I meant to write about this back when I was still pregnant but never got around to it! Then, last weekend one of the vendors at the Royal Bison Craft Fair got to chatting with me about baby and maternity stuff, and I remembered my post idea!

When my belly started expanding back at the end of my first trimester I was at first able to get by with the rubber band trick, but eventually that was no longer cutting it. I checked out some of the mainstream maternity shops (Motherhood, Thyme, etc.) and was thoroughly unimpressed with the quality and pricing of most of their offerings. Apparently all you have to do is slap the label “maternity” on a piece of clothing and you are entitled to charge at least twice as much as a similar non-maternity item would cost!

Ever the cheapskate, I decided to explore other options for maternity fashion. And now I’m sharing those options on my blog! I’ve broken my recommendations up into three posts.

Today I’m going to start with…

Almost 8 months pregnant, in my thrifted polka-dot dress

Thrift stores

I think it was Airdrie who first recommended I check out Value Village for maternity clothes, and boy am I glad that I did! It took some persistence but by visiting a few different locations I was able to find some great items, including several awesome pairs of pants from the Gap Maternity line (not available in Canadian Gap stores). I also picked up some run-of-the-mill maternity clothes from places like Thyme for uber-cheap prices.

My mom and sister are also avid thrift store shoppers and kept an eye out for items for me. They were both able to find some awesome maternity shirts at their local Salvation Army and Value Village stores. One of my favourite clothing items during my pregnancy was a super-soft Gap Maternity t-shirt that my sister Jen found for me at Salvation Army.

But my biggest two Value Village scores were items I could use post-pregnancy: nursing tank tops from Bravado and Glamourmom, which usually run upwards of $50 a piece, for less than $5 each!

You’d also be surprised at what you might find when you venture outside the maternity section at second-hand stores. While on vacation in Hilton Head I was eyeing a beautiful retro-style blue and white polka dot dress at a fancy consignment shop. It was only a size larger than I normally wear and I decided to try it on in the hopes of at least seeing whether I could wear it post-pregnancy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, with the dress being slightly high waisted, belted, and having a very full skirt, it actually fit me at 7 months pregnant! I haven’t worn it post-pregnancy yet but I suspect it will be a staple of my summer wardrobe next year as I can just tie the belt tighter.

Stay tuned to my blog later this week for more tips on frugal maternity fashion…