20 Responses for "When can I start to wear maternity clothes?"

1. daisy mcpoo December 17th, 2008 at 10:06 pm 1

   Don't worry about what people say. Everyone shows differently, and you just need to wear what fits and is comfortable.

   For my first baby i started showing a belly around 4 months but didn't need maternity clothes right away since a lot of the stuff I wore was just looser or I wore low rise pants that had a stretchy waist or fit below the belly. With my second, I showed almost right away and outgrew my regular pants fast. Everyone has a different body shape and the belly pops out at different times and in a different way, too. Wear what fits!
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2. Tasha (28 Weeks!) December 17th, 2008 at 10:45 pm 2

   Just wear what makes you feel comfortable. I started wearing maternity pants at 18 weeks.
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3. preggers December 17th, 2008 at 10:53 pm 3

   when you need to wear maternity clothes then wear them. with my first child i was in maternity clothes around 4 months. With my second i was in maternity clothes at 10 weeks and with this current pregnancy i am now 16 weeks and have been in maternity clothes since i was 6 weeks preggo. I show very fast! So i have to wear maternity clothes, once you cant buttton your pants and your shirts are too short then wear them.
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4. kiwi December 17th, 2008 at 11:28 pm 4

   my first 61/2 months near 27 weeks my second a little sooner

   some skinny women need maternity clothes at week 12 so if you want to wear it then wear it

   it's about your comfort not what anyone thinks
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5. joyfulgirl1903 December 17th, 2008 at 11:36 pm 5

   I think it's when you start to actually form a stomach that you should wear maternity clothes. You can tell the difference between just having a larger stomach and having a child. I'm a bigger build, but all muscle, but I didn't start showing til almost mid 6 months.
   My sister was showing, however, at like 4 months. So I suppose when ever YOU feel comfortable to start wearing them.
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6. autumn December 18th, 2008 at 12:21 am 6

   who cares what people say - I wore mine at about 12 weeks & while I didn't really look very pregnant I was waaaay more comfortable & that's all that matters
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7. Mummy to be of little girl 6Nov December 18th, 2008 at 12:41 am 7

   I was in bigger clothes from about 12 weeks because i held alot of water. Buy maternity clothes when you feel ready too, they stretch to go with your pregnancy full term. The main thing is that you are comfortable and binding clothes wont help with that. Best buy maternity than squeeze into your normals and be uncomfortable. I did and im not ashamed by it and nor should you be. If any one says anything, which im sure they wont…tell them to mind their own business.
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8. Baby BOY due Aug. 15th! December 18th, 2008 at 1:30 am 8

   I recommend wearing them as soon as your old clothes start to be uncomfortably snug.
   I started wearing some maternity clothes around 10 weeks along, I could still get away with wearing regular clothes some of the time- I mostly wore the pants at first.
   I started showing around 17+ weeks, but I was bloated and my clothes didn't fit well around 10-12+ weeks.
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   34-1/2 weeks pregnant with Ryan Luke!

9. jenna t December 18th, 2008 at 1:39 am 9

   At about 4 -5 months. I would just wear them anyways. If you dont know them and you will never see them agian tell them your like 7 months…. lol.. I wouldnt worry about it. Good luck.

   Mother of a 3 year old and 4 1/2 months prego.
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10. cterrell27 December 18th, 2008 at 2:10 am 10

    It's all about being comfortable. Some people NEVER wear them and some people start wearing them pretty early. It's all about what feels good to you. The most important thing is to have pretty decent pants/skirts/dresses that will allow "give" around the midsection. I am so excited for you. I wish I was worried about maternity clothes..throw some of that baby dust over here.
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11. Lizzi's Mama December 18th, 2008 at 2:18 am 11

    I pretty much started wearing maternity clothes when I found out i was pregnant at like 8 weeks mostly pants I just was not comfortable in my regular pants. I am also bigger and I honestly do not care what people think they are just clothes.
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    Mommy to 22 month old Lizzi and TTC #2

12. Mandy P December 18th, 2008 at 2:58 am 12

    It's up to your body. I started showing much earlier the 2nd time. Luckily, maternity clothes right now look so much like regular clothes that most people won't know the difference. Some of my regular pants still fit (and I'm 27 weeks) and some stopped fitter after just a few. It's the one time in your life that you get to enjoy comfort AND you spend so much on new clothes I say go ahead and wear them as soon as possible. Congrats by the way!
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13. It's a boy Austin james 8/30 December 18th, 2008 at 3:05 am 13

