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| This is the most recent full body shot of me taken in Hawaii a few days ago. So far my maternity clothes are baggy white shirts and shrugged shoulders. |
1. At what point did you feel like you had to buy maternity clothes? I know this is different for everyone but I'd still like to know.
2. Is there anything you wish someone would have told you when you were pregnant?
3. Is there anything I should be purchasing or planning right now? Because I have not purchased or planned a single thing. I keep thinking it's so far in the future, but like 5 months isn't that far.
26 comments:
I'm the first comment.... woo! With Jolie I didn't get / couldn't fit properly into maternity pants until I was like 25 or so weeks along. (Not the same with Curren, the bump / fat came faster and I knew what I was missing and couldn't wait to get into my maternity pants.... They're so comfortable!) So what I do until maternity pants is use a rubber band around my jeans' button then loop it through the button hole and back around the button. It gives some extra inches. Also, there are those belly bands that hide the fact that your zipper is down and button is unbuttoned. I wish someone would have told me that nutella and strawberries should be eaten everyday when you're pregnant. (wow I missed out when I was pregnant with Jolie... but I made up for it with Curren).
get two be bands from target. now. one white, one black. i bought one maternity dress, two pairs of maternity jeans, one pair of black work pants, one pair of leggings, two tanks and a few shirts. everything else i wore were normal clothes. the one scary thing about pregnancy is that you can wear someone one day and then the next YOU CAN'T! like at all! so always have a few back-ups. rubber bands through pant loops to the button were a lifesaver.
also, sock away as much moolah as you can. having babies sucks your bank account dry. lol. or at least it did for me.
i wish that someone would have told me to be your best advocate. i kinda already knew that, but if i wasn't proactive or didn't speak up about my questions or concerns, some of the semi-serious problems i had in the early stages could have gone overlooked and that could've gone badly.
try and do all of the things NOW that you love. like a LOT. because everything will completely change and you will not have "me" time for a VERY long time. motherhood is absolutely amazing. wonderful, tiring, crazy, great.
ooooooooooooh one thing that you absolutely HAVE to do is buy yourself a nice robe, a set of body wash and lotion and DON'T use it until after you have the baby. you'll REALLY appreciate it then. showers will become the only time you have to yourself, so it will be so lovely to have new body wash, lotion and a robe all to yourself. everyone brings stuff for the baby, so this is your present to yourself! {this is making me sound bitter, i'm totally not, but having twins & a c-section was a rough transition!}
buy as much gender neutral stuff as possible. i'm talking crib, bouncers, jumpers, tummy time mats, swings, CAR SEATS, bumbos, toys, baby carriers, etc. everything is SO gender specific these days that if you ever have more kids, you don't want to have you boy covered in bright pink flower stuff cause he's baby #2 and baby #1 was a girl. lol. i wrote a couple of posts about this kinda stuff forever ago on my blog....it's geared more towards twins, but divide by 2 and you've still got a great list.
http://www.erinlovesearl.com/2011/06/twin-mamas-guide-to-sanity.html
http://www.erinlovesearl.com/2011/06/twin-mamas-guide-to-sanity-part-deux.html?showComment=1308774154886
and that's the end of my novel. i hope it helps!! congrats whit!! you're going to be such a fun mom!
I am pregnant right now. I started collecting maternity clothing at about 18 weeks. Now it is all I wear because it is all that fits. I can still wear regular tops but I have to wear maternity pants. My favorite maternity wear is from Gap and Old Navy. Motherhood Maternity has an amazing invention called the sleeping bra. It has changed my life forever!!!! Also I have a strong belief in maternity panty hose. A few weeks ago I was still trying to make my pre pregnancy pair work and almost lost them while teaching a class at church. Tragic. Don't buy a ton of clothes at the beginning cause you will get bigger, much bigger and in a month or two you will not be the same size. When you buy stuff buy it with room to grow. :)
I'm pregnant as well and due in July! Congrats!!
After a couple pregnancies, I think it's totally worth investing in at least ONE good pair of pants and skirt,be sure to have the ones with the elastic to go over the whole belly!! It is heavenly as your stomach grows the less pressure the better!
