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Maternity Monday: Business Crew Socks

Recent Recs

Fits Light Hiker Crew - Black I saw these socks advertised in fun colors in a magazine, and when I went to the website I found that they also make them in a business sock version. These are compression socks that are engineered to have higher compression where you need it most. Wearing compression socks during pregnancy is helpful for circulation and preventing DVT, especially when flying on long flights. Other benefits can be seen on the Fits Sock website. I like that these are available in both fun colors but also conservative ones to help you incorporate compression into your everyday wardrobe. The socks are $18.99 per pair and available in several colors. Business Crew Socks

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Sales of Note…

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

Kid/Family Sales

  • J.Crew – 25-40% off kids’ styles; extra 50% off select sale
  • Lands’ End – Up to 40% off your order
  • Hanna Andersson – 30% off all kids’ & baby clothing; PJs on sale from $25; up to 75% off clearance
  • Carter’s – Rule the School Sale: Up to 50% off; up to 40% off baby essentials
  • Old Navy – 50% off back-to-school styles; 30% off your order, even clearance
  • Target – Backpacks from $7.99; toddler & kids’ uniforms on sale from $5
  • Pottery Barn Baby – Summer sale: up to 50% off
  • Nordstrom – Limited time sales on brands like Maxi-Cosi and Bugaboo.
  • Strolleria – Free infant seat car adapter with any Thule stroller; 30% off all Peg-Perego gear in our exclusive Incanto Collection

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About April

April is a working mom, a longtime reader of CorporetteMoms, and wrote our morning fashion advice for working moms from April 2018 to October 2020. She has one child (born 2/17!) and she’s a public interest lawyer in NYC.

Comments

  1. AnonATL says

    Got my first positive test yesterday, and I desperately wanted to share it with someone other than my husband!
    This is our first, and we are super excited!! I’ll no longer be just a lurker on this side of the site :)

  2. Ashley says

    How do you wear a “business sock” in women’s clothing? I like the idea but can never figure out what shoes/pants work. Socks seem too casual for pumps or even the flats I typically wear with work clothes.

  3. 39 and TTC says

    What are the best ovulation predictor kits? Are the easy to read ones with the smiley faces as just accurate as the less expensive strips? I am 39 years old and getting ready to TTC and am stressed because of my age. Words of advice? Should I go right to IVF?

    • aelle says

      The smiley faces ones work with the exact same technology as the strips with the addition of an optical reader that converts the nuances of weak to strong line into a binary (smiley / no smiley). So they are in fact less precise, but easier to use. Once you develop an eye for the strips, they are more precise (the human eye is still better at reading and interpreting these nuances than any optical reader), but there is a learning curve of a few cycles.

    • Annie says

      OMG no don’t go right to IVF. Plenty of people get pregnant at your age no problem. Read Taking Charge of your Fertility if you want some tips but otherwise relax and enjoy for the next 1-6 months.

    • Anon says

      No you obviously don’t go straight to IVF. Plenty of 39 year olds get naturally pregnant. Just start trying and call your OB if you aren’t pregnant in 6 months.

    • Anonymouse says

      Just as a counter measure, depending on your insurance you may want to check into things sooner rather than later. But almost everyone requires trying for at least six months, if not a year. However, if you know you have any risk factors (irregular cycles, etc) consider making an appointment with a Reproductive Endochrinologist. Most have a several month wait list, so you’ll want to call much earlier than you want the appointment.

    • Anonymous says

      I used the clear blue easy. Yes you could just try for 6 months but my OB said when people usually decide to have kids they are ready right now. Just follow the directions precisely and always use your first “void” of the day.

    • CapHillAnon says

      I got pregnant at 42 with no interventions and had a healthy baby after reading It Starts With The Egg by Rebecca Fett. Maybe it was good luck and timing (and truly it could have been totally good luck and timing) but I recommend this book to every other woman who is hoping for pregnancy with certain odds against her. I found it very helpful. I had read the Taking Charge of Your Fertility book years before+ found it somewhat helpful, but to each her own. Good luck!

