For those of you who lost weight before getting pregnant, first off congrats. I held off on getting pregnant again to lose weight and get healthier. Were you able to wear your old fat cloths as maternity cloths. I've lost almost 100 lbs and an now trying to get pregnant I'm now a 14-16 and wondering if I should keep my 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and size 24 just in case I can uses them as maturity cloths. Still trying to lose another 20 lbs them I'll be at goal.

For those of you who lost weight before getting pregnant, first off congrats. I held off on getting pregnant again to lose weight and get healthier. Were you able to wear your old fat cloths as maternity cloths. I've lost almost 100 lbs and an now trying to get pregnant I'm now a 14-16 and wondering if I should keep my 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and size 24 just in case I can uses them as maturity cloths. Still trying to lose another 20 lbs them I'll be at goal.

I'm not TTC for a few more months but have kept some of my size 14's ( now 10-12) but hoping to lose my last 5.5kg (aprox 12lbs).

Some of my friends have recommended it- especially track pants and jumpers and work pants/skirts. I have a few Lycra long tops that will stretch as well so will hold on to them- Maternity clothes can be pricey and after already replacing my wardrobe 3 times completely I wan't to save!!

I kept my older fat clothes with the thoughts of using them as maternity . . . but it didn't work out. First of all, they are just unflattering. The necklines are too big and they are just poochy in the wrong places (think belly is bigger but arms and legs and everywhere else stayed relatively skinny). These clothes fit when you are bigger everywhere, not just in the mid-section. They looked, and more importantly I felt, very frumpy. After losing a lot of weight and being able to wear what I wanted, I just didn't want to go back to frump any longer.

As an alternative, i just bought some clothes that worked both as normal and maternity such as tops that gathered below the bustline but above the belly . . . they look great both before and after pregnancy.

Also, I bought a bella band which is just like a halter top for your belly and I wore it over my pants, unbuttoned and unzipped the pants and used a hairband to loop through button holes to the button. This worked perfect, gave my belly plenty of space and comfort and it looked smooth over my belly. It was on the cheap but it looked good, my belly lines were clean and round and I didn't need a new wardrobe. I am now 30 weeks along and it is working great this pregnancy as well.

I wore bigger clothes for a while during my pregnancies, mostly because I don't enjoy shopping. As I grew, they were an easy fit. I also used other tips I'd read, like threading a rubber band through the button hole of jeans, to wear pants a little longer.

But HeatherO is right--big clothes are big everywhere, including in a lot of places you don't need the extra room. I found maternity clothes necessary by my late second or third trimester pregnancies. I also discovered that I loved wearing maternity clothes--they gave me space exactly where I needed it and not where I didn't, and it was nice to show off a belly that was supposed to be big (rather than just big because all of me was big). Old clothes were a good way to put off buying new things, but they didn't work well when I went from looking a little extra pudgy to looking obviously pregnant.

No no no! Pregnancy is such a special time, of course keep some bigger clothes for round the house and exercising or what not, but you need some well cut maternity clothes that make you look like a glowing pregnant woman not a barrel with legs. Lare sized clothes dont flatter pregnant woman they're not cut right. You get that awful short at the front look from your bump! And the shoulders and chest and such will be too big for you and just look like a sack. Treat yourself, its totally worth it.

I kept my old fat clothes too but found I could rewear yoga pants and thats about it. Your waist is so different while you're pregnant, obviously, non maternity clothes were very uncomfortable and unflattering to me. I also wore kept some sweaters too, those were not so bad.