Also a tip I wish someone told me with my first, instead of buying a single stroller, a single jogger and possibly a single snap and go stroller, I wish I got a ted & phil from the start! It will save you money in the long run, the ted & phill stroller can be used as a jogger, single stroller and a double stroller when that time comes without pushing around a huge stroller, the size stays small like a jogger stroller!!
http://chrisandchristyfamily.blogspot.com/
wow you're getting more than you bargained for on comments! lol but I'll add a little something too. it was pretty late in the game that I started wearing maternity clothes. really close to my third trimester. For me it seemed ridiculous to spend a lot on clothes when your body is changing CONSTANTLY! Count on being a different size ''every day'' for the next year. Even after you have the baby you'll keep changing. I think that's what I wish someone reinforced more, the fact that your body is just a lot different. I guess I watched to many chic flics where the woman is pregnant and has the baby and looks super cute 3 months pregnant and then pops that lil sucker out and is a size 2 again. It's not like that. At least it wasn't for me. My daughter is 3 months old and even with diet and exercise I'm still not happy with the way I look. And my breasts are so big (nursing) that I feel like I need a whole new wardrobe just to accommodate her breakfast, lunch, and dinner. k I'm almost done. You won't need these right away, but if you are choosing to nurse I HIGHLY recommend ''lily padz''. They put pressure on your nipple to stop milk from leaking and you can sleep on them (hurray for not sleeping in a bra!) and they really simplified nursing for me. Good luck! Can't wait to hear all the exciting update :)
sorry - one more thing. Remember this is YOUR baby. Heavenly Father sent this baby to YOU and YOUR HUSBAND. You're going to get a ton of advice and some of it will be great and some of it will be ca-ray-zie. I found that it was great to hear everybody's advice and then natural instinct just kicked in I knew what was best for my baby. Don't worry about other people getting offended because you're not taking their precious advice. Just do what you think is best and everything will be ok. Every baby is different and you'll find you just know what to do.
I'll keep it concise...buy a good pair of maternity jeans now that have a waist band (meaning for when you're not huge). Spend some good money on these. They'll take you from barely showing to 7 months at least. I really like Seven for All Mankind maternity jeans.
The Mrs. and The Momma
I know some people can get away with barely even needing maternity clothes but I loved them! I couldn't fit into my regular pants at 8 weeks...even though I didn't start showing until I was about 20 weeks. I just decided to bite the bullet and buy two pairs of maternity jeans with the full stretchy panel. I loved them so much. One pair was from Target and the other from Burlington Coat Factory. They were less than $20 each. I paired them with a lot of stretchy/maternity tees and cardigans. And I wore them for 2 months post-partum.
Also, regarding stretch marks. Everyone says they are genetic, which for me meant I had no hope because ALL of my female relatives got them. I decided to try my darnedest anyway. I slathered on Bio-Oil in the morning and Palmer's Coconut butter at night and I didn't get any stretch marks...even though I gained 42 pounds. And I never got the itchyness that some women get towards the end.
Anyway, other than that, just go with your instincts. Every woman and baby is different.
Oh so many things to tell you! I am pregnant with my 2nd right now and have been doing a lot of writing about it here: http://www.themombot.com/category/tags/pregnancy
Lots of fashion advice in there, including:
1. wear a belt over your bump when you are showing early on. It will make the bump more prominent and make you look less like you just ate a lot :)
2. When buying clothes in the beginning, buy lots of empire waist or loose fitting tops that you can still use post-partum. Also, only purchase elastic waist pants and skirts - these will get you a long way!
3. Buy bella bands or B bands (someone above mentioned this too) - it will help you get longevity out of your regular pants!
I didn't start buying maternity clothes until almost 6 months with my first. I'm tall and thin and it took a long time to show. With my 2nd, I started wearing them around 4 months.
As far as questions you should ask... ask someone who's been pregnant about the post partum healing process... no one told me what would actually happen to me AFTER the baby was born and it was all a bit of a shock!
