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Pregnancy is a time of excitement and the unknown, but it can also be a time of a whole lot of money spending. Between doctors visits and “must have” baby gear, it can feel sometimes like you are bleeding money in such a short amount of time.

One thing that is so easy to drop a ton of money on is clothing. And girl, I get it.

Before I got pregnant, I spent way too much time hanging out on Pinterest, pinning all the adorable maternity outfits I was bound and determined to dress myself in.

Because, clothes just look so dang cute on pregnant bellies! Am I right?

But once I actually was pregnant and starting looking into just how much it cost to dress that little bump, my tune quickly changed, and I needed to get creative.

Here are the tips I used to build my maternity wardrobe (for 3 pregnancies) on a budget:

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Shop your closet

• We live in a time right now where flowy tops and bulky sweaters are in, my friend! Cardigans, kimonos, tunics, etc, can easily be worn all the way through your pregnancy, saving you a ton of money.
• Another thing I did throughout all 3 of my pregnancies was wear a heck of a lot of dresses. The short ones I would pair with leggings, and the long ones I would either belt over my belly, or pull the waist line up over my belly. All 3 dresses in the photo above are not maternity dresses!
• Jeans. While I’m not a huge fan of wearing jeans (do you remember the days when jeans were considered the comfy bottoms of choice?!), I have tried to wear my regular (non-maternity) jeans as long as I possibly can. For the majority of all my pregnancies, I have been able to get away with wearing them with a little alteration.

Hair tie trick: 

1. Unzip your pants as much as you need to. 
2. Loop hair tie through button hole, and both ends around the button. 

Another great option that I have used the heck out of for all three pregnancies is the Bella Band. This works as a full panel that allows you to unzip your pants, concealing the open zipper, and smoothing out the bumps. But it also feels amazing on your body because it gives your belly slight support. It is great for postpartum too!

Clothing Swap

A few months ago, a group of ladies from my church organized a clothing swap. It wasn’t specific to maternity clothing, there were a bunch of maternity clothes up for grabs. I ended up scoring a long sleeve maternity top, and a snuggly sweater.

So why not go the extra step and organize a maternity swap. Not only could you swap maternity clothes, but baby items as well!

Borrow

I was so fortunate to have a few girlfriends pass along huge bags of clothing for me when I found out I was pregnant. Although not everything was my size, I was able to alter the fit of some of the items with belts. If you’re pregnant and in need of something that fits, ask around, you never know who has a bag just sitting there unused in her garage!

Second Hand

Of course I was going to mention second hand! There are tons of great second hand maternity shops (I’ve found a few great pieces this way), however, don’t pass over the regular ole’ thrift store! 

There has been one item of clothing that I have wanted to wear since long before I ever because pregnant for even my first.

The mighty overall.

The sweet image of the adorable pregnant woman in overalls was something I coveted, and yet, never flipping bought myself a pair! I definitely had tried on a pair or two over the course of my pregnancies, but never ended up buying a pair.

Until my third. I was at a consignment shop looking for sweaters to put over some basic tanks. The gal that runs the store brought a pair of Free People overalls over to me in the dressing room, full well knowing they were about 3 sizes too big for me. 

But eh, why not! So I tried them on, and while they were a bit big, I knew I still had time to grow, they felt amazing on my body…AND I felt like I had finally found that pair of pregnancy overalls I had always wanted. EVEN THOUGH they weren’t maternity overalls! 

So don’t be afraid to go in regular thrift stores to find pieces (at a major discount) for you to rock during pregnancy. 

Purchase Basics

Basic tanks and tees

Truthfully, I have not purchased many new maternity pieces in the last 6 years (spanning all three pregnancies). When I was pregnant with my first, I bought 2 basic tops, a couple colors in each. Mix and match the colors. Here they are:

Jeans

I bought a fancy pair of pregnancy jeans…but I need to be honest…I hate wearing them! At what point in my life did jeans begin to feel like a jail cell for my lower half?! I really hate wearing jeans. So these fancy pair of jeans that cost me $80 are practically new sitting in my closet. My second pregnancy I ended up buying a pair of $20 maternity jeans from Old Navy, and while I’m not a fan of wearing jeans, these are the ones I prefer to pull out when I do. 

Black leggings

Now leggings, let’s talk leggings. I wore the hell out of leggings (especially my third pregnancy). Leggings with tunics, leggings with sweaters, leggings with t-shirts, you name it. 

I’m wearing some right now!

During my second pregnancy I bought a couple good pairs of leggings, and these truly have been the best purchase ever. Not only did I wear them constantly for both of my last two pregnancies, but I wore them all the way through the in between time, when I wasn’t pregnant. 

They have retained their shape, and even when my pregnancy belly was completely gone, simply folding down the panel made them fit like a dream while I was not pregnant also. 

These were the two I bought (while they are a little pricey, they are 100% worth it, I promise). 

A good friend of mine also handed me down a pair of leggings that are ideal for postpartum nursing. While you’re pregnant they hug everything just the right way. One day while I was at the gym with my husband he was looking at me funny, and I asked him what he was looking at he said, “baby, you look like you’ve been doing some squats!” I turned and looked in the mirror and my legs and butt looked pretty dang good, I’m not going to lie. And I say this with complete humility because it wasn’t my legs and butt that could really take all that much credit, these particular leggings hugged everything in just the right places!

For postpartum the band of the pants come way up to right under your bra line which gives your lots of coverage because you don’t need to be thinking about your tummy hanging out while you’re trying to nurse your sweet babe.

Here are the leggings (which I have never bought new, but love them to pieces, so I am for sure going to recommend them!):

Tops

Over the course of the last 6 years I have bought a 3-4 maternity tops that made me feel amazing. The way I look at buying tops like this, don’t spend the money unless you put it on and don’t want to take it off. Pregnancy can be a time that mentally challenges you and makes you feel a little less than beautiful. At least that has been my personal journey. (To those of you who feel like the goddess that you are, I love that, and wish I felt that in my pregnancies too!).

So if you find a top that makes you feel beautiful and sexy, no matter how expensive it is, I truly think that is a worthy purchase (as long as you have the money for it, obviously. Going into debt for this shirt is not worth it, in my humble opinion).

Finally, I invested in a snuggly wrap sweater to wear with my leggings and tanks during my second pregnancy. It was not a maternity sweater in the least, but I could easily throw it over a tank top and leggings and call it a day. 

What is, hands down, your favorite item of clothing to wear while pregnant? Let me know in the comments below!

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