    • 2 Cents says

      I used the cheap strips and had luck with them. Also discovered ovulated anywhere from 8 days after 1st day of my period to nearly the start of my next one, so I had to check every day. (Upside: became really good at peeing in a cup, which I had to do at every prenatal visit)

    • anon says

      I started TTC at your age and ultimately moved to IVF after 4 months (I had one m/c and one chemical pregnancy). My RE said I could keep trying and it was very possible that I’d get pregnant with a healthy baby, but I was too risk averse for it. I agree with the PP about making an appointment with an RE now, just in case (you can always cancel) since they book up fast and IVF is a slow process in many ways. I used the wondfo strips as well as the Clearblue smiley OPKs and found both worked equally well (the clear blue are just easier since you don’t need to dip in a cup). I will say that if you are thinking about more than one child, IVF with PGT-A (formerly called PGS) might not be a bad idea, because you could bank and freeze embryos now. I’m 41 and TTC #2 and not so optimistic that I’ll be able to have another because of age. Good luck!!

      • Pogo says

        +1 about RE’s booking fast and the process taking forever. I know i’m extra salty because I’m in the midst of it right now, but I called my RE back in May and I haven’t even gotten to transferring an embryo yet – and this is for my second!

    • Anonymous says

      I used Easy @ Home from Amazon. Relax and try for a few months before worrying, it’s more likely than not that you do not need IVF.

  4. Anon says

    The hive was super helpful in making me feel more comfortable going for kid #2 – thank you!

    Kid #2 is actually kid #2 and #3 – identical twins! Eeeeeeeeeeekk.

    So, if anyone has some encouragement, tips, or anything to share I would appreciate it.

    I’m in the DC area, and joined NVPOM, but let me know if there are any other groups I should join? We are on the minivan hunt now, and are set on childcare. Kid 1 will be around 26 months when the twins arrive.

    • Anonymouse says

      I was just about to write a very similar post – kid #2 is also #2 and #3 – but in our case fraternal. Kid #1 will be 26 months as of due date.
      In NYC area and would love any recs for local multiples support groups.
      Also need to get a new car that can fit 3 car seats across that’s also good in snow.
      Eeek indeed, all advice welcome.

    • Spirograph says

      I am not a twin mom but I am a mom of 3, and other than the minivan thing (I love my minivan, a Honda Odyssey), and my best advice is, Let it Go. You cannot be the same mom to three children that you are to one. It is OK! It’s just different. My kids are happy and healthy and our family is full of love and chaos. I think that’s the best you can hope for when the kids outnumber the adults, so the sooner you give into it, the sooner you can learn to enjoy it.

      • Anonymouse says

        thanks! we definitely plan to embrace the chaos! hopefully with lots of minimizing and routines prepped so everyone stays fed and clothed and not completely off the rails.

    • HSAL says

      Some may remember my post from February 2018 when I found out at 19 weeks that my #2 was actually my #2 and #3. The ultrasound tech: “Girl, you got two babies in there.” Me: “Are you effing kidding me right now?” And then I cried for three days. Mine were fraternal, not identical, and my daughter was 2 years and 8 months when they were born, so a little older. The babies are almost a year and a half now. You’ll manage. It will not be easy and it won’t always be fun, but it’ll be fine. I never joined a multiples group, but I had a couple of friends with twins that I reach out to when I had questions. The Odyssey is amazing. Put out the word now if you’re looking for hand-me-downs. Do you have local support? My parents are three hours away but my mom basically lived with us on and off the first few months. Feel free to post a burner email if you like! I’m happy to chat more.

      • Anonymous says

        Mom to 2 and step mom to 1 and I can testify that the Odyssey is amazing. I would pick it again even though the oldest is in college (but the 2 at home are tall and have friends, so it is a place of riotous joy still).

    • Anonymous says

      I’ll let others give you advice re multiples, but I concur that minivans are AMAZING. I’m sitting in a minivan I got two days ago and I’m in heaven.

    • Anonymous says

      Congrats! My identical twins are kids 1 and 2 (and the reason we’re kind of afraid to go for #3, lest it be 3 and 4) and we’re on the MD side of DC, so don’t have a ton of local resources to point you to, but there are several good Facebook groups for mono/di and mono/mono support, if you are looking for that.

