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Rochester Local

Sisterhood of the Traveling Maternity Pants

expanding belly, first-time mom, hospital bag, mama, mama-to-be, maternity clothes, maternity pants, mom of many, post-pregnancy pants, postpartum, pregnancy, stay at home mom, stretchy pants, working mom

With pregnancy comes the need for new clothes, specifically maternity pants.  It’s hard to justify spending a lot of money on a temporary wardrobe, so most of us purchase the bare minimum and borrow the rest to get us through. We pass around boxes and bags of maternity clothes to a sister, friend, co-worker or neighbor who needs them next. We all contribute a few items to the stash, sometimes retiring pieces that are too well-worn. Whoever needs the pants, gets the pants. Thanks to their forgiving, super-stretchy elastic waistbands, they fit us all regardless of our individual (and changing) shapes. If they could talk, these traveling maternity pants could tell a lot of stories.  They’ve seen us though a whole spectrum of life moments.

A mama-to-be… excitedly putting the pants on for the first time, pulling them over her barely-showing belly.  She’s waited so long for this moment!  She wonders how soon until this tiny little person growing inside her will be visible to everyone around her.  How will her life change in the next year?  Is this really happening?  Is she ready for all of this?  It’s all so exciting and scary.

A mama… grudgingly putting the pants on for the second, third, fourth (or more) time.  She loves the beautiful babes with her whole heart, but is soooo over the process it takes to get them into this world.  She’s also not looking forward to the comments that will be coming her way.  “Another one?  Aren’t you done yet?” or  “Oh my…you have your hands full!

A mama… taking the pants off and tucking them away, out of sight.  It’s hard enough to deal with this loss without having to look at the pants too.

A mama… wearing the pants with a blazer, hoping that no one notices her expanding belly.  She’s not ready to tell everyone yet, especially her boss and co-workers.  She wants to enjoy her secret for a few more weeks before facing all of the questions and thinly-veiled judgement on her work ethic and potential future life choices.  Is she working hard enough now to make up for her impending maternity leave?  Is she going to expect special treatment?  How long will she be off?  How does she expect to have her work covered while she is out on leave?  Is she going to expect to pump on work time?  Is she going to work as hard after the baby as she did before baby?  Who is raising her child while she’s at work? 

A mama… packing the pants in her hospital bag.  She can’t believe that the next time she wears them, she’ll be holding the baby that’s been growing inside her all these months. 

A mama… happily packing up the pants to give to another mama-to-be.  “Get them out of my closet!” she says.  “I’m sooo ready to wear normal clothes again!”

 expanding belly, first-time mom, hospital bag, mama, mama-to-be, maternity clothes, maternity pants, mom of many, post-pregnancy pants, postpartum, pregnancy, stay at home mom, stretchy pants, working mom
Whoever needs the pants, gets the pants.

A mama… wearing them several months (years) postpartum.  Ain’t nobody got time for being strangled by non-stretchy, ill-fitting pants with zippers and buttons. She’s got a feverish, teething baby on her hands!  And honestly, she has no idea what her size is right now, and has no time to shop.  Maybe in a few more months…

A mama… unpacking the pants.  Maybe this will be the month it happens?  After so many months of trying, she’s praying for the opportunity to finally wear them.

A mama… pulling the pants on in the pre-dawn hours.  She’s several weeks postpartum, but like most of us isn’t going to be back into her pre-baby work pants any time soon.  The pants she is wearing are the least of her worries as she cries in her car after dropping her sweet baby off at daycare.  Going back to work and leaving her baby is gut-wrenching enough; wearing the pants which still mercifully fit is one less thing to think about.

A mama… angrily throwing the pants aside.  How can she be too big for maternity pants?!?  Now what is she supposed to wear for the next 8 weeks??!  And if one more person says, “Are you SURE you aren’t having twins?” or “Any day now, right?!” they can expect to get punched in the ear.  It is NOT any day now.  She still has TWO MONTHS LEFT.  And YES, this is just ONE BABY.

A mama… with a bittersweet feeling as she packs up the pants one last time to give away for good.  She’s had her last baby, and won’t need them anymore.  They have served her well, and she knows they will serve other sisters too.

 

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