Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Since I'm a size 4 I won't offer to share any of my clothes with
    you! But one of the things that I learned (I'm in my 31st week) was to
    buy color-coordinated outfits.  I have only 1 jacket and one sweater
    - white - and I get a lot of wear out of both. All of my dresses
    match on or both of these tops.  It was the same with casual
    clothes.  I also bought a few oversized T-shirts and a sweater
    that are not maternity clothes, and I will be able to waer them
    later. (They still have plenty of room in them, but I am not that
    big).                                                          
    Hope this helps.
    
    Mary

    Definitly go for the mix and match look.  I've made myself some things. 
    Skirts with elasitic waists are easy to make or if you can buy them
    cheaply.  I'm told though that I won't want things around my waist all
    the time.  I'm 25 weeks and still finding them fine.  Another option to
    tide you over the awkward time is to buy thin elastic and  make loops
    from your button hole in your skirts.  this then becomes the buttom
    hole and your skirts will fit a wider waist.  And you just wear shirts
    out or jackets to cover the gap at the back.  that'll give you a few
    weeks more wear out of your normal clothes.  Big sweat shirts are good
    too.
    
    I'm lucky because its winter here in New Zealand and I can go for the
    layered look!!
    
    One thing I've kept in mind all the time is that at some stage I won't
    be able to wear many of my clothes at all so the really big things I'm
    not wearing at all now.  I gradually add in clothes so that I don't get
    sick to death of a limited wardrobe.  Don't rush out and buy lots of
    things nwo because you don't know how fast you'll grow or what shape
    you'll be or how you'll feel.  Put money and clothes away for later on
    to give you something new and different to wear or buy.
    
    good luck
    
    Sue

    I was pregnant winter, spring and summer with Joshua (he was born
    in June) so I really had to look for versatility as well as style
    and comfort.  My two best buys were sleeveless jumpsuits-in the
    winter I wore sweaters, flannels, etc. under them, spring I went
    to short sleeve blouses (many prematernity as I could leave lower
    buttons undone and the jumpsuit covered), and summer I didn't wear
    a shirt underneath.  My main suggestion is to buy comfortable under-
    clothes!  I didn't until my last few months and suffered more than
    I had to because of it.  Vanity will get you every time! ;-)  I had
    a nice skirt, two dresses, 3 pairs of slacks, and quite a few tops
    plus two jumpsuits.  I bought most of my tops in the regular section-
    just oversized and I still wear a lot of those now.  I swam a lot
    so one of my most important purchases was a maternity swimsuit.
    Also maternity hose and low shoes to prevent backaches.  I think
    it also makes a difference if you plan to have more kids.  This
    was our first and we plan on another so I bought more clothes and
    saved them than if I had not planned on another baby.  Buy things
    you enjoy--you're self conscious enough without worrying about what
    you're wearing.
    
    Pam 

    I agree that you should not buy too much too soon.  When I first
    started to show I bought several things that are now too small.
    You just never know how much you are going to grow.  (I'm 31 weeks
    now and can't imagine getting any bigger....but still I'm growing!)
    Buy a few things every couple of months and that way you'll have
    things that fit and a little boost from wearing something new now
    and then.  Also, borrow if you can.  It's been a life saver for
    me.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Linette
    

    I second and third not buying everything right away. Not only will
    shopping for something for yourself while you also shop for all the
    baby things be a great pick-me-up, you never know how big you will get.
    My neighbor is normally a size 7. She went out a bought all size 8
    maternity clothes and ended up with gestational diabetes and could not
    even button size 14's around her waist in the last month. 
    
    Since you never know how you will carry, you don't know if those
    expandable snapping waists will be best or plain elastic. The way I
    carried I hated the snap waists with a passion. 
    
    Buy the things you normally wear. If you live in jeans, buy maternity
    jeans. If you prefer sweat pants or stretch pants, buy those. I found
    dresses most comfortable for me. Sometimes I just did not want elastic
    (or anything) touching my stomach. I also found a few mid-pregnancy
    dresses that fit perfectly around the 5-6 months where you were
    definitely in need of maternity clothes but some of the things seemed
    like tents on you. 
    
    One thing I had good results with were buying "large woman" sizes. They
    generally have larger tummy areas in skirts and shirts. Pants didn't
    work because they have a greater thigh and rear-end area as well. It's
    also easier to tailor this cut rather than maternity wear if you have
    any desire to wear it after. These sometime don't work all that well
    toward the end because they don't include extra length to compensate
    for the amount your tummy will pull up.
    
