Recommendations for maternity/post partum clothes
October 25, 2017 11:27 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for recommendations for petite maternity clothes that will also work postpartum, and I have a question on sizing on maternity jeans.
(I'm surprised this hasn't been asked about since 2015!) I'm on my second pregnancy, need some new clothes, and am wondering what there is out there that's new in the world of maternity clothes. Last time I lived in Gap and Motherhood Maternity, is there anything new and better? Most of that stuff didn't translate well into the postpartum nursing phase because I couldn't nurse in the shirts and the pants only fit for so long. Ideally some shirts and dresses that I could wear afterwards would be nice, and I need a new pair or two of pants. I mostly wear jeans and tshirts day to day, with sweaters on top in the winter, but I do need a few dress-up things and I'd like to look at least a little pretty because I feel pretty uncomfortable already. I am extremely petite (5ft, slim prior to pregnancy) so I need stuff that comes in XS or XXS, and for pants, ankle length/short.
Also, jeans: my Gap maternity jeans from last time fit okay, but I'm 15 weeks and the band is already rubbing on and irritating my c-section scar. The place where the band and jeans are connected hits and presses on the scar all day and it's pretty annoyed by the evening. Is this a problem with maternity jeans in general due to my scar location, do I just need a different size, or is this a problem with this brand? (I did have this problem prior to getting pregnant with low-rise jeans and a belt. It's definitely the clothes, not the pregnancy, irritating the scar.)
Difficulty level: I live in New England and it will be COLD for the next few months. I don't think leggings will hack it and I don't particularly like wearing yoga pants out of the house. Online options strongly preferred, I don't mind buying new since I hope to wear this stuff for awhile.
(I'm surprised this hasn't been asked about since 2015!) I'm on my second pregnancy, need some new clothes, and am wondering what there is out there that's new in the world of maternity clothes. Last time I lived in Gap and Motherhood Maternity, is there anything new and better? Most of that stuff didn't translate well into the postpartum nursing phase because I couldn't nurse in the shirts and the pants only fit for so long. Ideally some shirts and dresses that I could wear afterwards would be nice, and I need a new pair or two of pants. I mostly wear jeans and tshirts day to day, with sweaters on top in the winter, but I do need a few dress-up things and I'd like to look at least a little pretty because I feel pretty uncomfortable already. I am extremely petite (5ft, slim prior to pregnancy) so I need stuff that comes in XS or XXS, and for pants, ankle length/short.
Also, jeans: my Gap maternity jeans from last time fit okay, but I'm 15 weeks and the band is already rubbing on and irritating my c-section scar. The place where the band and jeans are connected hits and presses on the scar all day and it's pretty annoyed by the evening. Is this a problem with maternity jeans in general due to my scar location, do I just need a different size, or is this a problem with this brand? (I did have this problem prior to getting pregnant with low-rise jeans and a belt. It's definitely the clothes, not the pregnancy, irritating the scar.)
Difficulty level: I live in New England and it will be COLD for the next few months. I don't think leggings will hack it and I don't particularly like wearing yoga pants out of the house. Online options strongly preferred, I don't mind buying new since I hope to wear this stuff for awhile.
you might have luck wearing a long thin cotton camisole and tucking it in over your scar to protect it.
posted by catspajammies at 12:01 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by catspajammies at 12:01 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I had pretty good luck last winter with Old Navy/Gap/Target maternity dresses/tunics and these warm corduroy leggings from Land's End, which come in petite sizing. I also liked some very warm full-belly panel velvet pants from Loft which I got on eBay. If you have the time, scanning Ebay and ThredUp can save a bundle, especially on fancy name brands.
posted by nonane at 12:14 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by nonane at 12:14 PM on October 25, 2017
Best answer: Based on your description I'm guessing the jeans in question have either the full-belly panel or that stretchy band thing all the way around the waist? I couldn't stand those; I liked side-panel (or "inset" panel) maternity pants so much more. They looked and felt more like non-regular maternity pants and were easier to get on and off. My favorite pair of side-panel jeans was from Paige (bought either secondhand or deeply discounted) but they're easier to find than they were when I was pregnant; Old Navy and Target have a bunch.
