Are maternity clothes running small?

[dawell0]

Is it just me or are maternity clothes running small? I'm having problems getting shirts that are long enough. For work, I cannot hang out or show the panels that I like. I'm still small actually, right now with the exception of my chest, but I forsee this as a problem in the future. I'm normally a size 12 and I have been in L or XL and JUST fitting it now. I've been to most of the normal stores--Kohls, Gap, Motherhood, Target. Any suggestions without paying a fortune? I'm thinking about heading to garage sales and second hand shops just to get enough fabric. Thanks in advance.

[mctlaw]

I was on the opposite end of the spectrum, being petite and an XS, but in the 8th and 9th month of my pregnancy most of my shirts also were not long enough because my belly was huge. The ones that covered me the best right up to the end were the essential tees from Babystyle. They are fitted, not tentlike, but are very stretchy and the hem in front dips down to cover the belly. I am a professional and the tees were finished enough to wear under suits, with dress pants, etc. Hope this helps!

[AddiesMom]

I was about a 12 on top and 14 on the bottom when I got pregnant. I bought a lot of t-shirts at Lane Bryant, size 14-16. They tend to run sales and if you ask around they send out coupons all the time. I also bought their pajama bottoms and can still wear them b/c of the elastic.

I am back to pre-preg weight and my Gap maternity t-shirts fit now! They ran really small! :)

[Momof3Labs]

I noticed that things were much more fitted when I was pg with DS2 compared to DS1. And shorter - the waists were lower and the shirts were shorter, but I didn't really want to show off my stretch marks! Though I did like the fitted stuff better than the tent-like stuff until the very end, when I didn't seem to fit into any of it anymore!

Have you tried JCPenney or Sears? eBay, too.

[Bean606]

I am having the same problem! I can't find summer pants that are over the belly panels. Only the underbelly kind, which feel like they are going to fall off! I started out as a size 12, too. For shirts, you might want to check Burlington Coat Factory's maternity stuff and Motherhood. But, by 8 months, I had to give up on maternity shirts altogether because they were too short, and started buying XL and XXL regular t-shirts from Onehanesplace.com and Lane Bryant. I also bought the wear-around T-shirt dresses from Hanes which are good for summer weekends. They are already XXL size, and come to the knee. They aren't glamorous, but they do the trick, and they're cheap! I'm due next week, so that is pretty much all I have been wearing!

[keschy]

I'm having the same problem, especially with pants. The thighs seem very snug to me, so even when the waist fits the legs don't. Also it's hard to find panels that cover my belly right now! Most of them are the "under the belly" style which I don't want to wear. I'm in a pickle because the jeans I bought last month at Kmart are getting too small and I have NO idea where to look now. I feel as though I've exhausted all my maternity store options! As for shirts..Old Navy has some great v-neck tees that are very long. I also like Lane Bryant and the tees I've been getting there are my favorite right now. They are 12.99 and they often have sales too.

[daniele_ut]

I recommend them all the time on here, so at the risk of sounding like a broken record, Shade Clothing has GREAT maternity baby tees. They are long enough to cover the belly and come in cute colors:

http://www.shadeclothing.com/Maternity-BabyTee.aspx

And they have cap sleeve tees that can be layered under shirts that are a bit too short:

http://www.shadeclothing.com/Maternity-CapSleeve.aspx

These are quite fitted, especially the cap sleeves, since they are meant to be layered.

[dawell0]

Thanks, Daniele. You are not a broken record for me! I don't get the chance to come onto the Boards as much as I would like. I appreciate your ideas, and I never think about layering, but I think that is what I will start to do.

[saucey]

This has been driving me nuts too. I'm finding shirts that are long enough, but everything at Motherhood is fitting so small. I started at a size 10 and I'm so annoyed, because nothing at Motherhood fits me -- at 14 weeks!!! I've lost weight, so it's not because I'm gaining weight. I can't wear many of the shirts because my boobs are too big (C's) and I can barely get the tops on over my chest. It's ridiculous. Even the pants, I have to go to a large, and if I go any bigger, they don't fit anywhere else.
I don't know how I'll fit in anything in there past this summer, even if I went to XL. I've had luck with JCPenneys and Kohls so far. I've heard consignment shops are great. I'm going to try to find one. Good luck!

[MarieBunny]

YES! I agree with this and almost always have to wear a size up from Old Navy. The mediums fit early in pregnancy, but as I get bigger I need larges. The myth about ordering your pre-pregnancy size is false!! One suggestion, tunic style tops seem to be longer.

[mimieliza]

I've had this problem, too. I started trying on maternity clothes when I was about 12-13 weeks, and the mediums fit perfectly then. I had to size up and buy larges.

I normally wear a medium or a size 8, and I've only gained 5 lbs at 21 weeks, so this "order your pre-pregnancy size" line is crap. :)

[Tanya]

I totally think they are making maternity shirts shorter.

When I was pregnant in 2002/2003, all the shirts were long and the pants had these huge full panels that with some, I couldn't keep up until the end of my pregnancy.
This time around, I did like starting off in the more fitted stuff. My old stuff seemed like huge tents. I had to buy new anyway because I'm pregnant in the summer this time whereas it was winter last time.
Anyway, now I'm 34 weeks and I spent all day today trying to get my shorts up (they kept popping down beneath the bulge) and my shirt down. Even with everything as straightened (and if I didn't move a muscle), the panel still showed in my shorts.

So, I really think the "style" has just changed and everything fits tighter. It was fine early on, but now I keep popping out of most of my maternity clothes. It's just not worth spending more money at this point.

Tanya