Pregnant Women's Clothing

[strand]

This is a long post, and a bit out there but bear with me. Has anyone here dealt with trying to find good base layers and insulating layers for a 6 month pregnant woman? My wife drew a mule deer tag this year that is a 6-8 year draw, and she'll be 6 months pregnant on season opener Nov 4th. She’s dead set on hunting, so we’re going for it and I’ll be her dedicated spotter/sherpa. We had a lengthy talk with her doctor, and she gave us the green light to hunt and shoot and all of that so long as I keep her off the steep/nasty stuff to avoid any falls. She won't be carrying a pack, and I'll have her using trekking poles the entire time. We'll be hunting the badlands in western ND, so the weather could be anything from wind chills of -50 (2014 season) to 60+ above zero and sunny (2015 season). I'm planning on freezing cold conditions, and going from there. Her measurements pre-pregnancy based on the First Lite measuring chart are: sleeve – 28.5”, bust – 35”, waist – 29”, hip – 38.5”, IS – 26”. Current measurements are: sleeve – 28.5”, bust – 37.5”, waist – 31”, hip – 38.5”. She’s 5’2”, about 120 lbs pre-pregnancy. She has a few good mountain hardwear fleeces, and some good Columbia snow pants she’s used snowmobiling so I think we’re set there. I’m mainly looking for good quality merino baselayers, good puffy jacket, and possibly some good cold weather pants with some stretch built in. The pants are probably a long shot, and we might wind up with whatever we can find to fit her last minute. I’d like to find something like the Kuiu Guide pants with the fleece liner and weather resistant outer. Our best guess, her waist will be growing another 4-6” in the next 4 weeks (or more, this is baby #2 and carrying lower). A few specific questions now:
Do the women’s First Lite pieces have any extra length and stretch to accommodate a little extra growth? Mainly looking at the lupine crew, artemis hoody, and larkspur bottoms.
Can anyone recommend a puffy with some extra room? I might try a men’s small on her if the measurements are right. All of the women’s puffy’s I see on the market now have a form fitting look that don’t seem very accommodating for a baby bump. The Lost Park Parka from Kifaru seems like it actually has some extra room based on pictures…any thoughts on this? Would it swallow her up in the shoulders and sleeve length?
Any other base layer brands I should be looking at? I’m leaning towards merino because that’s what has worked well for me. She runs cold and really doesn’t like being cold, so that’s my challenge to overcome right now. I don’t mind carrying some extra weight to keep her comfy on longer glassing sits. I’ve been looking at a woobie/doobie for her, is the doobie worth the extra $40/11 oz weight penalty?
Anything else I'm not thinking about?

 

[Marshmstr]

Sorry, can't help you with suggestions, but I do plan on showing my wife your post (mine is 7 1/2 months pregnant for our 3rd) and tell her "look...see, his wife his pregnant and going hunting" ha ha.


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[DaveC]

Men's small puffy might work, but probably still won't have enough room in the hips and waist at 6+ months. Coat with a two way zipper can address that to a certain extent.

Merino does not have enough stretch for this. Yoga pants or powerstretch tights are the way to go. Pants with suspenders and the fly unzipped work, as do long skirts. My wife gained half her body weight while pregnant and was hiking and backpacking up until the 8 month mark in tights and dresses.

 

[Yellowknife]

Men's small puffy might work, but probably still won't have enough room in the hips and waist at 6+ months. Coat with a two way zipper can address that to a certain extent.

Merino does not have enough stretch for this. Yoga pants or powerstretch tights are the way to go. Pants with suspenders and the fly unzipped work, as do long skirts. My wife gained half her body weight while pregnant and was hiking and backpacking up until the 8 month mark in tights and dresses.

Tend to agree with Dave. Merino would not be the first thing I'd look for. Lots of stretch is a handy thing at that time. Particularly if you want to use it more than once!

My wife got a lot for miles from a Skoop down skirt with our kids. There are a number of insulated skirts out there. Not ideal for hunting, but you are going to have to be making some compromises. For coats, she just sized up in womens. Fit was far from perfect, but it got her through... and it's pointless buying for a particular size at that time. Just changes too fast. She also used suspenders on winter pants and bibs.