Yahoo Lifestyle What I learnt from renting my maternity wear as a third-time mum-to-be
During my first pregnancy, eight years ago, I relied on fast fashion purchases to accommodate my bump, some of which I saved for my second pregnancy despite them feeling dated or tatty a mere four years later. Regardless, with baby number two cooked in lockdown there was nothing to dress up for, leaving me uninspired to invest in anything, anyway. But third time around I felt differently. Being older – and dare I hope, wiser – I craved some chicer maternity wear that didn’t represent disposability. Knowing how quickly those few months fly by once you’re properly ‘showing’, I could only justify investing in key wardrobe staples that had shelf lives beyond the bump (more on that later). The rest I decided to rent – which proved quite the revelation.
Maternity wear rental explained
Over the past few years, the rental market has boomed as many of us become much more comfortable with the idea of borrowing clothes – while still wanting the thrill of wearing something new. Now big business, many sites don’t just appeal to the majority but speak to specific customers too – including those who are expecting or breastfeeding.
While many fashion rental sites have launched maternity wear sections (think Hurr’s The Bump Edit), there are also a few equivalent platforms dedicated to the niche, including For The Creators (FTC) – the UK’s first resale-rental-retail destination for motherhood.
FTC is the baby of Lyndsay Mason, who – frustrated at the lack of ranges suited to her personal style after becoming a mother – created the circular service in 2020. Collating aspirational outfits featuring brands she already loved (from Palm Noosa to Albaray) plus those designed specifically for motherhood (such as Bump & Milk and Isabella Oliver), the site offers options for dressing through all four trimesters, to the exact point of your bump size or post-birth needs – whether you’ve had a c-section or are navigating breastfeeding.
How rentals and membership work
The FTC service is straightforward: when creating an account you can select a monthly plan (from £60 with the first month free) – which can be up/downgraded at any time – or you can opt for a one-time rental (from £30) with no membership necessary.
For the latter, there’s an event edit where you can borrow items for four or 10 days, while members can browse from thousands of styles with the membership collection, for all stages of motherhood and categorised per specific trimester or need. Once selected, items are delivered in one-to-two business days and can be kept for as long as wanted. When you fancy swapping, you can order a Royal Mail collection via your account and return using the same package you received the item(s) in – before or after you choose something new.
As a mother already (with boys that lack boundaries at mealtimes), I was nervous about staining my borrowed items. But with FTC being run by mothers, I needn’t have worried: should you mark an item you can either wash it or return it as is – their B-corp cleaning process removes odours and germs, they assured me.
Maternity wear I rented – and what I learnt from the experience
As a fan of wafty dressing, I exhausted my roomiest non-maternity items, wearing them on repeat for the first five months of this pregnancy (think the Daily Sleeper’s ‘Atlanta’ and Damson Madder’s 4-in-1 ‘Pia’ maxis). Instinctively, I gravitated towards similar styles when renting, but having different dresses in fresh prints and palettes instantly gave me a new lease of life – which is not something I anticipated saying about my style choices when pregnant.
I fell in love with various bump-friendly items from both indie and household brands, such as Palm Noosa’s ‘Noddy Dress’, Albaray’s ‘Animal Strappy Maxi Dress’, and Whistles’ ‘Blossom Tulips Bardot Dress’, ‘Anna Dress’ and ‘Gloria Linen Blend Dress’. Each served as a reminder to me that A-line shapes make for a flattening bump-friendly fit as much as they do for my non-pregnant body.
But I also discovered some specialist maternity labels that absolutely nailed comfort and convenience (as well as meeting my call for chic). The ‘Marley Knit Dress’ from Hatch stretched beautifully without becoming saggy, and I could have lived in Bump & Milk’s easy-yet-elegant ‘Sienna’ and ‘Leila’ feeding dresses – both of which have concealed zippers beneath the breasts for easy access, despite my not needing to use them. Post-birth, I’ll revisit these – and I’m tempted to purchase from the brand direct having tried-and-tested their styles.
That said, the experience made me more committed to conscious consumption, and certainly made me reconsider buying trending items after spotting them on influencers filling my feeds. I was reminded that shopping during pivotal life stages can result in impulse purchases that you often regret, or that aren’t good for the planet and your purse.
Refreshing my wardrobe via rentals helped me feel more myself in this moment – not an awkward version of an old me, or someone in sartorial crisis (which admittedly I was, at times).
Maternity wear I recommend investing in over renting
As for what I did invest in to keep, the experience also helped me uncover the concept of brands featuring fits that fluctuate with you, whether you’re pregnant or grow/shrink for whatever reason.
Beyond Nine is the perfect example, with the brand's thoughtful, feel-good clothes that allow for women's changing bodies. I got the practical ‘Rowan’ jeans and joy-sparking ‘Winnie’ Blush Stripe Linen Dress – both of which can be worn with a bump, without and also post-baby, with fabrics and fits that won't aggravate C-scars, for example, or obstruct breastfeeding.
I also bought two timeless dresses from Align, “made to be worn now and forever”: the ‘Gabriella’ in Denim and Cord. With a collar-to-waist zip the style is similarly ideal for feeding, and the boxy fit universally flatters.
And finally, when it came to swimwear this summer, I found Hunza G delivered on its inclusive one size stance; its signature crinkle fabric specifically designed to stretch and mould to bodies as they change. The ‘Jean’ bikini, which I discovered via FTC’s retail section, has proved more comfortable – and just as flattering – as any swimwear I’ve owned.
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