shopping for maternity clothes

Since I spend most of my days in sweatpants or pajamas, I’ve only purchased one pair of maternity jeans (Gap’s Always Skinny) and one maternity top that I’ve worn as an outfit once — yesterday. For the most part, I can still get away with wearing size large shirts and leggings. My pre-pregnancy jeans with a Bella Band are no longer a comfortable option.

My mom came to town last Wednesday and was eager to take me shopping for maternity clothing. While I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it (I’m still not completely comfortable with how my changing body looks or feels) , I was happy to share the experience with her. She was really excited about it, and who am I to say no to the gift of clothing?

Our first stop was A Pea in the Pod, which carries the latest trends and designer brands but is a bit pricey. $45 for a solid scoop neck t-shirt? It’s a good thing I only found one blouse that I liked; I would’ve felt guilty about the cost had I wanted more.

For the most part, trying on maternity clothing proved frustrating. Nearly all of the pants were saggy and bunched in the crotch, and my belly (and my boobs) weren’t quite big enough to fill out the tops. It was disheartening, to say the least.

When we started looking at maternity bras vs. nursing bras, I felt my head spin. My mom insisted that I also needed maternity underwear. I explained to her that there is no such thing as maternity underwear – or at least there’s no need for maternity underwear. Why not just buy a larger size of what you normally wear?

Needless to say, we didn’t buy any undergarments.

The next night we went Target’s maternity department. Slim pickings there, although I did find two cotton dresses for $24 each and a tank top to wear under cardigans. If we had more time we could have tried Motherhood Maternity (although secretly I was glad to not have to subject myself to more fitting room trauma). Other than Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod, there are no other dedicated maternity stores in Omaha. One our three Gap stores has an abbreviated maternity section, but they’re always out of sizes. In fact, my jeans had to be ordered and shipped from Kansas City.

I’ve heard that Old Navy sells cute and affordable maternity clothing, but our stores don’t have that department. And with maternity clothing, it’s hit or miss that the size you order online will actually fit in person.

What did you wear as your body changed shape? Where did you shop for maternity clothing?

{images via gap.com}