Maternity clothes for the slim and small chested?

[The Review Mommy]

I'm newly pregnant and already looking for maternity clothes! I guess there's no room to hide anything lol! ;)

My pants are digging into me so I've been walking around the house with them unbuttoned and unzipped. Should I just get a Bella Band (?) or start with the roll panel jeans from Gap? Pre pregnancy I'm a size 2 and shop at Anne Taylor (loft)...

I really need a new bra. I'm on the last clasp and the underwire is digging into me making it uncomfortable. I have the Maidenform one from Costco and Pre pregnancy I'm a size 34A. I'm thinking of getting a nursing bra since the maternity ones are short lived. I've been hearing about the Bravado, Elita Crossover, Spanx, and Playtex. Which bras are great for small chested women? I think I want one with no wire but something that can still give me some sort of shape. I also would like to be able to sleep in it so it has to be comfy. Maybe I should try a few?

I'm just starting to reasearch this so I'm open to suggestions and would appreciate any info ie links to favorite websites and old bookmarked threads.

TIA!
Rebekah

[rockchick15]

I used the Bella Band and it worked for me. So did the Gap roll panel jeans. I am not small or small chected though so I am not sure how they would fit you, but the Bella Band was great IMO.

As for bras, I found Mimi bras fit me really well along with Body by Victoria full coverage bras. I just went up one size. They make a no wire. I wore the underwire because I am so large chested(38D). They are really soft and comfy. Try one and see!

[deenass]

Just a caution with regard to nursing bras, your breasts may change with the birth of the baby, so a nursing bra you buy now may not fit once you start nursing.

Mimi maternity sells a sleep bra which is similar to a sports bra (less support) but is probably more comfortable to sleep in.

[jillc]

Hi Rebekah,

I found that the most comfortable option for bigger pants early on was borrowing some regular pants from friends who were a size or so bigger than me normally (I'm a size 4). Or you could always buy a couple things like comfy yoga pants for around the house & then a couple cheap pairs of pants for work to get you through.

It's tough to buy maternity pants early on for two reasons:
1. The little stretchy panel is usually visible if you're wearning non-maternity shirts. It's tough to find long enough tops to cover up that stretchy panel. I have had luck with some longer non-maternity tops from Express this time around, though. And wearing maternity shirts early on just looks ridiculous!

2. If you buy maternity pants too early on, you may very well need to buy a bigger size again in a couple months. I have needed both small & medium pants & tops with both of my pregnancies. Things that I bought early on in my first pregnancy, thinking "Oh, these pants are pretty roomy, they'll fit great in a few weeks." were hardly worn b/c I needed bigger stuff!

BRAS:

I agree w/previous posters about not buying nursing bras too early. I'd wait until the last month of your pregnancy. Your ribcage will change & your breasts will change. I would go to someone experienced with fitting nursing bras, like a lactation consultant or an in-hospital lactation store.

I have never really found "maternity bras", either. Books seem to reference them, but maybe they're an urban legend. :)

I had such a wonderful experience recently at Nordstrom's. I'm not a big chested girl (34b non-preg, or so I thought), but was feeling like I needed some more support than the bigger (36b) bras that I'd bought at Macy's. The woman at Nordstrom's was awesome. She put me in 32DD (!!) Wacoal bras, and they have made a world of difference. I no longer feel frumpy & unsupported. They are wonderful. They were expensive, but I was able to find one of them on ebay for $35 less than Nordstrom's. I highly recommend getting fitted by one of their expert bra fitters. It will help you get through the next several months looking great & feeling great.

Oh, my! I can't believe how wordy I've gotten. I am really excited about my new bras! Can you tell?!

Congratulations to you!!

Jill

[The Review Mommy]

Thanks everyone! :)

I just got back from shopping at a few Maternity/Bra stores in my area. I bought a white Bella Band which I like so far. I know it won't last through my entire pregnancy but I'm so comfortable right now with it on! It may not be worth it to some but this is just the beginning of my pregnancy and I'm so glad I can wear my regular clothes during this transition period. The sizing chart for the Bella Band I think is way off. My store only had 2's left which I thought would be too big since my prepreggo size is a 2 or 4. Well I can't imagine being able to fit in a size 1 lol! ;) The 2 was perfect! It is also really well made-not cheap at all.
http://www.bellaband.com/bellaband/sizing.html

I also went to a Gap outlet and got a good pair of Maternity dark wash jeans for $44. They look *SO* good on me and I feel more comfortable in them then when I wear my PJ pants lol! :) I also found GAP to run true to size. I have always had the worst time shopping for clothing until I found Anne Taylor Loft. I can just walk in and grab any bottom in my size and *KNOW* it will fit. *PRICELESS* in my book! Well, I was really scared about entering the Maternity world but Gap made it so easy. It was like I was in Anne Taylor all over again...

