Where do I start?
The first question I get
almost 100% of the time is “when should I shop for maternity clothes?” And
without fail, my response is “when your clothes don’t fit.” When your pants
are unbuttoned by lunchtime, the buttons on your buttonup are at their max,
or when your tshirt rides up all day, it’s time to look into maternity
wear. You will be amazed at how comfortable you will be, and how much
better you will look when you are wearing clothes that are cut to fit your
changing figure. Let’s face it….when you are pulling at your tops and
tugging at your pants, you are only drawing attention to the fact that your
clothes aren’t fitting quite right.
You will most likely find yourself needing maternity pants before you need tops. This is mostly due to the fact that your waistline is just a little thicker, and not showing that cute little “bump” that Kate Hudson so cutely demonstrated. If you wear fitted, tailored tops, though, and your breasts have grown dramatically, then all bets are off, and you will need tops just as early as you need pants. Once your thickened waist transforms into that bump, it’s time to put all your non-maternity pants away (yes, even those super low-rise jeans) and make the leap into the land of maternity clothes. Don’t worry, the right clothes will fit you during this awkward stage, throughout your pregnancy, and in those first post-partum weeks when your body isn’t quite back to itself yet.
But before you hit panic mode, I am a firm believer in shopping around early in your pregnancy, before your wardrobe is limited to one stretchy pair of black pants, your husband’s pajama bottoms, and your ratty college sweatshirt. Take a good look at your “real life” wardrobe, and think about what you wear regularly and often. Some questions we ask you when you first come in to shop include:
1. Are you a pants person, or a skirt person?
2. Do you wear black, khaki, jeans, etc.?
3. What do you need to wear to work? Is there a dress code?
4. What colors do you normally wear/not wear?
5. How do you feel about strapless/sleeveless/short sleeve tops, etc?
6. Do you have a string of special occasions/events that you have to dress for?
When you first come in, you might feel as though you have stumbled into the Spanish Inquisition (and nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!). That is just our way of getting to know you, your style, and your needs while you are pregnant. Not until you are pregnant and faced with replacing your wardrobe do you really have to think about what your style is…in “real life,” you pick up a little bit here and there. Now that you are pregnant, you don’t have much time to slowly acquire your maternity wardrobe.
Using the information we gather during your first visit, we will help you choose your “investment pieces,” otherwise known as the basic pants and tops you will wear over and over, that will hold up to repeated wearing and washing throughout your entire pregnancy.
That’s all well and good, you’re thinking, but what about what size you will wear? Well, that part can be a little tricker. Most of our lines are sized x-small through x-large, and roughly correlate to your pre-pregnancy size:
Pre-Pregnancy Size Maternity Size
0-2 X-Small
4-6 Small
6-8 Medium
10-12 Large
14-16 X-Large
There are no guarantees, though….most maternity vendors’ fits are slightly different. Remember, when you shop in real life, you wear different sizes depending on where you are shopping. We carry a number of different maternity manufacturers, so you will find the same to be true here. In one line, you may be a true medium across the board, while in another, slimmer line, you are more comfortable in a large. What you have to pay attention to is how the clothes feel and look when you have them on.
M
ost of your
girlfriends will tell you to buy regular clothes one (or two) size bigger
than what you normally wear. The problem there is by the time you go up
enough sizes to fit around your growing midsection, the rest of your clothes
are big everywhere else, too. If you normally wear a 6, wearing a size 12
will just look sloppy….sure, the waist fits, but is it worth the droopy
drawers and sleeves down to your knees? Well-made maternity clothes only
LOOK like their non-maternity counterparts. They are cleverly designed with
the proportions to fit your growing and changing body, while maintaining the
style you are comfortable with.
Oh, and the second and third time moms? Yeah, it’s true that you generally need maternity clothes sooner with each subsequent pregnancy. Especially when you have your kids close together. I have countless “veteran” moms come in, panicking because their pants don’t fit, and they are only 10 weeks along. What I tell them is, it happens, go with the flow, and get your comfy and stylish maternity pants earlier.
When you find a fit of pants that works for you, get it in as many colors as you can that you will wear. Most of our basic pants come in at least black and khaki, and several other basic colors too (navy, chocolate brown, charcoal grey). Now is probably the most important time for you to be comfortable in what you are wearing, remembering that tugging and fidgeting with your pants will draw other people’s attention to the fact that they don’t fit.
This rule applies to jeans, too. If you are a “jeans girl” like I am, and you find a style of jeans that is comfortable and makes you look good, get another pair. Heck, get a third pair. Jeans are the one thing that can make you feel like you’re wearing regular clothes. There is nothing like a great pair of jeans, especially when you are pregnant!
Finally:
Don’t be afraid to try something outside your comfort zone. When I was pregnant, I was drawn to colors and styles I hadn’t worn when I wasn’t pregnant (and some I haven’t worn since). On top of that, you are going to be noticed for your wonderful, big belly, so have fun with it and outfit yourself in bold, fun prints that make you look and feel like the sexy mama you are! You don’t need to be head-to-toe hot pink paisley; pair a fun top with some safe and simple black pants, or great striped pants that match a variety of basic tops.
Maternity tops almost always make you look pregnant, no matter how far along
you are. What you can control is how much “belly room” is in the tops you
choose. Find a fit that is slimmer through the rib cage, with extra room
for your belly. When a top is cut in the shape of a triangle (you know,
when the body of the shirt goes straight out from the armpit), you get lost
in all that fabric, and it makes you look more pregnant than you really
are. When you are early in your pregnancy, you need a little more room
around the midsection, but you don’t need a circus tent around your waist!
Most of our tops are slimmer fitting, which allows you to wear them earlier
in pregnancy without feeling like you are lost under a ream of fabric.
Well-designed maternity tops will also grow with you to fit up to your 40th
week. Some will be quite snug by the end, but that’s ok too! There is a
big difference between a snug fit and a fit that is too tight. A top that
hugs your form and shows off your pregnant belly is attractive . . . and
snug. It makes you look pregnant-and-cute, not pregnant-and-fat. Wearing a
non-maternity top that is clearly at it’s max and is causing you to expose
more skin than spring break your freshman year, well, that’s what you call
too tight. Don’t be afraid to show the shape of your belly!
Oh, yeah:
About those slimmer fitting tops . . . after delivery, you have a belly similar to that when you were mid-pregnancy. So you end up back in the same place you were then, needing SOME extra belly room in your tops, but not the yards and yards of fabric of the stereotypical maternity top, grab those Michael Stars Maternity Tees, get the comfort and room you need, and look like the hip mom you are!
Long story short, you can start wearing our clothes earlier in your pregnancy, and wear them comfortably after baby comes, which increases your wear time and the value of your purchase.