My friend and I fell pregnant within a month of each other, and when I was about 2 months (and already showing!) we decided to go maternity shopping. My initial excitement was quickly squished when I realised that the clothes in maternity shops are horribly mainstream (boring and mostly ugly) and also REALLY expensive.
I bought a few things that day from the proper maternity shops (there was one in Richmond on Church Street, and a few on Toorak Road up near Punt) the most expensive being my maternity jeans (thank god they did skinny leg!). However, I did wear them a lot (pretty much whenever I wasn't at work) so I probably got my monies worth. But the summer dress didn't get much wear and it cost a fortune and was really bad quality (pilled).
I then discovered the Pea in a Pod factory outlet in Collingwood, where I got a few pairs of winter pants for work for $20. Bargain! Until they pilled and fell apart in a few months. Glad I didn't pay full price. Pea in a Pod actually has some lovely skirts and dresses, but they are so expensive I couldn't bring myself to pay it.
So instead I got through the rest of my pregnancy by wearing my jeans or my Kmart maternity skirt (ugly, cheap fabric but black, so it was kind of okay with leggings or stocking) with my selection of 'Free Fusion" tops from Target. Target is fantastic for maternity... you just have to keep an eye out and occaisionally they'll have a dress or skirt that isn't too ugly in the maternity section. But the 'Free Fusion" long sleeve scoop neck tops are FANTASTIC! They are only $20 and are excellent quality and are really long, so they totally covered my massive bump even though they are not 'maternity' wear. And a year later I'm still wearing them. I bought some more the other day to get me through this winter.
So my overall tip is that you don't really need to buy proper maternity wear. Lots of normal clothes can cope with a big belly. Maybe just invest in a pair of maternity jeans (if you are a jeans wearer) and a skirt, and the rest you can fudge. You definitely don't need to pay $70 for a maternity top... such a rip off! Just go to Target.
