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Here’s a fun question: Is anyone else occasionally still wearing maternity clothes, many moons after your pregnancy ended?
I’ve graduated from my maternity jeans but I still find myself pulling out maternity t-shirts for sleeping or working out. After my recent ACL surgery I wound up wearing my maternity yoga pants because all my newer workout pants were too tight-fitting at the knee and the thought of being in PJs for weeks bummed me out. (I thought I’d donated the vast majority of my maternity clothes, but nope — I was happy to find I still have a few odd pieces.)
In addition to my maternity yoga pants and maternity t-shirts, I have a few nursing things I still wear, too — namely some of my nursing bras for sleeping. My favorites are my Bravado bras, but I have a random nursing bra from Destination Maternity or one of those mall stores that I bought during my first pregnancy and still find myself wearing if everything else is dirty. (I’m such a fan of the Bravado bras I’m even considering buying one or two new ones to keep on hand in case my older ones die on me.)
So let’s hear it, ladies: Have you held onto any maternity clothes to wear even if you’re not pregnant anymore? Do you do it because they’re functional and on hand (e.g., a t-shirt to sleep in), or is there something you prefer about maternity clothes?
(I will admit, part of the reason I like sleeping in my maternity t-shirts is that they feel vaguely fitted but nice and loose in the tummy, which isn’t my favorite body area.) I know a few of my girlfriends who had C-sections preferred maternity jeans for a long while after birth — while still others stayed in maternity clothes for a long time postpartum because those clothes fit (and their old, non-maternity clothes did not).
(Pictured: My maternity yoga pants are from Gap and somewhere like Destination Maternity, but if I were looking today I’d be mighty tempted by these affordable yoga pants at Amazon — some colors and sizes are as low as $9.99 and eligible for Prime, and they have hundreds of positive reviews.)
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Anon says
I wore a lot of maternity clothes until about 8 weeks PP. The only item I occasionally wear now (4 months PP) is a target maternity tank because it is fantastically long.
NewMomAnon says
Yep, I wear several maternity tanks from target as pajamas. I may replace these with more maternity tanks when they fall apart, but so far they are holding strong. I also have a pair of maternity yoga pants that I should release into the world, but I still wear them as pjs when everything else is dirty.
And I have a few nursing bras that I should similarly replace, since they are neither cute nor especially comfortable (just no wires, so they are more comfortable than my regular bras).
Anon says
I also use the maternity target tanks for bed and lounging around, even though I am 30 lbs less than I was pre-baby. My son is 4.5 and they are still in great shape. I like that they are longer.
EB0220 says
YES, I have 3-4 Liz Lange maternity tops that I still wear constantly. They are long, good material and still holding up very well. They’re almost 5 yrs old at this point. Also, I’m ashamed to say that I still wear my nursing camis quite often. I weaned my youngest 9 months ago, but I still haven’t replaced the camis….
Maddie Ross says
Yeah, that is not a fun question. That kind of makes me sad. As soon as I was able to get back in my regular yoga pants, I retired all my maternity stuff post-partum. And the minute I weaned, I burned my nursing bras. I hated all my maternity stuff.
anon says
I can’t wait to say goodbye to all my nursing bras! Only 4.5 months left! I started throwing my mat clothes into a threadup bag the day I got home from the hospital.
Famouscait says
Maternity clothes made me a big believer in elastic waist pants! Now, I’ve got a pair of JAG pull-on jeans I like, and I’ve been able to find some other pants from Loft and Old Navy that have at least a partial elastic waist, which I find to be far more comfy, and not at all an issue since I never tuck in a shirt.
Ashley says
Still sleeping in my favorite nursing tank from Pea in the Pod. I stopped nursing a month ago, but it is long and thick and all the ones I had before pregnancy now feel insanely short and thin. I can’t tell if they were the same before and I had no reason to question it, or if my body is just changed. Sadly, I might actually buy more of these nursing tanks to sleep in…unless anyone knows where to get non-nursing tanks that are long, thick and supportive in the chest.