    There are usually maternity departments in many department stores and
    discount stores (Marshall's for example). Also try consignment shops
    for used clothing. There are also many maternity catalogs (Working
    Mother or Recreations).
    
    Have a wonderful pregnancy!!!!
    Andrea

    Invest a good portion of money in a good, carefully fitted
    maternity bra.  Preferably two, so you can wash one and wear the
    other.  This will reduce breast pain (I went from being so sore I
    almost couldn't stand to have my shirt touching the front of my
    chest to complete lack of discomfort in about four hours) and
    backache as well.  
    
    I didn't know this for my first two pregnancies, but last time I
    had the good fortune to stumble onto a store called Maternity
    Unlimited in the TJ MAXX plaza in south  Nashua/Tyngsboro.  The
    clerk there spent a good half hour darting back and forth with
    bras, making sure I had a perfect fit.  I found out I had been
    wearing a cup size that was two too small, thus causing my bra to
    compress my breasts and make the sensitive developing tissues
    ache.  Plus the cup couldn't support any extra weight, so my back
    was taking the strain.
    
    Also get some comfortable panties.  Either the oversized kind or
    the very low cut bikini kind work well -- it's a matter of your
    preference and what you're used to wearing.  I found that ordinary
    nonmaternity bikini panties with the elastic sides worked just
    fine; they were cut so the elastic was below my belly the entire
    time.   I'd also suggest buying at least one large thing that
    makes you feel very comfortable and attractive -- in my case it
    was a summer "romper" in my favorite aqua/floral print.  I
    practically lived in it when I was away from work.  
    
    As at least one other reply in this string has mentioned,
    sometimes you  might not like having anything across your waist. 
    I found this was most true in the early parts of my pregnancies,
    while I was still having morning sickness.  Going to loose-fitting
    clothes early greatly reduced the amount of nausea I had with both
    the second and the third pregnancies.  It's discouraging being in
    maternity clothes for that long, but the comfort more than made up
    for the hit in my wardrobe.
    
    --bonnie

    >>Invest a good portion of money in a good, carefully fitted
    >>maternity bra.  Preferably two, so you can wash one and wear the
    >>other.

    Agreed, but buy ONE as soon as you outgrow your current bras
    and another when you outgrow that one.  Then you can wear the
    first new one when you wash the second new one.  That way you
    always have one that fits and a backup, instead of two that are
    on the tight side.

    -Amy

    re: .7
    
    Good point.
    
    The model I wound up buying has an elastic stretch panel along the
    bottom edge of the cup, so it expanded by about a full size, and I
    didn't have the problem of outgrowing it.  But many models don't
    have that feature, and if I had grown much more than that, it
    would have been a problem.  
    
    --b

    I feel stupid.  I am currently in my 18th week of my first pregnancy.
    Everything is getting tight now including by bra.  I was going to
    go shopping this weekend for a bigger one.  What I don't understand
    is a maternity bra a special bra just for pregnant woman?  I never
    realized there was such a thing, I just assumed you keep getting
    bigger bras as needed.
    
    My questions are:  How is it different (better) than a regular bra?
    Can you buy them at regular department stores or just maternity
    stores?  Are there certain brands (styles) that you would recommend?
    
    Thank you,
    Megan                                                               

    Steven was due at the end of October 1989, so I was able 
    to buy sundresses (non-maternity) one size larger than usual.
    These were great for those months when you were too small for
    maternity clothes and too big for your normal clothes.
    
    I wore them to work with short sleeved blouses too.  Plus
    they were long enough so I could wear knee-hi's and no one
    but me knew the difference!
    
    I also loved my jean jumper and wore it through summer and fall.
    
    I recommend shopping at Marshalls and other department type stores.
    I found that the maternity shops were over priced and the quality
    wasn't great either!
    
    Enjoy!
    Linda

    re: .9
    
    Yes, they design special bras for pregnant women.  They generally
    have sturdier cups that are lined with some kind of absorbent
    cotton (for when/if you start leaking colostrum), wider bands and
    straps for extra support, and often inserts of stretch material to
    grow with you as your breasts prepare for nursing (which happens
    even when you don't intend to nurse).  
    
    You can get them in department stores; the advantage to getting
    them at a maternity specialty store or lingerie store is the
    expert help in fitting. 
    