Bras are another story... :( I tried a JW Hug nursing bra that I was really exited about but it ended up being too tight (even with the last clasp) and not enough breast to fill it. I loved the material, it was so soft to wear. I also tried a Playtex soft cup nursing bra-that was the worst! I tried the smallest size they had a 34B which I couldn't even clasp because it was WAY too tight around the rib cage and not even half the breasts needed to fill them lol! I must have some crazy measurements or something? Also I thought they were icky and ichy, kinda cheap. I have a feeling I will be on my search for a while. I will stop by some more bra shops tomorrow.

FYI-I tried on some of my friends pants in a size up but they were too baggy on me in the butt and thighs and I made a swooshing noise as I walked! UH...not doing it, no thank you! Also, I have plenty of nice, well made Shade shirts to cover the panels on my Maternity pants. They are long, and a perfect basic for the maternity wardrobe. They will not cover your unbuttoned unzipped pants so that's why I went out to get the Bella Band. You can get the Maternity shades even if your not PG. It doesn't have a ton of extra material, looks like a regular shade, just a bit more "stretchy" of a material. They do run small so buy large. I wear mediums.
http://www.shadeclothing.com/Products2006.aspx

I will report tomorrow JIC anyone else is in the same boat.
Rebekah

[teddy]

I found a thing called a bra extender at Motherhood Maternity (I think). It just fastens to your existing bra hooks and gives you about 2-3 extra inches in the back. This might work for you for a while.

I found some underbelly pants at Target, Liz Lange, for $22. They have the adjustable tabs on the sides so you can tighten and loosen as needed. There's no panel on them. You might find the size 2 too loose, but it's worth a try.

Now I must look into this thing called the Belly Band. You'd think being pregnant with #3 (yep, that's right!) would give me all the maternity clothes I need, but the seasons are all wrong!

[rockchick15]

BTW, I used my Bella Band through my entire pregnancy and after the birth since my maternity pants were a bit big. The band held them up pretty well and at least I was comfortable. Besides, I LOVED some of my cuter maternity jeans and pants and I wanted to continue wearing them. I am glad Gap worked for you! Gap worked sooo well for me! Their jeans just fit so good and are so comfy. I wear a 14 and their 14's fit me perfect. Their counterpart Old Navy isn't so true to size. Especially their jeans. I bought a Large in one pair and they were too tight and an XL in another and they were too big, but the bella band came in handy for the too big ones. So, be careful at Old Navy if you try them out.

[J_B Mommy]

I'm small chested also, and don't get a lot bigger when nursing. I've found my options to be pretty limited so I'm looking for any answers you might get on this. (32B prepreg and basically back to that size now that nursing is established).

I really like the bravado and the majamas basic bra. They both give me plenty of support and shape (not much there) and are very comfortable.

I loved the bella band. I know a lot of people had issues with it, but I wore it early w/ my regular clothes, all through my pregnancy w/ maternity clothes to keep them in place, and immediately pp.

[The Review Mommy]

I had the best time getting fitted for bras at Nordstroms today! :) I was lucky enough to get help from someone who's BTDT. I must have tried on 30 of them. They were some of the most comfortable bras I have ever worn! I had such a hard time choosing...

I brought 3 home and I'm going to get more of the first style for everyday. Anyone know where I can get it cheaper? Ebay etc.

I couldn't find any of the bras I got up on the website so I had to hunt around for them elsewhere:

*DKNY-nice bronze/nude color with little sparkles, seamless wire-free molded cups, cleavage enhancing inner foam bump, elegant sheer straps and detailing, low V-cut center.
http://www.freshpair.com/DKNY-Satin-Contours-Wire-Free-Push-Up-Bra-452401.html

*Wacoal-absolutely beautiful, pics don't do this bra justice, the most comfortable and sexiest bra I've ever had thus far! :)
http://www.barenecessities.com/Wacoal-Your-Perfect-Match-Bralette_product_Wacoal81077_,search,.htm

*Natori-flesh pink color, so silky soft, wonderful support, comfy one piece sleep bra design.
http://www.freshpair.com/Natori-Underneath-Body-Doubles-Built-Up-Day-Bra-139002.html

HTH
Rebekah

[jillc]

Hi! Glad you also had a fun time getting fitted at Nordstrom!

Last week, I bought a Wacoal bra at Nordstrom for $58 - yikes! I loved the bra, but I didn't love the price! Before I cut the tags off, I looked on Ebay & found the exact same bra NWOT - I was the only bidder in the auction & I got the bra for $23 shipped. And, I got the bra about 30 hours after winning the auction! :)

Definitely try EBay!