MGM says
Currently wearing my maternity work pants because I’m still struggling to lose the last 15lbs from pregnancy (my y oungest is 10 months old). I don’t want to buy clothes in my current size so I’m hanging on to the maternity wear until I can fit into my old wardrobe.
Anon says
Me too! I LOVE my Gap maternity slacks. So comfy, machine washable. I wish they still carried them I’d probably buy another pair.
Meg Murry says
Yup, I kept maternity shirts in rotation for a long time, and I still have a few pairs of workout/yoga/lounge pants that are technically maternity but are pretty much just fold top yoga pants like you could buy now.
Oh, and I have a cotton maternity dress from Target that I wear as a nightshirt now. And my “keep at work” black open sweater is also technically maternity, but again, you wouldn’t know it other than the tag.
However, I other than the fact that the tag says “maternity” you wouldn’t know any of those items were maternity – no empire waists, billowy shirts or side ruching, etc – they just look like slightly longer t-shirts that aren’t super tightly fitted. I also bought a tank top to wear as a camisole/bottom layer that was from the maternity clearance rack (years postpartum), because I’m super long waisted and that’s the only way to find them long enough without paying arms and legs.
At my local Target the plus sized section and maternity section kind of bleed together and more than once I’ve moved from looking at one rack over to the next and not immediately realized it was maternity. Honestly, if they made the Liz Lange maternity line shirts and dresses without the side ruching I would totally buy them as casual wear.
My problem now has been that I still have a bit of a belly, and probably always will (based on my mom and aunt’s body shaped) so whenever I try on a dress I have to play the “is this hiding my belly or do I look like I’m trying to hide an early pregnancy?” game, especially for dresses I’m wearing to family events – because I don’t need my aunts and cousins starting rumors that I’m pregnant again when that’s just my “wow it’s way too hot and humid for spanx” + “bloated after 3rd glass of wine” belly.
But of course, all this is with the caveat that I’m plus sized and gained weight all over, not slim with a basketball belly like so many slender women carry – and, at least for me, maternity clothes weren’t that different from regular plus sized clothes, just a touch longer, looser or stretchier.
TASH says
My son is 2 1/2, and I love my Gap and Old Navy maternity tank tops. They don’t have ruching on the sides, so they are just long tanks. I actually just bought a few new ones. I also have a few Gap sweater dresses that didn’t have ruching, and I wear those during the winter.
Mrs. Jones says
NO. Good riddance to all maternity clothes.
CPA Lady says
The only thing I’ve kept is an Isabella Oliver “Emily” dress and a couple pairs Old Navy of leggings that I wear as PJs. The leggings are getting kind of past their prime though, so I imagine they’ll be getting donated soon.
I got rid of all that stuff as soon as I could. I hated most of my maternity clothes even though they were functional and decently flattering for the most part. I never wore a lot of black before I got pregnant, and a lot of things in my maternity wardrobe were black, so I just didn’t feel like myself when I was wearing that stuff. I also had a meltdown in a Target when my daughter was a few months old because I realized I looked like a bag lady. If I look bad, I feel bad, and postpartum I looked bad in my maternity clothes. So out it all went. The day I went back to wearing a normal bra was a truly magical day.
Anonymous says
No way. The other day I even decided not to buy a really cute pair of non-maternity pants because they had a knit waist like maternity pants.
Prof. J says
I’m 4 months postpartum and still wearing some t-shirts that basically look like regular shirts. I might be wearing more things if one of my friends hadn’t gotten pregnant suddenly. She’s on a tight budget so I passed everything on to her. I bought some non-maternity things in a size larger when I was in my first trimester–I have really been glad for those clothes in the postpartum period!
