Yes, yes, Obviously I knew that getting pregnant meant changing up the wardrobe and new "fashion experiences". I mean I thought I knew... I even found myself curiously looking at celebs pregnancy fashion choices early on in weeks 3, 4, 5 (a sure sign of odd hormonal changes as I couldn't give much of a shit about celebrities, or fashion, pre-pregnancy). While this would be fine if you have an unlimited budget (Drew Barrymore, ever the cutie pie!), I do not have a movie star budget. I guess I thought I would just get creative with what I had for the first few months. Well, I quickly tested the limits of that idea...When I found that my pants didn't fit, or rather they could be buttoned but it wasn't a happy feeling, and then my cami-bra tanks were getting uncomfortable, I was a little thrown off and flustered. No major belly bump yet, but nor do my regular clothes feel good, what am I supposed to wear?? I guess I sort of imagined you go from letting out the notches on the belt to some cute belly displaying something or other...
And then I had to have the conversation with myself about packing these clothes away instead of despairing that I will never fit them ever again. While that is a possibility, it simply cannot be foretold at this point in time. And I have had to repeat this conversation each time I grow out of the last solution. My recommendation? Take the clothes out of the dresser drawer so it's not so discouraging when you realize you have actually only two choices of pants to wear (dark grey or black?). Pack the clothes that are no longer options cleanly away like a little potential treasure for later. All the colorful tanks as well. Today I did a second culling of the shirts that are now too short to cover my belly and had the same conversation. sigh. Can I mentally consider it a fair exchange for the cute CUTE! new gift clothes and baby hand me downs that are coming in!? yeah maybe.
For what to wear, first I graduated to the pants that used to need a belt, some awesome genetic pregnancy design made my butt grow first so it could hold up the pants that used to fall down without help. Then I got introduced to the rubber band through the button hole trick, awesome! Until my husband told me it's called a "girth hitch" in rock climbing, "Hey Buddy, watch the language, okay?"
This was fine for a couple weeks especially while standing, but sitting down was too much! I would undo the rubber band, relax through dinner or while driving, then stand up and get out of the car and head into the store and realize I was gapping my fly.
(I admittedly did miss out somehow on the belly band, though strongly and soundly recommended.They only had beige the one day I looked at Target and online were very mixed reviews. Tried to make my own, it did not work well)
Finally, after a couple of unsuccessful trips to the second hand shop, feeling increasingly uncomfortable and desperate, I surrendered and walked into a maternity store and said "I need jeans that fit for under $100." This sentence in itself sounded ridiculous coming out of my mouth! But I put them on and the relief, beyond words, so worth it. I wanted to wear them out of the store...so happy and snug. I then found another pair of the same for $20 at the second hand a month later, felt like I really earned it.
That's another oddity, I was always a below the navel pants wearing girl. Never could get into "girl jeans" with the high waist, always the low waist "boy jeans". Now I love the feeling of being contained! and snugging the stretchy waistband of the maternity pants up and over my belly, mmmm. Keeps my belly and babe from being cold if the shirt is slipped up and I just feel all held. I was laughing about the difference of preference with a friend and our sweet 5 year old boy chimed in with full support "I do that all the time!" and proceeded to pull his pants up to about his ears, okay kiddo, thanks for the fashion endorsement, I think.
So here I am learning about sizes, I mean these pants will still fit four months from now, right? So far they are stretching merrily along as I do...
Then I move to the larger sized cami-bra tanks, first time buying a large anything, ok, of which I have all of three now that I repeat wear. From there I was thinking ahead and looked into buying the organic cotton pregnancy/nursing bra. Looking online, great reviews, and I'm feeling somewhat ambitious, sure my 34A self can grow into the Medium 34-36 B-C, right?
I try one on when they arrive in the mail and it just fits...uh oh. So I send them back for the large (really???) which accommodates up to a D, (I mean seriously??) and when it arrives in the mail I try it on and I'm seeing there's room in the cup to grow, around the ribs feels tolerable (I mean something has to keep it up right?) could/should work for the next 6 months, but the straps need some taking in. Okay. Set those aside for a month and when the tanks started to feel a wee bit restrictive I pulled the bras back out to see where to stitch them up and, holy cow, they fit. This is madness!! The cup space still has room to grow into, and the sales pitch is that it is stretchy and comfy to accomodate changes and variability, so far so good, but there's no way I'll need the XL, will I?? These are women's sizes, right? I mean I'm the girl that BEGGED her mom for a training bra, "You really don't need one" she says ever so gently, "Yes I DO Mom! Everyone else has one!" "It's a good thing!" she tells me, and after 25 years I had really come to terms with it. I loved that I didn't need a bra, I can jog pain free, I don't have the back pain that caused a friend of mine to get a medically approved breast reduction. Yay fairy breasts! My husband loves them, and I got an amazing glimpse to an alternate reality a couple years ago at Burning Man my first attempt at pasties (awesome!) when a group of my friends who's cleavage I had admittedly admired quite regularly told me how jealous they were of my perky breasts that stayed up without support. Really?!! (I kind of wish I knew about that reverse envy when I was 17) I thought everyone loved boobs, the more the better! (though with nursing etc I understand the gravity defying perk may now be a well loved memory)
Just how crazy is this going to get?
Well, the other day I walked in and asked the lady at the store for leggings. "Do you have any leggings?"