      Pregnancy-wise, it’s definitely helpful to educate yourself on how often and for what you should be monitored. We got lucky with a super good MFM pretty randomly, but I have friends who’ve had to argue much more intensively to get things like checks for TTTS and TAPS.

      • Anon says

        Thanks! We got lucky as well with an MFM (Dr. Knight at Kaiser) and we are all set up for scans every other week. I’ll check out some FB groups as well.

    • RR says

      I had twins then one. It’s super hectic for the first 18 months definitely, but embracing the chaos is kind of great. My only goal was for everyone to stay alive the first year (success!) Minivans are great. Schedules are your friend. Always feed them at the same time (this was my only exception to the “never wake a sleeping baby” rule). Twin relationships are fun to watch. Mine are boy/girl and tweens now, and they definitely fight, but there’s something about having someone who has been with you for your whole life to have your back.

  5. LittleBigLaw says

    Does anyone have a recommendation for a “personal photo organizer”? We’ve kept a collaborative family photo album this year, and I’d really like to print those photos into a 2019 yearbook. BUT there are over 800 photos in the album, and I don’t have the talent or patience to sort them out, narrow them down, and put them in a pretty print layout. I’ve played around with a couple of automatic layout options online but the results weren’t ideal. Thinking maybe I can just hire someone to do this and treat it as a Christmas present for myself?

    • Anonymous says

      You can’t reasonably print 800 photos! No service does this. Pick your top 100.

      • Anon says

        +1. We keep a family album as well, and try to keep it to 365 photos or less. Next year you’ll need to be more selective in adding to your album – it’ll take a few years but you’ll get there.

        Cull it down. For me, I try to think about the pages I’ll want in my yearbook and try to keep each page to 3-5 photos. I’ll want a page for Halloween – so I try to pick only the best 4-5 from all the Halloween events. I want a two page spread for our trip to Florida – so I pick the best 8-10. I want a page for the first day of school – so I limit that to 3 shots. Etc. The ones that aren’t related to a specific event but are too adorable, I group into a “winter fun” random page or two, a “spring activities”, etc. Trying to limit it to just a page or two per season helps as well.

        Once I’m below the 200 photo mark, I use Shutterfly and have it make my book. I have to go in and edit a bit to get all the Halloween on one page, or add a text box to explain the bucket photo, or whatever.

        This is usually one of my activities for a slow work day on that week between Christmas and New Years. In between a few meetings or work items, I can usually spend maybe 3-4 hours and get it done and ordered. (Before I got better at limiting my shared album through the year, it would take a good 8-10 hours. It’s good motivation for the following year to be more selective!!)

        • LittleBigLaw says

          Definitely need to be more selective next year, but it’s hard because multiple people are adding photos to the album throughout the year, which I love. Basically, we used Cluster as a more private alternative to social media this year, and I would love to get the additional benefit of a printed album but their photo books appear to be limited to one picture per page.

    • Anonymous says

      I just did this with Mpix – I sorted through the photos myself but it only took about 30 minutes all together (picked our top 30 photos out of about 500). The quality of the printed product was not super good but OK for our purposes.

    • Anon says

      Shutterfly does this for $10 – it’s called “Make My Book” You only pay if you buy an album, so upload your photos and see what they make.

      • LittleBigLaw says

        I had no idea Shutterfly did this! Excited to give it a try for that price. Thanks!

    • AwayEmily says

      Chatbooks!! I love love love this service. Basically, you just “favorite” all your phone photos that you want printed, and then ever time it gets to 60 new favorited photos, it automatically prints a new $10 book and sends it to you (you can also favorite from multiple phones). We end up getting a new one about every four months. My kids adore looking through them (and I love that they are not super precious/expensive and can easily be reprinted if my kids ruin one). Last Christmas I also got my MIL a subscription to our Chatbooks, so she gets all of our books too. You can add captions and stuff to the books but I never bother.

      Anyway it sounds like this is not exactly what you are looking for (it’s not a giant pretty yearbook, more like a series of books throughout the year) but I wanted to throw it out there because I love that everything is automated and I never have to do any sorting/arranging/etc.

