Coat Extensions for Pregnancy and Babywearing

Living in a cold climate like Ottawa makes having a means of staying warm while pregnant, and also for winter babywearing a necessity if you enjoy walking. Given that we have a dog and that I'll be commuting to work by walking and public transportation for the next few months, I sought out a solution for this early on.

Extension Panels

An extension panel is a panel that zips into your existing jacket and adapts for two modes: pregnancy, allowing for your larger belly, and babywearing, which provides extra space for you to wear your baby using a wrap or carrier under your jacket. An additional benefit of getting a panel instead of a dedicated maternity or babywearing jacket is that your partner can use it as well, so long as you have the right adapter for their jacket.

There are quite a few options out there, including custom options made on Etsy, however, I chose to select from two Canadian companies available for purchase in Ottawa so that I could try them on before deciding. These two companies are Kokoala and MakeMyBellyFit, both with excellent and responsive customer service.

Just like different jackets fit and look better on certain body types, I found that extension panels are the same way. They look better with certain jackets depending on your height and the length of your jackets.

When I tried these on, I was in my second trimester at 24-25 weeks and my jackets just barely don't zip up anymore, so the panel is necessary but provides more space than I need at this point.

I'm 5'4, and I found that for both of the panels, I got the best look and fit with jackets that hit a mid-point on the thigh. With a long jacket, the panels fall a bit short, and with a very short jacket, they fit a bit too high.

Kokoala

The first option I considered is the Kokoala. In Ottawa, I was able to try this on at both Baby enRoute and Milkface, but they are available in many Canadian cities. 

Kokoala Deluxe Zip-In Jacket Extension

The Kokoala extension has more of a traditional jacket finish, almost resembling Canada Goose jackets, with the shell made of 100% waterproof nylon. Different zippers are attached using velcro, which I prefer because it means that no matter the zipper you use, the width of the panel remains the same. If you purchase it directly from Kokoala on their website, you can purchase this panel with any one zip to start. If you have a non-standard jacket you plan to use the panel with most of the time, this can be an advantage, as you save yourself $15 given that the cost of the adapter includes one zipper of your choice instead of having to buy both the panel and an adapter.

The way it adjusts is using two adjustable pulls to tighten the jacket below and above the belly. It looks stunning on their website with the right jackets. Unfortunately for me, those pulls only line up with my belly when used with my long jacket. With my short jackets, the pull which should have been under my belly lined up with my belly button, and the pull that should have been over my belly was over my chest. This meant I had to tighten them a bit less. With my long jacket, it lined up really well by positioning the velcro zipper at the correct height and then folding over the top inside. My long jacket used the same adapter as my short jacket because of the velcro, which means another potential $15 saved.

With my long TNA Parka, the panel lines up very nicely because of the velcro

This video shows how you can adjust the zipper using velcro for different jacket types. Here are pictures showing the bottom of the jacket with the panel velcro'ed in just above where the zipper starts, to help it sit at the right height.

Panel lined up using velcro on a longer jacket

Close up view

On their website, they currently only allow you to purchase a deluxe winter option or a spring option, which led me to prefer the MakeMyBellyFit, which has an optional fleece you can zip in. However, via email Kokoala assured me that a new option will be available in the next couple of weeks that has a removable warmth layer, which I prefer as it means the same panel can be used at any time of year.

MakeMyBellyFit BellyFit Panel

This second option, the MakeMyBellyFit BellyFit Panel, is also created by a Quebec company. I was able to try it on at Queen Mother Maternity in Ottawa, but is also available at these retailers in Canada. Baby enRoute usually carries it, but hasn't received new stock yet.

MakeMyBellyFit BellyFit Panel

MakeMyBellyFit's width is adjusted using snaps that line up all along the way, which allow you to adjust any section of the panel to a smaller width. However, I haven't put on much weight around my chest, so it fits a bit big over and under my belly. This is because the snaps still provide a bit of additional space in areas you don't require it, as you can see in the pictures. I should mention that the same is true for the Kokoala panel, they both add in extra fabric in areas you may not have grown.

