Maternity Clothes

My bestie wrote about this very same topic not too long ago.  I have been lucky so far in that I haven't had to buy very many new things - my pre-pregnancy clothes have still worked fine, with the help of the belly band.  I've never been comfortable wearing things that were very tight due to being self-conscious, so I had a lot of flowy tops to work with and they've worked well so far.  And if I've wanted something new, I've just bought it in a size bigger than I normally would.  So far so good.

With that being said, I am going to get to the point soon where I'll need to invest in some maternity clothes - particularly as it gets colder.  A lot of my sweaters are more fitted, and I think by the time it gets a little colder they'll be too short.  While I'm sure it would be REAL hot to sport some pregnancy skin under a too-short sweater, I think I'll pass.

Sooooo over the weekend, I decided to take advantage of some of the Labor Day sales and do a little shopping, just to get a few staples like pants and layering shirts.  I don't want to spend a fortune on maternity clothes, and there were some excellent sales, so Dan and I headed to the mall to check out Old Navy, H&M, Forever 21 and the GAP.  Before I write this next bit, I would just like to disclaim with the fact that I am so happy that maternity clothes have come as far as they have, because I tend to agree with my bestie that some of the stuff our Moms had to wear was beyond heinous.

With all of that said...I was so disappointed in our shopping experience!  We went to Old Navy first, then H&M, and then Forever 21 (I decided to skip the GAP and look online based on our experience in the first three stores as well as the fact that we planned to meet a friend for lunch and were running short on time).  Old Navy's maternity section was SO small, it was literally in the back corner of the store and it was probably the size of my bathroom.  There were only 3 pair of jeans to choose from, and not a great variety of shirts.  Not to mention the fact that some of the stuff was pretty ugly.  Mamas-to-be still want to look good, too!  I did buy two things - one pair of jeans and a t-shirt that would be good for layering.

Determined not to let it get me down, I went to H&M next.  If Old Navy was bad, H&M was worse.  There was maybe one rack of maternity clothes wedged in between two kids sections, and this is probably me being a prude but all of it made me feel really old.  The Forever 21 maternity section was the biggest of the 3, and looked promising at first, but the clothes there were weird to me, too.  Maybe it is the fact that I feel like I have always had Mom taste - I am the girl that buys things at Banana Republic and J Crew from season to season in similar classic styles but different colors, and don't even get me started on my love of cardigans - but I felt like the clothes in H&M and Forever 21 were made specifically for girls on 16 and pregnant.  To me, they screamed, "I am pregnant but will still dress like I'm going to the club." 

I am HOPING that everything was jut picked over since it was Labor Day weekend and that next time I go I will have a better experience.  I did look online at the GAP and manage to fill my cart with $400 worth of things that I liked (don't worry, I didn't actually buy anything - I decided to exercise some restraint and wait until I actually needed some things), so I know there are places out there that I will like.  I haven't gone to any of the maternity-specific stores yet, either, so hopefully I will have luck at those, too.  Any suggestions from my Mom friends out there of places that carry clothes that I can still be slightly stylish and feel normal yet comfortable wearing?

In other news, it is hard to believe it is already Wednesday and only one week away from the gender reveal!  I am just so excited I can't stand it.

Hurry up Friday!

Sarah