kind of random questions

[Dansta]

this is my first preg. and tomorrow im going shopping for maternity clothes. i was wondering how far along other people where when they first bought them/ started wearing them?

im 14 weeks and...something days. (blip ate my brain thismoring.) and i have a low-lying uterus. so does that = i'll take longer to "pop" out as such? the U/S tec said as far as she knew it was ok...but im just wondering...and also where would you recomend going for good not to expensive stuff that lasts? im in victoria btw too

oh thats the other thing. does any one else feel really dizzy/ light headed/if i dont sit down the floor is going to come up and greet me after not eating for like an ahour or two? is this normal? (once again this is my first time round and the last time any one had kids in my family was...8 years+ ago...and they laughed at me when i said i couldnt eat ham and all thease other things....)

hope every is haveing a good human growing day!

[MantaRay]

BB, I was showing very early was in maternity clothes by about 8 weeks with my first. I bought them really huge to get me through my pg but I still needed bigger ones by the end. But I am unusual I think.

The dizziness is very normal. Make sure you are drinking enough water and eating regularly, but you might still have dizzy spells.

[puppies]

Congratulations baby_blip. It is also my first pregnancy and I am also interested in the answers to your questions. I know that I bought a maternity dress and a top at about 12 weeks but I haven't worn the top yet and I have worn the dress twice. But neither of these items are obviously maternity. I am starting to pop out now and although I am still wearing normal clothes I am begining to find certain things uncomfy like pants etc. But to be honest I have always worn loose fitting clothes cause I have never liked anything remotely tight around my tummy. So I cant see me needing any more maternity clothes for a while now. Plus I would rather wait as much as I can for the Summer range as that is the only season I will need maternity clothes in.
As for the dizzy/light headed feeling. I also felt that for about a month around 10-14 weeks and then it went away. Dr says it was just my blood pressure being affected as my body adjusted to the pregnancy. I am stable on my feet again now. But its a horrible feeling, I know what your goung through. very nerve racking.
And for the special diet, yep can relate with that to. Some of the family think I am being paranoid about what I can and can't eat and sometimes they have even put food in front of me that I can't eat. I don't know if they just forgot or were just being insensitive and couldn't care less. But I refuse to eat anything that my DR has told me to avoid. I don't care if I offend them. Its my baby I will protect it as best as I can. Like my wise MIL said to me that back in the days when they were having babies non of this was known and that is still the attitude of a lot of the older mums. They think we are over reacting. But I say I would rather be over reacting than have something go wrong and only have myself to blame.

[~clover~]

Hey. Your family is referring to processed foods. Devon etc. You also can't eat soft cheeses, soft serve ice creams, tuna, sushi. There are a few things to be carteful of.

Yes, sorry, but the dizzyness is normal. Just make sure you snack often. Don't worry too much about 3 main meals as long as your snacks are healthy.

I never really wore maternity clothes. Hipster jeans & long tops were OK for me. With my 3rd I did resort to trackies & elastic waists in the last few weeks.

[Tish]

Hi there

I bought my maternity jeans at 12 weeks, because even then I was starting to grow out of everything...

I would take a look on ebay for a good pair of maternity jeans. I bought YIM ones for about $60 and I live in them.

Also a good investment were my bonds belly band, which are like boob tubes for your belly. You can continue to wear normal tops and the belly band keeps your belly (and muffin top if you're like me ) warm

I also looked at Kmart and Target just at tops that they had on special. Because the baby doll look is going off so much at the moment I have found it really easy to pick up tops for $10-$15 that aren't maternity (thus cheaper! and also I might wear them after bean is here). Also just normal tops made from material that would stretch a lot.

We're on a really tight budget so that's all I've done. I also got a pair of black pants from target which are good for work.

Until you get to stupid huge, you can try this trick which I got away with until I was about 24wks. If you have pants or skirts that have buttons (like work pants or suits) that you're having trouble doing up just grab a hair tie and loop it through the button hole and over the button. You can then wear either a long top or belly band to keep everything warm and covered. I was lucky that I could get most of the zippers done up 3/4 of the way, but this was a great money saver I would say all up I've spent about $150 on clothes for the pregnancy, either on things I will wear after or sell (like my jeans).

Also don't forget to check out op shops!

I'm sure everyone else has lots of good suggestions!!