Other than that, enjoy every moment! Your first baby only comes once and it's so special. Relish every moment, brag about it and don't feel bad for doing so :)
my first 3 pregnancies i was prego in the summer like you and the best thing for me were stretchy skirts and comfy sandals or flip flops. i too love the bella bands. target has a 2 pack or shades online has some nice ones. shades always has sales on their maternity clothes and they have good quality stuff. target and old navy online also have lots of good sales.
as for baby stuff, there are certain things you will want new, but most things are short lived and you can find on craigslist for cheap. every baby is different and may not like certain things so don't spent a ton of money. you and bret are active, so you might enjoy a good jogger stroller that has an infant carseat attachment. if you are planning on another baby in the future, get one that is expandable like a city select or phil & teds. i could keep on going and going, but my main advice is to use craigslist especially for things you aren't sure you or the baby will like!
soooo excited for you! can't wait to see your bump grow!! :)
The best advice I can give is don't put off the maternity pants. With my first I was in denial about my growing stomach and would squeeze myself into my jeans then be uncomfy all day. Maternity jeans are SO comfy! Just like PJs. Invest in some cute ones and bust those babies out as soon as your belly is a little bit bigger. I always found cheap ones at TJ Maxx. Own the belly! Can't wait to see more pics!
Yay! You're going to be such a cute little pregnant momma; ) Ok here's my schpeel...first of all, I only bought three things maternity: a really good pair of jeans (Hudsons), a pair of maternity jeggings from Gap, and a pair of leggings from a pea in the pod. I was able to get by wearing the latter two to work pretty much every day. Or I would wear tights with dresses. Forever 21 has cute cheap maternity and so does Gap and Top Shop. I just bought lots of flowy tops that I knew I would wear post-preg with leggings and flats. I also got away with wearing some of my prepreg jeans throughout my pregnancy with the Bella Band (from Target).
Since you'll be pretty big in the summer I would say jersey banded skirts would be the best! As for baby gear, you'll have a ton of people tell you what worked for their baby, but really, you'll just have to find what works for little baby baker! Daphne loved the sleep sheep and the swaddleme's. I think one of my favorite things though is her Boon FLair high chair. You've obviously got some time before you need that, but its pretty awesome.
Oh man...I could go on and on. Baby gear is my absolute favorite. If you ever care to hear more of my babble just email me:) So happy for you!!
1. I had to buy full-fledged maternity clothes around 22 weeks, but I made my regular clothes last WAY too long. Maternity jeans are SO much more comfortable than trying to squeeze into regular jeans!
2. I wish someone would have told me that I was going to get as big as I am! I know pregnant women are supposed to get big, but I've always been kinda petite and I thought my belly would be that way too. Boy was I wrong! But maybe that's not something someone can tell you, just something you'll have to experience for yourself. Also, I wish someone would've told me it was ok to not always look great. It seems obvious now, but I didn't realize it until I was big, hot all the time, and just plain uncomfortable. I really tried to keep up my appearance like I had before I got pregnant but it wasn't realistic for me so I gave into baggy shirts and letting my hair "air dry".
3. I definitely would say to buy "belly bands" or whatever you call them to help hold your regular pants up because they do help when you get to the point of having to unbutton your pants to fit into them. They also made me more comfortable so I wasn't showing anything I didn't want to show! On buying things, I decided to wait until after I had a baby shower so I would know what to buy. I did, however, buy a car seat/stroller combo because I knew I couldn't leave the hospital without a car seat.
Just remember that every pregnant woman goes through the majority of the same things so you're not the only one to have hard times! More importantly, remember that being pregnant doesn't last forever and I find I can get through anything better when I know it's temporary! Hope this helps! Good luck with it all!
I'm 18 weeks along and I haven't really bought anything maternity yet. I'm just loving the flowy comfy shirts and leggings! :] I did buy some maternity pants that were on sale but I have yet to wear them. Everything still fits thank goodness! :] I'm going to be checking back here to check out what everyone else says! Also, we haven't really bought anything for the baby yet/planned anything and I think I'm maybe a couple of weeks ahead of you so you're good!!
