Must-have maternity wardrobe?

Kari

Parenting.com had what looked like an interesting article about the 11 must-have pregnancy wardrobe pieces. I clicked on it, and was somewhat disappointed. Two recommendations were a scarf and a shawl, which weren't maternity pieces at all, and several of the photos didn't depict pregnant women. And the rest all had "Buy it now" links below them, which made me question the integrity of the - ahem - advertisement.

What are/were your must-have maternity pieces?

Mine were a pair of Motherhood Maternity full-panel jeans and Old Navy mid-waist jeans.

bethiebrooke

Mine were my band t shirts that I wore when I was heavier in high school and loved too much to throw away! I wore them as my around the house shirts during the last few months of my pregnancy.

K&H

H loved the Old Navy maternity dresses that were so comfy and easy to just toss on. She also loved the Motherhood full panel cargo pants, I think she had four pair in various colors!

cocobay

All of my full panel capris and Old Navy T shirts. Flip flops because I can't imagine wearing anything tight on my feet. I had to go up a size in my panites and elected to get the Hanes cotton briefs instead of my usual Victoria's Secret boy shorts, they are just so comfortable when you feel like your ass is so huge <--- which mine is!!! Good Maternity bras. Granny Gowns to sleep in. (I call them granny gowns because they are mumu type gowns that my grandmother wears, they are so comfy to sleep in).

starfish2318

Motherhood maternity pants w/ the stretchy panel, granny panties, and I just got some new shirts, non maternity, just a size bigger. I would say flip flops, but I only wore them the last 3 weeks due to weather.

annerbones

Motherhood Maternity (MHM) full panel khaki pants, baby doll tops, t-shirt from MHM. All the tops I still wear, the pants are put away until the next baby.

Goobie

I wear a lot of yoga type pants (the joy of being self-employed!) that can roll down under my belly... I HATE full panel, or at least I did with both my other pregnancies! T shirts with a high lycra content so they stretch around the bulge. Baggy Hoodies. I have one long black skirt and one short mulitcoloured skirt that are that "slinky" material, and I can wear them normal and as maternity.

The thing I am having the biggest issue with this year is shorts... as of right now I have one pair that fits, and thats just because I screwed up last year and bought a size too big when they were on sale!!

palegreen

My two must haves are:

the Old Navy Maternity Twisted-Neck Slub-Knit Tee (I have it in 3 colors and wish I had more)
http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=68499&vid=1&pid=811681&scid=811681092

And the Old Navy Women's Fold-Over Jersey Skirts (also in 3 colors) that I almost live in
http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=55402&vid=1&pid=809741&scid=809741022

A&J

I really liked having the belly band because it allowed me to wear my jeans that I actually liked for quite awhile, held up the maternity jeans that were always trying to creep down, and was helpful after delivery in keeping those maternity jeans up for another week and allowing me to shove myself back into my pre-pregnancy jeans without having to button them up right away:) So for around $20 at Target I consider this a must-have. I alse really liked having a couple of cute pairs of yoga pants--I found some at Target and Gap. Since I was pregnant in fall/winter I also relied on tank tops that I could wear under cardigans. This helped keep me stay comfortable with my ever shifting body temperature. I also got a pair of Dansko's for work because my feet hurt so bad and later in pregnancy I got a cute pair of comfy black slippers that looked like slip-ons that I would wear while in the classroom. They were so comfortable but still looked professional enough to get away with wearing at work--very helpful:) Oh, and in later months if I purchased any new clothes I tried to buy things that were not actually maternity, so that I could wear them after pregnancy and because I had a hard time findng flattering maternity clothes (especially shirts). Like I mentioned before I wore a lot of tanks and cardigans--I just didnt button the cardigans, or would only button a few and let my belly pop out. I can still wear these things and that is helpful---also works well with breastfeeding, but that's a whole different post:)

jenoglv

Liz Lange Target tank tops, full panel shorts from Kohls, empire cut dresses, Old Navy maternity t-shirts, flip flops, and Hanes granny panties.

mommylove

I had several pairs of Gap maternity jeans (no-pannel in early pregnancy and full-pannel towards the end), I also LOVED my skinny maternity jeans (by Heidi Klum) from Motherhood if I felt occassionally like getting a little dolled up! Other than that some comfy, stretchy, long tank tops (I also recommend the Liz Lange ones at Target as A&J said) to go under shirts. Tanks and cardigans were a huge outfit choice of mine also because I often got overheated and could then take the cardi off. And yes they are also good breastfeeding choices for me now. I also liked having one or two cute maxi dresses for when the weather was nice. Yoga pants from Target and Gap were an absolute MUST HAVE as PP have said. They were truly my staple. And yea, don't forget the belly band, it's still helping me squeeze into my smallest jeans that I'm not quite fitting into 7wks after delivery (damn me for being a tiny size 2 before). Oh and also, flip flops...for those attractive swollen ankles and feet in the 3rd trimester. :-)
I was also still working up until the end of the 2nd trimester so a few cute business casual outfits were must haves...I really did love Gap maternity and some of the items at Motherhood.

The best thing is...ALL of the maternity stuff is now packed away in a box and ready to come out for #2 not too long from now. :-)

twicejess

Right now I am 33.5 weeks and am living in t=shirts and mesh shorts. It's the only thing that is comfy! I do have a couple pair of full panel maternity jeans and pants from mother hood...and a couple shirts that are more suited for public viewing but as soon as I am at home...shorts/tshirts are it. I am so warm ALL the time that I dress like it's 85 degrees! I was wearing flip flops but my hip bothers me more when I wear them : ( So, I am in sneakers if anything at this point.
I also wear the bella band with my jeans/pants...just to keep them up. I don't understand why they don't stay up better without the bella band thing.

Zen

I loved my maternity jeans ... think I found them in Sears. And the last few weeks flip-flops were my friends!

Shaeley Mae

XL, scoop neck t-shirts from Walmart. When I wasn't at work I lived in them.