Do you think it's possible to get through an entire pregnancy without buying mat clothes?

[frostythesnowmum]

The smock type smile is great and Sainsburies sell them so cheap I was thinking just go up in size leggins and smock dress/tops all the way through.

thats style not smile

The thing with having some proper mat clothes though is that they fit you in the bits that aren't pg (if that makes any sense) rather than being big all over.

I didn't get many maternity specific things but got a lot of use out of a couple of pairs of black trousers for work and a couple of nice tops. Everything else was just stretchy normal stuff.

Depends how big you get. But if you can get away with non-mat leggings and smock tops right to the end then do it - so much cheaper!

T shirts are mostly longer length at the moment which was a good thing last summer. I don't think any of mine were specifically maternity.

Probably. If your tops get too short you could buy one of those belly band things to fill in the gap. I think they are on the topshop website.

I tried this by wearing dh's tops for a bit. However he is a foot taller than me so the arms etc were ridiculously long.

Also if you just keep buying "normal" clothes but in bigger sizes, the proportions will probably be wrong - i.e. your bust will be bigger and as Tipex says the bump lifts things too high.

Having said that I didn't bother with maternity pants - just bikini type pants under the bump. They were stretched beyond repair so couldn't be used after. Also I found that rather than maternity bras I bought sensible/sturdy bras of the type a more mature lady might choose. I have a moderate-large size chest!

Depends how big you get, you might be ok.

I got 2 pairs of elastic-waisted trousers towards the end of my pregnancy, which were The most comfortable things ever, from Next I think. These and a few dresses and bigger size tops seen me through fine. I did want to set them alight by the end though.

I agree if you go up sizes they book all baggy at the shoulder and arms and don't fit the bump properly. You can get away with DH t-shirts and jogging bottoms around the house but I think it is wise to invest in a good pair of black trousers, pair of jeans and a couple of decent tops.

Yes maternity clothes are very expensive. Try freecycle or your local NCT sale, or see if you have friends who will swap/lend if you decide to try some proper maternity stuff. I and a couple of friends kept swapping and lending throughout our pregnancies!

Otherwise like Carnival says you really want rid of your clothes at the end if you've only had a few things.

You may want a few different looks than just smock tops and leggings?

I bought maternity stuff at 3 months and wore maternity-wear exclusively at around 5 months onwards. It's so much comfier, looks properly in proportion, looks good and makes me feel good!

I did buy some smock tops, empire line, that I did wear with maternity jeans though and, until my bump started lifting the front, they were fine.

Plus, there's always the 4th trimester when everything looks awful - and maternity clothes seem to look the best during this time.

There is no way I could of not worn mat clothes as I was so big. Infact the last 2 weeks most of my mat clothes were 2 small, but I had a couple of friends who didnt buy any. When I was preg with ds1 I got alot from dorothy perkins jan sale, all mat items were being sold at £5. I dont know if they still do this

no. I have tried this.
in the last month, you just get so big that you really need mat clothes.

not qutie. i have got to 6 and 7 months, then given in
DD was born three and a half weeks early so i felt well cheated only getting four weeks out of my stuff

oops meant not quite

I managed it.

Only thing I bought was maternity tights - they were absolute bliss.

Nearly. I bought three pairs of maternity trousers from Next and that's it. God bless the smock top which come in many different styles and have done me for winter and summer, casual and formal and work and weekend. Perfect!

I don't think it is (definitely not if you are working) but you can get away with buying only four of five items I think ...

There are some maternity 'belt' things you can buy that you place in the fly of your trousers (under tops obviously) that expand as you do. They come with a sort of flap in different colours that cover up any gaps!! They allowed me to wear my ordinary trousers in the early stages of the bump...

The only thing I found that worked well both during and after pregnancy was a couple of those cardigans that are a combination of a wrap and a cardigan (big cape-like scarves with arms). Wore all the time in latters stages of pregnancy and still wearing now ...

Don't economise on bras though ... important to buy proper size as you expand ...

Good advice re the bras from Countingthegreyhairs.

I didn't economise on the bras, I just bought ones in the "firm control" (no wires!) section in M&S. They did the job much better than the flimsier "maternity" bras.

i refused to buy maternity clothes because they were expensive and you are only in them fo a couple of months and they were gruesome and never had any small sizes! i wore low waited trousers and a pair of dance trousers and nice baggy jumpers as it was that time of year!

also - if you plan to have any more LOs then you'll get them out again especially as you tend to buy basics - pair of jeans, black trousers and a few tops...

I haven't managed it although a bump band does help expand my choices... need to keep that gap covered in winter else LO freezes!

im almost 26 weeks and so far have only bought maternity jeans and trs for work, my top half doesnt get huge so im just wearing a load of t shirts and smock tops that i got in topshop in the sale in the next size up. asdas good for cardigans as there so cheap, might buy a maternity jumper or 2 though as there harder to make fit when you just go up a size.

my friend never wore any maternity stuff she just went up a size in trs (low slung of cpourse) and vest tops that were 3 sizes bigger then normal.she also wore blokes t shirts. it was summer though.

I had leggings with adjustable waist, and two pairs of jeans for later on, one skirt with adjustable waist for work and a dress, plus maternity tights. tbh it wasnlt jsut that your waist disappear but the volume of bump below it, so the depth of crotch to waist at the front was greater while proportions at the back stayed more or less the same as normal. Tops were less of an isseu

I didn't buy any maternity clothes at all. My bump was so high that all my trousers just fitted underneath it.

I bought new bras every 4-6 weeks though as I wore underwired bras all the way through (have huge norks!) and I was fanatical about making sure my bras fitted properly.