Namely, what I am currently doing about mine.
I'm working on putting together a big post about what's commonly referred to as "maternity clothing", and what I'm referring to as pregnancy clothing or clothes, but in the mean time, shit, my pants don't fit. Since pants not fitting is often one of the first clothing-related side effects of pregnancy people experience, I figured I'd post what I'm doing about it.
I was actually in not-pregnant pants up until about 18 weeks, and comfortably. I could button them, they weren't super-tight, everything was cool. Then I'd have to unbutton them at the end of the day. Then it was more comfortable to go about with them unbuttoned, but I could still button and zip them if I had to. Then buttoning and zipping them was really tough. Now... yeah fuck it I'm not trying I give no shits anymore. They still fit my butt and thighs.
But since it's difficult to walk around just with one's pants unbuttoned all the time - not least because they will fall off your ass, and people kind of frown upon seeing one's knickers in public, here are two things I have been using:
- Hair ties. I haven't done this when I'm out and about, but when at home, I will take a ponytail holder/hair tie, loop it through the buttonhole of my jeans, then loop the other end over the button. That way I can leave the button undone and the zipper undone too, yet my pants stay up. You can also use a rubber band. If you need a bit more room, a bigger tie or band can give that to you. Here's what it looks like:
- Bella Bands. Yeah, I know, these are super-hyped. And they're not inexpensive. I splurged and ordered two from Amazon. I was skeptical, and I'd read the occasional scathing review. And then I tried them, and oh my fucking gods, they actually work as advertised. I am still kind of in shock about this.
What the Bella Band is is a tube of stretchy fabric that you wear around your waist/belly/hips that holds up your pants or skirt, smoothing out the bumps of the unbuttoned button, and also covering up any joys of a shirt that's now too short. The fabric is 84% nylon and 16% spandex, and the new versions have a bit of silicone around the bottom to hold it in place (If you've ever bought stay-up thigh-high stockings, it's the same stuff). They are machine washable and dryable. They look super small when you take them out of the package, and the fabric looks way too thin to accomplish what it's supposed to accomplish. I'm not really sure what witchcraft is involved that it's not.
Sizing is from pant sizes 0-24, so not a huge plus-size range, unfortunately... but also better than a lot of other "neat product" makers, sadly. I also suspect that the 26-28 range might be able to get away with the largest size. They are very stretchy. I found their sizing chart accurate; I wear usually an 18 or 20 in pants, and have a narrow waist with wide hips, so I ordered a 3, which fits very nicely. You do have to go to the manufacturer's site to find the sizing chart. And yes, they are LONG. Again, I'm 6' tall, with a pretty long torso, and they cover my butt and come up to just under my bra.
Getting it on can be interesting. I usually scrunch it up, then either step in to it, like a slip-on skirt, or work it over my head. It manages to be tight, without binding. Like, it definitely lays flat against my skin, and is tight enough to hold up my jeans generally, but I can easily fit my arm under there, pull it outwards, etc., and it's not compressing anything, like e.g. Spanx would.
Here is what they look like on me, both "wear out of the house", and with my shirt off, so you can see how tall they are. Your model is 6' tall, around 285 pounds, and 20 weeks pregnant in these photos. Yes you can see my bra really clearly in one of them:
You can also make Bella-Band-like bands yourself in custom sizes. Here is a great tutorial with pictures on how to do this with a regular sewing machine. Here is a tutorial for a no-sew version (although it relies on being able to buy a t-shirt or cami that would work). The only thing missing in the first tutorial is sizing information. But that's easy: measure around your hips. Subtract 2-3" from that measurement. This is how long to cut your fabric. As for height, measure from where you want the bottom to hit from where you want the top to hit on your body, then double that measurement (since this tutorial has you fold the fabric, making a double layer). Add 1" for seam allowance, and this is how tall to cut your fabric. You definitely want to get a knit with some lycra/Spandex in it. If you're not sure where to go for those, I recommend Fabric.com.
Downsides: yeah, it can be a challenge to get on, moreso than just a shirt. Also, I've noticed that after a while, I do have to hike up my jeans, which usually involves flipping the bottom of the band up, pulling up my jeans, then putting the band back down. Then again, I have to hike up my jeans all the damn time even if they are buttoned, so this is less the fault of the Bella Band and more the fault of gravity. It also doesn't deal well if I have to squat down and get something - jeans come down, band often comes up, readjusting happens. Also, they cover up my pockets, as well as my belt loops, so I can't put shit in my pockets easily, nor can I clip my keys to my back belt loops as I am accustomed to doing. And again, they're expensive. I dropped $50 on just two of them.
Upsides: oh holy shit I don't have to buy new paaaaaaants. And I do personally find them really comfortable. It's also been about 20F here, so you know, I'm not in 90F with 90% humidity, which I suspect might change my viewpoint a bit.
Upsides: Super inexpensive. You probably have what you need in your house already. Easy to expand, because you can use a bigger band or tie, or loop a couple together in a chain. If your shirt is long enough, this will be covered up.
Downsides: If your shirt rides up, everyone sees your knickers. This is less practical if you have to leave the house. It also requires some manual dexterity to do, so if you have e.g. arthritis or swollen fingers, this can be tougher.
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