Who invented maternity clothes (October 21, 2009)

Who invented maternity clothes? 

As I have mentioned before I am 26 weeks pregnant with our second child.  I don’t seem to have grown to the size I was at this time with my son, but I have the baby bump none the less.  So, with that baby bump, come maternity clothes.  I am lucky enough to still be fitting into most of my normal tops but not my pants.  I have now transitioned into the dreaded maternity pants.  I do like that fact that maternity pants have the comfortable stretchy band in the front, but why o why does it always have to slip down below your belly and give you the feeling of a vice grip squeezing your abdomen? The worst thing about maternity pants is just trying to walk without having to constantly stop pushing the stroller and hiking up your jeans.  Or when you are walking down the stairs and the next thing you know you are one of those teenage girls that show their thongs through the top of their jeans! Don’t even get me started on sitting down and standing up! I don’t know, maybe it’s just me?

I think whoever designed Maternity clothes is the same MAN that designed pantyhose!   Not only do the pants never stay up but the shirts always flare out from the below your boobs like a circus tent.  Can’t the manufactures just put a little more fabric around the belly area?  It seems that whenever you go to buy maternity clothes the sales ladies always tell you to buy the same size you wear when you’re not pregnant. Yeah! Right! So why is it that when I go to try on my “normal” size it’s always too small?  I always have to buy the next size up and that always gapes open around the collar when bending over to pick up toys, exposing certain mommy parts that shouldn’t see the light of day until your precious one arrives! 

Let’s talk about the price of maternity clothes for a second shall we?  Are these people smoking crack to think that someone in their right mind will buy a pair of jeans for $250.00! Yes, you read that correctly! $250.00! I even saw a pair of “designer” maternity jeans for $275.00, and those had holes in the knees! What makes these absurd prices even more absurd, they have a “sale” stating if you buy these jeans before such and such a date you get $25.00 off! O Joy! What a deal!  Then, the stylish shirts that don’t look like maternity tents are priced right out of any normal person’s family budget.  I just can’t imagine that these designers can feel right about pricing maternity clothes at those prices. I mean really, how long do you wear your maternity clothes? Not all nine months that’s for sure. 

I have completely avoided buying any maternity clothes with this pregnancy, used or new.  Thank God I have friends and family that have let me borrow their clothes.  This can also a bit tricky if the friend is shorter, smaller, or larger than you but you take what you can get when it’s free! I just went through all the maternity clothes I have borrowed and took out all the summer tops and shorts and narrowed my wardrobe done to fall/winter essentials and my shelves are a bit empty.  I may just have to break down and head to the maternity resale shop and pick up a few light weight sweaters but once I’m done I will just add it to the community maternity box a family member let me borrow.  The box goes from neighbor to neighbor, family member to family member when ever someone is pregnant.  Such a nice idea, that I would love to donate my items so that the next lady who gets the box has even more free clothes to get her through her pregnancy.  Especially since our economy doesn’t allow most of us to go the maternity shops that sell the new, pricey clothes.  Those of you who are pregnant, or once were pregnant and have maternity clothes you want to get rid of, you and your community can get together and get a box of your old maternity clothes together to share with others! 

Thanks for reading

~Andrea