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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 37 Comments · by

Finally Friday: Leona Slingback

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Bella-Vita Leona | CorporetteMomsI keep seeing this kind of shoe around — with flowy pants, with ankle pants, with skinny jeans — and I like that this one comes from a comfort brand, doesn’t have a huge platform, and comes in a zillion widths and three colors. It’s $89 at Zappos. Bella-Vita Leona Slingback (L-2)

Sales of note for 9.10.24

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

Kid/Family Sales

  • Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
  • Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
  • J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
  • Old Navy – 40% off everything
  • Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs

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Comments

  2. waiting says

    I’m 7 weeks pregnant and have been cleared to work out as normal (except for crazy adventure sports, high-impact activities…). I’m normally strong and active, and am someone who needs physical activity to deal with stress and maintain good energy. I’m expecting twins, which is terrifying to me, both in terms of risk to the pregnancy and in terms of what it’ll do to my body. I’d like to make a big effort to stay as strong and fit as possible to stay healthy, deal with anxiety, have fun, and make “bouncing back” a little easier. I’m also concerned with strengthening core muscles to support what I imagine will be an enormous belly.

    I’m planning to do prenatal yoga, walk and swim, but I’m wondering whether it makes sense to hire a trainer to instruct me on how to do some very light strength training. Are there trainers who specialize in pregnant women? Has anyone used one? Any recs in NYC? Also open to hearing what exercise has worked for others!

    Thanks so much!

    • sfg says

      No NYC specific recs, but I went to small group prenatal Pilates classes that I thought were very helpful in maintaining my core strength during pregnancy.

    • MSJ says

      I was in shape before twins (regular running/yoga) but had to stop working out as soon as the ivf treatments started. The first trimester I was wiped out and couldn’t manage anything more than walking. Once I got some more energy around 14 weeks I did various DVDs (10 minute pilates was a favorite, and there is also a pretty good prenatal barre video) on a regular basis and continued walking. I found group classes were never at a convenient time (often during the weekday) but you may have better luck depending on your neighborhood. The few times I swam, I felt awesome, but didn’t have regular access to a pool. Aquamom in NYC sounded nice though.
      But overall, be flexible with your expectations and try not to compare yourself to singleton moms. At 30 weeks, you will likely be larger than women past their due date. I tried to stay active and felt pretty good up until 32 weeks and then it went downhill fast. By 35 weeks, I struggled to walk around the block and sitting was uncomfortable. That was all due to the way I carried and two big babies, and no amount of exercise would have helped it. But then again, other twin moms are able to work out up until they give birth.
      Good luck! And since you are in NYC, definitely sign up for the Twiniversity classes. Well worth it

    • buckeyeesq says

      I mostly walked and did yoga during my twin pregnancy–I ran before I knew it was twins but was told to stop after we learned it was multiples. I also did some light weightlifting. I’m with MSJ, if you’re already generally fit, then toward the end there’s not a lot you can do, and I don’t think all the training in the world will help at that point.

      On the bouncing back, I just wanted to provide a not-scary story, because I think most of the internet has frightening ones. I gained 40-ish pounds, my babies weighed 11+ combined pounds, and I ended up with no stretch marks or extra skin (see Kat’s post on BelleFit corsets, I think they worked very well). I was cleared to work out 6 weeks after my c-section (and physically could, but rarely had the time) and even with very (*VERY*) limited training, I ran a half marathon in 2 hours and 10 minutes 6 months after giving birth (I was also successfully pumping, so it’s possible to do substantial workouts and still feed twins).

      I’m certain this isn’t the experience of a lot of women, and I know it’s more down to genetics and luck than anything I did, but don’t get too worried about bouncing back yet, it may be a non-issue.

    • pockets says

      if you are in NYC, I recommend Aquamoms. It’s a swim class designed for pregnant women. The woman who runs it is a little hard to get in touch with, but it was a great, relaxing way to stay fit through pregnancy. There was one mom of twins in the class I went to. The best email I have is aquamom [dot] class at gmail

      • anonomom says

        I swam throughout both pregnancies (along with continuing my yoga, walking and weigh-lifting workouts) and loved being able to move in the water. I liked to think of myself as a mama porpoise at the beginning but became a mama whale towards the end! Maybe a bit fanciful but I imagined the baby swimming in his/her amniotic fluid along with me. Very relaxing and invigorating at the same time.