  6. Weaning while pregnant? says

    Anyone ever weaned a toddler while pregnant? If so, any advice? I just found out I’m having my second sooner than expected, right as I was preparing to stop (morning and night only) breastfeeding my first. I’m worried about how I’m going to handle weaning symptoms on top of pregnancy symptoms. This is all just … a lot.

    • Anonymous says

      I know a lot of people having hormonal effects from weaning but I gradually weaned and had…none! I actually felt more like myself after weaning!

      • Anon says

        Same. When I weaned it actually felt like a fog in my brain had lifted and I could think more clearly. But I weaned very gradually (was down to one session/day for at least a month before I fully stopped) and my toddler was 17 months. If there’s anyway you can drop to one session before you stop completely it might help.

        • Anonymous says

          This is how I was. I didn’t know I didn’t feel like myself until I did? And I know some people struggle with weight gain after weaning but it was so gradual that I followed my body’s cues on eating less food over time. So I lost 5lbs after weaning (not applicable to a pregnant person of course).

    • Anon says

      I weaned kid 1, a toddler, while pregnant with number 2. It was rough emotionally, but not as rough as weaning kid 2, a toddler, while not pregnant. I don’t know if it was luck or if there’s something protective abut pregnancy. Both were super gradual weanings.

      I wish I’d made a therapy appointment for about a week after I stopped nursing (it took that long for the symptoms to kick in). If you can plan on having as little on your plate as possible for a few weeks after symptoms kick in, that might be helpful.

    • Anon says

      I’ve never done it, but theoretically weaning hormones and the pregnancy hormones should counteract each other (weaning makes prolactin drop, pregnancy keeps it high), so it should be easier, not harder, to wean while pregnant.

    • ElisaR says

      it’ll be ok! your body will naturally help you wean because you need to save all your energy and nutrients for that new baby in your belly! It’s hard to nourish both baby and fetus….. and you!

    • Anonymous says

      I weaned kid #1 around maybe 17 months while pregnant with kid #2, and I didn’t have any trouble at all. Maybe I did have hormone changes but the pregnancy kept it all in check.

      I didn’t notice any issues weaning kid #2 but it was very very gradual until 24 months it was all over.

      Weaning kid #3 (lots of years between 1&2 and 3) was awful though. I mean, the weaning was fine, and the kid was fine (very gradual weaning between 20-24 months), but I had all kinds of hormonal issues – rage mostly. I was actually diagnosed with depression, which was too long past pregnancy to be considered post-partum but I 100% attribute it to hormones associated with breastfeeding/weaning.

  7. AwayEmily says

    Similar to the photo question above — is there a service that automatically combines all of your little iphone videos into a single movie? I’ve looked at tons of apps but they all seem to require a lot of work from me, and also I don’t really want to do it all on my phone. I have all these amazing videos of my kids but I feel like they are just going to disappear into the ether (aka my dropbox where I archive my videos) — it would be great to have a “year in review” video.

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      My husband creates these on iMovie on his computer. It does require you to go in and slice the videos together so there is work involved, but it’s been nice to have various summary videos of our kids’ lives and trips. You can add photos here as well.

        • Boston Legal Eagle says

          Ha! If your husband is creative, could be a fun project for the long weekend.

    • Videos says

      I use this amazing company called viddedit and they take my 200 home videos of the year and make a fantastic you specify the length video. It’s remarkable how they pick the best scenes, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

  8. Anon says

    I have a wrap dress from Ann Taylor that I don’t love but have managed to wear a few times. It’s dry clean only and I just don’t know if I want to spend the money on that. If I put it on a delicate cycle and lay dry will it ruin it? Right away or after a couple of washes? Any other option? TIA!

    • Ashley says

      When I’m in this situation I usually just wash in a delicates back on delicate cycle in cold water and hope for the best. I figure if it’s ruined then oh well because I didn’t love it anyway, and I’m certainly not getting any use out of it sitting at the bottom of my laundry basket waiting on a dry cleaning trip. For what it’s worth I have yet to actually ruin anything. But YMMV :)

    • anne-on says

      I’d try it and hope for the best as long as it isn’t 100% viscose. I don’t mess around trying to wash that.

