Keeping the Belly Warm

I had always imagined having the bulk of my pregnancy fall over summer/early fall with a nice November delivery. Therefore, I would bypass winter and any need for a maternity winter coat. I'd live in sundresses in the summer and a simple trench coat when the weather turned cooler.

And then I got pregnant in July. Meaning an April baby. Meaning a full pregnant winter. Doh! Time to rethink things.

As this fall turned chilly, I quickly grew out of my wool coat that I wore everywhere. It was a very fitted coat and I felt like any day I was going to pop a button. So I had to just stop buttoning it all together. I also have a big puffer, which is great for the really really cold days, but not for every day use. Especially this early in the season.

So I started the hunt for a maternity coat. Did you know that they are outrageously expensive and even more expensive if you want to buy something that you actually like? The best I could find was a $90 coat from Motherhood Maternity, but I just couldn't face up to spending that much on a coat that I would get so little use out of.

After hunting around online for weeks looking at every non-maternity winter coat out there, I came across this coat from H & M:

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Sadly, it's no longer on their site so I can't show more pictures of it, but it's perfect for an expanding belly! The buttons are high and then it flairs out across the mid-section. And, best of all, it's cute! And was only around $70 (or $80?), which is completely reasonable for a coat that I'd actually be able to wear again post baby!

I ran over to H&M after work the day I found it, battled through the line of high schoolers (note to self: do not go to H&M downtown on a school holiday) and picked one up. It actually comes in two colors, so I opted for a salt and pepper tweed-like version.

So now, when I'm out and about, I actually feel really cute and my expanding belly is right at home!