    Any sturdy bra designed for support will do the trick -- the
    problem is that many standard bras in large cup sizes are cut to
    minimize bounce by compressing the breast a bit, and if your
    breasts are tender from the pregnancy, that can make it worse.
    
    re: .10
    
    I had bad luck at department stores -- one pair of pants lasted
    three weeks before the stretch panel tore out, and all the blouses
    had little puffed sleeves and cute pink ribbons, which I loathe. 
    I had better luck paying the extra for nice stuff that wore well
    and could be passed on to another pregnant person.
    
    --bonnie

    I found a nice line of maternity bras at Lady Grace at Liberty Tree
    Mall in Danvers that also were nursing bras.  I wore a generously
    cut regular bra till virtually the very end, then after James was
    born I was so engorged that Cousin Linda's cast-off size 38C nursing
    bras were very comfortable.  Then I finally got up to the mall (oh,
    bliss! an hour alone!!) and found these nice maternity bras that
    were just as soft as could be and had the "drop-flap" cups that
    released for easy, discreet breast-feeding.  Maybe you should
    consider that alternative, .9. 
    
    One thing that annoyed the h*** out of me was maternity pantyhose.
    Since it was my first pregnancy, I followed the advice that said,
    "buy your regular size."  In those days I was a petite/medium.  SO
    I bought my regular size and by the end of the day, the d*** hose
    were down around my knees.  What a waste of $$$.  I bought queen
    size hose (Just My Size) and just kept going up a size as I got
    bigger.  I carried James in front, so I kept blowing out the
    "stretch" tummy panel.  Finally went into the largest size of
    maternity panty hose at 8 months, and was glad to go on maternity
    leave two weeks before my due date, because I could only fit into
    two or three things at that point.  I could barely get into the car!
    
    Hoping I'll need maternity clothes again soon,
    Kate
    
    

    ...Just make sure you can unhitch the cup - and hitch it back up -
    using *only one hand*.  Of course, that's one of my 2 rules for ANYthing 
    you buy associated with Baby.  (The other is, it must have a shoulder
    strap!  I'm sure you're safe on that one... never heard of a strapless
    nurser....)
    
    Leslie

    There's also a Lady Grace at the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua.
    
    --bonnie

    I found a good selection of casual slacks at Bradlees - Gitano makes a
    maternity brand with snaps instead of an elastic panel.  I was able to
    continue wearing these after Kate was born, without feeling like I was
    still wearing maternity clothes.  
    
    JC Penny has a maternity catalog and I was able to purchase summer
    clothes (shorts/tops) at very reasonable prices.  They also had bathing
    suits for under $30.  
    
    For work I needed to have more professional-looking clothing and I
    found that two-piece dresses were best. (The kind with the full slip 
    built into the skirt).  I was able to wear the top of the dress with a 
    pair of slacks and make the dresses go a lot further.
    
    I'd offer my supply but another lucky lady already has them...
    
    Jeannie
    

    I did find some VERY reasonable summer shifts with drop waist, some
    were even as low as $4.00! I bought 3 of them in different colors and
    will wear a jacket or sweater.  The store was Clothestime in Atlanta.
    
    Thanks to everyone for all the tips/advice. With my tummy continuing to
    grow....about pantihose, I use the Legg's "seconds/irregulars" catalog
    and order the maternity or any other pantihose in bulk. I also find
    that now I want to wear regular pantihose with no support--I usually
    like to wear sheer energy but now they are tight in the waist. If you
    want to order a L'eggs catalog call 919/744-1790.
    
    Anne

    Does anyone know of any Maternity clothes' catalogs to order by mail?
    
    Thanks,
    Anne

Mother's Work has a catalog.  I've found them at the midwife's office
and in the Mother's Work store (Burlington Mall).  I think their
headquarters is in Philadelphia, so you could try calling information
at 1-215-555-1212 to get their address or phone number and ask them
to send you a catalog.

-Amy

    J.C Penny also has maternity clothes in their catolog.

    In the middle of "Expecting" magazine, there's a pull out section with
    mail-away maternity clothes.  (I picked up the magazine at the OB's
    office)  Can't remember the name of the company, might in fact be
    Mother's work, but I found the quality and prices great.  I even got
    the hard_to_find, but_necessary maternity whole slip.  I also agree
    with just simply buying panty hose a size or two bigger.  If you get
    the queen size they have an extral panel in them, instead of a center
    seam.
    
    Happy hunting!!
    Lyn Tripp