    • TheElms says

      I wash all my Ann Taylor dry clean clothes in the washing machine on cold/ delicate cycle and either hang or lay flat to dry (except pants, which I do dry clean because I don’t want to iron them) and I’ve never had a problem. You might also try turning it inside out so if it rubs a little bit that will be on the inside.

  10. Anonymous says

    Just wanted to thank everyone who chimed in last week on poop holding! Per the pediatrician we started giving her one huge capfull of Miralax per day on Thursday (hot cocoa did the trick for us, or, as she calls it, “candy drink”). I had to doula her through some awful poopbirths on Thursday and again yesterday but here’s hoping a week or two of medicine does the trick. I’m glad we’re not the only ones going through it! I mean I am Type A but I’ve never seen such iron resolve. How she holds it through sleep and nap is… almost impressive. Special thank you to the person who mentioned that they weaned off the softeners and then had a relapse of the issue, because I ABSOLUTELY would have done that. Thanks community!!

    • Anonymous says

      LOLing at “doula her through some awful poopbirths”! The glamour of parenthood is so incredible, no?

      • Ange says

        Yes, I am feeding my newborn, and that sentence made me laugh aloud such that I startled the newborn and got a big gasp out of her. Congrats on becoming a poop grandma?

    • shortperson says

      mine had the hardest time letting it go during potty training and i absolutely felt like a doula the whole time. by the way mine stayed on miralax for about five months after she started. we tried cutting back before that but no bueno.
      then we moved to culturelle probiotics or “strawberry medicine”

  11. Leaking Diapers Overnight? says

    First time mom here looking for diapering advice – We just transitioned our six month old boy from the Snoo bassinet to his crib in the past week. While the actual sleeping transition has been fine, now that he he is no longer “forced” to sleep on his back, he has taken to sleeping on his side on the crib. This is okay, as he is great about rolling over, etc. However, the side sleeping seems to have an unexpected consequence – over night he is peeing out the side of his diapers. We did not have this issue when he was sleeping on his back, so that’s why i think it’s due to side sleeping.
    He isn’t crying or fussing about being wet, but obviously I don’t want him in wet pjs, plus wet sleep sack, plus wet sheets every morning when I go to wake him up. It’s also a pain to have to wash sleep sack+ change sheets every morning.

    The leaking doesn’t seem to happen during naps (probably because it’s not as long a time on his side, so just less peeing overall is my thought), and he doesn’t otherwise leak out of his diapers, so I am pretty sure they’re fitting okay. We’re also making sure to point his thing down in the diaper.

    Any tips or advice are appreciated!

    • Anon says

      Even if they aren’t leaking during the daytime, I would still size up. Night leaking was always a sign we needed bigger diapers.

    • Anonymous says

      Try night time diapers. We used Honest Company, Seventh Generation, Pampers and Huggies, but I like the Honest Company best.

      • Clementine says

        Also a fan of Honest overnight diapers. I also size up sooner in overnight diapers.

    • NYCer says

      Huggies overnights work best for us (we have a baby girl though, not sure it makes a difference).

      I have heard other friends recommend sposie pads inside a sized up diaper but have never tried this.

      • Pogo says

        We do sposie inside sized up, and typically works well. Only caution with the sposie is to make sure it’s fully tucked into the diaper or it will wick onto the clothing which defeats the purpose.

    • Anonymous says

      Switch brands. Pampers were pretty leaky on my baby, Huggies fit a lot better.

      • Anon says

        We had really good luck with Huggies Plus (only available at Costco, I think). Pampers leaked big time for us.

  12. Anon says

    Is it a standard thing for daycares to not take kids outside when it’s raining or has recently rained? My daycare seems to keep the kids inside all day if it’s rained at all that day or is threatening rain. I’m not complaining (my kid loves the big “gross motor room” they get to go to on rainy days) but it’s just sort of odd to me that they will take kids out in 30 degree weather and 90 degree weather, but not when it’s 60 and recently sprinkled, because, to me at least, it’s much more pleasant to be out in mild temperatures even if it’s a bit rainy.

