"You're ALREADY wearing maternity clothes?"

[Anonymous]

With my first I didn't show until around 20 weeks. With this one I started TOTALLY showing around 12 weeks. I'm now 15 weeks and cannot put on my regular pants and I am visibly pregnant. Is this the first pregnant woman this mw has ever seen But seriously, if she's good I wouldn't fire her. The PP who said that is being waaaaay overly dramatic.

[Anonymous]

The nurse at my OB office commented at 14 weeks with my second she was surprised I wasn't in maternity pants.

What midwife?

[Anonymous]

Was this at FHBC?

[Anonymous]

There is another way to look at this comment, as in, "When you came in, you looked really slender, so I'm surprised to see that you are wearing maternity pants given how small your baby bump is." That might actually be more likely, because if you looked big from a distance, she wouldn't have been surprised to see maternity pants and would be less likely to say something. In general, 16 weeks seems a tid on the early side, but certainly not unheard of, and why be uncomfortable or risk stretching out your regular pants?

[Anonymous]

16 weeks is fine! With my second and later kids, I was lucky if I held out until 8 weeks. Ahhhhh, stretchy fabric, how I love thee.

[Anonymous]

I not only felt better in maternity clothes around then, I looked better. The cut of the clothes made me look more pregnant, less bloated. Wear what makes you feel good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's so funny. At 14 weeks, my midwife was surprised I was wearing normal pants (that I'd had from when I was 10 pounds heavier - they were my "fat girl" pants, and the only thing that was comfortable!) I took from her that I should go out and get some maternity pants, and I am SO GLAD I did.

I never bothered with the Bella band/BeBand. It always seemed like a dubious proposition anyhow, and struck me as not very comfortable.

I LOVED mine. I retrospect I should have gotten some maternity pants for the last few weeks, but it was a great bridge. We'll see for number two, though. I bet I get my maternity pants on about week 10...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fire the midwife. Seriously, does a second-time mom wearing maternity clothes during 2nd trimester surprise her? She's either a total newbie to pregnancy OR she's a bee-yotch and wants you to feel self-conscious.

+1

[Anonymous]

I am 20 weeks, just told people and they were shocked. I fit into regular pants still. Not my first baby, either. So, I think 16 weeks is early and my colleague is at that point, already wearing maternity pants on her first baby and I secretly chalk it up to her being chubby and lazy. But I am not her midwife, I would never say that to her and no, a medical provider should probably not say that either. But at the end of the day, every woman has a different body and our bodies react differently to pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was wearing them at 8 weeks - for whatever reason I started showing very early and my regular clothes were not comfortable. At all. By 16 weeks, I was pretty big and now, at 21 weeks, I look like I am about to give birth. It is what it is. I have not gone up a size in my leg area or backside, it is solidly in my stomach area and chest (boy is it in my chest!) I think it was pretty tasteless for your midwife to make that comment. Every person is different and every person shows/gains differently. I do not agree that you need to toughen up. Next time just give her a blank expression and say, "Wow". Hopefully she will understand that her comments were insensitive. If not, maybe it is time to rethink the relationship. Bottom line, OP, is that you are a beautiful person! Good luck with your pregnancy!

Agree! OP, in your shoes I'd let that midwife know you were unsure how to take that. Yes, your comment is how I would feel, that she must see pregnant women all of the time so you must just be ENORMOUS by comparison. But my word. I gained about 30 lbs with my first, and so far I haven't gained anything with my second (7.5 weeks) so it's not like I was "chubby" or lazy (go soak your head PP) because pre pregnancy I was a size 2 and after pregnancy was a size 4 (still in my size 4's now). Interestingly, I gained more up front with my first. Most of it was bloating. I was advised not to buy maternity clothes too early and ended up wasting money on sizing up pants, that I never wore again because I lost all of my weight fast due to how much my baby nursed.

Anyway, the thing about your midwife's comment is that it is really out of place. It's very common for women to wear maternity clothes long before 16 weeks, even for a first baby. I have NO IDEA why anyone would wait longer than they have to for that comfy waist band. Why squeeze your body into something it doesn't fit into? Why "size up" instead of buying maternity pants?

This idea that we should all be holding out just seems goofy to me.

[Anonymous]

I started wearing them at 6 weeks with my first pregnancy. They were just more comfortable. And, I only gained 20 lbs total with my pregnancy...so it's not like I was gaining a ton of weight.

[Anonymous]

I held out wearning maternity pants until 12 weeks when I told everyone. I was so glad to stop wearing normal pants. I hadn't gained much weight at that point - but things shifted around so normal pants didn't really fit right. Your midwife is rude, unless she was having an off day and is normally nicer, I'd switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 20 weeks, just told people and they were shocked. I fit into regular pants still. Not my first baby, either. So, I think 16 weeks is early and my colleague is at that point, already wearing maternity pants on her first baby and I secretly chalk it up to her being chubby and lazy. But I am not her midwife, I would never say that to her and no, a medical provider should probably not say that either. But at the end of the day, every woman has a different body and our bodies react differently to pregnancy.

Oh, shut up.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. Seriously, that's just obnoxious. I hope you're less judgmental with your children than you are with other adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 20 weeks, just told people and they were shocked. I fit into regular pants still. Not my first baby, either. So, I think 16 weeks is early and my colleague is at that point, already wearing maternity pants on her first baby and I secretly chalk it up to her being chubby and lazy. But I am not her midwife, I would never say that to her and no, a medical provider should probably not say that either. But at the end of the day, every woman has a different body and our bodies react differently to pregnancy.

well, the funny thing is, Miss Superior, truly skinny women generally show more quickly because there is nothing to cover it up -- it is the chubby that can hide it the longest. Most skinny women I know, who gained waaaaaaaay less than I did, looked much, much bigger. For whatever awful reason, I gain all over and my belly is actually really small, so I don't look pregnant, just larger, and I can wear regular pants at 20 plus weeks because my stomach doesn't stick out. who knows why???? I am generally a pretty small person. so, really, who cares, and you sound like a judgmental nitwit.