I never realized how difficult it would be to shop for maternity clothes. I mean, logically, I figured it would be straight forward. Go to the maternity section, pick out your size and that's it! I had only 1 pair of regular stretch pants that my husband got me for Christmas. As comfy as they are, I really needed more than 1 pair. I mean, sometimes I do need to do the laundry, and besides, it just feels downright slobby when you have to wear the same thing every single day. When I decided to check the local Target for a couple more pairs and perhaps a cute top or two, I found myself standing in the middle of a foreign country! Little did I know I would have to do my research on how to size maternity clothes before going to the store and buying them. At the store, everything was sized "1, 2, 3" etc, instead of say, S, M, L or whatever. I didn't get it. Size 1?? What the heck? It didn't make sense, and I was not about to go look like a blooming idiot to ask one of the sales clerks what was up. Besides, their clothes weren't very cute and I wasn't that desperate.
I have since discovered that it must be Target's unique sizing technique because other places are halfway normal. Other stores I checked online do things like give you the option to shop by trimester or your usual size, and that's much easier. What a relief! However, that doesn't end the weary feeling I get when shopping for maternity clothes. Besides the fact that I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be doing it, it just weirds me out how awkward all the clothes are, and I wonder how comfortable some of them really are--especially the pants! I mean, check these out: What is the deal with the giant stretchy bands on the fake jeans??
Maternity wear is really just a bunch of deceiving clothing. It's like those weird stretchy body suits that are supposed to sculpt your curves and make you look skinnier than you really are. They make me feel weird. I know they're supposed to be "support" for your growing belly, but is that really comfortable? I don't know yet, but I'll be sure to let you know when I find out. As of right now, I don't like anything tight over my belly. Even when I'm naked I feel like I'm wearing pants that are too tight, then I discover it's just my stretching skin! Craziness, I tell you...Luckily, all those obnoxious pregnant relatives who had 50 babies before me have actually come in handy! Many are offering to give us their baby clothes and things, and a couple even sent me their maternity wear! My sister and sister-in-law both sent me a bunch of their clothes and I am quite thankful even though most are ones I won't be wearing until late in the pregnancy, as they are mostly summer clothes. My sister gave me a tip that Old Navy has the best selection of comfortable and cute maternity clothes for a good price, so even though my stupid little town doesn't even have anything so much as a mall, I am checking that out online and discovering that she's right. They actually have halfway normal looking jeans and lots of cute tops! I'm excited to go shopping again! Woo-hoo!!!
