Are Maternity clothes essential?

Danni1979

Hi all

i am currently 10 weeks pregnant and i am really struggling with clothes as seem to have put on a lot of weight very quickly..

I have been looking around for maternity clothes and am surprised how expensive they are and am really concerned as we are struggling finacally at the mo and dont feel that i can warrant spending a fortune on aternity clothes right now..

So i'm wondering is it possible to get away with wearing bigger sized clothing as normal clothes are cheaper,and if so how far into the pregnany do you think its possible to do that??

Thanks

D

LouLee2008

I have managed to stay in soem clothes and im 21 weeks pregnant, ive found that the clothes werent long enough once i got a bump, i have a belly band, can be found in new look or ebay, which you can wear under your clothes to wear your normal clothes,
i also found just getting bigger sizes didnt fit right as the weight goes on differnt areas!

feelinggood_2

I needed a proper pair of maternity trousers, but tops I've manged to just go for bigger sizes. If you are careful with the cut of tops, you don't really need anything special. A 'belly band' like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maternity-Belly-Band-Black-Bamboo/dp/B0012TAGG6 can help you wear your own tops for longer.

(I'm 34 weeks and wearing a pre-pregnancy top today - its nice and loose and has an empire line type thing, so gives plenty of room for my bump)

MrsTinks

I think you'll soon find that even "fat" clothes don't fit properly... I'm 31 weeks and feel the size of a house
The cheapest way really is to look on Ebay for bundles in your size and in the sales - I have a few bits from the sales and when I am done with them they're all going on Ebay
I found the Blooming Marvelous sale section excellent - some bits have 75% off so worth a look and it's good quality. Again Vertbaudet has some nice bits in the sales section...
Also Asda apparently have a maternity section again

pinkpig08

I've bought most of my maternity clothes from ebay. I got a top for £1.55, a cardigan for about £3 and a lounge outfit for £5.50. I don't see the point of spending £15-20 on a top and £30 odd on jeans that really you'll only wear for 3 or 4 months.

Rachel85

I haven't had a baby so can't really comment on whether maternity clothes are essential BUT, I know that a lot of high street shops now to maternity ranges including H&M (v.good value), top shop and Dorothy Perkins (think there's a discount voucher for there at the mo, mentioned in Martin's e-mail). So you may be able to get some stuff for a good price.

A lady I used to work with was in the same boat and she invested in a couple of core items - I think a pair of black work trousers and a pair of jeans - that were maternity and grew with the bump. Then wore 'normal' cheap tops as it wasn't so crucial they fitted exactly. A bigger size stretched over the bump and it didn't matter it was a little bigger elsewhere.

If you're only 10 weeks gone you've got a good 6 months of being pregnant and then some time after the birth as well to go. And if you think you might have another too it might be worth investing in a couple of core items.

Fourcandles_3

Have you tried Asda?

I found their range good.

Becles

I just had a couple of pairs of smart trousers and blouses for work, and a pair of maternity jeans and a couple of casual tops.

For round the house, I bought bigger sized cheapo jogging bottoms and pinched my husbands t-shirts.

If you stick to the bare minimum, it'll not cost too much. The only downside is you'll be sick of wearing the same things day in day out

mazza111

Peacocks also have a maternity range that also looks rather good and reasonable atm.

fernliebee

Hiya, I got away with my normal clothes for the whole pregnancy however I did have to tie a hairband around the top button of my jeans, I was bought a pair of maternity trousers quite late on and they were really comfy, so if you can only afford one thing I would recommend them. The only problem I found was maybe it's false economy to wear your clothes as all mine have stretched so I'm having to buy new stuff again to replace mis shapen tent, tee-shirts

I would second a belly band as this means you can wear stuff longer. Asda and new look stuff is cheap, and H and M not too bad either. E-bay is good for bundles.

tiamai_d

My last two I made do with stretchy elastic waisted trousers, but none to be had this time. I was lucky that I found 2 pairs of jeans (exactly the same) in mothercare for £15 each on sale. I needed them about 10 weeks due to bloating! My own clothes made me sick as they pressed on my stomach. And I just bought 3 tops from peackocks (£8, £8 and £10) which I really like as well as those cotton tops from new look which are long enough to go over bump (meaning my tyre of flab that has been pushed up higher!).

I'll make do with my 2 pair of jeans and will wear them after the baby as they are quite nice and nobody knows they are maternity. They are the ones with the big jersy bit at the top and afterwards I can always cut it off making them hipster jeans (which will need a belt to hold em up securely).

I would recomend peacocks cos they are cheap (but sizes can be a bit on the small side for trousers and large side for tops).