MUMS will spend a whopping £700 on maternity clothes during pregnancy.
Research by maternity brand Isabella Oliver found new mums-to-be will buy 21 items of clothing, including two pairs of jeans, three pieces of underwear and a "special occasion" dress over the course of nine months.
Despite the hefty shopping spree, the clothes will only be worn from 16 weeks into the pregnancy until five weeks postpartum, leading many to see the habit as "fast fashion".
More than 25 per cent of mums gave their maternity clothes to friends or family, while three in 10 donated them to charity.
Some 10 per cent, however, simply threw the clothing away.
The study found more than one sixth believe clothing brands are not doing enough to encourage sustainable maternity wear.
One in 10 claimed they would rather spend more on an item if it is eco-friendly.
Geoff van Sonsbeeck, co-founder & CEO of maternity brand Isabella Oliver, said: “The research shows just how affordable maternity wear actually is when you put it into perspective.
“It’s time for significant change in our industry. We believe in producing less but at a higher quality so that the clothes can be worn pregnancy after pregnancy, so the impact to the environment is vastly minimised.
“The goal of the Pre-Loved programme is to decrease the levels of maternity wear production and radically reduce the maternity fashion waste going to landfill each year.
“With 50 per cent of net proceeds from Pre-Loved sales being donated to a selection of maternal charities we are committed to reducing the environmental impact of maternity clothing.”
The study, of 500 mums who have had a baby in the past five years, revealed during their most recent pregnancy, an average of three items of clothing were second hand, either from a charity shop or peer.
For mums who went on to have more than one pregnancy, 40 per cent said all of their maternity wear was worn again.
The quality of products also had an impact on the study, with 30 per cent claiming this was an important factor while sourcing maternity wear, while more than 25 per cent looked at the longevity of an item.
One in five wanted versatile items to dress up or down.
When it came to sourcing clothing, mums struggled most in finding casual wear, followed by work clothes and outfits for special occasions.
A third of those polled via OnePoll, admitted they got "frustrated" when shopping for maternity wear, with 43 per cent wishing there were more choice on offer.
Sadly, almost half didn’t enjoy shopping for clothes when they were pregnant, because of the difficulties in finding suitable and comfortable products.
Meanwhile, 25 per cent found it hard to find clothes which complimented their figure, with one in four left feeling "frumpy".
Geoff van Sonsbeeck added: “At Isabella Oliver we offer a variety of choice, comfort and quality in our products, allowing our customers to feel their most confident when pregnant.
“This past decade has been about the world waking up to climate change.
"On the eve of the next decade, we must make it a green one.”
In other parenting news, we told you mums are raving about space-saving Christmas tree wall decoration kids can’t knock over & say it’s BETTER than a real one.
We also revealed one mum hits out at mother-in-law after she secretly tried to pierce toddler’s ears behind her back.
And we showed you how a 10-year-old’s Christmas list goes viral after she demands an iPhone 11, a Chanel purse, Gucci sliders and £3k in cash.
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