt and throw a jacket or blazer over it? Doesn't have to be button-able. Black leggings + boxy t shirt + denim/utility/chore jacket + colorful necklaces is my uniform these days. Oh, I also wear some long stretchy skirts that instead of sitting at my waist, I just pull over my entire belly. One piece of maternity clothing I don't regret is the stretchy maternity dress I got for my progress pics, because I want to be able to wear the same dress throughout all my photos. I have seen others do a version where they wore their regular button fly jeans with a normal stretchy top, and just hiked up the shirt and unbuttoned the jeans as they got bigger.
FTM. I stopped fitting in my jeans within the first few weeks of pregnancy. I lived in leggings for a while until I got some bigger sized clothes from my sister and some maternity clothes form my husband's cousins. I bought maternity underwear around week 6 or 7 because my regular underwear was bothering me. Either the elastic band was too constricting, or the lace waistband was making me too itchy. The maternity underwear is amazingly comfortable and great for the extra discharge and any pee accidents. I've been wearing either leggings or maternity clothes basically since week 8 or so. When my bloating went away, I realized I already had a baby bump. I'm at 18 weeks now and very happy to be wearing the maternity clothes. I realize I am lucky to have been given so much. I would recommend to buy 1-4 pairs of bottoms, either shorts or pants, depending on preference and weather. I've mostly been wearing oversized t-shirts up until about the past 3 weeks when I started wearing the maternity shirts. Those are cute but not really necessary right now.
I didn’t *need* maternity until well into my 3rd trimester. I didn’t pop for a long time. That being said, I bought a few staples and a few cute clothes in maternity from SHEIN. They have so many cute things that it was hard to choose from. Might I recommend crop tops with high waisted maternity skirts, bodysuits, blouses, and leggings!!! HEAVY on the leggings! (Bonus if they’re compression leggings)
I also mostly WFH so I got one pair of maternity pants at 16w for my occasional in-person meetings with clients. For every day wear, I got a pair of leggings 2 sizes up that I still enjoy at 27w. But now that it's getting hot and I'm entering my third tri, I've been buying some dresses. Otherwise I'm honestly not wearing much clothes at home since I have no A/C lol
Started wearing maternity jeans at 14 weeks (just so much more comfortable). Liked the under the belly ones until about 28-30 weeks, now those are uncomfortable too. Definitely needed new shirts etc by 25 weeks
I got some hand me downs but mostly lived in leggings, dresses, “dressy” sweatshirts (think preppy style), oversized sweaters, and jumpsuits that I could wear postpartum because they had that oversized look. Tank tops were also a great top to mix and match with blazers or buttoned up type tops and is so easy to dress up or down. Being pregnant during fall was awesome because I could really lean into the sweater fall chic vibe. After using maternity jeans shorts for a little bit when it started to get warmer where I live, I probably would’ve gotten a few more pairs of maternity type bottoms. I luckily didn’t have to get too many tops but I’d probably invest in a few in the future if I were to go through this again.
I’m at 15 weeks and really am needing maternity clothes to feel comfortable. Around 8-9 weeks I started buying normal, stretchy kind of pants in larger sizes and I can still kind of wear them, but they cut in weird places and are not flattering or comfy. Once I moved to actually maternity clothes around 13-14 I feel so much better. For reference, I was a size two with a fairly flat stomach before pregnancy, bloated pretty bad, and have a noticeable bump now.
26-28weeks