Whilst we can sit here and swoon over pregnant celebrities wearing high heels and designer dresses, we know the reality is that we just want to feel comfortable in our clothes during pregnancy!

As you’re only going to wear your maternity clothing for a short period of time, you probably don’t want to spend a fortune kitting out a whole new wardrobe. Mama mio are here to help you save a few dollars so you can still look presentable and save your money for all the other baby essentials you’re going to need!

Here are some of mama mio’s top 5 tips to help you save some of your hard earned pennies on your maternity clothing.

1. Waist Extenders/ Belly Bands

If you want to keep wearing your jeans for as long as possible then try a waist extender or a belly band. Waist extenders help to give you a few extra inches in your jeans or pants by looping in a piece of material into your normal button and button hole.

If you want a bit more coverage over your pants or jeans then you can also put on a belly band over the top or your waistband.  Belly bands can be picked up quite cheaply and the stretchy cotton material wraps all the way around your belly and over the top of your jeans.

2. Go for the basics

It’s amazing how many women will actually just get away with buying two or three maternity pants and a few pairs of maternity t-shirts to get them through their pregnancy. If you go for the basic pregnancy wear, then you can always accessorise with your existing jewelry, scarves and cardigans or blazers. Think about buying neutral colours (black, white, grey, beige) and then you can still spend more money on accessories that you’ll wear post bump!

3. Layers

Before you go out and purchase a new wardrobe, look through your wardrobe to see what pieces you can layer up. During pregnancy your hormones will be all over the place and it’s likely you’ll be freezing one minute and then steaming hot the next! Wearing layers is perfect for pregnancy because it allows you to adjust your clothing with your body temperature!

4. Double up with pregnancy/ post pregnancy clothing 

If you are going to buy maternity clothing then consider purchasing items that will also be functional post pregnancy and will suit you if you are breastfeeding. Wrap-dresses are perfect to accommodate a growing belly and are also a great piece of clothing if you are breastfeeding.  Also, any tops with fold down panels for nursing are great to wear pre and post pregnancy!

5. Outlet shops

Unless you’re a die hard fashionista that needs to be on-trend with each season then hit the outlet shops and see what they have to offer you. Even if they don’t have a maternity specific outlet, try looking for looser fitting clothing or clothes that you can layer up.