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SoutheastTexasWeddings.com

You're pregnant for 9ish months. Of those 9ish months, you may wear maternity clothing for say 5-6 months. But, you HAD to wear maternity clothes which means you have a full out wardrobe of clothes you may never wear again.

What to do with the excessive oddly-shaped clothing?

Take it to Belle Maman, a maternity & baby boutique located at 5955 Phelan Blvd. in Beaumont. Belle Maman has a gently worn maternity clothing collection program called "Belly to Belly." When you drop off a bag of clothes, Belle Maman will give you 15% off any one item in the store as their way of saying thanks.

The clothing collected in the Belly to Belly program is donated to The Hope Center (serving women facing crisis pregnancy) in Beaumont. The Hope Center served 1300 expected mothers in 2006. Many of the mothers that come to The Hope Center are considering abortion. It is the HOPE that after time spent at The Hope Center, these expectant moms will choose life instead of ending their pregnancy. The Hope Center's Director, Mary Milligan, says that the majority of the women do choose to keep their baby.

The Hope Center offers educational, parenting and life application classes to the expectant moms. Upon completing classes, reading educational material, attending school, etc., the women are given a voucher to be used in The Hope Center boutique where they are allowed to "shop" for baby items such as clothing, bedding, diapers, decor and maternity clothing.

Belle Maman owner Krista Oliphant is a mother of four. She knows the importance of a good support system during pregnancy and early motherhood. This is why she chooses to support The Hope Center. "We found out that the Hope Center receives many donations for baby items, but not many for the moms," said Krista.

Belle Maman is currently collecting the following items for The Hope Center:

• Baby food
• Formula (you know, all those samples you get in the mail)
• Diapers
• Maternity Clothing
• Parenting magazines & books

To find out more about The Hope Center for Crisis Pregnancy, visit them online. To find out more about Belle Maman or to shop their online store, click here.

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