This panel always comes with a 5VS zipper, which is the default zipper used on most sport winter jackets. My fiancé's jacket has this zipper, but only my Arc'teryx jacket uses it. The long TNA jacket uses this type of zipper as well, but it requires a zipper adapter to get the panel to sit at the right height, unlike the Kokoala with which you can just reposition the same zipper using velcro. The zipper adapters zip onto the panel, which I personally find to look cleaner, however, it means that on some jackets the panel becomes a bit wider as you're adding on the width of the adapter. An advantage of this zipper method is that you can leave the adapters on your various jackets, and zip out just the panel when you switch between jackets.

Zip Adapters

This panel definitely fits me better, though not perfectly -- I think after this experience I've come to accept that in pregnancy, there is no such thing as a perfect fitting jacket given that your body is constantly changing! Here are pictures with two of my jackets. I wasn't able to try it with my other jackets as no store in Ottawa carries the MakeMyBellyFit zipper adapters I require for them.

MakeMyBellyFit with Arc'teryx Atom

No adapter required, notice the extra width at top even with snaps closed

Aritzia's TNA Parka with MakeMyBellyFit, using long 5VS adapter

Which option?

When evaluating, it pays to to ask for a salesperson that has experience with these panels, especially the Kokoala. When I first tried it on, I didn't think it could work for me at all, however, an experienced salesperson at Baby enRoute was able to show me how to adjust the zipper to make it sit just right with my belly which makes all of the difference. 

In the end, the MakeMyBellyFit panel fits with most of my jackets best, but both options are really good candidates. I think to decide between them you need to factor in which jackets you plan to wear the panel with most often.

Kokoala is best if you plan to use it with a single jacket / zip style a season, as removing and putting zippers on and off is more time consuming given that you really want to take the time to line up the zipper at the right height. The panel itself has a really nice jacket finish and a clean look which I prefer to the MakeMyBellyFit, so its no surprise that it's a best seller in the stores that I visited.

The MakeMyBellyfit is a better choice for you if you plan to use multiple jackets regularly which all require different zippers, as these can stay on each of the jackets and you can just zip in the panel.

You might also decide that this isn't necessary at all. I have quite a few friends that walked around with open jackets while they were pregnant, maybe using a belt to keep the jacket somewhat closed. For babywearing, I've heard from experienced moms that simply keeping your jacket open and using blankets to keep your baby warm can work surprisingly well.

Tracking Pregnancy Weight Gain with the Withings Wireless Scale

Confession: I've never owned a scale or used one regularly. Thus far, I've been one of those lucky people who don't deviate much in terms of weight, so I hadn't seen the need. But when I got pregnant, I decided I wanted to keep track in order to motivate me to gain weight at a reasonable pace. I also wanted to know my pre-pregnancy weight so I could be realistic about what I could expect to go back to in the future.

My key requirement was a scale that would connect to the Internet in order to track my weight and show me progress in some sort of an app on my phone. Being able to see that data all in one place seemed like a good motivator.

I compared the FitBit Aria with the Withings Wireless Scale WS-30. Here's how I made my decision:

• Price: Withings is $30 cheaper at $100 vs $130.
• Connectivity with activity bracelets: I decided this didn't matter for me, but it might if you already have one and want the coordinating scale.
• Look and feel of the app. FitBit looked a bit nicer, but this was difficult to validate ahead of time without having an account set up with measurements. 
• Look of the scale: I personally found the Withings a bit more elegant, though they are both pretty similar.

Ultimately, price was the deciding factor for me. I gave the Withings a try, liked it, and stuck with it.

How much weight should I gain?

Before I set out to use a scale, I figured I needed to set a weight goal.

I used two sources: Health Canada and BabyCenter Canada. Health Canada has a great calculator in which you can enter your pre-pregnancy weight and height, which it uses to recommend an amount for you to gain during your pregnancy.

