At the beginning of the 20th century, pregnancy outside wedlock was associated with shame. This study discusses how this shame resulted in social and economic costs which, in turn, created demand and supply of various services advertised in the daily press 1905—35. A supply of discreet services arose to assust unmarried pregnant women, who were at rik of losing social status and wished to keep their condition and baby secret. Such services included accommodation to which they could withdraw before delivery, discreet maternity care and privately organized foster care and adoption. But many unmarried women also faced economic vulnerability due to pregnancy as they risked losing their employment and housing. Temporary positions and accommodation were also advertised to them through the market. Without money, desperate to solve their situation, these women seem to have constituted a sought-after low paid labor force, generating an exchange economy where it was not obvious who requested a service from whom, who was the buyer and who was the seller.