        Also, being in the pool for 45min-hour I noticed that that would remove any swelling in my feet, at least up until the last month. Even in the last month of pregnancy, the water would reduce if not eliminate the swelling.

    • Spirograph says

      first, congratulations!

      I’ll preface this by saying I’ve only had singletons, but my doctor told me I could do whatever I wanted (except contact sports) as long as I felt good doing it. By the last few weeks, swimming, short walks, and yoga were all I could handle, and I imagine that point happens a lot sooner if you’re carrying twins. Earlier in my pregnancy, though, I kept up with weight lifting at around 60-80% of my max. There are absolutely trainers who can give you pregnancy-specific recs, but as long as you remember to breathe and are doing pregnancy-safe exercises (ie, not lying on your stomach or flat on your back, or doing heavy overhead lifts), good form is the most important thing. If you’re new to lifting, any trainer will be able to help you balance correctly and check that you’re working the intended muscles. If you’re already experienced with weights, I found good modifications online once by belly started getting in the way, no trainer necessary.

      If you’re into workout DVDs, my favorites were (in order from easiest to most challenging) Shiva Rea Prenatal Yoga, Summer Sanders’ Prenatal Workout, and The Perfect Pregnancy Workout Vol 1.

    • FWIW says

      I’m 9 weeks and due to some scary early spotting stuff (thanks for the reassurance again ladies!), I was told to lay off my regular workouts (lots of running with some cross training and yoga only when people make me) for a while. After 3 days of sitting around being miserable, I switched to power walking for an hour every evening

      Your post inspired me and I just signed up for a pregnancy workout mostly-pilates but other stuff too class taught by a PT in my area who specializes in women’s specific issues. I’m going to do a prenatal yoga series when I’m further along.

    • anon says

      I really recommend the book Fit & Healthy Pregnancy (Kristina Pinto). Lots of detail about how to stay active and fit while pregnant. Geared toward athletes but you don’t have to be one to benefit from the book.

    • waiting says

      Thank you, everyone! Great suggestions all around, and I’m planning to look into all of them tonight.

      And thank you, buckeyeesq, for the best story anyone has ever told me in my whole life.

    • KJ says

      Congrats! I highly recommend the Body by Trimester dvds. I love to lift weights, and I used these during my pregnancy for strength training. The workouts are basically circuits of weight exercises. I found them to be challenging, but doable, and I liked that they were tailored to each trimester.

  3. MSJ says

    Looking to get shopping ideas on the following;
    1) First father’s day gifts – nothing too extravagant (< $50 preferred) bonus points for twin dad ideas and something related to fatherhood i.e. personalized #1 dad mug vs general gifts i.e. liquor – although maybe personalized liquor is the way to go :)
    2) workhorse casual t-shirts that are post partum stomach friendly and stand up to laundry roulette. My weekend wardrobe is really limited which normally works but won't cut it for a two week vacation. I am trying a few different styles from Everlane (I have a v-neck from there that I like but don't love – would probably be better if I sized up). Any other ideas? I have one from Madewell on the way – an earlier one I received is going straight back because the washing instructions are to lay flat to dry which will never happen.

    • mascot says

      2) My solid tees are a mix of Target, Lands End, and Caslon (Nordstrom). Sometimes I find graphic/embellished tees at Loft or Gap.

    • NewMomAnon says

      Have you looked at Shutterfly? They have all sorts of products to print with your pictures; phone cases, coasters, puzzles, lucite blocks, etc. I also found someone on Etsy who could put my pictures into cufflinks – you could put one twin in each cufflink. So cute.

    • buckeyeesq says

      Your post inspired me. If your husband likes bourbon, the Woodford Reserve website lets you make personalized labels. I put “Happy Father’s Day!” as the personal message “[Babies’ Names]” in the “approved by” field, and Father’s Day as the date. It’s apparently free and internet sleuthing tells me it should arrive in 3-4 weeks–hopefully in time for Father’s Day. Liquor-related, baby-related, and personalized.

    • (former) preg 3L says

      First Fathers Day gift: I bought a 5-photo frame, put 4 photos of dad & baby in them, and a quote printed on photo paper in the center one (something like, “Dad: a Daughter’s First Love” or something).

