Can't afford maternity wear!

vodooelephant

Lalaladybird wrote: »

I feel so miserable... I can't afford to buy any maternity stuff because money is so tight. I'm in the 2nd trimester and have one pair of torn maternity trousers and one pair of holey maternity tracky bottoms and 2 maternity bras from my first pregnancy, the bras are too small so my boobs are getting sore. I've been online but everything seems so expensive. I look like a pregnant tramp!:(

I have lots of stuff in 16/18 if anygood?

Katie-Kat-Kins

A few suggestions:

1. A wanted ad on freecycle, not just your area try neighbouring areas too. Put your size up and say a size bigger too you can always alter things.
2. Asda/Primark/Tesco/H&M etc go to all these shops, do not just look at maternity wear, look at things that are styled in a suitable way from the main range too.
3. Ask friends with babys if they could lend you any maternity wear.
4. Put a card up on the noticeboard at any local venues that hold mother and baby groups or sure start asking for second hand maternity wear in your size. Offer to pay but loads of people will give it away.
5. Speak to your local NCT group and they may have local members who have surplus or old stuff.
6. Consider what you have already. Can you wear things differently or alter them? Do you have big things or could you wear your husbands jeans/jumpers etc?

Remember that jumpers and t-shirts stretch so you can wear non-maternity although you may need a bigger size. You can wear "normal" jeans trousers and skirts below the bump. You can make a supportive tube for your bump out of an old pair of opaque tights with the legs cut out, or a stretchy top with the shoulders and arms cut out. You can make waistband extenders out of elastic bought from a haberdashery stall on your local market - no one will see them under a long top. Loop the elastic round the button, throught the button hole and back round the button.

If you can sew even a tiny bit have a bash at altering clothes to fit. If you can't sew ask about sewing classes in your area or consider joining the WI. You have a few months to learn an amazing skill that will save you ££££££ over the years to come.

Agutka

I had to cave in last weekend and go shopping. All the stuff from Ebay turned up too small and all the bargains from Next didn't fit me! I had a few bits from last pregnancy, but that was in the summer. I made do with my current clothes, but when you have your gut hanging out in winter, that's just not pleasant :eek:.

I tried all the shops, greatest hope was for dorothy perkins, which was too small (how fat am I??) and soooo expensive. Then I ended up in Peacocks and sorted out my wardrobe in one swoop - the yoga pants (so comfy) and four maternity tops (all long to cover bump and bum) all for less than £30. Cover all that up with jumpers I already have and I no longer have to be pulling at my trousers or worrying what's on show. And I'm done till baby comes out.

As for bras I am not particularly blessed and live in sport type bras, which grow with you.

Hope you get it sorted and sorry but :rotfl:at the pregnant tramp. Excellent image x

jamespir

maureenjscott wrote: »

Way to make a fellow money saver feel better! The lady was looking for advice not cheeky offensive remarks from people who presumably dont know what she's going through.:(
Pigpen - well said!:T

Money does not equal love or security.

i wasnt being cheeky or offensive i do know what shes gone through my partners had 3 children so i know money can be tight

i was just stating facts i didnt mean ot to be nasty

Mrs_Ihenetu

Hiya OP. I can totally understand your situation. When i was preg with DS i couldn't afford to buy maternity clothes.

What i did was to wear either jogging bottoms or skirts and found they fitted fine until my pregnancy (i too wear plus sized clothes and never really got a noticable bump).
Now i'm pregnant again i also love wearing jeggings (denim look leggings) as well as standard leggings and also flowy dresses with tights on underneath (just regular ones).

You can buy clothing extenders http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplayA_2446_10751_-1_24176_65354_10001_24176 though i have never personally used them so cannot say if they are any good or not.

Please ignore the few unhelpful comments people have made - though i couldn't afford to buy maternity clothes through both my pregnancies my DS is well looked after and wants for nothing. Clothes get given to you for the new baby very readily (i've recieved bagfuls of second hand clothes from friends and relatives with older children) and the child benefit money goes a long way towards buying anything else the baby may need.

onlyroz

I never bought special maternity clothing. I lived in tracky bottoms from George or Tesco - these were about £5 a pair and did me fine...

fernliebee

With DD I really begrudged buying maternity clothes as I knew I would only get a few months wear out of them, and also had so much to buy as it was my first. I made do with 1 pair of jeans (I had vouchers for xmas so they were from red herring, about £30! Eeeek!), a pair of cheap yoga pants for work, and just ended up stretching loads of my top's and dresses. This was false economy really as I had to then buy new stuff once baby was born, though at least it was easier to buy a few cheap bit's in normal sizes than paying extra for maternity.

This time round, I'm not at work so no need to buy stuff for that, but I have very little to buy for this baby as I have most things from DD, so I have bought 2 pairs of maternity leggings, (asda £6 each, and which are very elastic and look like they will last) which I wear under dresses, with boots. I have also bought 2 shirt dresses (asda sale £7 each) and 2 plain long sleeve tops.(Asda £5 each) I have my jeans from last time and a selection of tops and vests that I stretched last time round so feel like I have plenty to wear- my biggest prob at the min is I have 2 weddings to go to when I will be 8.5 months pregnant so need to find a nice outfit I can wear to both! Eeeek!

I am a similar size to you and find leggings under dresses fine, though obviously would never wear them as trousers iyswim.

ETA: Peacocks is cheap too.

dizziblonde

Not pregnant (after three blooming years of trying - sick to death of all the sex now!) but I have a lot of tops that are in the style that go in just below the bust and then kick out (is it empire-line cut?) - they're the sort of style you could wear and then buy a couple of generic pairs of black trousers all the way thru if you got some as there's a lot of baby bump/cake belly room in there (since we've been TTC for so long it was a thought factor in buying them)... I picked them up from a Matalan clearance shop as they're Rogers+Rogers range. Was a big style the last 2 summers and they've struck me all along as being perfect to adapt for bumpage.

Worth going in one of those if there's one near you anyway (I got things like winter coats for £4) - the one I know of what was MFI in Sunderland but I'm sure there's others around.

Otherwise - as someone not a size 10 - I know the larger Asdas do a maternity range - or, since they've extended the size range of their clothes upward anyway you could pick up a few bits like trousers in a larger size anyway quite cheaply (I live in their black trousers for work - begrudge paying more than £8 for stuff that ends up covered in glue/snot/paint/glitter/play dough when it's on a chair and you sit down on it...)

Mum2bean

Ok I know it's not really the same but I quit work after becoming really low in myself and needed a break I then found out I was pregnant and don't think I'm actually entitled to anything my partner works and as it stands we have enough for our mortgage and bills from his wage but obviously if there was ne money available then it would b great does ne1 know where I stand I worked full time for 3 years b4 I left so because I've paid in surley I shld b able 2 get some back out can some1 please let me know what I'm entitled to I'm not looking to work because I only have 17 weeks until I'm due so wld b pointless

Glamazon

Mum2bean - can I suggest you start your own thread as your question is very different to the OP?

Your best bet is looking at directgov website