Maternity wear tips?

deronda

I bought a denim dress and a pair of dungarees from mothercare. They were very comfy and not very expensive. I had twins so by eight months the dress was a bit tight but the dungarees were still very comfy and lovely to wear particullary on the not so warm days and it meant i did not have to by any tops as the gaping hole left between the top of anything and my t-shirts was nicely covered and kept warm.

;D

Counting_Pennies_2

I can strongly recommend the maternity exchange, a link to their website was given by someone else above.

They really are great, they specialise not only in second hand good quality clothes, but also liquidation stock. I have come away with Formes, the TwoofUs and may other branded goods at a fraction of the price.

If you live near Berkshire I would recommend booking an appointment and popping in (it is run out of a converted garage at the woman's home) although beware she can talk for Britain!!! Alternatively I hear they do most of their business online.

The good thing is you can also sell your maternity wear back to her when you are finished to be sold as secondhand!!

Sarahsaver

Just a thought for afterwards - i found the most comfortable thing to be old fashioned men's pyjamas - sew up the fly if theres no buttons! and men's briefs to wear after you have had the baby because i have not yet found womens knickers which are big enough to accommodate the GINORMOUS sanitary towels you WILL need to wear. A few midwives thought I was funny wearing men's pants but they are much more secure at this time ;D when you need to feel comfortable.

trippy

I found that I was still wearing maternity clothes for up to 3 months after my baby was born and I was only 1/2 stone overweight the day after I gave birth - I just couldn't do the buttons up on my trousers and the tops were big enough to keep breastfeeding discreet.

With this in mind I've bought more maternity clothes this time round (am 20wks) as I know I'll wear them for longer. I also have in mind how big I felt at the end and how important it was for me to still look like I'd been able to make an effort with how I looked. Clothes that were simply bigger sizes weren't as flattering and made me look bigger than I was.

I definitely recommend ebay. Visit a few shops to try their maternity range on to get an idea of your size and then bid away on ebay.

Also recommend low rise jeans as my sister is still wearing hers at 37 wks. Top Shop do them if you can cope with being at least a 14 (I'm a 10/12 normally but in 'grown up shops').

With tops, go for the tall range in the next size up. They'll be long enough to cover your bump and can be quite cheap. Plus Dorothy Perkins are doing a great range of maternity tops for the summer starting at £6 and they look great!

Good luck!

ps. Forgot to say that I wore thongs throughout my first pregnancy and so far this one. I didn't buy any maternity ones just got some in the next size up and they sat just below the bump.

Frances_O

Yea, I got a lot of my clothes from Dorothy Perkins too, and I know Topshop have just brought out quite a large Maternity Range (3 months too late for me! )
If anyone's interested I've got several items of maternity clothing I'm wanting to sell now (I don't want much for them). Mostly Autumn/Winter stuff, some vests too, but handy if you're gonna be needing something bigger around about then!
Just let me know....!
Fran

Angelolly

Great tips for maternity wear but does anyone know where to get reasonably priced breastfeeding clothes? I never bothered with my son but I'm pregnant again and can remember all too vividly my inexpert fumblings and poor attempt at discretion!

I can find nice tops on NCT and JoJoMaman but they are about £30! I will sell them on but this amount still seems a bit steep to me. Ebay don't seem to have any/many either.
I accidentally searched USA sites yesteday and they have loads - obviously more enlightened than we are!

deedee_3

Check out some of the US sites some ebayers will send stuff to the UK.

When I was pregnant I used to borrow my hubbys shirts and jumpers. Though I won't be able to do it next time as he has lost a lot of weight!

Iwould highly recomend finding out about your local NCT. Their sales are brilliant. The one here you have to start queuing at least an hour before it starts.
http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/