maternity clothes and nursing bras - help!

[hwfquilts]

I am pregnant and due in September. My two other children are 8 and 11 (it took me 8 years to get up the courage to have another!). Needless to say, all my old stuff is long gone and I'm looking for maternity clothes and nursing bras. Most of my friends are finished with babies, so I have only one friend with maternity clothes to lend, and will have to buy most of my things. And, of course, I'm trying to do this on a budget.

 

Bras...I am very well endowed to begin with. Pregnancy and nursing make me look bigger than Dolly Parton. Does anyone have recommendations for nursing bras (which I go ahead and buy now as I'm increasing in size) for one so large in chest?

 

Swimsuits... We are very active at the pool all summer, so I'll have to have a decent suit. I tried on a couple at Target yesterday and a few at a nice boutique kind of place. Except for one that looks like something my grandmother would wear they are all way to revealing and not supportive enough. Any advice? I did go ahead and buy the granny suit, figuring that I may have to go for function over form on this one. A cute cover-up could fill in the fashion gap.

 

Generally, where have you had good luck finding maternity clothes that were of decent quality, but not terribly expensive? And that didn't seem to be made for a stick figure? I may just be a fashion-backward fuddy duddy, but I am feeling all of my 38 years when I try some of these things on :)

 

Thanks!

Heather

[Aubrey]

Well...I don't know that I can help. I have, erm, the OPPOSITE problem. So swimsuits are often too revealing on me because...well, there's nothing there to hold them up. ;)

 

I like Target & Ross for good prices on clothes, but I kwym about made for stick figures. The shirts just aren't long enough, esp by the 3rd trimester. I've gone for some plus size shirts late in pg, when necessary, but I don't like the way they look. I made some bella-band type things, too, but I don't think that's what you're asking.

 

Hope you get better advice from someone else. Otherwise, I suggest we "divide & conquer." Heh heh.

[beansprouts]

By baby #3 I didn't bother with nursing bras anymore. It is easy enough to pull up a regular bra and give access - especially a soft bra with limited padding and no underwire.

[Mrs. H.]

Try to find a Motherhood Maternity store in your area. Their regular stuff can get a bit pricey, but they have great clearance racks going all the time, their stuff is really cute and good quality. They have the best nursing bras (imho), but I would only buy two at a time, because I often go up several sizes during pregnancy, and then another size after the baby is born.

 

They also have great maternity swimsuits.

[Harriet Vane]

Don't buy tooo much now. I did so when I was preggers with ds. After he was born my booKs inflated in size and my ribcage shrunk down. In other words, my new bras didn't fit AT ALL. :cursing:

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I got some great maternity clothes second hand. They're usually not worn out, because they're only worn such a short time. And the prices are much better. Check consignment shops, if you have them. They charge a little more than thrift stores, but the quality is usually better.

 

http://www.BreakoutBras.com has a great selection of nursing bras. Free shipping. And, excellent sizing advice. I've had great service from them for several years.

[Mrs Mungo]

Bravado bras are *wonderful*. So soft and comfy. They come in large sizes. That's all I wore during my 8 straight years of pregnancy and/or breastfeeding.

[Arch at Home]

I second Bravado. They are stretchy and without underwires. They have lots of patterns if you want more than the basics.

[lynn]

I had good luck with Motherhood and Kohls 2 years ago. Also, check e-bay and Lands End.

[lynn]

I would invest in 1 or 2 really good fitting bras of your choice now. I really liked the Bravado for nursing, I did not care for the over the head kind of bra, but they sure were comfy.

[Robyn]

I love my Bravado and my Goddess nursing bras. Both come in large sizes. I bought most of my maternity clothes at Old Navy. The prices were very reasonable.

[Gailmegan]

I can relate completely. I was a 34DD before pregnancies and up to a 34H while nursing. While the Bravado bras were comfy at night, they didn't give me enough support in the day. Fancee Free ones were not comfortable at all; I do not recommend them. My favorites are the Goddess Bras. They have enough support but are still soft and the hook isn't a bra hook, it's a plastic clasp that I could close with one hand. I ordered mine from ladygrace.com

[Elaine]

I got some great maternity clothes second hand. They're usually not worn out, because they're only worn such a short time. And the prices are much better. Check consignment shops, if you have them. They charge a little more than thrift stores, but the quality is usually better.

 

Yes, this is true. I recently brought my old maternity clothes to a consignment shop and they were very particular about what they took from me. I could kick myself for not using consignment shops to buy the last round of maternity clothes. I hated spending money on clothes that I was only going to wear for 4 months.