With my first pregnancy, I didn't need to buy maternity jeans until about 34 weeks, but once I bought them and wore them, I wished I would have purchased them sooner! They were to amazingly comfortable compared to wearing my regular jeans! And the maternity jeans I found were so super cute! (from the Gap). I only bought 3 maternity tops...everything else I wore just worked for maternity wear as well, which was so nice! This time around I'm pregnant with twins and I have a feeling I'm going to be needing to buy a lot maternity stuff!
My biggest advice is when you go in for the 'big' ultra sound appt at around 20 weeks, please please please have them look at the heart very closely for any defects...I had a normal, healthy pregnancy, and normal ultra sound with no signs of any concerns (they didn't look close enough) and when my baby was born, it was discovered that he had a major heart defect that required open heart surgery. We would have been able to prepare so much better, had we known beforehand. Also, after the baby is born, have them do a pulse-ox test, which is SUPER easy and simple (and costs less than the cost of a diaper to do) It will simply test the oxygen in their blood, which can be a good indicator if there are also any heart problems. They will know exactly what you are asking for at the hospital, so don't feel dumb about asking for it. (it's just a little piece of cloth they wrap around the foot for about 30 seconds with a light, that reads the amount of oxygen in the blood). We are trying to get it passed through legislature and mandated as part of the newborn screening for all babies. Our baby is just fine now, and perfect, and beautiful, so I'm not trying to worry you, but I think it's best to be prepared.
And the most important advice I have, is to always follow your instincts as a mother. No matter what. No matter who tells you no, or that you are crazy, or that you are wrong. During your pregnancy, listen to your body and respond to what it tells you. Pay attention to how you feel, and act on it. While I was pregnant, I felt like I should get another ultra sound, and asked about it, but was told my insurance wouldn't cover it...I felt dumb so I didn't bring it up again even though I thought about it more. Had I insisted on it, it's possible that they would have detected the major heart abnormality and we would have known everything beforehand. Trust yourself. Trust your body. You will be a wonderful momma.
Hmmm, I think that I started to wear mat clothes around 24 weeks with my first and 20 weeks with all the others (I have 4). I always found around 12 weeks or so I would show a bit and then go back a few weeks later and then at 20 weeks it would pop back out again and not go away. I used the elastic on the button trick a lot and belly bands.
As far as clothes go, there is SO much cute stuff out there now. You will find your own cute maternity style and what you like and what you don't.
As for gear, I agree that many things can be bought second hand and save you a TONNE of money. The one thing we have bought new though and NEVER regretted was our Chariot stroller. It is a double stroller/jogger/bike trailer and can even be used cross country skiing! With how active you are, I would recommend checking them out - SO worth it! We have had ours for 10 yrs now and have used it more than anything else we own! (http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/cougar.php)
Good luck and like others have said, it is YOUR baby and YOUR pregnancy. Whatever you do is what is best for you and the baby!
P.S. Read "What to Expect When You're Expecting"! It answered lots of questions about being pregnant, labor and delivery, and post-partumness (if that's a word...).
Buy a belly band!! You can get them at target in white, black, and beige. They basically look like a tube top. I wore my regular jeans until like 8 months, just unzipped with the belly band over them, holding them up. With a shirt on, it just looks like a tank top underneath. Now a days with the style, you can find cute clothes to wear while pregnant, not even in the maternity section, just baby-doll style shirts. My pregnancy was pretty bad so just keep in mind that in the long run, 9 months isn't that long and it's worth it : )
Let's see if I can contribute something that hasn't already been said...
-Don't buy pregnancy clothes from Kohls. don't even bother looking at them. blah.
-Not everything has to technically be "maternity" clothes for it to work. I gained a friend in a previous ward who was pregnant when i met her. She always wore the most stylish clothes and I asked her where she shopped. She said she didn't buy a single maternity clothes item. She just used the baby doll blouses she already owned and purchased a few more.
-belly bands are great in some ways, but they honestly annoyed me. i felt like I always had to adjust them so my pants weren't bunching so if you can borrow one, do that.
-long tanks (really long) will be your best friend.
-I wish someone would've told me that it's not normal to throw up as much as i did/do. But seeing as you haven't complained about that, my guess is your morning sickness hasn't been too bad. At least I hope that's the case.
