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If you are due sometime this Winter or in the early Spring, you may be watching your waistline expand and your clothing options in your closet dwindle. Especially as the cold air sets in, you may be wondering how you can afford a whole new wardrobe to fit your pregnant figure. Fashion aside, keeping warm is a main concern. I was always due in the late Autumn and early Winter so I dealt with some of that myself. Here are some tricks of the trade to stretching your Winter maternity wardrobe. (Pun intended.)
1. Get warm socks. It seems silly but the truth is that if you can keep warm but dry (read: not sweaty) feet, the rest of your body will feel warmer. As such, make sure that you have enough socks. Who knew that socks were an unplanned pregnancy issue?
2. Skip the maternity coat. Maternity coats can be pricey. They are also, mostly, unnecessary. Simply find or borrow a regular coat in a larger size. When you have given birth and lost the baby weight, be sure to pass the coat onto another friend in need or to a local shelter. Don’t forget a hat, gloves and a scarf. These things can be purchased rather cheaply (ask someone to get them for you for Christmas!) and make a world of difference when you’re walking outside.
3. Shop the sales rack as well as your local Goodwill stores. In fact, Goodwill is a great option for affordable maternity clothes. I took all of mine there, that I didn’t pass on to friends, knowing that local moms needed an affordable option for seasonal maternity clothes.
4. Contact a local pregnancy center. One in our town keeps seasonal maternity wear in stock, available for free to mothers in need. Call! Now!
5. Ask around to see if friends or family members have seasonally appropriate maternity clothing that you could borrow while the wind howls.
The issue of maternity clothes, especially as seasons change, can seem overwhelming. Realize that you don’t need to own the largest maternity wardrobe ever. You need a few pair of pants (one or two pair of jeans, a nice black pair and a khaki pair) and a few tops (appropriate for work or school). Change up your outfits with accessories or mix-and-match the tops with your different pairs of pants. One shirt could yield four or five different outfits if you pair it with a scarf and a different pair of pants each time.
If you are considering placing your baby for adoption, it is possible that an agency you are working with provides for a maternity clothing allowance. State laws vary and you need to research as to whether this is a legal option for you. If it is, ask your contact at the agency about such a thing. Please go through your agency contact and do not request clothing or money directly from any potential adoptive parents to whom you are matched.
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