Week 5: Pregnancy Carry Options to Consider

You may have just found out your pregnant. You may have also just started to "feel" pregnant or have symptoms of your pregnancy such as morning sickness, extreme fatigue, breast tenderness, etc.

Whether you are experiencing these things or not, if you have decided to continue to carry a firearm throughout your pregnancy this is the perfect time to start thinking ahead to the next nine months and what it might mean for you.

Right now you may still be able to wear a belt and feel comfortable doing so. You may even carry in a shoulder holster, a thigh holster or ankle holster and feel confident in your choice, but now is the time to recognize that these things are going to change. There is going to come a time when a belt is no longer an option, when a thigh holster (especially a good one which is kept from sliding down the leg via a garter around the weight) is inaccessible and an ankle holster is unreachable. Even thunderwear holsters that are hung around the waist below the belly are going to be extremely hard to access around your protruding belly.

It's safe to assume that everything from the waist down is going to be uncomfortable or inaccessible (especially in the immediate time frame you are going to need it if needed for self defense). It's time to think of alternate options and try them out while you still have the means to carry in the method that you trust and are comfortable with... Your FAST gear, if you will.

Your best options are going to be carry methods utilized above the waist or off body carry methods. A few to consider are as follows:

• Shoulder holsters
• Vest/shirt/undershirt or clothing holster (holsters incorporated into clothing) 
• Purse/bag holsters

(As I come across any new methods of carry I will be sure to add them).

Research the options and consider what might work best for you (and fear not, I will be sure to document how I've found these options to work for me during my pregnancy so that you have someone's experience to reference). Since some of these holster options might take some time to order and arrive you may want to consider purchasing that holster option for later down the road (keeping in mind your growing body) and try it out so that when it comes to the time when you HAVE to carry in that new method you are already comfortable with it and don't have readjust. Who knows, you might even find something you love even when not pregnant!