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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 45 Comments · by

Maternity Monday’s TPS Report: Ruched Maternity Tank Dress

Machine-Washable Work Clothes· Maternity· Recent Recs

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A woman wearing a Ruched Maternity Tank DressThis kind of looks like the perfect summer dress. Work-appropriate length? Check. High neckline? Check. Friendly to a growing bump? Check. I’d wear it with cardigans and blazers, and I’d even try it with a looser blouse layered on top of it (i.e., worn as a skirt). It’s available at Nordstrom for $79-$88. Ingrid Isabel Ruched Maternity Tank Dress Building a maternity wardrobe for work? Check out our page with more suggestions along both classic and trendy/seasonal lines. (L-2)

Sales of note for 12.5.23…

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

Kid/Family Sales

  • Crate&kids – Free shipping sitewide; up to 50% off toy + gift event; free monogramming for a limited time only (order by 12/15)
  • J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off your purchase with code
  • Pottery Barn Kids – Up to 50% off toys, furniture & gifts
  • Graco – Holiday savings up to 35% off; sign up for texts for 20% off full-price item
  • Walmart – Up to 25% off top baby gifts; big savings on Delta, Graco, VTech, Fisher-Price & more

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Comments

  1. ELL says

    Recommendations for a bib my nine-month-old can’t pull off? He is very strong. I prefer something I can throw in the washing machine. A search on Amazon was overwhelming.

    • Meg Murry says

      What about the dishtowel type that you pull over his head? There are lots on Etsy if you search for “towel bib”. They don’t have a plasticy backing, so spills of liquids might still soak through. Here’s an example on Amazon of a thinner, cheaper one. The nice thing about the ones that are made of thick towel is that you can use them as wipe-up towels once you are past bib stage.

      I think this was about the age (and weather) where I just gave up and stripped the kids and fed them in just a diaper, then threw right into the bathtub post-dinner.

      http://www.amazon.com/Dreambaby-L536-Pullover-Bibs-4-Count/dp/B00E6QWVBU/

      • MomAnon4This says

        Yeah, we reached a point where we just changed clothes after every meal, too.

      • NavyLawyer says

        I too fed baby in solely a diaper. For something useable tonight you could cut a hole in a dishtowel.

      • Katarina says

        These did not work for us, although my son was slightly older when he perfected bib removal. We gave up on bibs pretty early.

      • Jdubs says

        2nd for the ikea bib. I have like 10 of them and they just go in the laundry directly after dinner. Bonus is that they fit my 1 year old as well as my 3 year old so they continue to get use as art smocks.

    • ELL says

      Thanks, everyone. These are great suggestions, and I plan to try them all. We’ll see what works…

    • Anonymous says

      We are huge fans of the mum to mum bibs; thick, leak proof, snaps rather than Velcro, and don’t fade. Available on amazon

      • ELL says

        Are the snaps unusually strong? My son broke a plastic lion’s head off his exersaucer at 6 months; he loves feats of strength and would take the snaps as a challenge. But those bibs do look nice.

    • meme says

      I liked the plastic Baby Bjorn ones for my bib removers. They have a cup at the bottom to catch all the spills and they have a hard time getting them off. They usually figured it out by age 2.5 or 3 though.

  2. EB0220 says

    Urban mamas – you would not have wanted to walk home (about 6 blocks) from the hospital postpartum, right?

    • mascot says

      I was a bit busted (2nd degree tear and stitches). Even going up and down stairs too many times that first week increased my bleeding and made me super sore. I partially blame the adrenaline rush you have for the first few days on my overdoing it. That being said, if you come out unscathed, you might be able to handle a slow walk on flat ground. I’d have a ride/cab on standby if you change your mind.

      • Meg Murry says

        Yes, if you do try this walk make sure you have on a fresh pad – any exercise (including just getting up and walking across the room) made my bleeding go up a lot.

        Another question is – how do you feel about this walk just before birth? If you could handle a six block walk a few days before birth it makes it slightly more likely to be ok – but if that wore you out, it’s not magically going to be easier postpartum. And if it ends in a flight or more of stairs, I’d definitely recommend not walking.

        In short – get a ride/cab/Uber if this walk makes you nervous.

    • anonyc says

      Not for one birth, maybe for the others. Depends on how difficult the birth is. For my first, I was also pretty busted, as mascot says, and it took me a few days before I could really lap the block and handle stairs. What you don’t want is to do too much too fast, especially if there’s extensive stitching involved.

      Although as someone who walks everywhere (freals) I understand the thought process that 6 blocks is ridiculous not to walk.

    • EB0220 says

      Yes, I’m asking for my sister. I had two 3rd degree tears so I didn’t walk much for the first few days. And I live in a suburban area so walking wasn’t an option for me.

    • Pigpen's Mama says

      Nope. Aside from the c-section, we had so much STUFF leaving the hospital that it would have been another PITA (heh) if we didn’t have a car. Of course, I over-packed and we left with at least two bags of stuff the hospital gave us for baby and me.

    • Jen says

      i had a looong walk to the car and was able to do it OK. Maybe 1 large city block. Slow and steady.

      Better question is if the baby would want to sit in a carrier/stroller for 6 city blocks, plus all the stuff that comes home with you….it took my husband about 4 trips to the car to get us loaded up.

    • hoola hoopa says

      NO! I was a torn up, stitched up mess after my first (v) delivery. Getting into the car was bad enough. I could have after my third (no tearing, up and feeling freakishly agile), but I would never, ever count on that in advance.

      Good point, Jen, on the amount of stuff. We pack relatively very light, and would still be a lot to haul home.

