Reddit mentions of Jelt Elastic Stretch Belt | For Women & Men | Non-Metal | Black Belt (Small (26-30 Jean Size))

>Well before I even started thinking about trying to get pregnant, I read /u/yeah_iloveit’s maternity wear guide. It’s fantastic and helpful and I am currently using her postpartum guide to help me prepare for life after baby. So what I’m sharing here is basically a personal application of the guide to show how well it worked for me, and to include a few of my personal insights.
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>First a note on pregnancy and your changing body. No one’s pregnancy is the same. I kept comparing my belly to other women’s and was really disappointed that I wasn’t showing in the same ways. I didn’t look really pregnant until about 20 weeks, and even then it could have been chalked up to bloating. Don’t even try comparing yourself to others. You probably knew this already, but sometimes a reminder is a good thing.
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>Second, a note on quality. Normally, I lean more quality-over-quantity, with a tendency to buy fewer, more expensive items. For maternity-wear, I’ve kind of changed my tune. Sure, I’ll be wearing some of these things for over a year, but then, that’s kind of it. So for me, it was not worth investing in nicer, more expensive clothes that I’ll just donate next year. Even if I get pregnant again, I’ll probably want at least a few new things anyway as styles will have changed.
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>FIRST TRIMESTER – things escalate quickly
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>My boobs grew so big, so fast. By 8 weeks pregnant, most of my non-stretchy tops no longer fit. By 10 weeks, very few of my tops fit and I was wearing my belly band nearly every day. By 12 weeks, not a single one of my old dresses fit (even the stretchy ones) and it was holiday season. At my office party, I had to keep my cardigan on the whole time because my dress wouldn’t zip up, mostly because of my boobs. I had to rush to find a dress for the wedding we attended a week later (thank you Amazon Prime with free returns). At around this time I desperately needed maternity clothes, so I went to the mall and picked up what I needed to make it to the end of the week. Then I went online to fill out my wardrobe a bit more.
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>Quick tip: As my boobs grew, I first moved to those coobie-style bralettes, but soon found that I needed actual support. I just went to Nordstrom Rack and got some pretty inexpensive but properly fitting bras that fit on the tightest hook. About 2 months later, these were all too small again, so I just moved on to stretchy but supportive wireless nursing bras.
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>SECOND TRIMESTER – small work capsule
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>After the mad shopping dash, I had created a little work-wear capsule, and I didn’t buy anything else for over 2 months. My work wardrobe consisted of:
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> 2 pairs pants
> 6 T-shirts
> 2 blouses
> 2 dresses
> Plus, my regular blazers and cardigan – the longer, looser ones
> Plus, all my “comfy” shoes – my nice shoes were already a bit too tight
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>Quick tip: I used an elastic belt a bit like this to hold up my under-belly maternity pants before my belly got big enough. With the big panel ones, I folded the panel down halfway. The elastic belt also helps to cinch looser tops & dresses between your bust and belly making you look more pregnant and less stocky.
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>Once it started getting warmer, this capsule got boring really fast because I couldn’t create variety with cardigans/blazers. Also, by the end of my second trimester, my feet were starting to swell, and I was down to 2 pairs of shoes that fit, plus an old pair of my husband’s loafers. So here’s what I ended up with in addition to the first 4 lines above:
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> 1 skirt
> 2 more tops
> 5 pairs shoes (2 new)
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>This made for a 20-item work capsule.
>My casual wardrobe was also pretty limited, being basically my work top options with the one pair of maternity jeans I’d bought in the first trimester. So during the second trimester I also picked up a second pair of jeans, and some leggings. This worked well for me until the weather warmed up.
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>Quick tip: At some point, I bought some under-belly maternity underwear. And then I bought more and wore these exclusively. Because I live in a warm climate, I avoid excess fabric as much as possible, so underbelly works better for me than full panel. You might feel differently, so try before buying a bunch.
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>THIRD TRIMESTER – I’m getting hot
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>With my teaching semester drawing to a close, the weather heating up, and my growing body running very warm, I needed some casual, summer options. Currently, my casual summer capsule consists of:
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> 2 pairs of shorts
> 1 skirt
> 6 T-shirts
> 3 loose tank tops
> 2 blouses
> 5 sundresses
> 2 pairs of sandals
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>Quick tip: Not everything I bought, even in my 3rd trimester, is maternity sized. I bought a very stretchy foldover waist skirt, some drapey tanks (2 sizes larger than my usual) and a pleated swing dress that all provide plenty of room.
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>CONCLUSIONS
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>I’ve found that capsule wardrobes by occasion/season were the way to go for me. Despite being more of a maximalist than a minimalist (ahem), I found that I was perfectly satisfied with 20 items at a time, especially since I knew it would be temporary. And for reference, here is a sampling of what I have been wearing for the past month or so: album.
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>So far and excluding undergarments, I have spent less than $750 on clothes, and have acquired about 35 new items. Note that this is over the course of 6 months, and about $300 less than I spent on clothes over the same time period last year. I bought everything from:
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> Amazon
> Old Navy
> Target
> Motherhood
>* Goodwill
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>I’m happy to answer any questions about my experience buying and wearing maternity clothes. I’d also love to hear others’ experiences and tips for maternity shopping.
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