[ERHR]

I hope some of you will be able to tell me if this makes any sense.

I am considering doing a closet purge of clothes that are too big now as well as some I just don't wear. I have been holding on to some clothes that are a couple sizes too large (10s/12s when I now wear 6s/8s) because in the back of my mind I know my husband and I will likely try to get pregnant within the next few years and perhaps I could wear those clothes again early in my pregnancy or post-partum.

Is that a reasonable option? Or during pregnancy do you gain weight in such a pattern that only maternity clothes will fit properly? Or does it vary person-to-person?

I'm not thinking of keeping everything, just some of my slightly more expensive dresses and business casual clothes that I only need a couple times per year. My casual stuff gets turned over fast enough that I don't mind replacing it as my size/shape changes.

Thanks for your insight!

[runningfromfat]

I'm basically doing that right now too.

I currently wear about a US size 10. However I have a number of clothes in 12's and 14's that are too big that I'm hanging on to at the moment. We're planning on TTC once I get to a healthy BMI so maybe at the beginning of 2012 (hopefully?). I'm guessing I'll be about an 8 then, maybe with a few 6's thrown in there.

I also plan on hiding my pregnancy for a bit because I've had a miscarriage before and don't want to have to tell anyone until I'm fairly far along (at work especially). So my plan is to just wear my old clothes until they don't fit anymore. Granted, the fit never works quite right but I'm ok with that. I do have some plus-size maternity clothes and my hope is that I can either alter them myself or have someone do it because maternity clothes are insanely expensive here! Plus, some of the clothes are pretty much brand new so I'd like to be able to use them.

FWIW, last pregnancy I was able to wear my "fat pants" until I was maybe 10 weeks along? I gained 10lbs in the first trimester, though, so that's not the best example. In my second pregnancy I actually lost weight and did pretty well in my non-pregnancy clothes for most of the first trimester.

Afterwards it's good to have some larger sizes around just for the in between stage. I remember buying some 16's at that time with the thought that I'd be out of the soon, sigh, I wish I would've kept that up at the time!

ETA: I wanted to also add that your body does change quite a lot after pregnancy. I carry a lot more weigh in my waist now than before so when pants don't fit me now sometimes it's because the waist is too tight (but the butt/thighs are not). Prepregnancy I always had way too much room in the waist so the pants that fit me then don't fit me quite as well now (my waist seems to finally be shrinking a bit now but pretty slowly!).

[runmerun]

I have kept everything. I have been pregnant on and off for almost 5 years! YIKES! However, not that I am finished I am purging my clothes. I was able to wear my bigger sizes on the way up and after I had the baby for a few months. It was nice to wear real clothes as long as possible. I hated maternity clothes!

[LiLLy19]

Ive thought about it but ulitmately just decided to throw away or donate all the big clothes. Most of my friends only needed to buy a couple of pants during pregnancy and just wore shirts that have stretch in them. For me..I feel if I leave the bigger size in my closet I may wear it if my other clothes feel snug. Id rather not have them so I will have motivation in case I gain a few pounds.

[tkdtara84]

I lost about 70 lbs. before my pregnancy and got rid of my clothes as soon as I was out of them-- big mistake. I wore normal clothes for the first trimester, then had to start buying some maternity. The real issue for me was not during the pregnancy but after. I was still carrying some weight, and at that point, I was so sick of maternity clothes and looking pregnant that all I wanted was some normal clothes again. So, basically, I bought all new ones again, but just enough to tide me over. I still never reached my biggest size (18), but just after delivery, I started at 14.

I gained too much weight in the last pregnancy, and I am really going to try not to gain that much with the next. However, I'm keeping my 14s on down anyway. And right after giving birth, you are definitely still bigger, or at least most people are. I don't think for me that keeping them on hand will make it easier to get back there-- I either will or I won't, but I don't think clothes will have much of an effect for me. It's too easy to order some new cheap ones from old navy to really give me much of a financial incentive. The biggest incentive for me is how I look or feel about myself, not whether or not I still have my old clothes.

As for wearing them during pregnancy-- for me maternity clothes were more flattering in the later stages (I liked more fitted clothing rather than the big tents-- at least so you can distinguish between boobs and belly), but in the early stages, I did wear some normal clothes in just a size up.

It really just depends on the person, but I would keep at least your favorites. I get rid of anything I don''t really like all that well, but keep the good stuff if storage space isn't an issue for you. The worst that happens is you don't use it and end up getting rid of it later.