Extended Wear

 Tunic - Thrifted; Belt - Thrifted; Jeans - Level 99 via Anthro; Shoes - Urban; Hat - Urban; Earrings - Frank & Myrrh

Date: Sunday, May 16, 2011

People are often amazed at the fact that I do not wear maternity clothes. I get the following question a lot:

How is it that you are 7 months pregnant and still able to wear your regular pants?

First, let me explain how grateful I am. I've had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, no nausea or food cravings. I'm a little tired here and there, but I'm still able to work out 3 times/week with a modified regimen consisting of 25-30 minutes on the elliptical, followed by bicep and tricep curls, and lots of stretching. So, my regular pants fit just fine everywhere but the belly. Ok, now let me address the ACTUAL QUESTION - how do I make it work? Belly extenders!

You can buy belly belts that "extend" the waist line of your regular pants. The belts are a piece of elastic with a button hole on one end, and button on the other. This significantly extends the life of your pants during your pregnancy. You will have a gap in your pants, however, as long as you wear a long top, you will more than cover up the fact that your pants aren't zippered. Trust me when I say it's totally ok - I haven't zippered my pants in 4 months, and none of you have noticed ;-)! You can also use hair ties or rubber bands as your pants' extenders (Thanks Adrienne). I've been using the rubber band method and I've also been able to extend the pants myself by placing the hook in the button hole. This has saved me money, and has allowed me to continue to wear pants that fit me well.