I NEVER thought I would utter those words, and you know what? They are comfy! I bought two pairs. And they really complete the wonderful outfits I got passed along from a girlfriend who was pregnant during the summer. Maternity tank dress over leggings and long sleeved shirt? I went to Thanksgiving dinner in the most cutesie outfit I have worn since I was probably 5 years old. Feeling adorable and adored. Fun!
Another fun twist on the fashion, here I am working it out, and my sister says "She actually gave you those clothes, not loaned, right? Like I can have them if I get pregnant?" "Yeah Baby! you diggin my style? Sure. Just give them back if I need them again. (and don't tell my husband I said that last part)."
And then I had to have the conversation with myself about packing these clothes away instead of despairing that I will never fit them ever again. While that is a possibility, it simply cannot be foretold at this point in time. And I have had to repeat this conversation each time I grow out of the last solution. My recommendation? Take the clothes out of the dresser drawer so it's not so discouraging when you realize you have actually only two choices of pants to wear (dark grey or black?). Pack the clothes that are no longer options cleanly away like a little potential treasure for later. All the colorful tanks as well. Today I did a second culling of the shirts that are now too short to cover my belly and had the same conversation. sigh. Can I mentally consider it a fair exchange for the cute CUTE! new gift clothes and baby hand me downs that are coming in!? yeah maybe.
For what to wear, first I graduated to the pants that used to need a belt, some awesome genetic pregnancy design made my butt grow first so it could hold up the pants that used to fall down without help. Then I got introduced to the rubber band through the button hole trick, awesome! Until my husband told me it's called a "girth hitch" in rock climbing, "Hey Buddy, watch the language, okay?"
This was fine for a couple weeks especially while standing, but sitting down was too much! I would undo the rubber band, relax through dinner or while driving, then stand up and get out of the car and head into the store and realize I was gapping my fly.
(I admittedly did miss out somehow on the belly band, though strongly and soundly recommended.They only had beige the one day I looked at Target and online were very mixed reviews. Tried to make my own, it did not work well)
Finally, after a couple of unsuccessful trips to the second hand shop, feeling increasingly uncomfortable and desperate, I surrendered and walked into a maternity store and said "I need jeans that fit for under $100." This sentence in itself sounded ridiculous coming out of my mouth! But I put them on and the relief, beyond words, so worth it. I wanted to wear them out of the store...so happy and snug. I then found another pair of the same for $20 at the second hand a month later, felt like I really earned it.
That's another oddity, I was always a below the navel pants wearing girl. Never could get into "girl jeans" with the high waist, always the low waist "boy jeans". Now I love the feeling of being contained! and snugging the stretchy waistband of the maternity pants up and over my belly, mmmm. Keeps my belly and babe from being cold if the shirt is slipped up and I just feel all held. I was laughing about the difference of preference with a friend and our sweet 5 year old boy chimed in with full support "I do that all the time!" and proceeded to pull his pants up to about his ears, okay kiddo, thanks for the fashion endorsement, I think.
So here I am learning about sizes, I mean these pants will still fit four months from now, right? So far they are stretching merrily along as I do...
Then I move to the larger sized cami-bra tanks, first time buying a large anything, ok, of which I have all of three now that I repeat wear. From there I was thinking ahead and looked into buying the organic cotton pregnancy/nursing bra. Looking online, great reviews, and I'm feeling somewhat ambitious, sure my 34A self can grow into the Medium 34-36 B-C, right?
I try one on when they arrive in the mail and it just fits...uh oh. So I send them back for the large (really???) which accommodates up to a D, (I mean seriously??) and when it arrives in the mail I try it on and I'm seeing there's room in the cup to grow, around the ribs feels tolerable (I mean something has to keep it up right?) could/should work for the next 6 months, but the straps need some taking in. Okay. Set those aside for a month and when the tanks started to feel a wee bit restrictive I pulled the bras back out to see where to stitch them up and, holy cow, they fit. This is madness!! The cup space still has room to grow into, and the sales pitch is that it is stretchy and comfy to accomodate changes and variability, so far so good, but there's no way I'll need the XL, will I?? These are women's sizes, right? I mean I'm the girl that BEGGED her mom for a training bra, "You really don't need one" she says ever so gently, "Yes I DO Mom! Everyone else has one!" "It's a good thing!" she tells me, and after 25 years I had really come to terms with it. I loved that I didn't need a bra, I can jog pain free, I don't have the back pain that caused a friend of mine to get a medically approved breast reduction. Yay fairy breasts! My husband loves them, and I got an amazing glimpse to an alternate reality a couple years ago at Burning Man my first attempt at pasties (awesome!) when a group of my friends who's cleavage I had admittedly admired quite regularly told me how jealous they were of my perky breasts that stayed up without support. Really?!! (I kind of wish I knew about that reverse envy when I was 17) I thought everyone loved boobs, the more the better! (though with nursing etc I understand the gravity defying perk may now be a well loved memory)
Just how crazy is this going to get?
Well, the other day I walked in and asked the lady at the store for leggings. "Do you have any leggings?"
I NEVER thought I would utter those words, and you know what? They are comfy! I bought two pairs. And they really complete the wonderful outfits I got passed along from a girlfriend who was pregnant during the summer. Maternity tank dress over leggings and long sleeved shirt? I went to Thanksgiving dinner in the most cutesie outfit I have worn since I was probably 5 years old. Feeling adorable and adored. Fun!
Another fun twist on the fashion, here I am working it out, and my sister says "She actually gave you those clothes, not loaned, right? Like I can have them if I get pregnant?" "Yeah Baby! you diggin my style? Sure. Just give them back if I need them again. (and don't tell my husband I said that last part)."
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