Pregnancy style

[Gimmeallthecoffee]

So, I'm coming up to 23 weeks pregnant and am at the stage where very little of what I own actually fits. So really I need to start buying some new bits and pieces.

I don't want to spend a fortune on maternity wear as quite simply I don't have the money.

What is everyone wearing at the moment that is comfortable and still looks quite stylish and put together? (Work wear and casual).

I wore my usual dresses with leggings instead of tights (expensive, not bobbly/see through leggings)
Good fitting maternity jeans - asos, worn with boots, simple t-shirt and blazer/cardi
Work I rotated 3 dresses with various jackets/shoe combinations

Style? Pah ha ha ha haaaaaa

I'm so past caring about style. I've been meant about two bags of maternity clothes by my SIL but barely dented them as I've picked out the most comfy bits. I have about 7 cotton tops which are in regular rotation, a couple of pairs of super comfy maternity jeans and two thicker jumper type tops. And I've been washing and wearing the same clothes over and over. When I'm at home, I'm in PJ bottoms the majority of the time. I value comfort above everything else at the moment (spend your money on some decent maternity bras if you haven't already done so!). Sorry, not much help!

You could probably put together some sort of capsule wardrobe. The supermarkets sell maternity clothes online (Asda etc). Asos has some cheap maternity clothes on it. A lot of the stretchy cotton tops I'm wearing are from Mothercare - not super cheap but not silly expensive. Dorothy Perkins had some nice bits too, maybe get a few fancier bits from there for work/going out? Next, H&M etc.

Maternity jeans, stretchy tops and a cardi are my go to outfits on weekend.

At work I stuff myself into my existing dresses and pray they'll stretch for a few more weeks.

Ultimately cardigans are my friend right now.

I'm like you OP. Until about a week ago I was having frustrating mornings because clothes don't fit and maternity clothes are so expensive. So I went to primark and got three pairs of jeggings one size up. They sit nicely under the bump. I also went to newlook online and had a look at their sale page and bought a few t-shirts, a black maternity dress (can dress it up or down) and one other. Good luck.

Best tip I can give is go a size up in knickers, then wear regular tights just under your bump with an extra pair of knickers over the top to hold them up. Don't pay a fortune for maternity tights when you'll only end up laddering them and chucking them after one wear.

A stretchy black midi tube skirt from missguided was my best pregnancy buy, double layered jersey so not see through and can be dressed up or down and worn under or over bump. And the best bit, they only cost a tenner. Not technically maternity wear but a size up from my pre-pregnancy size lasted me the whole pregnancy as my most worn item of clothing. They do it in other colours too if black is too boring.

Haha, yes, I'm pretty sure that as time goes on I won't be as mithered about looking stylish. During my first pregnancy I spent the last couple of weeks in joggers and t-shirts. At the moment I still feel like I want to make some kind of effort though

I agree capsule wardrobe seems the way to go!

The knickers over tights sound like a really good idea, thank you for that!

I'm going to check out some of the last bits of the sales and pick up a few other bits people have mentioned. Neutral / dark colours would probably be best so that everything goes, along with a few chep colourful scarves.

Now I need to think about footwear, which again is a pain. During my first pregnancy my feet and ankles swelled like crazy that I couldnt zip up ankle boots for the last month or so!

Essential One had a really good sale on maternity/nursing dresses recently so it might be worth checking there. The H&M tops/vests are good value too & John Lewis maternity tights were half price in our local store yesterday too.

I also second pjs/comfy clothes as much as possible at home.

Thinking about footwear too Gimme. I've had summer babies before so never needed coats or boots but I will this time and I'm worried I won't get into my.boots as I'm already a bit swollen at times at 23 weeks.

Meant to say the most luck I've had so far is on ebay but I have had many fails too so it's not always ideal.
I need to get some more bits too as it's not helping me mood wise to be uncomfortable all the time. I find mat tops from h and m and new look to be too short so far but don't want to spend loads

Maternity dungarees ... literally for the whole of second trimester, and now into third.
I've been waiting at least a decade to get away with it and now I can!

My feet/ankles haven't swollen (31 weeks) so I can't really help there, although I live in vans and they're great for wider feet! If you have a shopping outlet near you, you may find some of last seasons for cheaper, they last ages anyway! Regarding clothes I don't really do 'dressed up' but get some leggings in the next size up and some maternity jeans. Then for tops try the next size up, I got a lovely dressy top in the plus size section in new look, it's not hanging off me although it's a few sizes bigger but there's room for bump! I'd say maybe a coat or jacket in the next size up with the tie so after baby you can still get some wear out of it. Hope that helps! (:

Recently picked up some comfy tshirts from H&M for 9.99 each (they're even cheaper if there's a sale) .
Wearing them in rotation with a nice cardigan.

They also had a comfy soft stripey jumper top I picked up for 12.99 I think and it's got room to grow.

Only thing I ever invested much in during pregnancy were jeans. I usually live in skinnies and never wear fabric trousers etc so they felt really unnatural. Ended up getting a pair of skinny jeans from Jojo maman Bebe for £35 and they are the comfiest and best looking jeans ever! I tried some in H&M which looked nice but after putting my JMBs back on and realising how much comfier they were I put them back on the rack.

For casual wear topshop maternity jeans are very comfortable and any loose blouses or t-shirt and cardigan combo.

eBay!

George have some great stuff, recently got some work trousers for £8 which I'd really recommended!

Has anyone had any luck on Mat coats? I'm cold already and got til January so think I will need one!

I got a great one from new look @Mortigua. This was a couple of years ago but the big stores have a maternity range in store I think so maybe worth checking it out?

Thank you I will have a look at new look. No maternity wear in stock anywhere near me but I can order online.