    • AwayEmily says

      What kind of playground is it? My kids’ old daycare was like that because they had a traditional playground (slides, climbing things) that were kind of dangerous when wet. Their new daycare’s playground is more of the “giant outdoor space with little houses and mud pits and things to explore” (think: hippie playground) and they go out even when things are wet because there’s nothing that gets slippery/scary.

      • Anon says

        Traditional playground. I didn’t even think about the safety aspect, but that makes a lot of sense.

    • Cb says

      My hippy dippy nursery has kids out in everything. They’ve got puddle jumpers and wellies and are fine, albeit incredibly muddy. But I do think the playground matters, climbing frames would be really slippy.

    • Anonymous says

      Our infant daycare didn’t take them out when it was wet, which was not typical in our area and drove me nuts. All others we have used take them out in all weather. Current one requires a full body rain suit in the 12-24 month class.

    • Annie says

      Our is like yours — they’ll not take them out for any little reason (wet, slightly cold etc.). The cold particularly drives me crazy — I’ve sent mittens and hats, this 30 degree day is totally fine. I don’t like it but have not bothered to make an issue out of it.

      • Anonymous says

        Same. My kids have come home complaining that they didn’t get to play in the snow, but not every time. I think it depends on whether all kids have weather-appropriate outerwear.

    • Anonymous says

      This is probably location dependent. My kids would miss like 90% of days outside if they were kept in for this reason. But we’re in a rainy coastly area so there’s almost always a bit of rain in the spring and fall.

  13. Anonymous says

    What do you use when baby outgrows their bassinet (and pack and play bassinet) but still doesn’t sleep through the night so it doesn’t make sense to move them into their own room in the crib? Can anyone recommend a large bassinet or other sleep solution for tall babies?

    • Anon says

      We got a mini-crib for our bedroom and I love it! It’s bigger than a bassinet but smaller than a crib.

    • Anonymous says

      Regular pack n play. But how many wake ups? If it’s 1 or sometimes two I move them to their own room.

      • Anonymous says

        Usually two wake ups, but our bedroom is all the way on the other side of the house from the nursery and there isn’t a place to feed the baby there. I was hesitating to use the pack and play because it’s such a far reach down (ach my back) but maybe I’ll give it a shot tonight. It seems to be a popular choice!

        • Ashley says

          If you’re willing to buy another solution for baby to sleep in your room, you could instead consider adding a chair to the nursery for feeding the baby. That way whatever you buy might be used for longer–I still use the chair in my toddler’s room every day, for snuggles, reading books, rocking before bed, etc.

    • rosie says

      If you think you’ll want to have a travel crib, the Guava Family Lotus is a great option, we used it until my LO outgrew it a few months after 2 (she’s taller) as well as for a another child to nap in our nanny share.

      But I think that moving to a crib in their own room could be a good step, especially if you are close to the age/weight to sleep train and plan to do so. I could see this being less desirable if the room is not close to your room and you’d have to go up/down steps for night wakes, but assuming it’s not too far, might be worth considering.

    • Anon2 says

      Some (many?) babies don’t regularly sleep through the night until a year or later (or like my two year old, still not yet!). I wouldn’t necessarily use that as the barometer for moving to their own room. But, to answer your question, use the main part of the pack n play.

      • Anon says

        +1. Kiddo went to own room at 3 months. Still wakes at least once a night at 2.

    • Anonymous says

      We put the crib in our room. Friends napped baby in their nursery so they got a second ikea crib for their room. Ikea cribs don’t take up much more space than a pack and play.

  14. Biglaw NYC says

    For parents with nannies, how do you handle doing payroll and tax withholding? Do you use a service like Homepay or something else?

    • Anonymous says

      We used Homepay and I loved it. Well worth the money, IMO. Their customer service is fantastic.

    • CHL says

      I’m in Chicago and use The Nanny Tax company. Besides the name, it has been great!

    • Anonymous says

      We use HomeWorkSolutions dot com and are very happy. We did do it ourselves for a few years when money was tighter and we wanted to spend extra $ on the nanny herself. But it was a nightmare and I’m still not sure we did everything correctly (thankfully this was years past even though one of those years we were audited, they didn’t find anything wrong). But it was awful and now that we have more money I’m happy to pay the $1200 or so a year to have a company manage it all for us.

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