Pregnancy
Buy and sell pregnancy in Costa Rica.
Most of what a pregnancy calls for is worn for a few months and then packed away: maternity jeans with a stretch panel, wrap dresses that later open for nursing, a U-shaped pillow that claims half the bed and the long tulle gown for the photo session. All of it changes hands here new and pre-owned, and much of it in good shape, because the time it was used was short. Maternity photo sessions are common in Costa Rica, usually in the last stretch before the birth, and the gowns from those shoots are among the easiest pieces to pass on to the next expectant mother.
Maternity clothes cut for a growing bump:
what separates one piece from another is mostly where the stretch sits. Maternity jeans and trousers come with a full panel that rises over the belly, a low panel that sits beneath it, or elastic side inserts that suit the early months, and many add buttonhole elastic inside the waistband to take them in or let them out. Wrap and empire-line dresses keep fitting after the birth, and nursing tops hide a second layer or side openings. Maternity and nursing bras open at the cup with a clip, and belly bands and girdles are sold by hip measurement rather than dress size. Breast pumps, bottles and the supplies of the first weeks sit with baby care.
The pregnancy pillow and the bag for the hospital:
both tend to be bought late, so choose them with the space you have in mind. A U-shaped pillow wraps both sides of the body and takes up half a double bed; a C or J shape runs along one side and the back, and a small wedge slips under the bump or behind the back. The ones worth having come with a zipped cover that comes off for washing, since the cover takes more wear than the filling. The bag packed for the hospital in the last weeks often carries on as one of the diaper bags, and the loose outfit for the ride home belongs with baby clothing.
Gowns for the photo session and what they fetch:
a heavy imported tulle gown with a full skirt and a cape runs around ₡60,000 to ₡75,000 new, while lighter stretch dresses for the same shoot cost a fraction of that. A pregnancy pillow sits in between, from about ₡15,000 for a small one to around ₡35,000 for a full U or G shape. The gown is the piece that holds its value: it was worn for an afternoon, the stretch bodice fits a range of sizes, and the next buyer already has a date booked. A pillow loses more, because its filling flattens a little every night and nobody pays much for a cover that cannot come off.
Slack panels, flattened filling and clips that no longer hold:
those three tell you how hard a piece has been used. Stretch a belly panel and let go: it should spring back, not sag or ripple, and the seam where it meets the denim should be whole. On a nursing bra, open and close each clip with one hand and look for wavy elastic in the band; many buyers will only take nursing bras new with the tags on. Squeeze a pillow along its length for lumps and thin spots, unzip the cover and smell the filling. On a photo gown, spread the hem and train out on the floor, since that is where grass, sand and a heel leave their mark, and check the tulle for pulled threads and the zip for a smooth run. Creams and oils are only worth taking sealed and in date.
Your pre-pregnancy size and the months a piece fitted:
those two facts sell maternity clothes, because the labels follow the size a woman wore before and the bump does the rest. Give your size from before, say at what stage of the pregnancy each piece fitted, and group trousers, tops and dresses into lots for the early, middle or final months. Photograph clothes flat with the panel stretched out and gowns full length with the train spread, and for a gown add your height and whether the hem was taken up. Someone with a session booked in Palmares or Tres Ríos for a fixed weekend wants to know, before writing to you, whether the gown is steamed, comes with its cape or flower crown and can be collected in time.