Jill

[ema123]

You sound just like my situation!

I was size 2 pre-pregnancy and 32A. When I was 6 weeks pregnant, within one week, I wasn't able to put my pre-pregnency pants on anymore. The bras(wires) were cutting into my breasts.

I first tried to find one size up regular clothes for everything. (shirts, t shirts, pants, bras) For bras, 34A worked for me for a while. I bought the regular bras from the same brand/model I used to buy, just one size up, not the nursing bras or maternity bras. As the pregnancy proceeds, I am now wearing 34B, still regular bras. For shirts or t shirts, because the size of my chest changed, I couldn't wear my nice old shirts anymore. Instead of BR's size XS or S shirts/ts I used to wear, I managed to order their size M and wore them until I was 6 months pregnant. (Also regular clothing, not maternity clothing.) For the pants, one size up (size 4) from any non-maternity brand didn't work for us. I tured to gap maternity and found that some of their size 2 and some of their size 4 fit well on me.

For the later part of the pregnancy, if you are living in California or Texas, I would recommend to pay a visit to Japanese Weekend Maternity boutiques. (My baby hates roll panel or full panel pants if I wear them, so the only pants both of us are happy with were from JW. I hope you have an easy going baby! :)) They have quite some tops and pants for small size people.

For motherhood, mimi maternity and a pea in a pod, although friends recommended mimi maternity bcz of its good price, because my shoulders are narrow, I found that in these three brands, only a pea in a pod looks fit on me. (and a pea in a pod is not cheap... :S) I only got cashmere sweaters and jackets from a pea in a pod when they have good discounts.

I am now in my 7th months. It looks like I can live in Gap maternity, JW until my baby is born.

Congratulations and hope the experience helps a bit!

Emma

[brittone2]

I'm about your size prepregnancy. Big fan of ATL prepregnancy too LOL.

for bras, I really liked the Elita crossover (I prefer the cotton but had microfiber and liked it too) last time. I didn't wear it while pg, but wore it while BFing. I normally wear a 34 A or B (I'm in between) prepregnancy. My boobs don't grow much while pg unfortunately, but I was quite a bit larger in the first few months to a year of nursing (eventually settled back to close to my old size even while still nursing).

The elitas are nice IMO because the cup fit is flexible. So if you buy one now, there's a good chance it will fit post pregnancy as a nursing bra. Often your band size goes up during pgcy though because your rib cage expands, etc. I typically wear a 34 in band width, but I wore elitas in 38s last time and that worked for me. My 2 elitas from right after DS's birth have been worn to death, and I just ordered another one (38 again) and I'm wearing it now while pg and will wear it as a nursing bra. The cup fits my currently small breasts, but will fit fine after this baby is born I would think, since I wore the same size last time post pregnancy. Even if you don't like the Elita, it is a good sleeping bra if you need to wear nursing pads at night (I did), and it is inexpensive to try out compared to some of the others.

i'll probably get another elita at some point, maybe try a Yes bra this time around (or maybe not), and I want to try a Corsierre nursing tank this time too. The elita won't give a ton of shape IMO but it doesn't give a uniboob too much IME. It does the job for me, is relatively cheap, is comfy, no clasps to deal with, etc. so i kinda stick with it as a favorite :)

For clothes, well, I carry HUGE in the belly. Nowhere else, but I looked full term with DS when i was 25ish weeks, and same thing this time. I end up having to buy larges at the end because I can't get enough length to cover my belly otherwise, but then it is enormous in the arms, chest, etc. so it is tough. I'm very short waisted so everything gets pushed waaaaay out front...by the end I'll look like I"m pg with twins I'm sure (that's how it went w/ dS). Never used a Bella Band but for the price it might be worth a try. I think I've seen mixed reviews here.

Not sure if you can get away with it at home or what sort of work environment you are in, but there are some lower waisted/elastic waisted yoga esque pants out there that are non maternity that work well IMO. I have a pair of jersey knit ones like that (i think they are Ann Taylor from few years ago actually LOL) that still fit under my belly at 28 weeks pg (and I've got one big old pregnant belly). They aren't super casual like cotton yoga pants...they are a more flowy jersey knit.

Some of the "early pregnancy" clothes don't last long IME, but you also have to consider that you may be able to wear them post pregnancy when your uterus is still all big and you aren't yet ready to return to your regular clothes.

[sadie427]

if you can find stretchy regular pants or pants one or two sizes up that you like, it's a good investment as you can wear them post-pregnancy, when you really won't want to wear maternity pants. Just got some "wearever" pants from JJill that might work for you, not pregnant but eventually hope to be again and they just looked like comfortable pants. They are great and come in XSP as well as XSP (XSP fit me, non-pregnant, I wear a 4P at Ann Taylor Loft)