Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I don't want to go and buy maternity clothes, as this is it for is. I was wondering if I could get away with stretchy leggings and tops. Any ideas where to buy tops and leggings with enough space for a big belly?

Thanks!

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

If you are going to be buying some new stuff anyway I would just hit up the sale/clearance maternity section in target.
I loved the maternity tank tops and used them for a long time after for layering.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

Me personally, I could not. My belly gets HUGE. Some maternity tops didn't even want to cover it at the end. I can't imagine not wearing maternity clothes. If you have a body type that you can pull it off though, go for it.

Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

Check out Sears they actually have some awesome maternity stuff in stores.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

Do you have any friends that were pregnant and can lend you some? I did carry small for a while then just popped out and was all belly, but still needed maternity clothes. They fit better and are longer.
My friends and I would just lend each other clothes. For instance I didn't want to get summer maternity clothes when pregnant with DS bc I was due in May, but we were going to Aruba in February so my friend gave me all her shorts, bathing suits, etc to bring and this way I didn't need to buy for one week.
There's a lot of places you can go that's not pricey either like Target or Destiny and then give them away or keep them in case.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I didn't wear maternity clothes until I was about 7 or 8 months pregnant. I needed to get a few fancy dresses for events from motherhood maternity (but hated them actually) and some everyday pieces were good from target and gap. what stinks is gap maternity is so good but mostly online and target you have to go very small. i didnt even almost fit into maternity there. i wore my usual clothes in very big, or my husbands clothes around the house. i mostly just fit into my regular "baggy" clothes. by the last 2-3 months i def. had like a week of maternity clothes and wore those alot if i wasnt in my normal big pajamas.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I tried to buy very little too since I was only having one.
I got cheap cheap stuff at Old Navy.
I didn't need matrenity until like the last 2 months either.
I could get away with fit and flare and flowy tops.
I have a few dresses too that worked fine.

I work in an office so i needed some decent things- so i got a few maternity dresses for the last 2 months that I needed them.

I never ever bought those huge paneled pants either. I got a few pair of maternity jeans that went under the belly with just an elastic waist. Same with the work pants- I think Gap maybe.

And the belly bandit thing is your friend.
It would hold up my regular pants unbuttoned when i needed it


ETA- having said that, I still wear my old navy "maternity" sweats to bed. They look like regular sweats to me, I dont' get how they were even maternity but they were comfy!

Message edited 8/21/2015 2:10:28 PM.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

haha, not a chance

I will say a lot of the maternity clothes I bought don't look like maternity and I could wear them after. Old navy tanks (not the ones that the sides are roughed - spelling?). Leggings. Pink blush.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I never got "big" but I still never would have been comfortable in regular clothes.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I wanted to add, some love those belly bands that you use so you don't have to button your pants. I couldn't stand them, everytime I would bend over or sit down my butt would come out of my pants. So each time I stood back up, I had to adjust my pants and the band like crazy. I didn't even bother with it for my second, just went straight for the maternity pants.

Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I wore maternity pants, but some non-maternity tops. The tops need to be a bit longer, like tunic length. Maternity pants are sooo comfy. I just bought cheap ones - old navy, and Jc penney.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

Pregnancy is LONG. I couldn't imagine not buying anything new even if I only wore it during my pregnancy...

I bought mostly from Old Navy - not expensive, but I also just started using StitchFix b/c they have some cute stuff that you can't find in stores.

I also bought gently used stuff from eBay and borrowed clothes from friends.

Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

Ummmmm.... yeah, no. I needed maternity clothes by the time I was 10 weeks. And I carried small from what others told me.

Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I found maternity clothes to be more flattering than trying to wear regular clothing in larger sizes. If you are going to buy new things they may as well fit properly. Destination maternity has frequent sales- I was able to get jeans and tee shirts but one get one half off. Old Navy and the Gap also run tons of sales. I bought my favorite maternity jeans at the Gap on clearance for $12.99. I was able to wear some of my low rise yoga pants for my entire pregnancy. I also wore most of my cardigans my entire pregnancy. I did not buy a lot of clothing but I tried to buy pieces that were versatile. By 12 weeks none of my jeans fit and I had only gained a couple of pounds but my shape changed. I was glad to buy things that made me feelcomfortable and look good. I gave all my maternity clothes to my cousin when dd was six months old- she was so grateful.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

ugh i wish i was able to get away with my normal clothing! i would check out old navy, they have reasonably priced items
I have a few shirts and even pants that I still wear and my youngest is 15 months old

Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

My SIL tried getting away with every day clothes and honestly it was very unflattering. She wore regular dresses to special events and some were borderline inappropriate.

I really liked Old Navy’s maternity section. The tanks have great stretch and I still wear them at home. The pants too! They weren’t expensive at all. Also check out Zulily. I got a lot of stuff for work from them.

Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

If I was just staying home, I was able to wear my regular yoga pants, leggings, and stretchy long tank tops. But for leaving the house I had a couple pairs of maternity tops and bottoms. I wouldn't have been able to fit into my regular pants by the 2nd trimester. Also, I was able to wear some stretchy summer dresses that I had from prepregnancy.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I don't think so.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I think it really depends on how you are carrying. With my first my belly was huge and I absolutely needed maternity clothes. I carried my second much smaller and I could have lasted with leggings and bigger tops if I wanted to.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I thought I could get away with wearing my regular leggings, but they're just not cut to accommodate a belly. the waistband would be uncomfortably right across your baby bump or awkwardly scrunched underneath. i got gap maternity leggings that aren't paneled, but rather the front waistband scoops down ever so slightly to go under your belly. i still wear them not pregnant. i also loved gap ribbed tanks for layering when i was pregnant. the sides aren't ruched, so i also still wear those now not pregnant and you'd never know they're maternity. for me though, even those maternity tanks didn't cover my entire belly the last couple of months and i needed to wear legit, ruched-side maternity shirts.

i also liked the belly band to wear my regular pants as long as possible.

Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I carried small; gained 23 pounds and was all belly - there is no way I could have gotten away with buying no maternity clothes, but I am very particular about cut. I like to wear things that are fitted and showed off my belly. I didn't go crazy buying clothes and bought probably just slightly more than I would have for a normal season.

Message edited 8/21/2015 5:00:06 PM.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

I am already plus size so finding maternity clothes that fit properly was a task not for the faint at heart. I ended up getting some comfy stretch pants and tunic tops that fit well into the latter months. I bought one pair maternity jeans and I HATED them! I felt like my pants were falling down all the time

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

There is no way I could have gotten by without maternity clothes in the end even maternity clothes barely covered. I got most of my stuff from Old Navy, Kohls, Target and walmart online (I don't know if they sell in store). I refused to spend a lot of money. I had 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of black dress pants, 2 pairs of shorts and a lot of different shirts I could mix and match. I only got one dress which was for my shower.

Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

It really depends on each individual pregnancy -- everyone carries so differently. I only gained 18lbs my entire pregnancy but was still in maternity clothes by about 16-17 weeks -- I felt that my body weight shifted all over, not just gaining in the belly. If you are going to spending money on clothes, rather than buying "regular" clothes in bigger sizes, I'd spend the money on maternity clothes that will fit you better and you'll be more comfortable in.

Re: Moms; did anyone NOT wear maternity clothes during pregnancy?

yoga pants from target.