      …..of course, we have since split up, so second father’s day is going to be a bit lighter on the gift-giving front.

      And for workhorse tshirts: I bought 6 different colors of jcrew factory tshirts and wore them over target nursing tanks all summer last summer while studying for the bar (4-6 months postpartum).

    • anon says

      The Target Mossimo boyfriend Ts (v neck) are working great for me postpartum. It’s the juniors line so I’m a size up from what I would wear in the Merona line.

    • Midwest Mama says

      For our first Father’s Day (DD was 9 mos old), I got DH a picture frame that opens with a frame on one side and the other side comes with clay that you can put your child’s handprint or footprint in and then bake it to make it hard. For the photo side I took a pic of DD holding a printed sign that said “Happy Father’s Day, Daddy,” which, of course, she wouldn’t sit still and hold but it turned out cute anyway. I can’t remember where I bought the frame though.

      ETA: On the t-shirt front, I have 6 colors of the V-neck “Pink” tshirt from Victoria Secret. Super low maintenance (wash, dry in dryer) and they haven’t faded, pilled, or lost their shape. Some of the lighter colors are a bit sheer, but the darker colors are fantastic.

    • Lorelai Gilmore says

      I like the idea of nice liquor for father’s day. Any recommendations? He doesn’t know much about good liquor, but really likes nice scotch when it shows up.

      • Meg Murry says

        My husband’s expensive poison of choice is Laphroaig (pronounced La-froy -g) so that’s what I got him for his birthday this year. It has a super smoky peat-y taste though, so I don’t prefer it -it a love-it-or-hate-it thing.

        For a variation, when my son was born, a friend who knows his alcohol got my husband two bottles of whiskey when my son was born, with a note that one was to drink now, and the other was for my husband to share with our son when he turns 18 (or 21 or 25 if we want to wait until he’s old enough to really appreciate it). I guess whatever it was was good to drink now, but also would be good to age – maybe a liquor store could help with that.

  4. Pumping Question says

    I am about to go back to work and will be pumping. I expect to start out at least 3x/day. How many bottles should I have on hand, given that I will need some to pump in and some to leave with daycare? Right now I only have 6, which seems like too few. Thanks!

    • (former) preg 3L says

      You’re not “supposed” to combine freshly-pumped milk with refrigerated milk, so for pumping 3x/day, you’ll need at least 4 bottles (pump in two, combine them so one is empty; pump in another two, combine them, pump into the last two) but I’d bring 6 bottles with you for pumping.

      You should probably have 3 bottles, filled, for daycare plus one filled at home for emergencies (or growth spurts). But, please please please remember this is sooooo baby-specific and YMMV. Check out Kelly Mom dot com for lots and lots of amazing bf-ing/pumping advice.

      • Jdubs says

        For my second baby, I started just pumping directly into storage bags by fastening them with tape scotch tape across the top. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked and it saved a ton of washing/cleaning/transferring. Or have one set of bottles you pump into, keep them between pumps in the fridge/ziplock with your parts and then just empty each pump directly into a storage bag (combining if you are ok with that.)

    • EP-er says

      I pumped into the bottles that came with the pump, then transferred the milk into Lansinoh storage bags. When the baby was ready to eat, we would transfer the milk from the bags into the bottles. Baby wasn’t in day care, but you could do the same thing where you filled up the bottles for day care the night before/morning. I like the bags because they stored flat in a container & froze/thawed well for us.

    • Momata says

      When I was pumping 3x a day I took 4 with me every day and sent 4 to daycare every day, for a total minimum of 8. I also kept a complete set of extra parts, including bottles, in my desk in case of a brain fart, bringing up the minimum to 10. I washed my parts and bottles in the dishwasher, and didn’t always run the dishwasher every night, so I had a few extras above and beyond the minimum so I wouldn’t get stuck having to wash parts if I didn’t feel up to it.

      I pumped enough the first session to nearly fill 2 bottles. The second session I started 2 new bottles, and the third session I pumped into the bottles from the second session. (I know you’re not “supposed” to, but I never noticed any ill effects.) On Fridays I pumped into bags and then froze them to add to my stash; I’d find enough time to pump on the weekends for Monday.

