MATERNITY SHOPPING FIRST LOOK & SHAPES

Month 1 (SL time first 10 day period)

During this first month of pregnancy I have been contemplating that in SL a pregnancy is only about 1/3 of the time a real pregnancy, if not shorter.  Such a small duration of time actually and unlike rl we have a hud that says you are in day 1 of your pregnancy so we know as soon as the cycle is missed.  If SL was like RL I would just now be figuring out something was up.  A missed cycle and subjective symptoms that I would have been mistaking for stress, lack of sleep, bad food, or even the flu.  These symptoms include tiredness, breast changes (here come the big breasts!), nausea, bloating, and a slight rise in body temperature that can be mistaken for a fever to name a few.  Hence why most of us think we are sick at first.   I spent my first ten days like I would have spent the month rl by wearing a shirt, socks, panties, and my hair pulled back in a messy bun while I lounged about.  I am a miserable sick person to be honest and turn into a slug better left alone.  Of course I could muster myself to go shopping since some things must be done no matter how icky you feel and because in SL the benefits to knowing you are expecting from day 1 are clothes shopping, and getting your shapes ready.

I started taking a good look at maternity clothes and found myself spending hours in Marketplace wondering how this shirt will look or that dress.  After my first look through the selections and I will be brutally honest,  I was left completely disappointed by the lack of selection though I did find some cute clothes.  Pregnant women wish to be beautiful, stylish, and not feel like the clothes we have to wear were made before SL introduced all the wonderful tools designers now have.  If you wear Lolas Tango your choices just got cut even more.  So I went shopping for regular clothes that would fill the gap for a little bit.  Sn@tch to the rescue!  I love Ivey Deschanel's designs.  I went to her store and found the Heidi Dress I am wearing in her riot vendor and snagged it for an amazing price.  While there one of her lucky boards came up a K and I was able to get the Sn@tch Crystal Gypsy Jewelry Set for free.  Shop around and do not get focused on having to buy maternity items I encourage all women expecting in SL to try on any mesh clothing without the alpha on.  Flip through your shapes and when your belly is just peaking out of the mesh that is how long you can wear the outfit.  If you buy the item you are trying on, make a notation on a notecard, and/or put it in a special folder.  The Heidi dress will carry me through month 3 but is the perfect late summer romantic top to pair with a cute set of leggings and sandals.

In SL we have allot of body designers who offer pregnancy shapes and you can find several shapes for free.  The amount of shapes you use is completely a personal preference.  I went with 9 and did some research on how my body would be changing.  First I had visited stores looking for a shape that was close to my height and looks but eventually decided to make my own.  Each woman carries a child in their own distinctive way.  Unfortunately SL makes this option very limited so that leaves us turning to prim, sculpt, and mesh bellies.  You think finding clothes was hard before now it becomes almost impossible using a visual belly attachment.   After making my shapes I set up my RLV folders and my Tantra Total Woman Hud  to use the RLV to auto switch through the shapes as my pregnancy progresses.  This was surprisingly easy!  The Tantra Total Woman Hud  site gives very clear directions and they have photos for you to compare to.  This RLV feature is wonderful because I do not have to worry about changing the shape and as in rl suddenly I have grown out of my clothes.  I love the fact that I logged on and my shape changed slightly, I giggled over my breasts popping a little out of my mesh.  Each little change is exciting to me and to my husband Riot.  He made me laugh when he role played bending over to my belly and said,  "Hello in there, we can't wait to meet you!"  Yes I am smiling as I write this.  He is amazing and supportive.  I wonder if he is going to put on empathy fat?

I am wearing Cutie Patootie Capri's from Custom iNKZ , Sn@tch Heidi Tube Dress, and Slink  Lulu Stilettos (Addon). My jewelry is EarthStones Nose Stud & Dark Alchemy Bridal Set, MAXI GOSSAMER  Damask Bangles, and Sn@tch  Crystal Gypsy Jewelry Set. My shapes is my own, my skin is Glam Affair, my hair is Jasmine by Lelutka, my nails are Slink Avatar Enhancement Fingernails, and my feet are Slink Enhancement Medium Feet.

These items I am listing separately because they are part of The Black Fair 2013 and are free gifts or at the least under 50L. Eyeliner is [CIA] Graphic eyeliner Black.  My ring is MG Black Roho, my clutch is the Ariskea Trinity mesh clutch in Purple night, and my manicure and pedicure are[theSkinnery]Slink Carbon Finger & Toe nails Appliers.  You can find these items and many more at
The Black Fair 2013.

*I want to make a small comment about pregnancy rl.  It is very important that if you are expecting to see a doctor within your first 13 weeks and see a doctor 13 times during your pregnancy.  I can not stress how important this is to both you and your unborn child.  Please visit these sites to help.  They have been a world of information in my quest to educate myself for my SL pregnancy.
March of Dimes 
The Baby Center
What To Expect
Plus many other blogs, websites, and education material that you can find in a simple search.