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-...ra-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/Wacoa...7_,search,.htm

*Natori-flesh pink color, so silky soft, wonderful support, comfy one piece sleep bra design.
http://www.freshpair.com/Natori-Unde...ra-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