How do you go about buying maternity clothes?

I'm 5'11 and I've found most maternity jeans work pretty well, I just wear them slightly lower than most people do... and then the most important part DO NOT DRY THEM. They all have the elastic through out the jeans that will make them shrink. I just lay them on top of the washer [if you use a laundry mat just bring them home in a plastic bag and drape them over the table or shower curtain rod]

The ones I have are labeled Large [thats the size I bought I'm approx 165 lbs at the moment] which was pretty dead on for my pre-pregnancy size. and the shirts I've been getting in XL to accout for the sleeve length and overall shirt lenght.

I got most of my stuff at a discount store Burlington Coat factory.. I'm not sure if they're nationwide, so try Marshalls or something similar. I saved a ton of money that way.

Motherhood maternity [they have a website, try searching it] has some nice stuff but most of it is too mature for me [I'm 23] but I've found a decent amount of stuff out there. The thing is just to keep looking. Old Navy has some decent priced maternity clothes and they all say to order pre-pregnancy size unless you have twins or such.

Bras, I got fitted at Victoria Secret and then ordered them from motherhood maternity.

Underwear, I just bought 1 size up so far.

You can also buy a tummy sleeve. I used it from 8 weeks until this week [14 weeks] its just a spandex tube top sort of thing you wear over your unbuttoned jeans to hide that they're not buttoned. I got that from motherhood also.

Shoes, don't buy tons of shoes for any kind yet, some women's feet actually grow.. and you'll come to a point where you can't tie your sneakers anymore, so slip ons will have to do. I'm due July 4th, so I'll be all flip flops anyway lol.

Don't buy a ton of clothes. I just bought 2 pairs of jeans. and a few sweaters.. you'll be suprised how fast you'll grow to fit into them!!! So you'll most likely have to buy some sizes up in the future.

Sorry for killing you with all this info lol I've also bought a sweater or two in plus sizes, ie 2x and they should fit me through March or so.

Good luck sweetie.

Avereage cost

Discout store - Jeans, $16-20

Old Navy/Motherhood $30-40

Target's website, $25-40

Sweaters really vary based on style

um i mean honestly i wouldnt buy maternity clothes just yet and if you do buy then a lot bigger because they are very expensive but if you dont mind spending the money then by some now but you will be buying more later lol what i did is i kept wearing my jeans until i was about 5 months pregnant 17weeks then i went to walmart and got two pairs of matrnity capris ( i was pregnant this past summer) they werent that cute but they werent expensive either and then as i started really showing a lot i bought another pair but nice ones and then i bought a few shirts in the mall but i was treating myself to something special when your pregnant you cant do a lot of things so i treated myself to some cute clothes lol but i mean you can always go to target they have cute tops and bottoms and um thrift stores are a good place also for now while you belly isnt that round just growing lol maybe just find some bigger pants maybe your sisters,aunt,friend someone that doesnt mind giving you a pair OR you can just by a pair cuz after you have the baby you will be to small for the maternity clothes but still your reg pants may be still a little to tight so the bigger pair of pants may fit you perfect till you lose all your baby weight! HAVE FUN with your pregnancy and enjoy every moment of rest lol congradualtions

JcPenney has some cute maternity clothes. Sometimes have good sales too.

As far as sizes you would just have to see. Depends on your size now. Some women can fit into smalls. Some start out in mediums or larges. It depends on the manufacturer of the clothing. Target clothes tend to be a bit big on me or snug. Depends. Motherhood Maternity has a website. Just google it. They're not the cheapest but they're clothes fit well.

My jeans stopped fitting me around 9-10 wks.

There is a cool maternity store in our mall called modern mums. They have a program where you buy the maternity clothes and then when the baby is born you can exchange them for baby clothes and toys. I find that maternity clothes are a little expensive for something you will wear for such a short time. I buy mine at Good Will. I stick with my regular size in pants and just buy larger shirts.

You buy them in the same size you were before you were pregnant. They're just made bigger in certain parts of the clothing to accomodate your pregnant body.

Stores: Motherhood Maternity, Old Navy (most have maternity departments), JC Penney, Kohl's, Target

EDIT to add:

Buy a belly band from Motherhood Maternity (around $17). It's a soft stretchy band that you can wear over your "normal" clothes and will save you loads on having to buy maternity clothes just yet. You basically wear your "normal" pants unbuttoned, then slip the belly band over it. They come in whie, beige, and black. Good luck! Also, Kohl's has huge clearance going on right now. There are tops and bottoms less than $10.00 on the clearance rack :-)

Most maternity clothes come in basic S, M, L, XL sizes. So, you just get the size you normally would wear. If you have a Motherhood Maternity store near you, they have pillows you can strap to your belly as you try clothes on to see how they would fit in the future.

I am also 5'10" normally about 145-150lbs.

I have had the BEST luck at burlington coat factory for their maternity clothes. They have the biggest selection at the best price.

(I cannot wear motherhood pants, their medium is to small, but their large is HUGE on me, plus motherhood stores are WAY to expensive)

When I was buying my maternity clothes I was EVERYWHERE, but had the best luck at burlington... their blue jean are $15 most tops are $15 or under (in their blue jeans I wear a medium)

I would actually go to a store and try them on...I bought a pair of pants online (medium) and they were waaaay too tight. I went shopping the other day and in the same store a pair of jeans that were a size 8 fit and so did a pair of size 4 pants.

When I went to try on maternity clothes at 3 months they let me wear this fake prego belly that helped me know how I would look in the clothes and if they would hang over my belly far enough so that I didn't grow out of them. I haven't bought any pants yet because I am using bella bands, you should check into them, they are so cool.

Just try them on. If they are not for you, most maternity clothes are sized based on what size the woman normally wears in the beginning. After you outgrow those you just buy the sizes accordingly.