Based on the above two, my recommended weight gain is between: 25 - 35 lbs (or 11.5 - 16 kg). This means that during my second and third trimesters I should expect to gain about 0.8lb to 1lb a week (or 0.4kg to 0.5kg). Of course, this is just a guide, as I hear you're supposed to put on weight much more quickly towards the end of your pregnancy, and of course every pregnancy is different.

So, with that in mind, I set a weight goal of 140lbs, but am prepared to go up to 150lbs. And I'm sure if I go higher than that there will be valid reasons for it, which I'll happily discuss with my healthcare professional.

Using Withings to track progress towards goal

I originally set an incorrect goal in the app, and found I had to go online to set up a new goal that was accurate and would reflect both on the web dashboard and on my phone. Below is a view of the online dashboard after setting up this goal. On the left graph you can see a green bar, which indicates my weight goal in comparison to all off my measurements. On the right you can see that I'm on my way, 12% of the way there. In my case, the percentage is wrong. I set up the revised goal today and I don't know when it started calculating from, but I've actually already gained 8-11lbs since the beginning of my pregnancy when I compare measurements from around the same time of day. I'm pretty sure I'll have gained the recommended amount by my due date of January 2015, and not April 2015!

Below you can see the dashboard in the Android app as well as my overall weight chart since I first purchased the Withings Wireless Scale.

As you can tell, I haven't been using the weight goal very much as I just assumed it wouldn't make much sense during pregnancy. I use the scale to track overall progress, for which I find the graphs have been really exciting to watch. It is nice however to see the green line, which shows how I'm progressing towards my overall pregnancy weight goal.

One more attempt at using weight goals...

After weighing myself one more time mid-day, when my weight is at its peak, you can see how much more accurate the weight goal data can be. It seems overall that Withings hasn't configured its apps to use average data points from given times to calculate these, but instead uses the very latest measurement. Because my weight easily fluctuates 4 lbs a day, that makes it a less accurate and consistent way to measure progress.

Dashboard showing progress towards goal after a mid-day weighing

Same data, viewed in the Android application

So overall it seems the weight goal can be useful if you're interested in that feature. I would recommend to make it a habit to check the app after weighings at similar times of day. So either always check it at night, or always in the morning if you want to get a progressive, more realistic view. 

First trimester vs second

You can see from my charts below that I lost a little bit of weight during the first trimester. Luckily, I can attribute it not to unpleasant nausea, but to no longer drinking such delightfully calorie-intense IPAs! On the right you can see how quickly that's rectified itself in the second trimester, all of the way up to today's measurements at 24w4d.

First Trimester

Second Trimester

And here's the full graph I see when I log into the web application. The weight and BMI at the top are from an arbitrary point in the first trimester that I happen to have selected.

Again, notice the green line with my weight goal clearly highlighted against my measurements.

Other features

Both the FitBit Aria and the Withings Wireless Scale can track multiple users, and I find it works quite well. Whenever I step on the scale, it recognizes me by name after weighing myself.

My short name, DOM, shown on the scale as configured in the app

My partner uses it regularly. We both have access to log in and see all of the measurements on the scale. If guests come over and use it, these measurements don't get assigned to anyone, and we then have the option to discard them or create a new user on the scale.

Is it worth it?

Ultimately, it's just a scale, so it's really up to you. If you like seeing how you progress on an automatically-generated chart like I do, then go for it. I find that it really motivates me. I weigh myself every day in the morning and at night, and love to see how it deviates as my pregnancy progresses. I am not obsessed about weight, so for me it hasn't stressed me out to see that on some days I even gain 4lbs from morning to night, I find it rather fun and motivating to keep eating healthily. The gap you see in the diagrams above is when I went on vacation and (gasp!) didn't bring my scale with me. Otherwise, I've really kept up with weighing myself about twice a day on average, which has been really fun!

The true test of course will be when and if I need to start losing weight. I may feel slightly differently after the baby comes along, but we shall see!