Are there any plus-size Moms-to-be out there besides me?

[ajrsmom]

If so......where do you find good bargains on maternity clothes? I have been searching the net for resale shops,even EBAY doesnt have a lot to be desired.

I cant afford to spend $30 on one shirt or pair of pants. I am fortunate enough that I lost some weight before becoming pregnant and I can wear some of my "old" winter clothes but this Spring and Summer is going to become a problem.

Ive tried regular plus-size stores but a lot of the shirts are just too short.

Any suggestions?

[allenlee714]

WELL ILL NEVER BE A NEW MOM BUT I CARE FOR AN ELDERLY HANDICAPPED MOM...I DO ALL THE SHOPPING ,CLOTHES TOO,, ONE DAY IN ST VINNYS AT LEAST HERE... I FOUND A WHOLE RACK OF MATERNITY CLOTHES..THEY WERE VERY NICE AND ONLY A BUCK OR TWO .. I WENT THROUGH MOST OF THE RACK BEFORE I FOUND OUT WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT...THOUGHT THEY LOOKED BIG AROUND THE MIDDLE....BUT OUR LOCAL C J'S OUTLET STORE HAS THEM FOR LITERALLY PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR CHECK YOUR YELLOW PAGES FOR OUTLET STORES IN YOUR AREA......IF YOUR NEAR EVEN TO A MID SIZE CITY YOU SHOULD FIND ONE OR MORE.......

[KimMcG]

I always found mine at yard sales and consignment shops. Check out the news papers.

[BLTN_Mom]

I had that problem 2 years ago . . . get some of the big men's clothes - my Dad is 6' 7" and used to be heavy so I got his 5X shirts out of the closet (hubby is the same size I am ). . . hit a thrift store after the racks are restocked. I also hit Name Brand Clothing a 1/2 of 1/2 outlet store. Just inspect what you want closely - some garments are not wearable (tear, rips, or stains). . . but I was able to get 3 good pairs of pants for $20 !!

[NightRose]

Hi, I understand your concern over prices. I had the same problem myself. I was lucky though cause I didn't start showing till the end of my 5th month. But when I did start showing it was like over night. So I needed clothes and quick. My mother and I headed for the Thrift and consignment stores. And since it was summer we also checked out garage sales.

We found a lot of nice things at the thrift stores in our area. I was a size 14 (which is low end plus size) But they had a section for plus-size maternity as well. I got about 4-5 outfits for the cost of a new shirt or new dress at Maternity stores. Why spend a fortune on clothes you will only wear a few months or so. There was really nice clothes some never worn. I even found some nice dresses if there was a party or function I needed to go to.

Another thing I did was look for baby doll dresses. They have a high waist and lots of room for an expanding tummy. I was glad I had already had some from before I was pregnant. The only problem I had with these was that some of them became too tight around the chest as I started to get bigger in that area.

The great things about consignment stores is that you will probably be able to sell the clothes back to them at the end of you pregancy. It is a little more expensive that thrift stores but they are really picky about what they accept so the clothes are usually in immaculate condition. I kept all my maternity clothes form when I was pregnant cause I am hoping to become pregnant again soon. DS is 4 now so I think it is time.

Anyway I hope I have been some help.

Good Luck and Congrats



Night Rose

[Laurie09]

Hi, and congrats on your pregnancy! When I was pregnant (six and four years ago!) I got most of my maternity clothes from JC Penney, either the store or from the catalog. I think they may even have a seperate maternity catalog you can request which has a much larger selection than the maternity dept in the store. They were the only place I could find plus-size maternity clothes, and they have pretty much everything: work, casual, all season, etc, though their casual clothes were much less expensive. Check them out if you haven't already...and good luck!

Laurie

[Jeannie]

try second hand stores... try yard sales.... try wal mart, try target.....I've seen very nice things in these stores that don't cost $30.00.....try the salvation army store ... check in the newspaper classifies....check with your church, there may be some kind of program for gals to exchange clothes. ..... try consignment shops... try taking a sewing course ...and make some tops..they are not difficult to make really.... *s* Or maybe you have a friend that sews.....y'all can do an exchange.. you cook for her, she sews for you...

[secamom]

congrats
I was in the same boat did not want to spent to much so I got one-two black pants cheap like k-mart and then tops to match with from the thrift store/you can try re-sale baby store some you can find that look new...I work in a law firm at the time so I could be causual (spelling brain not working sorry) good luck

[kimmberlyam]

I would also suggest Target. I was in there today and they had alot of cloths on clearance!

[Lifestar]

The Layne Bryant catalogue has a fair selection of tops that are 30", 32" and more in length...really great "tunic" length tops, all for under $20 apiece. Another great catalogue with a fair selection of longer tops is the Just My Size catalogue from Hanes. Both have websites too.

Another invaluable tip I learned for pants, was to bring a pair or two of your jeans to the tailor, ( at your local dry cleaners), and have a maternity pannel fitted in the front. (It's the stretchy stuff that's kind of like heavy panty hose that most maternity pants are made from). Granted, I did this 12 years ago, but then it only cost me $8.00 per pair of pants. I can't imagine it could be that much more expensive now. The snug jeans you wore comfortably pre-pregnancy probably wouldn't fit you agia for months after... so go have them re-fitted, and get some use out of them now! I also wore leggings a lot. They have a lot of stretch, and they are made in stretch dennim fabrics too.

Top them with a nice shirt, and you have a reasonably priced outfit. As far as dresses...I would always just go for the cut/style that offers camoflauge, in a size larger than I'd normally wear. It always worked out fine.