Maternity Needs

When I was preggo, I pretty much skipped the bra thing entirely. I like tank tops with the built in shelf bra. I still wear them now (I went from a 34D to a 34G...it's hell trying to find a bra that fits) layered under regular tees and tanks for nursing. I pull up the tshirt, pull down the tank and baby goes to town Waaaay cheaper than the nursing bras and shirts. Way cuter too.

Hubby and I bought a travel system before Lily was born and that was a total waste. We never once used the stroller (Lily is 6 months old) and we only got about 3 months out of the infant seat. If I had to do it again I would buy a Britax carseat with an infant insert.

You can find pretty much all the clothing/blankets/bedding you need at thrift and resale stores. I couldn't drag myself out of bed early enough to hit up yard sales while preggo, so they were out of the question

CLOTH DIAPER! It is a bit of an investment in the beginning, but it pays for itself later. I'm in the middle of switching from sposies to cloth right now. I wish I would have ignored everyone when they told me I would hate cloth diapers-it's so much cheaper and you wont feel like an ass for throwing out 35tons of garbage everyday! You are gonna be doing laundry all the time anyway, you may as well add some diapers.

BREASTFEED! You don't have to buy bottles, formula, nipples-so much cheaper. Easier too. No getting up in the middle of the night trying to mix a bottle-just whip out the boob and baby has perfect milk at the perfect temperature. Even if it SUCKS in the beginning, stick with it, it will get better.

Speaking of breastfeeding, Lily is trying to latch on to my husbands nipple-I gotta go

 

When my daughter was born I was on my own and completely broke. instead of "maternity" clothes I wore sweatpants and big t shirts. I used cloth diapers that I bought used, I breastfed her and never had a pump or bottles, she slept in my bed with me. all her clothes were used, baby clothes really get very little wear because they grow so quickly and don't move much. Nowadays there a websites like Freecycle that can help hook you up with folks who want to get rid of stuff for free in your area. I didn't have any nursing bras with my first either,just a sort of stretchy bra I pulled down to get at the booby. I made nursing pads out of a flannel recieving blanket someone gave me. I used cloth diapers for burp rags. I have never owned a changing table,I always change my kids on the floor. It's not only cheap it's safer: nobody's ever rolled off! You can make your own baby food by mashing fruits and cooked veggies and they are fresher and better tasting than those jars anyday. See if you qualify for medical assistance in your area and they will pay for your prenatal vitamins along with your prenatal care and delivery. My midwife took medicaid. Eat right,that's so important when you are pregnant, see if you can get wic or food stamps or both so you can get the healthiest diet possible because the healthier you are in pregnancy the better you will feel and the better your baby will be. Mostly trust the universe,what you need will come to you somehow.

 

used breast pumps are safe as long as you find a closed motor kind (meaning the milk never enters the motor) the cones and collection areas should not be used... mine is a bit heavy duty becasue once the baby gets here i have to return to college and hold a job so she will be reciving most of her milk in bottles but i wanted to be sure she would still get breast milk not formula....

 

I'm 6 monthes, give or take a few.
I've always been a person of comfort, and I can still fit most of my before-baby clothing. Although, I did get an all maternity outfit (just in case I needed it, and turns out I did, heh... and I was thankful). I mainly wear pajamas and other clothes. I don't dress up much, it's to tiring. Heh.

I'm on a REALLY strict budget, especially since I'm unable to work (high pregnancy).
Anything that I've got on my list (bottles, crib and such) I've put on layaway. And I visit the Salvation Army frequently. Lucky me, I have plenty of friends who've had little girls, and they give me some other things I need (Like, a playpen).

Just thrift shop and such, and it'll save you lots of money. And, you can subsitute some things. Like, Instead of a changing table cushion (can run upwards to almost 80 bucks, I've seen) you can sew a brace to hold a regular pillow to the table or regular dresser.

I hope I've helped.