Midwest Mama says
I wear several Target cotton maternity dresses in the summer because I’m tall and they are cut longer in the front to accommodate a belly so they are actually long enough for me! Yeah, they’re a little loose but fine for running weekend errands, to the pool, etc. Comfy, cool, and appropriate length FTW!
Artemis says
I am mostly with the “BURN all maternity clothes” camp. I just sent it all far, far away after using it all through multiple pregnancies (I never wanted to buy much new stuff) so I was totally sick of it and a bunch of it was super-dated but I didn’t care. I even got rid of non-maternity clothes that I wore so often during pregnancy that they became maternity clothes in my mind. I’m about a week away from ditching my nursing bras and SO excited about that!
The exceptions were a super-cute sweater I bought with my most recent pregnancy, which I was loathe to give up, but I couldn’t get over keeping it in rotation with the maternity tag. Also a wrap dress that I loved, but wore so often I thought even though I loved it I probably wouldn’t wear it much longer–and so many people I know had seen it on me while I was pregnant. Finally, ironically, I loved my maternity tankini and wished I could find the size/pattern/cut/colors in a non-maternity suit!
Anonymous says
Maternity clothes: none. Burn them all.
Nursing/postpartum clothes: ALL THE NURSING TANK TOPS, for reasons mentioned above. So comfy, so long, so thick, and so durable. Unfortunately my toddler now enjoys un-clipping the straps, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.
eg2 says
I’m wearing a maternity tankini top on our upcoming trip. It’s really cute and doesn’t look maternity! I couldn’t stand wearing my bravado nursing bra once I was done nursing. I went out and got fitted for the real deal as soon as I weaned and bought some cute bralettes to sleep in. I have one maternity top from target that I work out in.
Amelia Bedelia says
I have these “maternity” tanks from Nordstrom. They are Isabel something. Amazing!!!! I’ve purchased more, even though I’m no longer maternity. The stretch is amazing and they provide a bit of support for my tummy. And they are nice and loooooong. I love them tons and tons.
PBD says
Hi all,
X-post from the regular site — Long-awaited first pregnancy appointment tomorrow at OB! Super excited and wanted to pick the hive’s brain about what some good questions are to make sure we ask. As I’ve mentioned in the past I am pre-diabetic and monitoring blood sugar and on a low dose of Metformin already so there will certainly be questions about that. Thank you!
CM says
It might be worth asking what things the office recommends you do and not do, eat and not eat, etc as they can really vary by practice. My first OB was VERY strict at my first (and sadly only normal) appointment – she didn’t want me on my bike, no raw fish, pretty traditional don’t do hardly anything kind of OB. I’m seeing a midwife now with this pregnancy (just hit 20 weeks today, WOO) and she’s waaay more chill. Didn’t bat an eye when I asked about riding my bike, totally supported me doing body weight exercises, and was fine with sushi as long as I didn’t eat it in massive quantities, went to trusted places, and avoided the high mercury stuff. I felt like knowing where my specific care team stood on those kind of decisions helped me a lot. (And finding one that was on the same page around risk tolerance)
GCA says
I am hanging on to a long-sleeved striped maternity t-shirt from Target (Liz Lange perhaps) that you wouldn’t even be able to tell is maternity. There’s very subtle, almost invisible side ruching – that’s about all. Sooo comfortable. I was more in the ‘wear stretchy regular clothes instead of maternity ones’ camp for about 3/4 of pregnancy, though.
J says
Liz Lange maternity cami’s are great. Love them one year later and haven’t been able to find a non-maternity version that fits as well. I especially like the soft stretchy material that isn’t too tight but isn’t too loose, and the width of the shoulder straps. I wear mine constantly.
molly says
I recommend a nursing bra from amazon fit very very good and $25.99 only!!!!
https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Seamless-Nursing-Bralette-Extenders/dp/B01C6M6E04/ref=zg_bs_1285234011_2
Shelley Lee Egberts says
My Isabella Oliver layering items still look amazing even without a pregnant belly. I love them :)