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It’s gotten rather cold, suddenly, so I thought I’d go on the hunt for maternity coats for pregnant readers. The usual budget suspects like Kohls, Old Navy, and Macy’s all have coats for under $100 — but my absolute favorite is this wool boucle coat from H&M. It looks sleek and sophisticated, as well as warm. It’s $99, and available in sizes XS-XL. H&M Mama Wool Boucle Coat
P.S. Note that Nordstrom has a convertible coat for $150 — I’ve only seen much more expensive versions before. Even though I’m less fond of the puffy coat look, this would be my coat of choice if I were pregnant — as well as on maternity leave — during super cold months.
P.P.S. Note that Piperlime has a pretty killer “take 30% off any order over $200” sale right now, with tons of great accessories to pick from, including Corporette reader favorites like Stuart Weitzman and Kate Spade New York included in the mix.
P.P.P.S. Note that sister brands Gap and Banana Republic are both 40% off today, and Old Navy is 35% off, all with code CHEER.
Sales of note for 3.28.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything plus extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off 2+ items; 40% off 1
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- Lands’ End – 10% off your order
- Loft – 50% off everything
- Nordstrom: Give $150 in gift cards, earn a $25 promo card (ends 3/31)
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item; 25% off everything else
- Zappos – 37,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – 50% off entire site
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all swim; up to 30% off HannaJams
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; 50% off select swim; 50% off kids’ styles
- Old Navy – 50% off Easter deals
- Target – 20% off Easter styles for all; up to 30% off kitchen & dining; BOGO 50% off shoes & slippers for the family;
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Personal Question says
Sorry for the personal question, but here goes. Has anyone else had to deal with recurrent yeast infections since having a baby? I never had one in my life prior to having a baby, but since then (7 mo) I’ve had at least 5. It’s getting really tiresome. Anyone have tips on how to avoid them? I already eat a lot of yogurt.
NewMomAnon says
I haven’t had that problem, but I know that my OB recommended probiotics to avoid thrush, which is basically a yeast infection of the b**bs. So maybe try adding a probiotic to your diet? You can buy them at Target, CVS, etc. I was told to look for a high number of live cultures, but I don’t remember which brand I ended up using.
Oh, and I was told to reduce my sugar intake, since yeast thrive on sugar.
MomAnon4This says
This. Probiotic supplements have, literally, a billion more probiotics than yogurt.
That was a discussion with my doctor:
Dr: Take a probiotic.
Me: Can I just eat more yogurt?
Dr: Probiotic supplements have, literally, a billion more probiotics than yogurt.
Me: OK! Probiotic supplements it is.
hoola hoopa says
+1 for probiotics. I’ve always done fine with yogurt levels, but my oldest daughter had chronic yeast infections until we started her on probiotics. I give her Culturelle, I believe is the name.
Bleaching her underwear regularly helps a lot, too, particularly during and after an infection.
Meg Murry says
Yeast in breasts or in crotch or both? Sorry for the personal follow-up, but any chance you have issues with bladder leakage since baby was born, especially when you sneeze, cough or laugh? I certainly do/did, and thicker pantiliners or thin pads changed often are your friend. Also, wash your underwear (and/or bras if its thrush) with a good vinegar rinse to help make sure you aren’t re-infecting that way.
If its breasts, make sure baby is also treated for thrush. If crotch – men can be silently infected, possibly your husband is re-infecting you and needs treatment. My doctor also said the 1 day OTC treatments are not recommended, as they can often not kill everything and you are better off with the 3 day OTC treatments – but after infection 5 you should probably talk to your OBGYN, as you may have a strain that is resistant to the OTC treatments and need something stronger.
Jen says
I will add that if you are having bladder leakage issues and have the time and money / insurance, it may be worth going to a PT (or at least doing Kegels on your own — but I have had much more success when there is a professional assessing me).