    I started showing around 12 weeks, with my second. Wear the maternity clothes whenever you want to! No one will ask you that yet, for fear they would be wrong trust me.
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14. Brytani S December 18th, 2008 at 3:24 am 14

    Trust me. wear what is most comfortable! those maternity clothes wont fit the entire pregnancy. im in my 9th month and completely frustrated because none of mine fit. INCLUDING shoes with swolen feel. If your old jeans dont fit and the maternity ones do… wear the maternity ones.

    if your old jeans DO fit and just dont close over your belly you can loop a hair scrunchie or rubberband through the hole in your jeans and around the button, just make sure you wear a shirt that covers. that kept me from buying maternity jeans for a while.

    I started to wear maternity clothes around 3 months, but people couldnt tell i was pregnant until around the 6th month.

    My fiance and I were at philly cheesestake factory and when i was 8 weeks the man at the counter asked me how far along i was and I almost died… =]
    but it was one random occurance and i got over it. no one randomly asked again until about 5.5- 6 months.
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15. don'tyouwannaknow December 18th, 2008 at 4:01 am 15

    Just wear them whenever you start to need them. I'm 18 weeks, and my belly is getting bigger already. Most of my pants and panties are becoming very uncomfortable, and when I wear my shirts it's obvious that I'm pregnant, as I'm a very thin woman. My bras really don't fit anymore they leave marks, so I'm having to start looking into buying clothes that are bigger.
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16. Silkfever December 18th, 2008 at 4:19 am 16

    Whenever you darn well want to!
    Don't Worry about what other people think, its your body, and your baby! Do what YOU want!
    If someone says something snarky just threaten to sit on them, or eat them! I do both depending on what they are giving me a hard time about.
    (like when someone touches my belly without asking, I threaten very nicely and teasingly to eat there hand if they dont get it off me!)
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17. Caitlin M December 18th, 2008 at 4:27 am 17

    screw other people!!! Babe if you're more comfortable in maternity clothes wear them! I started wearing maternity Capri's when I was 9 weeks. I still fit into my clothes but they were starting to get a little snug and these are just much more comfy! At this point in the game you're allowed to wear and do whatever you want! Haha! I'm really starting to show now, I'll be 18 weeks on Thursday but seriously who cares what anyone else thinks!!! Congrats to you on your little blessing!
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18. Melissa P December 18th, 2008 at 5:00 am 18

    hooray for the preggo big girls! i was in the same boat as you…pre preg i was a 20. here's what i did so that i was more comfortable, but could still wear regular clothes and not have to answer the question like you were are scared to answer (i was also very much sticker shocked when i saw the price of maternity clothes…and i'm cheap like that!). empire waist shirts! i got some elastic waist pants and a bunch of empire waist shirts. i didn't feel like i was poured into anything, but i didn't have to dodge the "you're getting so big!" comments either! it just looked natural! i was able to get away with that without a problem until about 5 months. then i decided i was far along to be able to wear maternity clothes! and oh were they comfortable! a great resource is babycenter.com. there is a chat board there for plus sized pregnant women. there's so much support there, and you don't have to feel silly asking questions that a lot of skinny women wouldn't understand. congrats, and best wishes for a healthy pregnancy!
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19. Yesi20 December 18th, 2008 at 5:38 am 19

    I never got to wear them my first pregnancy. I was 15 and just used my boyfriends shirt and my unbutton pants, and my pregnancy ended by 24 weeks, with my daugter stillborn. My second pregnancy, I was so happy that I wanted the world to know. I was about 8 weeks when I started to wear them. I didn't have a belly but, I was just so ecstatic of being pregnant again. I went all out since the very begining.
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20. Kim k December 18th, 2008 at 5:55 am 20

    You should wear them when you're no longer comfortable. But to answer your question, it usually becomes necessary at some point during the second trimester. although I've known women who wear their pre pregnancy sweats as maternity clothes up until the end.
    It seems that women during their first pregnancy can't wait to get into maternity gear and usually start earlier than during later pregnancies so I doubt anyone would judge you for wearing maternity too soon. Just be comfortable.
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