pregnancy moneysaving

Jay-Jay_4

Oooh just remembered, I used to thread a hairband (bobble) through the button hole of my jeans and hook it over the button to give me an extra inch or so. (obviously only works with a long top ). You need to push the band through the button hole then pass one end through the other, then pull.

Oh and whoever suggests that underwires are ok for pregnancy (2nd and 3rd trimester esp) has obviously never had mastitis. It hurts like hell, can make breastfeeding agony and can lead to abscesses that need draining. Youch!

Squidgy

I'm 15 weeks pregnant with my second child and into maternity clothes already! Can't believe how big I am already this time around!!! I find the maternity clothes more comfy as I really don't like the feel of tight things across my waist or hips.

As to wearing heals - my boss is due in two moths and she's been wearing her normal stilettos with no problems, I guess it's just what you're used to.

I got my bras from m&s last time (although I guess I could do with some bigger ones this time!), I can't remember how much they were but they came as a two pack (black & white) so I just brought the one pack and supplemented it with a two pack of nursing bras (it just doesn't occur to you to wear them beforehand, but why not!).

Have any of you thought of wearing your knickers back to front? I saw a tip in a mag suggesting this - haven't tried it myself as I've still got me knicks from last time.

All I can say is if you buy bigger clothes and your not comfy then you got to go and buy maternity clothes anyway!

jellyhead

jay, can you get it before the baby is born? i'm just curious, i've not breastfed and with my first pregnancy i never developed any milk (no idea why, but i've had a leak just once on one side this time around so i think my boobs will work this time lol!). for both pregnancies i grew straight away and was in pain so underwired bras were out, right from the start. so although i ballooned out by 4 cup sizes i never had any of these mastitis type problems. does wearing underwires BEFORE the birth cause mastitis? what about sports bras? they're not underwired but might be more supportive for anyone worried about droopiness?

Jay-Jay_4

jellyhead wrote:

jay, can you get it before the baby is born?

You can get it without even being pregnant. It's just that there are so many changes taking place when you are pregnant and your breasts have so much delicate tissue growing inside them, especially towards the armpit, that anything that may put pressure on them could cause problems. Then again, a non underwired ill-fitting bra could do that.

A sports bra, nursing bra, maternity bra or Tesco Value bra is fine as long as it fits, has good straps and supports you. If you want to wear underwire then please check regularly that there is no pressure on your breasts, mastitis is like a double dose of flu with incredible pain and I wouldn't want that for any of you.

Lemoncurd

Apart from a few tops I didn't buy any maternity clothes first time around so really don't think they are necessary unless you normally wear very fitted clothes. I had quite a few pairs of normal trousers which could just be worn under the bump and elasticated waisted skirts. The maternity tops I bought were pretty useless by the end of the pregnancy as they all became too short to cover my bump! I ended up wearing big tshirts and polo shirts instead.
At the start of the pregnancy I bought a couple of normal non wired bras and then had to buy some maternity bras in a bigger size a few months later. Both sets have been very well worn as I breastfed for 18 months and once things had settled down the non wired bras were a better fit than the nursing bras I'd bought. I'm now pg again and the maternity bras are back in use.
Don't understand the point of maternity knickers, normal ones seemed absolutely fine to me.

Dormouse

Re: bras, I always thought underwired ones were a definite no-no in pregnancy. I would've been uncomfortable in one anyway, and the non-wired ones are a lot comfier (although make you look like your grandma :rolleyes: )

As for other maternity clothes, I guess it depends, on your size, shape of bump, time of year, etc. Personally, I did not have to buy a single pair of maternity knickers and managed just fine with normal ones. Also, a lot of stretchy skirts were brilliant (I wore a size 10 - very very stretchy size 10 - skirt when I went into hospital to have my little boy, just had a Simon Cowell -type waist ) and generally clothes in larger sizes were great.

As someone has said, you probably will need larger shoes.

I did have some proper maternity stuff, the best one being a pair of black trousers from H&M. Don't know if they still make them, but they were an absolute lifesaver, and at £14.99 were brilliant for any occasion, work or leisure.

I'm sure homemade pads and breast pads will be fine for many, but I have to admit I needed the proper (read: very expensive top-of-the-range) breast pads to cope with the leakiness... There's no way of knowing when you're pregnant what your body is going to in a few months' time, I'm afraid...

HTH and good luck!

jellyhead

you can buy washable breast pads, i bought a pack of six for about a fiver from boots (about the cost of a pack of disposables?) although the box recommends you'll need 2 packs. depends on leakiness i suppose but the washables will be much cheaper than disposables if i do leak (fingers crossed, breastfeeding costs less than formula milk lol!). if you're buying them from boots try the advantage machine for a 50 points coupon when spending over £7.50, you can also get 500 points when spending £25 on baby stuff. i bought wipes on 2 for 1 yesterday, and a steriliser (useful for food bowls, cutlery, teethers, toys etc. when baby's a bit older even if you plan to breastfeed and won't be sterilising bottles).

if you want cheap stretch mark cream, ask the midwife for an 'emma's diary' - they've just been revamped i saw in a magazine, so if she didn't have any before she should have some now) and use the claim card to get a mum-to-be pack at boots. there's a little tube of palmers stretch mark cream in there, enough for a few days. the packs also have another claim card for you to pass on to a pregnant friend, so if you're cheeky enough you could collect an endless supply of packs. my packs also contain bran flakes and a hipp calendar with £1.30 in coupons (can be used in asda off my shopping, i don't have to buy the product stated on the coupon as long as it's something they stock). i've collected 9 packs now

while you're in boots pick up a health and beauty magazine, the free one, it should be near the tills and is free to advantage card holders. again, endless supply as they don't restrict you to one copy per customer, just one at a time. there's a coupon at the back for a free bodyscience foot lotion but there's a shortage of foot lotion, so as of last week the coupon works for anything in the bodyscience range. i got a free firming body lotion today, should have cost £6.95. also in the range were salt scrub, sculpting body mousse, toning gel (sold out) and hair minimising lotion, all worth a go i'm sure, i'll get something else tomorrow, i'm cheeky like that

starlite_2

oh some more good ideas here..i'll give the looping hariband thing a try with some of my skirts.
as for leg shaving- I predicted it would get difficult, so i plan to wax, with the help of a trusted friend...he he...although i'm al ittle concerned it may be more painful during pregnancy. does anyone know if this is true?
as for emmas diary and the boots voucher- great idea! although, so far in the hope of warding off stretch marks (yeh..i'll be lucky.. i know!) I have been using olive oil with a few drops of pure vitamin e in it - really cheap and effective, but you can't get dressed for a while after applying it..he he

starlite_2

oh and one thing, totally irrellevant to the topic I'm afraid..and a little silly..
i have tickets for a music festival in august, and i have been wondering if the baby will be distressed at the stupidly loud music..i will be around 5- 6 months at the time, and know the baby can hear what is going on outside , and I don't want to traumatise it..he he
feel free to laugh at me on this one!

omega_2

I went to a gig at 6-7 months - baby slept throughout!