Personal Question says
Hi all. Thanks so much. To clarify, the infections are not with my b**bs, only in nether regions. I don’t think it is the same infection recurring because I have tried the 7 day OTC treatments and things will clear up for a few weeks. I will try the probiotics and try to cut down on sugar. I am BFing and sleep deprived, so sugary treats are one of the things getting me through the day sometimes. Le sigh.
mascot says
Another thing to try is to sleep commando. Allows everything to get some air. Add loose cotton pj pants if you need some coverage.
ANP says
Love this coat!
Efficiency question: how do your households manage laundry? We’re a family of four but will be adding a fifth member next year (I’m currently pregnant). Our strategy now is weekend laundry with the occasional load of sheets/towels or other items that don’t need immediate folding during the week. Our kids are both under age 5.
Part of me thinks it might be more efficient to do a load a day (or a load every other day) but then I fear our clean clothes will linger forever in laundry baskets — at least when we’re in Intense Weekend Laundry Mode, we can focus on getting everything put back where it belongs. What am I missing here?
JJ says
Family of four here. We mostly do laundry on weekends, but will sometimes do a load or two of kids clothes during the week (depending on the amount of potty training “accidents” that week). I’ve found our lives are a lot easier if we just start Intense Laundry Weekend Mode (LOVE that, by the way) on Friday night and just keep it going through Sunday. We pile the kids clean clothes on our dining room table and just fold everything into piles, and once their clothes are done, take to their rooms and put away. We save our adult clothes laundry for Sunday, because that usually only takes 2-3 loads.
On rough weekends (see – this weekend when both kids had a stomach virus), we just keep the laundry on the table (or, if I’m motivated, in baskets) and pull out clothes for them from there during the week.
RR says
Same. Weekend makes the most sense for getting stuff put away. Sometimes, we are grabbing out of laundry baskets all week (particularly for the kids). I feel like I’ve achieved something just by sending them in clean clothes.
MomAnon4This says
When we had TV in the living room SO CLOSE to the laundry room… the folding was easy to do :) Now the TV is on a different floor and tbh the clean laundry lingers in baskets, or on the couch, or on the loveseat until the Laundry Party on the weekend. We HAVE to put the clothes away, to empty the baskets, to put the newly clean clothes back into the baskets… Not sure how to end the cycle without changing my entire laundry personality.
CHJ says
I’m so glad to hear that other people have laundry piles. Our laundry situation is pretty dire – we throw the clean laundry on to the bed in the guest room, and loosely make four piles for DS, DH, me, and sheets/towels, and then rummage through the piles all week to find what we need. My next step of organization would be for each person to have their own laundry basket so we can run the loads separately (and therefore no sorting required). It’s a bit of a disaster, but I just can’t manage to make it a priority in my life these days.
Meg Murry says
Yes – for us running each person’s load separately (or at least, one for me, one for husband and combined for kids) cuts down on the post sorting. Although it does mean that occasionally the 7 year old wears a pair of 2T pants as shorts, but whatever, he’s wearing clothes so its all good.
We also put both kids beds in one room and their dressers in the other bedroom, and right now there are 5 clean baskets and hampers of clothes in that room, plus 3 diaper boxes full of stuff that’s too small or out of season, and 2 boxes that I just started pulling out of for the youngest to go up a size. Ugh, I hate laundry. Our house has an unfinished room, and my dream is that someday it will be a laundry room/ dressing room for all our clothes – or at least H and I, with a spot for the kids clothes to go in and out.
Meg Murry says
I don’t have an answer, because our clothes generally just linger forever in baskets – I’m with others that just having clean clothes is a victory some weeks. We had a crazy week last week, so I spent all weekend doing laundry and now we have 5 baskets/hampers of kids clean clothes and 4 of mine. I managed to get 2 baskets of kids clothes put away, and mine folded and in piles in preparation for going into a suitcase (going out of town this week).
