Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I wore regular pantyhose and left the waist rolled up under my belly
    (if you know what I mean).
    
    -Tracy
    

    Charlene, 
    I am a big person in general and am not very fond of nylons that 
    are not "control top" under regular circumstances. I bought a pair
    during the last pregnancy from my regular maternity shop, and I found
    that they not only pinched across what once was my waist, but also
    sagged beteen my legs which caused a lot of sweating and chafing.
    It made me angry that I could not comfortably wear the nice dress I
    had bought there.
    This time when I went back to the shop (the women there even remembered
    me!) I complained about that pair. She said that there are a number of
    brands and each fit differently -- they now were carrying a totally
    different brand and she suggested I try those. Well, I still had that 
    nice dress I had worn so very little, that I bought a pair.
    Lo and behold, she was right! the fit was quite different.
    
    So you my have a problem with brand or even size! If it doesn't go any 
    higher than the middle of the belly, perhaps you should go for a larger
    size! Don't hesitate to complain to the place where you bought them. 
    They may tell you they have another brand, or say "that's all we carry"
    In which case another place will carry something else.
    
    I had the very same problem with undies; now I have found comfort in
    a brand that we will probably be converting into tents after the 
    baby is born  8-) 8-)
    
    Monica
    

    I kept on using L'eggs (Sheer Energy) for civilians (non-maternity);
    what I did was cut out the tummy, leaving the waistband alone.  When my
    belly got big enough so that the waistband (positioned *above* the
    belly, natch) was too tight, I cut it in the center and sewed in an 
    insert from a to-be-discarded pair (with runs in the legs or whatever).  
    Hey, for me it didn't have to be *pretty*, just comfortable, and my 
    *legs* weren't pregnant...  No, my tummy didn't itch; I did have a 
    maternity full-slip, so I had that against my skin.
    
    Leslie

    I never had a problem wearing the maternity nylons.  I used to get mine
    at the Maternity store in Sears Town in Leominster, MA.  They carry
    different kinds and I told the sales woman that I wanted the most
    comfortablest pair they sold.  She was very nice and gave me the kind I
    wanted and I brought sevral pairs in differnt colors.
    
    Liz

    I didn't wear nylons as such during my pregnancy.  I bought Jockey
    thigh highs instead.  I couldn't stand the binding feeling and the way
    they cut into my waist.  These worked out great for me.  Just make sure
    you don't wear dresses/skirts with a slit in the back.  I think that
    looks tacky to see the tops through the slit.
    
    During the summer I didn't sweat as much with these either.
    
    Kathy

    I did as Leslie (.3) did and constructed my own.  I can't stand any
    kind of constricting clothing (I am hyper claustrophobic) so I never
    wore any kind of support stockings (tried them once, boy did they come
    off in a hurry !!).  So I just sewed an extra piece from an old pair of
    stockings into the top of my regular stockings.
    
    Besides which, in that day and age, I don't know if maternity stockings
    even existed over here!!  I know I had to make all my own slacks
    because pregnant women didn't wear such things :-)  However, you could
    wear a bikini with no problem :-)
    
    I also made my own tennis shorts- a waste of time.  I wanted to
    continue to play tennis and my doctor had no objections.  I was in
    about the 7th month when the tennis season started.  I ran at the ball,
    stopped to hit it, but my tummy kept going.  It really destroyed my
    balance.
    
    ccb

    I didn't have much luck with maternity nylons either.  I resorted to
    buying a queen size/non-control top and found that these were more
    comfortable.  Whenever possible wear slacks and knee highs!
    
    J.

    When I was pregnant I "graduated" to the Queen size, but "regular
    (non-maternity) panty hose.  Any brand works, from L'eggs, No Nonsense
    to the CVS or Brooks brand (which by the way are about $1.69 a pair)
    They are made like regular pantyhose, but there is an extra flat panel
    front and back, which eliminates the uncomfortable part of having the
    seam running up the middle of the belly.
    
    Several others I know have gone the whole time with regular panty hose,
    but just bought one size bigger.
    
    (the frugal one)
    lyn
       

Similar to the last two replies, I never bought or even tried on a pair of
maternity pantyhose.

I just bought the next size or two up of the regular brand of pantyhose that
I normally wear.  Underalls or Coloralls.  Never had a problem with binding
or a too tight feeling.

Barbara

    I've bought L'Eggs maternity brand and the problem I'm having is that
    they keep slipping down.  I'm always having to hike them up.  THey're
    big enough on top but it seems like the legs (which are maybe sheer
    energy) are travelling downward and pulling the tops down.  I can still
    wear my regular size in this the thirty second week and they generally
    feel much more comfortable.  I keep wondering when the tummy will
    really blimp out.  

Pulling, pinching, stretching, sagging, binding, shifting... now that I'm in
my seventh month, I've finally decided that my *body* is doing enough of
all of that without my having to add a *pantyhose* layer to the agony.
I've liberated myself from stockings (pantyhose, nylons, whatever) after
trying several brands with no success. I've even given up on hose ankle socks,
as I find they bind when I have the least bit of swelling. No thanks!
Mind you, the straw that broke the camel's back was the day (a month or
more ago, now) when my (to-be-final) pair of pantyhose kept rolling down
under my tummy and sitting on my (three year old) ceasarean scar. Pinch
pinch pinch. Life is too short. 

-Barbara, looking shoddy but comfy in her maternity bluejeans, old
maternity t-shirt, wool knee high socks, and running shoes.

    After reading these notes, I must admit I got a little depressed --
    I am unable to GET larger sizes in regular panty-hose since I already
    use queen size (My pre-preg size is 5'7" @155lbs). 
    Some women do have easier choices than I. 
    I spend most of my time now in stretch pants and sweaters (thank
    goodness that most of my sweaters/tops are of the loose kind so at
    least I didn't have to buy too many maternity tops!) 
    
    I still believe they have yet to perfect maternity clothes -- 
    especially panty hose.
    
    I went into a maternity store the other day to try out stretch pants
    (a really nice pair on sale). I found the crotch incredibly low. When
    I remarked about this to the saleswoman she said that EVERYTHING in
    the store was designed that way -- It appears the designers have once
    again ignored those of us who are taller/bigger than average. Their 
    "large" was for people with longer torsos and not longer legs. 
    They DID say that I was not the only person who complained that they
    were trying to get their suppliers to address the problem.
    
    Oh well....by now I should be used to such disappointments -- I used
    to live in Montreal where there are a zillion little boutiques with
    great clothes designed for folks under size 8. *Sigh*.
    
    I still find it easier to get clothes that fit me in the US!
    
    Monica

>    After reading these notes, I must admit I got a little depressed --
>    I am unable to GET larger sizes in regular panty-hose since I already
>    use queen size (My pre-preg size is 5'7" @155lbs). 
    
    I also wore queen-size before my last pregnancy and gained enough 
    weight such that the queen size maternity hose I bought didn't fit
    well either. I found that size 3x of the "Just My Size" worked quite 
    well for the last few months of pregnancy. I think they're made by the
    same people that make L'eggs. Maybe they're available in Canada...
    Sue