Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Maternity Clothes--an education

I'm pregnant--a little over 5 1/2 months pregnant. It's funny. In the beginning of this adventure, I was gung- ho about maternity wear. I needed to have my basics covered: jeans, tshirts, black pants, gray pants, office/work shirts, and big underwear. And I did buy a few additional non-basic items to spruce up the wardrobe. Since then, though, my interest in maternity clothing has waned. I attribute that to the fact that I'm bigger, rounder, and little less comfortable. Overall I feel good, though, I'm not complaining! In this post, I thought I'd list my maternity clothing lessons learned.

Where I bought clothes:
1) Old Navy (online)
2) Gap (online)
3) Motherhood Maternity (in-store)
4) Target (online)

What I bought:
1) Jeans (3-4 pairs)
2) Black slacks (1-2 pairs)
3) Gray slacks (1 pair)
4) Sweaters (pullover and cardigan) (5)
5) Blouses (3)
6) Dresses (3)
7) Shirts (3-4)
8) Tshirts (3-4)
9) Workout/yoga pants (2)
10) Maternity bathing suit (1)
11) Winter coat (1)
12) Leggings

What I learned:
1) Old Navy has great deals ALL THE TIME--there's always some percentage off. Everything is reasonably priced and their return policy is pretty standard. Some things are return-by-mail only, others you can take to a store. Tshirts and sweaters fit true to size. Jeans and pants run a tad big, in my opinion. I bought the Maternity Gray-Wash Demi Panel Skinny Jean and Maternity Low-Panel Slim Boot-Cut Jean. I have trouble keeping both pairs up. That's my only complaint, I'm always yanking these pants back up to where they should be.

2) Gap is pricier than Old Navy, as per their regularly sized clothing, but the denim quality is much higher. Gap maternity shirts run big, I went down a size. Pants also run big, so definitely order a size down. Same return policy as Old Navy: some items are return-by-mail only and others you can take back to a store.

3) Motherhood Maternity is good for basics. I found my gray slacks there and a few shirts for work. The prices are high and the material feels cheap to me. When I go in there now, I go straight back to the sale racks. My sister bought me this for Christmas: http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=93084Z10110&MasterCategory_Id=MC12. It's the Seamless Maternity Cami. I wear it all the time: under sweaters, tshirts, blouses. It smooths things out and provides and extra layer for cold weather.

4) Target clothes also seem to run big. Though, I only have experience with tops. Next time, I'd order a size down for blouses, sweaters and tshirts. Target has a good selection and the quality is decent. The clothes wash nice and seem durable.

Oh and I did purchase 2 pairs of leggings from Amazon.com. It's a maternity brand called Ingrid & Isabel. The leggings are great--they go right up to my bra line. I'd recommend this brand--the clothes are well-made and wash well.

Veering from clothing into health and beauty. I received a very nice gift set of lotions by Mama Mio. Check these out:




They are pricey, but worth the splurge I think. And a little goes a long way, so they last. Amazon and A Pea in the Pod sell these products. Treat yourself!

Bottom line: don't go haywire on maternity clothing. There are plenty of good deals out there on items you'll need. You can go higher on a few key pieces, but tshirts, yoga pants, and other basics--stick to Old Navy, Gap, places like that!

Cheers!