Lets be honest, traditional maternity clothes are not great, in fact they are far from great. It’s a complex mess of stretchy cheap fabrics, 1960s high waistbands and unnecessary frills and wraps.  It lacks style and longevity. So when I was pregnant I did my best to avoid maternity clothes shops.  I was determined to save my pennies and instead splurge on some fabulous post prego outfit. (Just FYI no such thing has been purchased, nor does it need to be now that I’m a mother and live in the uniform of black leggings and puffer vest). But back to the point, at some stage I needed to concede defeat and purchase some attire that would accommodate a growing human.  It wasn’t pretty but it was necessary.  So here are some of my tips for surviving maternity wear…

1. Go Long

Instead of venturing into traditional maternity wear stores, you can stick to your usual haunts and go LONG.  Shops like Seed, Witchery and Cotton On do some great long length tops and singlets, which means they can survive pregnancy with you.

2. Size UP

Another trick to sticking to your fave stores is to just go up a size or two. Depending on how and where your body changes, bigger sizes may be more than enough to see you through pregnancy, or at least most of it.

3. Invest in good maternity jeans

Unfortunately there is no way around the jean issue. Maternity jeans are a necessity and at some point you’re going to have to bite the bullet and get them. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the waist band and then you’ll never want to let it go. If you’ve got a bit more cash to splash J Brand have a great maternity jean range (Mama Js), otherwise I got mine from H&M. I lived in them. Not literally, I was actually living in my house, but they were comfy, stylish-ish, and saw me all the way to the delivery room.

4. ASOS has great Maternity Clothes

ASOS has a really good and reasonably priced range of maternity wear.  It is the exception to the rule when it comes to traditional maternity clothing.

5. Wedges or Flats

Heels, as sexy as they are, are out during pregnancy, or at least the latter stages of it.  Your balance will be way off and your feet may swell, so heels will be just plain awkward.  But here’s your opportunity to buy some good leather ballet flats, or solid wedges if you feel you still need a bit of a lift.  Good shoes will last you to motherhood and beyond, so really, it’s an investment in your future.

6. Accessorise

Simple, single-block colours will streamline your figure and be more flattering than busy prints when you have a bump.  But you can add a splash of colour or a dollop of personality simply by accessorising.  Scarves, shoes and big, bright jewellery is the way to go.

7. Borrow!

Friends that have survived pregnancy are probably more than happy to get rid of their maternity wears to someone in need, or even the nearest rubbish bin if they’ve been worn day-in and day-out.  So ask around, you never know what you may find for free.