I am going to preface this entry by saying that I am in means downing the maternity wear industry but I must must must let any woman who is pregnant or thinking about it, know what the clothing options are out there.
When I found out I was pregnant I made two promises to myself. 1) I refused to wear moo-moo outfits and 2) I was going to be the fliest pregnant chick on the block. Well I have managed to adhere to both but it's been a long hard battle. Most maternity clothes for plus-size women look like crap. Tent like contraptions with huge floral or plaid prints that are just wrong...even on skinny women its just wrong. Maternity clothes, no matter your size are expensive for no other reason than manufacturers know you need the clothes so they charge an asinine amount of money for them. I have been lucky in that I scour clearance racks of both maternity and non maternity styles so I have found some things that work no matter what. Lots of empire waists outfits and cute shirts. As far as pants go...well there is no skipping on that. So I'll brief and rate a few places I have tried out.
- Old Navy - Old Navy carries their maternity line in a FEW stores which means good luck with trying to find it. If you get lucky you can try on a few things. Their clothes are cute and well priced. The pants go up to size 20 and the shirts go up to XXL. BUT their shirts run huge. Meaning you may not need the size you think you need. And some of their stuff tends to be very sheer which in the winter is not so great. I can't speak for their jeans since I don't like them but you can check out http://www.oldnavy.com/ for their collection and size chart.
- Motherhood Maternity - They specialize in pregnancy wear and go from size small to 3XL I believe. Their clothes are cute but pretty generic. Lots of basic colors and generic prints. Their claim to fame is probably their Secret Panel Jeans. Its basically a full, seamless panel that is on their jeans/pants. It's nice, It's comfortable...if you like full panel pants. They tend to run between 30 and 40 dollars a piece. A steep price but they are comfortable. You can also check out their website for more info. http://www.motherhood.com/ BUT a word of the wise...their return policy sucks and they have a habit of signing you up for magazine subscriptions you didn't authorize or need so keep and eye on that kind of stuff.
- JCPenney - They have a nice collection of maternity wear in store and online that is both stylish for work and for social/casual settings. Their maternity jeans/pants/bottoms go up to size 3XL and are generously sized and well priced. To date this has been the most impressive maternity wear I have brought. They are well priced and if shopping online you can find alot of discount codes.
- Target - Oh Tar'Geit!!!! They carry the Liz Lange Line of clothing which is chick, cute, and stylish. Their bottoms go from size 0 to 20 and tops run to XXL. Convienently priced and is easy to just run in and get what you need.
- Consignment - DO NOT count these shops out! They are a plethora of items for both mom and baby to come! And they are cheap. Just buy what you need and wash when you get home. That simple.
- Online Auctions - Also do not count out Craigslist, Ebay, or Amazon for you maternity wear needs. You can find lots of things gently used or brand new at a fraction of the costs.
The last bit of advice is on panels. You will be faced with full, mid, no, and low panel pregnancy jeans/pants/skirts. It all really depends on how you want them to sit. I have low panel jeans at this point in pregnancy and are pleased with them. They stay where they need to for now but I highly doubt they will work when I get further along. I also have full panel pants for work and they are just as awesome. A little more comfortable than the low panel pants and they require less work. So you really need to try on all kinds to see what you like!
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