Where to Find Maternity Clothing in the DC Area (Without Breaking the Bank or the Planet)
By Amy Leo, Local Maternity Thread, and Stephanie Hernandez, Thrift the District
Finding maternity clothing that fits well, is sustainably made, and budget-friendly can be surprisingly hard. Of all the challenges that come with pregnancy, clothing shouldn’t be one of the most frustrating, and yet for many, it is. Somewhere between 12-20 weeks, most moms-to-be realize that stretchy waistbands alone are not going to work, and begin the often tiring, wasteful, and expensive process of tracking down pieces that fit their changing bodies.
This guide is designed to help you find maternity clothing that fits your body, budget, and helps you make sustainable choices that feel good inside and out.
Maternity Clothing Options
Image: Pregnant woman shops for maternity clothing in a store.
New
If you need something fast, stores like Target, Macy’s, and Motherhood Maternity offer solid options. The upside is convenience — you can try things on in person and return them easily. The downsides? Sizing and styles can be limited, and fabric quality varies widely. Some shoppers choose to avoid Target due to their scale back of DEI commitments and other ethical issues.
Online retailers offer endless choices, but the fit can be unpredictable. You might end up ordering multiple sizes and sending most of them back, which creates a lot of packaging waste and carbon emissions from shipping. Fast fashion brands like TEMU, SHEIN, H&M, ASOS, Gap, Old Navy, and PinkBlush offer tempting prices, but the tradeoff is poor quality and labor exploitation. Unless you’re buying from a brand known for sustainability and good fit guidance, online maternity shopping can be hit-or-miss. If you would like to buy new maternity staples, this comprehensive guide to sustainable maternity clothing brands can point you in the right direction.
Used
Buying secondhand is one of the best ways to save money and reduce waste. It does take some time and patience, but you’ll often find high-quality pieces at a fraction of retail prices.
As owner of Thrift the District, Stephanie Hernandez has deep experience shopping for secondhand clothing. Her advice for evaluating quality is to pay attention to fabric and construction more than the label. Look for pieces made from organic or natural fibers like cotton, silk, hemp, wool, linen, or cashmere. Feel for fabrics that drape well, recover their shape, and have tightly woven seams. More than any other time, comfort is key in pregnancy, and quality, sustainable materials will feel better. Skip brands like SHEIN entirely; not just because of the quality, but because of the chemicals used in production.
The following DC-area stores have dedicated maternity sections:
Kid-to-Kid (Rockville, MD)
Value Village/Unique (Adelphi, Alexandria, Falls Church, Landover Hills, Silver Spring, and more)
These secondhand stores may have maternity clothing depending on what has been donated recently:
Current Boutique (Alexandria, Georgetown, U Street)
Elephant in My Room (Petworth, DC)
Fia’s Fabulous Finds (Petworth, DC)
Frugalista (Mount Pleasant, DC)
Goodwill (Brentwood, DC)
Prime Thrift (Brightwood, DC)
Rosario’s (Columbia Heights, DC)
St. Alban’s Church Opportunity Shop (Cleveland Park, DC)
Online resale platforms like ThredUp and Poshmark are also great sources for maternity clothing, though using them comes with the same shipping waste challenges as other online shopping.
Facebook Marketplace and Buy Nothing groups often have free or discounted maternity clothes looking for a new home.
Another sustainable option is sharing. Local clothing swaps are a fun, community-driven way to refresh your wardrobe for free. To find out about swaps near you, Stephanie recommends following these Instagram handles: @swapdc, @findingyourgood, @happydazeswap; searching on Facebook and MeetUp with terms like "clothing swap [your city]"; or checking local event websites like Eventbrite.
If you’d rather not keep everything, consider renting maternity clothing through services like La Belle Bump, Nuuly, Rent the Runway, and StitchFix, which let you borrow maternity pieces for a monthly fee.
Local Maternity Thread operates free maternity clothing closets stocked by the community. Check the website for current clothing closet locations and let us know if you are interested in hosting or supporting a maternity clothing closet in your neighborhood.
Closing the Loop
Once your maternity clothing has had its run, keep it in circulation by donating it to Local Maternity Thread or another local nonprofit organization that accepts maternity clothing specifically (Community of Hope, Mamatoto Village); pass it to a friend; or post it on Facebook Marketplace, ThredUp, or Poshmark. Every item that’s reused keeps one more thing out of the landfill and helps another mom-to-be feel confident and comfortable.
If you’d like personal styling support, Thrift the District works with new moms to rediscover their style and confidence postpartum using secondhand and sustainable pieces to create wardrobes that feel good, look great, and honor changing bodies and the planet. To learn more, follow @thriftthedistrict on Instagram or email stephanie@thriftthedistrict.com.