-with my first pregnancy, i started wearing maternity pants at about 18 weeks. only because I can't stand really tight clothes and like I said, I didn't like the belly band, but with this one (my second) I started wearing them about 14 weeks. Depressing!
-There may be days where you feel crazy and all over the place. Bubble baths and naps really help.
I'm sure there is more, but all in all...you'll figure it out. Women have been having babies since the beginning of time. :)
My first pregnancy I didn't buy maternity clothes until I was I think around 25-30 weeks, but then I hated them so I ended wearing clothes that could pass for maternity. I am currently prego with #3 and I have felt I needed to wear maternity clothes at 12 weeks. YIKES!
I wish someone would have told me my body would store fat easier than it has in my entire LIFE. I am a very thin person but when I am prego I get some junk in the trunk..it scared me. Oh and how I would look prego for about 5-6 weeks after having the baby. Also when you are finished.
breastfeeding number 1 your breast will slightly change..number 2 they will look BAD. One last thing, that when you have that baby in your arms it will be you more joy then you EVER imagined. Even though the after birth of your body Just sucks, you have the most amazing thing to take care of...oh and that baby smell is amazing!!!!!
If this is your first let everyone shower you with gifts and then when you have all those check and see what you need. I think babycenter.com has an actual checklist.
I LOVE maternity clothes, but I'm super picky about which ones. I love being comfy and so flowy dresses are totally my thing with a bump. With Evelyn, I didn't start wearing maternity until about 25 weeks. Now with #2, I can't wait to get in them! I never did get a belly band. I got old navy low rise jeans that I absolutely loved and NO ONE guessed that they were maternity jeans. I had my boss tell me that he couldn't believe I could still fit into my citizens at 32 weeks and when I told them they were ON maternity he was baffled. One pair of jeans is all I bought. The rest were dresses.
I agree with the previous reader about reading "what to expect when you're expecting." Don't buy stuff. I was overwhelmed with all the things we got from the baby shower, so I'd wait until after then to buy anything. Hooray! What an exciting time!
25-30 weeks I think I started wearing maternity? I was pregnant mostly through the winter though. So I just got 2 pair of mat jeans from old navy and a few mat shirts/tanks. then i wore my regular cardis over them. so i hardly had to buy anything. pregnancy during the summer might be harder. are you going to be working? if not, i'd probably wear my husbands clothes most of the time and get a few stretchy skirts and dresses for when you need to be presentable. i'm all for non-maternity clothes as maternity clothes too. so much stuff out there right now is meant to fit looser. that stuff will carry you through a lot of your pregnancy and then after when your tummy needs time to flatten.
also, don't stress too much about needing to get "everything". most of it is non-essential anyway, and if you realize you really need it, go to target and get it.
one recommendation though--get a nightime nursing bra (kind of like a sports bra) for coming home from the hospital. when your milk actually comes in, then you can go get some regular nursing bras. i grew a full cup size in the few days after i delivered. so the nursing bras i had on hand were no good anymore.
good luck, this is so exciting! oh my last piece of advice is not to listen to everyone's advice, just pick one or two women you think are doing a good job parenting and tune everyone else out cause everyone on the planet has opinions about babies and parenting. i guess that means don't listen to anything i just said, but that doesn't hurt my feelings.
At about the 4 month mark I had, as in HAD to start wearing maternity clothes. I resisted for a long time because I went from stylish regular clothes to tent maternity clothes that swam on me.
Best piece of advice, well a couple actually - listen to you and your body, if it doesn't feel right to you, don't do it. & #2 grease up after every shower with Vaseline. I tried all the other stuff and it just dried me out, but I didn't get one stretch mark with Vaseline.
Echoing some other advice, it's really not discussed much but you will look preggo for a few months after birth. Just remember it took 9 months to put it on, it's gonna take a few to get it off. By 6 months I was back down to pre-baby weight & by 12 months I was 20 lbs lighter than that. I nursed my little guy until he was over a year old though and that extra 300 to 500 calories it takes to make the milk, helps to pull the weight right off of you.
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