Readers Advice

There is no advice better than from a fellow mother-to-be, so we have compiled advice, tips and suggestions from all of our readers.

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• I don't see how maternity clothes are a waste of money if you work. You can't walk around wearing your husbands clothes to an office! Plus a lot of people end up having more than one child.
• I have been shopping at Oldnavy.com also. They have great deals in the bargain section. All in all I have spent about $200 on clothes and I have 6 pants and 10 shirts all from oldnavy.
• If your just starting to get crowded out of your jeans you could try looping a rubber band through the button hole and around the button. i've been doing this and i'm much more comfortable.
• I am a large plus size (24) and I have still had great luck finding maternity clothes at thrift stores. I found nine pairs of pants, shorts, etc. all in my size at Goodwill for three dollars or less.
• Oldnavy.com sells maternity clothes and they are an ok price, BUT they have a bargain section which is VERY good!
• I live near a Gap clearance center. I've never paid more than $9.99/item for my maternity clothing. One day I went in and all maternity items were $4.99 or under! Shopping spree! This store also carries Old Navy.
• My pennysaver or classifieds has tons on clothes on it for very cheap but they are all small medium. If you are like me then budget is based on getting pieces that can be mixed and matched. I have 2 pairs on kahki pants- for work, 2 white under shirts, 3 other T shirts and a pair on denim capri pants. Thay have worked so far and I spent about 80.00 between old navy online and target.
• I also recommend buying some very comfortable pajama pants or sweat pants. They have been the best thing I own for watching tv, cleaning, or just sitting around. I am shapped very weird so I have not been able to benefit from Ebay but I have heard of many people getting lots of clothes for cheap.
• My take on the maternity clothing:
  I went with that whole "core style of dress" theory of maternity wear. I have pants in black, charcoal and khaki, tops in white, black, charcoal and khaki, a couple of denim skirts and a couple of dresses of varying formality. And a bunch of t-shirts from Target in solid neutral colors. My perspective is that I am having enough trouble adjusting to the body changes that pregnancy brings without having to worry about not having a matching pair of shoes or a matching shirt one morning. Basically, I could get dressed blindfolded and look appropriate. Boring, but appropriate. Frumpy, but appropriate.
• I am a huge fan of maternity clothes, because I'm really short. Sizing up makes me look incredibly sloppy - sleeves too long, darts in the wrong places,
• Dresses and tops with Empire waists work great for pregnant bellies.
  
  
• I purchased a few pairs of black slacks and black leggings from Old Navy and the Gap last time, as well as overalls and jeans.
• I'm not a dress person, but I had a black tie affair both during my first pregnancy and this one, so I got really lucky with a dress I ordered online for $40. You'd never know it! I loved wearing the maternity stockings and swore that I'd wear them with any dress in the future because they are just so comfy!
• All I ever bought was one pair of dungarees and one short summer jersey dress. Other than that I used a few Laura Ashley jersey dresses in 1 size up fom my usual, and a couple of large T-shirts. For swimwear I bought a bikini, and used a cotton swimsuit that had grown a bit loose on me.
• I couldn't do without maternity pants, mostly for vanity. I'd prefer to look pregant as opposed to overweight. So I bought a few nice pairs of work pants, capris, boot cut jeans. For the most part I wore normal shirts. I didn't try and hide the bump, just the ugly part of the maternity pants. I could still wear most of my pre-pregnancy shirts and sweaters.
• I got my first pair of panel pants at the end of my first trimester (they have an adjustable elastic waist with buttons so I'm still wearing them at 32 weeks).
• I bought non-maternity pants with a drawstring waist to wear below my belly. They're a couple sizes bigger than I would normally wear and are a nice cool and comfortable alternative to panel pants.
• The tights I wore before pregnancy still also fit. I just have to fold the elastic waistband over and wear a longer maternity shirt.
• I bought quite a few t-shirts in a variety of colors so I don't have to wear the same thing day in and day out. My favorite maternity tops are longsleeve cardigan style shirts made out of t-shirt material. They're warm enough for an airconditioned office, but not too hot.
• Around 10 weeks I went and bought some "bigger" things that weren't really maternity clothes. Things like elastic pants and skirts, non-form fitting dresses. The key is to buy stuff that you like enough to wear after you have the baby too. I probably bought about 8-10 things like this, mixing tops I already had.
• If you've got any loose fitting pants with an elasticated waist, you could try turning them back to front: they make them more generously at the back, to accomodate the rear end.
• If you can sew, try making your own. I made four pairs of pants in neutral colors (black, tan, sage, and navy) and five tops in patterned fabrics that ALL go with ALL of the pants, and I have a wardrobe that's attractive, reasonably balanced between professional/casual, somewhere in the ball park of stylish, and will last me for the next three-and-a-half months.
• For a going-out dress, I bought a slinky non-maternity dress with lots of lycra in it. Be advised, this is for the women who are happy about their shape and are confident about showing off every curve. If you want to tone the look down a little, you could wear a dressy blouse or matching shawl over it.
• In your beginning weeks, when you are starting to show, tye an elastic/rubber band through the button hole on the top of your jeans or pants, and hang the other end of the loop around the button. Then you can leave them unbuttoned all day long, with a long top over of course.