Thinking Maternity

Hi Ladies... Happy New Year! 

I missed you all! It's me, Laura...back with you! I am so glad you were blessed by  Shari's Challenges this Holiday season. 

We are moving back to the Wednesday posts for now but do not fear, we will have more

challenges this year.

                                                          Alright... onward!

Every so often we have requests to talk about women in very specific times of their lives… like women who are expecting.  Ladies who are pregnant face a changing body in a short time frame, less than a year, nine months to be more precise. 

Since I do not have kiddos and I am not expecting I took to Facebook.  I have lots of Facebook friends who are new moms. I asked them about their experience and their recommendations.  

The reason I am sharing this with you is because it is EXACTLY what Shari teaches in her "regular" classes … 

buy the basics and accessorize to put your look together.

Since they said it better than I could re-write it,  I am using their words.  I only edited personal information and local store names.

Let's get started!

One working friend said: “I wouldn't buy all at once, but I had lots of T's, for work and summer, a few dressy shirts three dress pants, and jeans.”

This hip entreprenuer mom said: “In the end, I had basically 2 yoga pants that worked, and maybe 4 tops, and I just kept rotating them by doing laundry every 2 days....it worked. It killed me to spend $40 on that *one* top from Motherhood Maternity that I wore literally 4 times.

Regular yoga pants and xxl t-shirts worked best for me- never bought maternity clothes. I had maybe 1 or 2 "maternity" tops, and they were from Target. When it came time for that special dress for my shower, I had better luck going to (a local large department store) and buying a tight, form fitting stretchy non-maternity dress, paired it with a cardigan, and I got lots of compliments on it. Motherhood maternity and gap are expensive, but if you're looking for something specific they might have it. I made the mistake of buying a lot of clothes early on from Target.com that were drastically reduced (in price), thinking I would "grow" into them, and I never did. Know your size.”

A Stay at Home Mom said: “The belly bands work great for the first trimester...I suggest going to a nicer store for quality maternity jeans and visit your local Kmart, Target, or Walmart for your tops so you can get more variety on a budget. Long fitting tank tops are also life savers.”

My teacher friend said “There's a nice maternity resale shop nearby. I found some cute things at Target, but rarely in my size. Kohl's has more for size, but not a lot of styles and they aren't cheap especially for the short time you need them. Motherhood has the best mix of sizes and styles, but at a not so cheap price. I tried Macy's and the clerk told me they did markdowns on Tues/Sat (Laura's note... ask your local store for their deal days). For other resale options, there are several FB groups that are virtual yard sales and I've seen good deals there too.

Truth is, I didn't buy much for pants and what I bought didn't fit well because my belly wasn't that large. I'd lost weight prior to being pregnant and still had my "fat" pants from VanHuesen that I wore partly zipped by putting a BE band from Target over the open part and it looked like I was layering. I got by with 3-4 of those pants and a pair of maternity jeans from Burlington. I probably had about 10-12 tops with a few being the oversized "fat" clothes. Most of the resale items were Motherhood brand. My favorite casual top was a Liz Lange (Target) hoodie that held up well and I wore it after baby came because it had enough room to use as a cover while nursing.

By the way-my definition of pricey was $40+ for a pair of pants that was worn 3 months or less. I only had from January to April (she had a surprise baby). I came home from the hospital to my pre-pregnancy clothes that were a little loose. From what I'd read while pregnant, I expected to need them longer. I wound up giving the pants all to my other expecting friends. ”

A Working Engineer Friend mentioned: “Depending on whether or not you expect to have more than one...The Gap and The Loft have beautiful maternity clothes. They are a bit more pricey, but they last. By the end of my pregnancy, my Motherhood Maternity clothes were on their last limb and most had to be tossed. Whereas everything I bought at Gap and Loft look like new and can be worn again. All in all, worth the price.”

Tall Nurse Friend who is a Mom-To-Be said:  “Motherhood Maternity has great style and their prices are reasonable. I try to get basic pieces and then change them up with scarves and accessories so I get more wear out of them.  Their jeans come in longs so I'm not stuck with floods. I also still wear pre-pregnancy cardigans and unbutton them over some maternity tanks I got over the summer.”

Other Friends mentioned that Old Navy had great pieces that you can find online (knowing your size is a must).  Ebay and consignment stores are great options as well.

And a great story that sums up how to use basics to the max and accessorize to change it up!

Oh and when I was 8 months pregnant and at my wits end with all my clothes, wearing the same stuff over and over (but didn't want to buy new stuff, obviously)--I went to NY&Co and bought a bunch of cute necklaces and earrings...helped make me feel like I was wearing something different--and now I have lots of fun accessories :)

I think this is a great reminder to all ladies that basics are key and finding value that works for you is best.  It’s also a reminder that a shopping spree is not always the best idea and accessories are great no matter your age, body shape or size.  

I want to give a genuine thank you to the Facebook Friends who gave me this great information to share with you.  I had fun chatting with them.

 

~ Laura

Supporting and Contributing Editor of FashionMeetsFaith.com