As a pregnant mama, have you ever lamented how few times you actually need to wear some of those (expensive) maternity clothes?  Or did you get bored with the few pieces you have?  Today, I’m sharing with you an interview with Krystal Stubbendeck, founder of a fabulous company called Borrow For Your Bump (BFYB).  BFYB rents maternity and nursing clothes to new mothers.

Mindful Return: Krystal, renting your maternity clothes sounds like a fantastic idea.  Can you tell us a bit about how Borrow For Your Bump (BFYB) was born?

Krystal:  I was a wannabe entrepreneur for a long time, and I started BFYB in 2012 out of my (very small) condo in downtown Chicago while still working a boring, full-time finance gig.

At the time, many of my friends and siblings (I come from a family of 7) all had the same complaints: cute maternity clothes were hard to find, they were unfamiliar with the new maternity brands, and they didn’t want to waste money that they may only wear a few times.

Once I became pregnant myself, I experienced these exact same problems. With a passion of running my own company and a love for fashion, I decided to start BFYB.

Mindful Return:  Love it!  How exactly does the service work?

Krystal:  Our subscription boxes are our most popular service. First, you simply purchase a box. Then, you will be prompted via email to fill out your style profile. In this profile you tell us about you: your size, your profession, you pick out a few styles that you love, tell us if you have any important events coming up, brands you love, etc.

Then, our stylists pull together four pieces specifically for you. These four pieces can be exchanged as many times as you want – if you want to return one item, we’ll ship you one. If you return all four, we’ll ship out four more. The best part is shipping is always free both ways, and we take care of the cleaning too.

Mindful Return:  I remember going to a wedding while pregnant and being disappointed at having to buy an expensive maternity dress I was only going to wear once.  Can you help out on the formal-wear front?

Krystal:  Yes!  If you need a dress for a special event, you can book that using our future booking tool. Just find the dress you love in the size you need, select your rental duration and shipping date.  Like the subscription boxes, we take care of the shipping, both ways, and the cleaning.

Mindful Return:  After baby arrives, many moms struggle with the nursing clothes conundrum.  Do you offer rental options for nursing-friendly fashion?

Krystal:  Yes, we do.  Many of our customers start using the service while pregnant and then continue beyond pregnancy, so they can solutions that fit their lifestyle – whether that’s professional wear for the office or more comfortable solutions for while they are at home with the new baby.

Mindful Return:  Anything else you want to tell Mindful Return readers about BFYB?

Krystal:  At BFYB, we want mamas to look and feel their best so our commitment is to provide convenience, style and quality with styles that fit your body for your lifestyle.

Krystal Stubbendeck is the owner and founder of Borrow For Your Bump.  She has been married to her high school sweetheart for many, many years and they have a sassy daughter, Estella Ryan. 

What solutions have worked for you for your maternity and post-partum fashion conundrums?  Share below in comments!  Also check out To Buy or Not to Buy?  What’s a New Mama Between Sizes to Do About Clothes?.

Heading back to work after maternity leave?  Join a community of awesome mamas returning at the same time you are.  Next session of Mindful Return starts soon.