I’m thinking of giving up on dressers all together and just going to this system, since we just keep buying baskets and totes. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/172614598189232622/
mascot says
oh the laundry piles. Each person’s load is done by itself (only 3 of us) and then a load of house laundry for sheets and towels. The kid’s laundry gets put away promptly, mine sits for a bit. As for DH, well, let’s just say that the dog is madly in love with her new nest of undershirts on couch in our room. Sigh.
NewMomAnon says
Ok, I saw this on Apartment Therapy once – a woman replaced all the drawers and shelves in her closet with shelves that were large enough so she could just put her laundry baskets of clean clothes right on the closet shelves. It seemed brilliant to me. We’re holding it together on the laundry front (I throw in a load or two each night after baby goes to bed), but I have reserved my right to implement the laundry basket closet if need be.
Pogo says
That sounds brilliant. No kids yet, but if I don’t put all of DH’s clothes away for him they will linger in the basket until he needs those items (weeks, months, years – kidding, sort of). I hate doing it on principle, he’s an adult that can put away his own clothes, but I also hate the clutter.
I’m sure when we have kids it’ll be a lost cause, aka piles of laundry in the guest room.
Anonymous says
Family of 4 with a 5th on the way as well. We’ve tried different things and the way that works best for us is what you’re doing now (everything on weekends, plus one set of sheets). The only laundry we do are emergency loads (ie, bedwetting). Weekday laundry just doesn’t work for us. It ends up being drawn out until the weekend anyway. We churn through the loads during the day, then husband’s and my hot and exciting weekend plans are folding in front of the tv.
We don’t consider the laundry done until it’s folded *and back in the drawer*. That mental change really helped because we’d think ‘laundry is done’ and never get it put away, but now we have the mantra that keeps the fire under us.
Anonymous says
That should say “The only laundry we do *on weekdays* are emergency loads (ie, bedwetting).”
EB0220 says
Oh, laundry is the bane of my house’s tidiness. Before we moved recently, our cleaning lady folded the laundry for us. Sometimes it would sit, folded, for two weeks until it was time for her to come again. But at least it was easier to deal with that way. Now, we have no system and it drives me crazy. Thanks for sharing your approaches!
MomAnon4This says
LOVE these coats. So glad I got my maternity winter coat from eBay and it arrived Friday or Saturday. I gave it a machine wash and it’ll be ready in time for freezing temps on Tuesday. And then my work sends me to Minneapolis the 1st week of December, so I’ll be ready.
In-law management says
My in-laws (MIL and two SILs) live close to each other but far from us. They talk to my husband largely on his cell during his long commute (their habit, predating us getting together). I send them various children’s drawings and cards that they make and school pictures. Is there a standard set of stuff that I should do? I want to help the ILs be less unknown to our children, but from a distance, it’s hard to know what is standard.
My examples from my parents that this job falls to the women and if people aren’t particularly good at long-distance things, all you can do is send the basics. My sister is BFFs with her inlaws (and that is all long-distance).
Tunnel says
Have pictures of them up in your house so that the kids can know who they are on the rare occasions they see the distant relatives.
Meg Murry says
Depending on kids ages, I’ve also seen the suggestion to make a “family book” on Snapfish, etc with pictures of both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc to read with your kids, so that the other grandparents don’t seem like strangers the 2x a year your kids see them.
Anonymous says
Can you do video-chat with the kids on the weekends, in addition to the commuting calls?
Pogo says
+1 Teach them how to skype or FaceTime.
My SIL created a private Facebook group for our family and she posts videos, pictures, artworks, and stories from the kids (funny things they said, etc). Only ‘members’ of the group can see the posts.
Without employing the use of technology, not sure how much more involved they can be.
MomAnon4This says
My in-laws don’t talk to me. You’re doing more than I do for in-law/grandkid relations. It’s up to Husband to do his family, and he knows it.