      I used new parts for each pumping session – each week I’d start with a new “clean” and “dirty” ziploc bag and just move the parts from one to the other at each session. So I also had 3 sets of parts (plus the spare in my desk, plus extras so I didn’t have to wash).

      tl;dr: if you have the means, buy way more than you think you’ll need to hedge against brain farts and just not wanting to wash parts, both at the office and at home.

      • Momata says

        Oh, and I used a grease pencil to write the date on each bottle. Sometimes baby wouldn’t finish everything, and this way I could keep track of which bottle was oldest.

      • Meg Murry says

        My system was simliar, except I had about 20 bottles in my rotation. I used a sharpie to label the bottles with my son’s initials and the pump date -the sharpie came off with rubbing alcohol (or purell) as long as it didn’t go in the dishwasher with the marker on it.

        I also only got 4-5 oz of milk a session, so I would use 2 bottles to pump, then pour all milk into one bottle. Then the next session I would use one “used” bottle (that had been in the fridge) and one fresh bottle, repeat.

    • OP says

      Thanks all! I figured I needed more, but wasn’t sure how many to get. Is ounces like you can’t have too many!

    • EB0220 says

      I take 6 to work every day. 2 live at work (I probably should have more here). I usually have one in the fridge with extra milk. I send Tommee Tippee bottles to daycare each day. I probably have 3 days’ worth of each to account for drying time, dishwasher snafus, etc.

    • k. says

      I only had six, but I sometimes added small jam jars to my stash if needed. I took three bottles a day with me. But my experience was so different from everyone here, which is why I’m adding. My daughter refused a bottle the first four weeks I was back at work and reverse-cycled big-time. The max I ever pumped in one day was eight ounces (total)–there were times I would pump less than an ounce in one pumping session–more often it averaged about 2 ounces per session. I would pump once in the morning and once in the afternoon (I’m a teacher). The first session, I would use two bottles and then pour into one bottle combined. Then, I would keep all my pumping parts and bottles in a cooler with ice. I’d use the remaining two bottles for my next session and then dump into one bottle. I would combine them into one bottle at the end of the day. Right now at ten-months my daughter is drinking less than I am pumping (I’m pumping about 4 ounces a day and she’s drinking 2), so extra milk is stored in my extra containers through the week until I give up on her drinking it and freeze. And then she nurses all night to make up for lost time (but we co-sleep, so it’s really no big deal).

  5. dg says

    Yep, you’ll need more. I had around 20.
    – 3 went to daycare every day
    – 4 “spares” stayed at the office in case I ever left home without my daily stash
    – 5 or 6 went with me every day. I usally filled four total bottles over 3 sessions of pumping. By the time I began my last session of the day, I had usually filled 3 (and sometimes part of a fourth) so I needed 1 or 2 to attach to the pump.
    – 2 to 4 stayed home in the fridge. I was fortunate to pump more than baby needed, so I would freeze extra every 2 or 3 days. I also liked to keep some in the fridge for the weekend if I wanted to go somewhere w/o baby so husband could feed him.

    • Spirograph says

      Similar. I only pump twice a day at work.
      – 4 bottles to daycare
      – 4 bottles to work with me
      – 2 bottles “live” at work (along with lanisoh bags and extra pump accessories)
      – 2 bottles usually in the fridge (I pump before I go to bed)
      – 4-8 bottles soaking in the sink or on the drying rack because I’m too lazy to wash them/put them away

      I’ve found I can’t really have too many bottles. Sometimes I just don’t have the time or energy to wash them, and the spares make it OK for me to just say “f it” and go to bed.

      tl/dr: Buy 10 more bottles, you won’t regret it.

        • Meg Murry says

          +1 plus a whole second set of flanges, etc so you if you lose one you aren’t frantically driving to BRU, or so you can skip washing during the day, or if you or husband forget to bring the bottles home from daycare.

          Will you be bringing bottles home from daycare, or will they wash them for you? My superamazing daycare washed bottles, so we left a set of “drinking” bottles at daycare (I think they wanted 4?) and transported milk back and forth in the Medela pump bottles or milk bags if we didn’t have clean bottles. I’m pretty sure I had around 20 pump bottles, because there were deals on Amazon for 10 at a time.

          Also, pump parts count as “lactation supplies” so you can use HSA/FSA money on them.

      • RDC says

        More parts also means fewer nights I have to nag DH to wash them. (We do the “I cook, he cleans” system).

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