[Tish]

Oh also! I read in a great book that the dizziness and headaches comes from your blood vessels getting bigger in expectation for the extra volume of blood that is on it's way, but not quite there yet. So your blood pressure may drop a little and make you a bit dizzy here and there. I got it quite badly but it went away as the pregnancy went on.

And, my MIL also thinks I am overreacting about the food thing, and my standard responses are...

Yes I know, the doctors really do go overboard these days don't they!!! Oh well, it's not forever and this is just what I've been told by my doctor/midwife to do(removes the decision from you so it's harder to argue with)

I've gone off <insert item here> a bit to be honest, just the thought makes me feel ill (difficult to believe when it comes to me and runny eggs but is actually true about coffee and champagne! LOL had a sip of both and it just tastes wrong.....)

Hope this helps

[satya]

I started to wear maternity jeans at about the stage you are now. I bought two pairs - one from KMart and one from Big W and still wear them now even though I don't need to - they are just so comfy to wear.

A little later I bought 4 maternity tops & a two pack of Bonds belly bands. I also bought a couple of super stretchy long sleeved T's (not maternity from KMart) that got me right through to giving birth. I found the "better" brands of mat clothing not big enough for my boobs so had no choice but to go with the chain stores.

The belly bands can be worn under your regular tops and can extend some of your regular wardrobe. I did this with some of my stretchy pre pregnancy tops and it worked really well. They are also great for breast feeding after the birth, they cover up your tummy so you don't feel so exposed. This is particularly important if you end up having attachment difficulties and have to breastfeed in front of an assortment of midwives during your hospital stay - so make sure you pack them if you get them. I had to get DF to bring mine in.

While we are at it I loved Hestia Sportstar Maternity bras and started wearing them at the beginning of the 2nd tri. Available at Big W and go up to 20DD should your BB's get rather large during the pregnancy (most bra shops don't stock mat bra's that are that large).

[Dansta]

thanks to every one! i bought a back of the belly bands yesterday! as i had about | | that much space left at the end of my belt...and my good 'ol $20 face off pants still kinda fit. just a little lower then they should be! plus my shirt will soon start to get tighter (about 2-3 months before i got up the diff-ed i bought med. mens shirts for safeway cus the womens ones where far too small...even the size 18 i had! now i think i'll have to buy at lest two mat. shirts for work>_< or just use my belly band)

so K-mart and BigW are goers. *writes down on list* i've had a quick-ish look at BigW and they have a very small range (well at southland any who) but my sister works at a Kmart and said they have some pritty cool things in atm.

with mat. wear do you just go with the size pre-preg or up a size? like in the pants? beucase i dont know how big im going to get (but i keep telling DF i'll be the size of his wagon.)

the dizzyness is bought on by lack of food. i drank 1.4lt of water and got dizzy at work. so it must be the lack of food. as for my mother and the whole "bah, i ate that and was fine!" i cant help but get annoyed because she was an older mother (im not annoyed at that part) but she smoked the WHOLE WAY THOUGH the preg. and shes telling me im being fussy! she tired to tell me i couldnt eat home made pickled oions...and all i really wanted was something vingery and cheese...*drulls thinking about it*
Bjrose: you can eat vegi sushi because for about two weeks all i wanted was that. this one main shop in southland on the safeway side oppaset the petsal place makes the BEST ever. and i read some where its good for you too!

Tish:that hair tie thing works...it always worked in the past if a zipper stoped zipping up. put eather a thin hair tie or elastic band through the bottem hole and loop it around the butten...and it holds it up! i shell try that with the opening of pants too...mind you the only one that'll work on is my jeans that seem be becomeing low-low-low riders LOL...lets just say i should have a belly band saying "BAN CRACK" on the back or something

[~clover~]

Baby_blip - Yeah I know that vegie sushi would be OK. Just make sure all meats including steak are cooked through. Don't worry about what anyone else says, there are so many foods I went off while pg that I can't remember half of them. Still loved juicy steak, but looked after my baby!

I don't know if you can still get them, but at Target or Big W I saw these things that were bits of material that had elastic in the top & were made to go from your button to the hole to keep up your pants & hide everything. They looked like a good idea.

The few maternity items I did get came from Big W on sale for about $6 each. I love their sales! Bra's are good from there too.
I would buy pre pregnancy size, unless you are putting weight on thats not just your belly. If you think you will get bigger everywhere else, maybe get a size bigger.