Anonymous says
Our communication is exactly the same. They chat with husband only and emails (occasional) only go to him. I send the cards/photos/etc from the kids. I see myself as facilitating for the kids only – just b/c husband isn’t good at that stuff. I don’t send or arrange mother’s day gifts/cards from husband, for example, but I’m ‘off the hook’ b/c the kids cards arrived. ;)
I really truly enjoy my ILs and have a great relationship with them, but I don’t feel the need to talk with them outside of our in-person visits (once a year due to distance). My husband doesn’t chat on the phone or by email with parents, either. He also has a very good relationship with them and we see them weekly.
ANP says
OK, another question (since you guys are already making me feel a lot better about my laundry situation!). My SIL is pregnant with her fifth child, due in June of next year. She is notoriously hard to buy gifts for — doesn’t have a lot of time/inclination for hobbies and she and her spouse have a lot more money than we do, so they often just buy things for themselves that they want/like. Any ideas for Christmas presents?
So far I got her some Lush bath bombs, but DH’s family goes pretty crazy at the holidays so we still need to think of either one bigger gift or a few smaller ones. I was thinking maternity pajamas (since that feels a little splurge-y) but haven’t found anything I love so far. I’d like to keep additional purchases under $75.
mascot says
How about just a family gift instead? Family memberships to zoos or museums? Saturday morning breakfast basket (good coffee, hot chocolate mix for the kids, real syrup, pancake/waffle mix, you could even stalk gap/ON for matching pjs on sale), family movie night with netflix/amazon gift card and gourmet popcorn?
ANP says
Sigh. I wish. Christmas is CRAZY for my in-laws and a family gift would have to be on top of individual presents. It’s a lot, and isn’t how I was raised/my family does things, but there you go…
hoola hoopa says
We have the same SIL and same ‘gift rules’. I’m pretty sure my stuff is generally a flop and my brother/her husband is zero help b/c he never knows what to get her either.
GC for prenatal massage? I also like JJ’s splurge ideas. I’ve gotten SIL cooking gadgets, high end food stuffs, jewelry, personalized luggage tags, cozy socks/slippers. The one thing that I know she has really enjoyed is a microwaveable heat pad.
ANP says
hoola, love the idea for a prenatal massage! YES. Thank you!
JJ says
Even for people that buy themselves things, what about something splurgy that they might not buy? A cashmere throw (you can get them on Ruelala and HauteLook at your price point), a cashmere open-front wrap that she could wear while pregnant/nursing at home, etc?
Pogo says
Something I like to do is a gift basket that I put together for the person – so for a SIL maybe fancy chocolates from Whole Foods, selection of different teas from Harney & Sons, a few Essie nail polishes, little Vera Bradley makeup bags, etc. Especially if you wrap all the stuff individually and put in a big fancy bag with lots of tissue paper, it gives them a bunch of things to open (my ILs sound like yours with the large present count!).
JJ says
Like I said above, we dealt with the dual stomach virus all weekend with my kids (this totally outs me to anyone I know that reads this blog…but oh well). This was the first time we’ve had both boys sick at the same time. Thankfully, it was only a 12-hour type virus. Now, my husband and I both feel fine, but I keep waiting and wondering if either of us are going to get sick. This waiting game is pretty terrible.
CHJ says
Oh the baby/toddler stomach flu! Never been sicker in my life than when I caught stomach bugs from my son. I hope you and your husband both avoid it!
hoola hoopa says
Best of luck!!!
MomAnon4This says
Start chugging Gatorade, just in case. I did that one time as I watched my husband go down for the count. I still got the bug, but not as badly. He’d probably gotten it from something he ate, and I got it from him and our 1 bathroom, so maybe it would’ve been to a lesser degree, anyway? Still, Gatorade FTW
Meg Murry says
Oh, and as to the topic actually at hand – a friend gave me a coat with an expandable maternity/babywearing panel as a hand-me-down that someone bought her from Europe. I only had the opportunity to wear it a few times, but it was nice (and almost too warm for me with baby body heat up against me). It was well constructed, and also had the ability to add the extra panel to the back to carry a baby on your back.