The absolute most versatile clothes I had were jersey dresses with surplice/wrap necklines and slightly flared skirts, like this. They're good for postpartum and nursing, and they don't look like obvious maternity clothes - I've been wearing mine for three years. You can also get away with non-maternity dresses in that style if the skirt is full enough.
posted by Metroid Baby at 12:22 PM on October 25, 2017
The absolute most versatile clothes I had were jersey dresses with surplice/wrap necklines and slightly flared skirts, like this. They're good for postpartum and nursing, and they don't look like obvious maternity clothes - I've been wearing mine for three years. You can also get away with non-maternity dresses in that style if the skirt is full enough.
posted by Metroid Baby at 12:22 PM on October 25, 2017
Best answer: Hatch Collection and Storq are both expensive, but have things that can be worn both during and after pregnancy. Haven't tried Hatch so I can't attest to the quality. Other brands whose maternity clothes I've had some luck with are H&M, Loft, and ASOS. Honestly though, most maternity-specific stuff is not going to work well after pregnancy - especially pants. I've even found that my stuff from last time is too stretched out to work well again in early to mid pregnancy. You might be better off looking for non-maternity clothes if that's a possibility for you. I wore a lot of non-maternity stuff last time, like long shirts and sweaters, stretchy jersey dresses, etc. I like loose clothing anyway, so this worked out ok.
I'm also in New England, and I found during my last pregnancy that leggings were fine except on the coldest/windiest days - I just paired them with boots (often snow boots - this was the infamous winter of 2014-2015) and my long down coat.
posted by lomes at 12:55 PM on October 25, 2017
I'm also in New England, and I found during my last pregnancy that leggings were fine except on the coldest/windiest days - I just paired them with boots (often snow boots - this was the infamous winter of 2014-2015) and my long down coat.
posted by lomes at 12:55 PM on October 25, 2017
Neither of these have petite sizing specifically, so you may have less luck with the bottoms, but I like what I've ordered from Ingrid & Isabel and Seraphine. Both have crossover maternity/nursing tops. Target has some Ingrid & Isabel basics as well.
posted by beyond_pink at 1:51 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by beyond_pink at 1:51 PM on October 25, 2017
Best answer: I found Seraphine came up really big - I’m 5’2 and the cross-over tops came down to my navel. Their stretchy shift dresses are great though! And their winter coats. I did need to go down a size.
I don’t know if you have access to H&M, but their maternity basics are fantastic. I lived in their nursing vests and jersey tops. Their baby clothes are pretty great too.
posted by tinkletown at 4:09 PM on October 25, 2017
I don’t know if you have access to H&M, but their maternity basics are fantastic. I lived in their nursing vests and jersey tops. Their baby clothes are pretty great too.
posted by tinkletown at 4:09 PM on October 25, 2017
Best answer: I loaded up at Old Navy for this pregnancy and I'm pretty happy with the cheap, disposable, will-just-make-it-the-nine-months quality of the clothes. I definitely prefer the insert jeans to the belly band jeans so you might try those - at an Old Navy price point it's worth the experiment to see if it feels better for you. Some of the Old Navy shirts are both maternity and nursing-friendly, especially the long-sleeved tshirts.
My last pregnancy I bought a few shirts at A Pea in the Pod and they've held up pretty well - some are even post-partum-friendly in style.
But honestly my favorite maternity clothes have come from, no joke, Stitch Fix. I've been doing SF for a little over a year and when I told them I was pregnant they started sending me some really fantastic stuff, especially the shirts, which are easy to wear with leggings (they're long shirts, even with my long torso + very pregnant belly) as well as jeans. My most recent Fix was targeted toward nursing and I now have a couple of super cute tunic shirts and a wrap dress I'm excited to rock in the Boston late fall/winter. You may give that a try for the "make me feel pretty" kind of stuff.
posted by olinerd at 4:51 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
My last pregnancy I bought a few shirts at A Pea in the Pod and they've held up pretty well - some are even post-partum-friendly in style.
But honestly my favorite maternity clothes have come from, no joke, Stitch Fix. I've been doing SF for a little over a year and when I told them I was pregnant they started sending me some really fantastic stuff, especially the shirts, which are easy to wear with leggings (they're long shirts, even with my long torso + very pregnant belly) as well as jeans. My most recent Fix was targeted toward nursing and I now have a couple of super cute tunic shirts and a wrap dress I'm excited to rock in the Boston late fall/winter. You may give that a try for the "make me feel pretty" kind of stuff.
posted by olinerd at 4:51 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Pre pregnancy I had a pair of DL1961 Angel ankle length jeans which fit me like regular length jeans. Turns out they have a maternity version too so I got a pair on way sale and they’re lovely, still wearing them 4mo postpartum. I found good maternity jeans sales on Gilt actually.
Also for dress-up I discovered Loyal Hana. Pricey but there’s a 20% discount for first orders and all their tops and dresses have two ingenious invisible vertical zippers for nursing so the clothes have a lovely line - none of that weird horizontal band cutting your silhouette in half or that obviously drapey nursing curtain look.
posted by sestaaak at 5:30 PM on October 25, 2017
Also for dress-up I discovered Loyal Hana. Pricey but there’s a 20% discount for first orders and all their tops and dresses have two ingenious invisible vertical zippers for nursing so the clothes have a lovely line - none of that weird horizontal band cutting your silhouette in half or that obviously drapey nursing curtain look.
posted by sestaaak at 5:30 PM on October 25, 2017
Seconding Seraphine. But my favorite? Envie de Fraise. Sometimes I wish I was still pregnant because I LOVED my clothes.
