Where To Find Affordable Maternity Wear - And Do I Need To Buy??

I guess the simple answer is no... but, and this is a BIG BUT, with such an abundance of gorgeous maternity wear styles out there at affordable prices, why wouldn't you want to be more comfortable as well as celebrating this fabulous time of your life??

When pregnant for the first time I was stunned at how quickly I became uncomfortable with anything pressing on my tummy in the wrong spot - snug waist bands where an absolute no no for me... so I tried hubby's pants and wore them slung low on my hips. This certainly solved the tummy pressure issue - but hiking up your pants every few minutes is really not a great look! After a day out with a very dear girlfriend, she very kindly suggested that I could look better... as if something was wrong with looking like I was drowning in an oversized tee and hubby's falling down jeans!

I launched into my reasons for not buying maternity wear - number one being the price of them, given that I would be wearing them for so short a period of time! She very sensibly suggested that there must be other options, and so the hunt began!

I started by determining what I really needed - I live in jeans so a comfortable pair of maternity jeans or two were a must! Working in an office environment, I also needed some corporate maternity wear, and thought I could buy some nice tops to wear both to work and on weekends. I was stunned at how much more comfortable the maternity pants were - and at the ingenious ways they grow with your belly!

After some trips to the local op shops and Savers I found some great maternity pants by Ninth Moon that had hardly been worn and had a divine soft fold over waist band that was just so comfortable! Next stop was eBay, after a trip to a maternity boutique to determine which brands and sizes seemed most appropriate for me... I felt a bit guilty not buying there - but hey, it's my money!!

I was amazed at what was available on eBay - and soon after purchased two pairs of Ripe maternity jeans that I happily, and comfortably, wore for the remainder of my pregnancy... I did notice that some items seem to go for an enormous amount of money for worn clothing, but was lucky to pick up a couple of items at great prices.

I had been unable to find anything I like in maternity tops at a reasonable price, but scoured the online stores until I found some on special that I liked - again, once I got them in the post and tried them on, the difference in how they hung and fit as compared to simply buying a size up in a "normal" top really surprised me - sceptic that I was!

Having really felt the difference in wearing maternity clothes, an idea struck and I set about opening my own online clearance store for maternity clothing at amazing prices. Stocking gorgeous styles from manufactures like Ripe Maternity, Ninth Moon, Maternity Plus, Pea In A Pod, MBC (Mother Baby Child), Soon Melbourne and more I source end of season styles at bargain prices - and love that I can offer other budget conscious mummys-to-be a place to buy some divine maternity wear pieces... looking good throughout your pregnancy can make such a difference to your self-esteem!

My pregnancies turned out to be such hard work - I am unlucky enough to get severe morning sickness that lasts the whole nine months! - that feeling frumpy in ill-fitting clothing would have been the last straw ... thank goodness for good, honest friends!