The brand was MaM Design, and I think it was this one – if you live in an area where you carry a baby in an Ergo often it might be worth looking into to see if your size is available on ebay, etc, since they aren’t officially sold in the US. http://www.mamdesign.net/carrying/clothes/mamcoat.html
OliveMac says
Hi Boston ladies (assuming there must be some of you!). Does anyone know if another parenting center/set of classes/retail shop has taken over since ISIS closed? Three of my friends went to the classes there and loved them. I’m now expecting (finally! it’s been a very long time coming!) and I’m so bummed they closed up. Has anything stepped in to replace them yet?
CHJ says
Oh ISIS! I was so sad when it closed. Are you on Garden Moms? It’s an online forum (on BigTent dot com) for parents in the Boston area. There have been a lot of posts lately about ISIS-type pre-natal and newborn classes at various locations. There was also an ISIS-is-closed Facebook page for a while that listed lots of alternatives for classes that might be worth checking out.
OliveMac says
Thanks, CHJ! I’ll take a look at that!
Beth says
In my area (south shore), there are a few places that took on ISIS
Clients/families. Let me know if that would be helpful!
OliveMac says
Beth, thanks! I’m in Cambridge and work north of the city, but thanks for responding.
Maternity Leave Stress says
Probably posting too late to get much of a response… but I’m about halfway through my maternity leave, and (stupidly) checked my work email to discover an angry email from a partner to me and several coworkers who completely dropped the ball on a project. We all worked on the project, but it was not assigned to any of us in particular. The manager on the project did not follow up with anyone about it until two days before it was due, by which point it was too late. This project will now not get to the client by the appropriate deadline. I’m pretty sure this is almost entirely my fault, as I was the last person who had the file, as far as I know. I hadn’t worked on it in months because we were waiting on more information, which is how it slipped through the cracks before I went on maternity leave.
I’m not supposed to go back to work for another month. What should I do? Email the partner now? Wait ’til I get back to work and ask coworkers about it to figure out what happened and to make sure it really was my fault? Just drop it and see what happens? If it matters, the partner works in another department and has no clue who I am. Ugh, I hate that this happened, and I am so stressed out by it.
pockets says
How recent was the email? If it from more than a day ago, it’s probably been sorted out without you. Either way, there doesn’t seem to be much you can do.
I would just drop it and see what happens because there’s not much you can really do aside from go back to work and help to get the project out the door (which I assume you don’t want to do). But I have like zero career motivation and would have probably been fired a long time ago if I worked at a big firm, so YMMV.
Tunnel says
This. If you want, if you are close to one of the other attorney’s on the project (not the partner), you could email saying “I just saw this. Has this been resolved?” That will give you the scoop. But do not cut your leave short. The world continues turning without you.
Carrie M says
Hmm. This is a tough one! I would talk to one of the other attorneys on the project (not the partner) and figure out if it’s been sorted out and try to get a sense from them of just how pissed the partner is.
If it’s a project that can be quickly finished, would it even be feasible for you to arrange for childcare and go in for a few days to finish it up (assuming you feel physically and mentally able to do so)? If you get the sense that they need your help AND you’d be willing to help, then I would call the partner and explain the situation – you’re on leave, you’d be willing to come in for a short period to sort this out, but that you intend to be on leave for X weeks after that. He may very well tell you not to do this.
If you aren’t able or willing to help out, or if it would be a big commitment to do so, then I would just drop it and deal with it once you’re back from leave. I actually cut my leave slightly short to return to work on an appeal that I knew was coming down the pike. But I wish I had talked more openly with the partner about it first, before just deciding on my own that I wanted to do this. In retrospect, (a) he didn’t really *need* me and (b) I would have enjoyed a bit more time with my baby.