[Devon]

I bought some maternity clothes a couple of weeks ago, so I would have been 12 weeks I think, but things had been getting pretty tight for a long time before that. I bought a pair of jeans and a boob tube/belly band. It's so nice to be able to wear jeans again! I'm still expanding, so I think I'll have to buy some more soon.

As for the dizziness - could you be low in iron? I think I've heard that iron deficiency can cause dizziness, and it's very common in pregnancy.

I am being very careful about what I eat, you're the one who has the responsibility for controlling what your baby is exposed to, so don't worry about what anyone else thinks - you have to do what feels right for you.

Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy!

[~clover~]

As for the dizziness - could you be low in iron? I think I've heard that iron deficiency can cause dizziness, and it's very common in pregnancy.

Towards the third tri my bp & blood count were low, so I was advised to take iron supplements.
You could try lots of green leafy vegies too - spinach is a great source of iron.

[feeb]

Congratulations on pregnancy!!!

I bought Maternity jeans from pumkin patch and they were fantastic and so comfy!!! I also bought 1 top from them that i still love.

I also bought some black pants from target and tops from target.

I started wearing mat clothes a bit later than you but i am a bigger girl to start with.

I also highly recommend buy good quality maternity bras as you dont want under wires cutting into developing breast tissue.
(my breasts changed from a 14 d to a 16 f at 14 weeks)

[Lana]

There is a maternity shop called "Motherhood Maternity" that sells label stuff such as Pea in a Pod and Ripe at discounted prices. They had a range of stuff from work wear to casual stuff. I found the prices really reasonable and am usually a Kmart/Target shopper. The shop is at 487 North Road, Ormond

[Skyeblue]

Just wanted to quickly comment that Ive heard you shouldnt eat any sushi that is shop bought, even vegie ones, because the rice harbours bacteria.
Im craving it so much, but it is best to make your own..

[soniebon]

hi BB,
atm kmart have some ripper deals on their bub 2 be maternity range,i went tonight and got some good quality tops for 10 and 13 bucks,the baby doll stuff is kool and i have bought 2 pairs of jeans,i was a 10 b4 i get preggers and i still wear a 10 in mat stuff(except for some tops cos the hooters r exploding)tonight i got some awesome cargo at big w for 20 buckers and i will wear them after pregnancy they are so nice,they dont have much of a maternity range,atm pumpkin patch have a sale on and u can get some top stuff,big thumbs up for their skinny jeans if u get them in your size,im hunting a small for the last 2 weeks..i also got another pair of cargos from their..i dont wanna go too beserk cos summer is coming though i still need some hoodies which are hard to get,either get mens or go surf shop.i was wearing maternity at 8 weeks,im 16 weeks now and am really struggling to fit in clothes,i have one belly band,,gotta get another and one of them things that go around ur button but ill try the hair tie tip..
good luck

[Dansta]

i went shopping and myer have some kick a$$ sales to! 97% of the stuff my mother bought where 50% off! the only thing that wasnt where my mat. jeans due to me being a 16 and the belly band thingy on them waay short for me (lets just say my crack isnt so wack.) we went into pumkin patch and as mum said "that shops really good if your really skinny!" which im not im a meaty lady and proud. muffen top and all! i guess the other good thing about myers sale is that alot of the stuff wasnt really mat. wear. its larger sizes (i even got a jumper mum wanted before her!) and i can wear them after blip makes their dubte (sp?) plus now i have work pants that FIT ohh im so, so,so over joyed with that like you wouldnt belive!

the main reson i got them NOW is becuase im going on a holiday soon-ish and i think i'll be much happier traveling in the lager clothes then the ones i was in where eather getting to small, short or low and i looked like kim from cath and kim! minus the fake nails and long hair!

i have another question i just thought of...how did you laides sort out you pre-preg clothes and work out which ones to donate to charity? becuase i look at all the new clothes and go "will i ever wear ..... again?"

thank-you all again for the posts and advice!

[~clover~]

I hate giving my clothes away!
I only let it go if I know I'll never wear it again. Even if it doesn't fit any more! you never know, it might fit me again one day!! Lol!

[soniebon]

i went through my clothes and gave the ones away that were a slim fit or last season or season b4 old,gave my jeans away all except my mid or higher waisted ones,even though im a 10-12 i have a muffin top n big hips so i normally dont buy fitted stuff,i got those space saver vaccuum bag thingies and put what i wanted to keep in them