If your coat won’t close, it may be time to buy a new one in the maternity section. But what should you do if you can’t afford to buy a new coat? Or what if you’re due in just a month and you don’t want to buy a coat you’ll only wear for a few weeks?
The easiest solution is to layer. You can bank on the fact that pregnant women run a little hotter than usual and enjoy the draft of cooler air from having your coat open. Layer your coat over a zip up sweatshirt. A maternity sweatshirt is going to be a lot cheaper than a coat, and it’s something you can wear in three seasons of the year, making it more likely that you’ll be able to use it again, as opposed to a heavy coat.
You can also close the gap with a nice thick, long scarf. Fold the scarf in half, wrap it around your neck and pull the ends through the loop to cover most of your torso. This is something I’ll do anyway, especially while shopping since it’s easier to just open the scarf when I go in the store.
The other obvious answer is to borrow a coat from a friend. Chances are you know someone who owns a maternity coat. If she is not using it, ask if you can borrow it for the season and offer to have it cleaned before you return it.
If warmth is more important to you than style and fit, try finding a loose fitting coat in a size larger than you usually wear. It may not fit correctly around the arms, but chances are it will keep you warm and you’ll be able to zip it up all the way. This opens up your possibilities quite a bit. You now have the option of shopping anywhere, even the thrift stores if you like.