When will I need maternity clothes?
You’re pregnant, congratulations!! So now that you’re starting to make your wish list for your baby, you’re probably wondering when you should start buying maternity clothes.
The Answer
When you outgrow your current clothes. I know I know you want to know exactly when that’s going to be. Unfortunately, I can’t give you a straight answer because everyone’s body and every pregnancy are different.
I’ve been selling maternity clothing since 2015, while my earliest shopper was showing at 10 weeks, my latest was just starting to show at 33 weeks. But these two examples are extremes. The average time most baby bellies start to grow beyond their everyday clothes is the 20-25 weeks mark – especially for first pregnancies. With subsequent pregnancies you’ll start to outgrow your clothes earlier.
Now, your boobs won’t follow the same schedule as your belly. While some women keep the same bra size throughout their pregnancy, others see their breasts increase is the first, second and third trimesters.
Here’s a secret I learned a long time ago: THERE IS NO, I repeat THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MATERNITY BRA. “maternity bra” is a marketing term. There’s nothing special about them, no special features that a regular bra doesn’t have. So save your money and upsize in the bras you already love. Maternity stores created the “maternity bra” to get you to spend more time shopping with them, after all you won’t need their services for very long, so they want to get the most out of you they can.
If you’re planning to breastfeed, during our pregnancy is a good time to start buying nursing (feeding) bras. You’ll get more wear out of them, which makes they less expensive in the long run.
I carry a seamless bra that I highly recommend for pregnancy. It has a wide waist band for support, extra hook placements, and the fabric has a bit of stretch. You’ll be able the wear the same size in this bra even when you go up a numeric size. This means you’ll be supported (you can cross the straps I the back for extra support) and comfortable, and you’ll need to replace your bra less often during your pregnancy. This will save you money and save you on space in your dresser drawers.
Checkout our seamless bra
I also carry bras from Cadenshae and Momzelle, and we have quite a few clearance style starting at $19.99.
Shop our bras