A Pea in the Pod for jeans that I still wear 11 months after birth.
posted by turniphead at 6:54 AM on October 26, 2017
A Pea in the Pod for jeans that I still wear 11 months after birth.
posted by turniphead at 6:54 AM on October 26, 2017
Response by poster: Metroid Baby, I had no idea there were side panel jeans. THANK YOU.
Lomes - did you get anything from Storq? Their stuff is nice - does it actually work postpartum too? Were you happy with the quality?
Olinerd - Stitch Fix is a great idea as I don't have a lot of time to search eBay or ThreadUp etc.
I marked as best answer things I plan to try. I really need petite sizes - I am too short for regular clothes. So anything that doesn't have a specific petite size won't work for me; I will trip over pants with a standard 32" inseam and I am not going to the hassle of getting maternity pants hemmed....
For anyone coming across this thread later, while searching all these sites I also found a company that makes an insert that will zip into your winter coat. Brilliant idea! I wanted something like that my whole last pregnancy. (Make My Belly Fit)
posted by john_snow at 11:47 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Lomes - did you get anything from Storq? Their stuff is nice - does it actually work postpartum too? Were you happy with the quality?
Olinerd - Stitch Fix is a great idea as I don't have a lot of time to search eBay or ThreadUp etc.
I marked as best answer things I plan to try. I really need petite sizes - I am too short for regular clothes. So anything that doesn't have a specific petite size won't work for me; I will trip over pants with a standard 32" inseam and I am not going to the hassle of getting maternity pants hemmed....
For anyone coming across this thread later, while searching all these sites I also found a company that makes an insert that will zip into your winter coat. Brilliant idea! I wanted something like that my whole last pregnancy. (Make My Belly Fit)
posted by john_snow at 11:47 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Responding to your follow-up question about Storq: I got their basics bundle for my first pregnancy and practically lived in the dress and leggings - both are so, so soft. I still love the leggings post-pregnancy, but the belly part was a little too big/bunchy to wear out so they became pajama leggings and are still going strong as such halfway into pregnancy #2. There's really not much "maternity" about the dress except that it's very stretchy. It's also super soft, and worked great after pregnancy. The neck pulls down easily for nursing. I liked how they styled it on the website, and wore it a lot with regular sweaters over top (the dress covers the belly, so the sweater can be a bit shorter).
posted by lomes at 12:46 PM on October 26, 2017
posted by lomes at 12:46 PM on October 26, 2017
Have you looked at Asos maternity/nursing? Some of their styles are absurdly youthful, but they have specifically petite styles within maternity/nursing. The prices are not as inflated as a lot of maternity stuff... another pro.
I second the Loyal Hana recommendation, though they don't have a specifically petite line, and like many people above I preferred side panel pants.
Someone above suggested tucking in a long cami-- similarly, I really like wearing super high waisted underwear. Even if it pokes above my pants, my shirt covers it, and it helps cushion the scar. I have been wearing silicone scar strips on the scar, which I think helps cushion it too, in addition to whatever benefit it has in scar reduction (not sure how these work with a growing belly though). Specifically, I've been super into these underwear, which are maternity so also can fit a bump: http://m.asos.com/us/cache-coeur/cache-coeur-pink-maternity-maxi-brief/prd/8511641?clr=petal&cid=19523&pgesize=13&pge=0&totalstyles=13&gridsize=2&gridrow=4&gridcolumn=2
posted by sometamegazelle at 3:50 PM on October 26, 2017
I second the Loyal Hana recommendation, though they don't have a specifically petite line, and like many people above I preferred side panel pants.
Someone above suggested tucking in a long cami-- similarly, I really like wearing super high waisted underwear. Even if it pokes above my pants, my shirt covers it, and it helps cushion the scar. I have been wearing silicone scar strips on the scar, which I think helps cushion it too, in addition to whatever benefit it has in scar reduction (not sure how these work with a growing belly though). Specifically, I've been super into these underwear, which are maternity so also can fit a bump: http://m.asos.com/us/cache-coeur/cache-coeur-pink-maternity-maxi-brief/prd/8511641?clr=petal&cid=19523&pgesize=13&pge=0&totalstyles=13&gridsize=2&gridrow=4&gridcolumn=2
posted by sometamegazelle at 3:50 PM on October 26, 2017
Those coat inserts also mean you can wear your coat over your sling once the baby arrives! It’s great - keeps baby warm and dry and snuggled up to you. I can’t really describe why this is so lovely, but it just is.
posted by tinkletown at 9:01 PM on November 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by tinkletown at 9:01 PM on November 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
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