Of course the answer is different for everyone. Ask one woman how many pairs of shoes she needs and the answer will be "one for every day of the year!" The next will tell you "3 or 4". It's the same with maternity wear.
It depends on whether or not you are working, whether you will be pregnant over one or two seasons, and of course, how much money you have.
Maternity wear has come such a long way and much of it is really fashionable, often better than what is available in normal fashion. Many items are designed for both pregnancy and breastfeeding so you get more bang for your buck. In fact, we get customers all the time that are buying maternity wear because they like it and not because they are pregnant.
So firstly, get rid of the mindset that it's only for a few months!
Presuming it's a first pregnancy, you may not need maternity clothes until you reach about the 5 month mark but that's still 4 months (one whole season). You're unlikely to magically shrink back to your original size immediately after giving birth so there's another 2 months at least and presuming you are going to breastfeed, there's another 6-12 months. If you are planning more than one child, you can multiply the above by the number of children you plan to have, in fact more because on second and third pregnancies you will pop out sooner and will be wearing your maternity wear from about 8 weeks onwards.
Now here's the thing. If you buy only 2 maternity/feeding tops for each season and you expect to wear them everyday for say 12 months then each top is getting washed and worn more than 90 times. Fisrtly, you are going to get soooo sick of those tops. Secondly, even if you have bought top quality garments, they are going to be looking tired at the end of 90 washes and that's just pregnancy number one.
So let's get down to the nitty gritty.
Maternity pants and skirts are going to be the first thing you need as it's your existing pants and skirts are going to get uncomfortable fairly quickly but your tops may still be doing OK. You will need your pants to get you from about month 4 through to about 2 months after giving birth, so about 7 months in total. Obviously, for many of you, this will mean crossing a cold and a warm season. Don't think too far ahead though. If it's Winter get long pants now and buy Summer pants when the weather warms up. Don't buy something for down the track because you may never wear it. Just buy what you need, as you need it.
Your maternity tops and dresses will get a lot more use as you can wear these post pregnancy while breastfeeding if you have chosen wisely. If you go for something short sleeved, or sleeveless, you can always wear a jacket in Winter and get double the use out of it. Besides, most pregnant women don't feel the cold. Do bear in mind what I said earlier though about wear and tear. You really can't expect a few tops to survive 18 months of non stop wash and wear. You could buy 2 tops and wear one on and one off until they start to look shabby and then buy another 2 but you'll get so sick of those 2 tops. Why not buy 8 tops and have some variety. You spend the same amount of money in the end and you don't hate what you are wearing.
Please also remember that if you insist on wearing your own clothes in the later stages of pregnancy, you are going to stretch them and they may not bounce back afterwards.
Let's deal firstly with the casual maternity wardrobe.
The minimum I would suggest is as follows:
- 2 pair of maternity pants or maternity skirts so you have one on and one off. (Average price $70 each but many specials avail from $40)
- A Tummy Band so that you have a way wearing your own pants for as long as possible and a way of extending your own t-shorts as they get a bit short. ($19.95)
- 4 maternity/breastfeeding tops. Start with 4 and see how you go. If you need more you can buy them later if money is an issue. You could even go for longer tops that can be worn either as a dress over leggings or as a top over pants. (Average price $60 each but specials often available from $30)
- If you are more of a dress person then rather than buying pant/skirts and tops, get yourself 4 dresses and skip the Tummy band. (Average price $70 each but specials available from $50)
For the working woman, in addition to the above suggestions:
- 2 pair of maternity work pants or skirts (Average price $60)
- 3 maternity work tops (Average $60)
- 2 maternity work dresses (Average $70 each)
- Maternity pantyhose or tights x 3 ($24.95 for a pack of two pantyhose. Tights are $24.95 each)
Now to extend the wardrobe, a jacket would come in handy but this doesn't need to be maternity. Most jackets can be worn open and you probably already own something that will do the trick.
Maternity Leggings come in handy and allow you to wear longer tops as dresses. They also stop your thighs from rubbing together and chaffing.
PJ's and lounge wear are other items that really don't need to be maternity, although there are some lovely maternity garments available, I'll admit they can be expensive and a pair of men's tracksuit pants with a draw string could serve the purpose.
Just remember that you get what you pay for and it is false economy to buy cheap things if they don't last the distance.
At full price, the list above will cost about $400 for the stay at home Mum and $900 for the Mum working full time. Shop the specials and you could potentially halve this.
I hope this helps you decide what to buy but feel free to call me and ask any questions.
Lisa Hovar
1/124 South Pine Road, Brendale, QLD, 4500
07 32051818
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