      So long as there’s a back-up plan, I guess there’s not much harm in considering it Plan A. But I think there’s a very, very high chance of using Plan B.

    • Anonymous says

      As a counterpoint to the other posters, I could easily have walked 6 blocks home and would have stuffed my bag in the basket of the stroller. As it was, I carried my own overnight bag on the ~3 block walk to my husband’s parking space while he carried the carseat. (He works for the hospital.) Your sister is going to know how she feels before she leaves the hospital and can call a cab or Uber if she’s not up to it.

    • anon says

      NO NO NO NO NO. At least don’t PLAN on it — if you have a very uncomplicated delivery I suppose you might feel like it, but with my episiotomy and long period of pushing, I could barely handle a five minute walk around a parking lot three days later.

    • Burgher says

      After my 1st, I probably *could* have walked home, but wouldn’t want to due to a somewhat traumatic birth/hospital experience and I was completely exhausted. I absolutely could have walked 6 blocks after the birth of my 2nd, but that was a magical unicorn pregnancy/birth.

  3. NavyLawyer says

    No way, they give you too much stuff – pads, special mesh underwear, numbing spray. And you steal all the newborn diapers you can. Doctors say even vaginal labor is akin to major surgery! And you’ll be puffy from all of the IVs so much so that your largest shoes might not fit. Oh and if people bring gifts to the hospital (balloons, flowers), you have to transport those somehow.

    But not a silly question!!

  4. Pigpen's Mama says

    A few vents to kick off Monday (yay!)

    Husband had (has?) a man-cold all weekend, although to be fair, it was pretty nasty sounding. Pre-baby I was fairly sympathetic when he was sick and even babied him somewhat. This cold — I was just so freaking ANNOYED with him. It was his third or so cold this year (thanks, daycare) and I was just done trying to take care of anyone else.

    My milk supply seems to have almost dried up. I’m pumping so little and the morning nursing session didn’t satisfy baby today. We made it 6 months exclusively BF and then another 2 combo feeding. I should probably ditch the pump entirely, but I’m not quite ready to give up the morning nursing session and given how sensitive my supply is, I think I’ll dry up completely if I don’t pump 1-2x a day.

    • Meg Murry says

      FYI, you might be coming down with the cold too – whenever my pumping output dropped for no apparent reason and there was a sickness in my family I was always thinking “what is going on?!?” then BAM, the cold/flu hit me and I said “oh, that’s it”.

      Not sure if its the same cold, but my son got sent home with it last week, and I said “it’s a cold, what’s the big deal, he should be in school?”. Then my husband got it and I knew he was sick because he took a nap (he never naps). Then I got it and OMG, I felt like I was going to die yesterday and I’m a walking zombie at work today.

      Basically, I guess I’m saying – be annoyed at the man cold, and tell him to stay in bed if that’s what he wants but you aren’t waiting on him – but don’t say anything too mean, because karma is a b*tch when it comes to colds.

      • Pigpen's Mama says

        Interesting re: colds and output — I’ve had a few mild colds the last two months, so I’m sure that didn’t help with supply issues. And I wouldn’t be surprised if I get hit with the cold as well, I generally got the same thing a few days after he was over it.

        I did manage to keep my annoyances under wraps and sent him to bed early with Nyquil. Which let me get caught up on Scandal!

  5. NewMomAnon says

    Anyone have a recommendation for a favorite step stool for a young kiddo? She is 15 months and just under 3′ tall, but it seems like most of the stools are too short to get her up to counter height. She really wants to wash her hands in the sink, and help put away silverware from the dishwasher, and I would love to encourage those behaviors.

    • JJ says

      They’re not the prettiest, but we found step stools at Home Depot that work perfectly for that purpose. We have one in front of the kids’ sink and one in front of each bed so they can climb in. They’re black and plastic and I guess I could paint them if I was so inclined, but I think they were $10 and multitudes cheaper than any of the specialty stools we could find.

      • NavyLawyer says

        We live in a small place and I just found out about folding stepstools which I love. They’re a wee bit taller so my daughter can reach the bathroom sink, and she can carry them around by the handle. Target also carries them, which have neater colors and designs. Online they’re $10, Target’s are around $15 or so.

    • Meg Murry says

      My uncle built my cousin a version of this thing (for way less than $199)- its rather large, but the family has a large kitchen, and they love it for letting the little kid “help” when cooking, which is a hobby in their family – and when they aren’t using it in the kitchen, she plays on it in the playroom as something safe to climb on.

      http://www.amazon.com/Little-Partners-Adjustable-Construction-Satisfaction/dp/B001ECHXVC

      For something cheaper, I think you need something with 2 or 3 steps, not just one. I’ll post a link to one on Amazon

  6. PregAnon says

    Wanted to update today, since I had my appointment with the genetic counselor / perinatologist today after my OB finding that echogenic focus in baby’s heart. Everything looks FINE! Thank you again for all of you that shared their stories. With my bloodwork and other low risk factors, and baby’s normal femur and NT scan, we’re looking good!

    I AM glad we went though, because we started talking about me having ulcerative colitis and how that can affect nutrient absorption, so he did some measurements to track growth and baby is perfectly on track. Since I’m not really hungry and lost some weight in the 1st trimester (I’m now 21.5 weeks), peri thinks it is a good idea to check growth again in 6 weeks to make sure I’m getting enough nutrients. Part of why he thinks I am not hungry is because I’m just not very big, and baby is shaping up to be (I’m 5′, husband is 6’1″), so my guts just don’t have much room in there! But news is all good, bright spots, by themselves, are really nothing to worry about, and now I can just go find something else to worry about.

  7. TBK says

    I’m clearly not cut out to be a princess. No way I could have stood in heels so soon after giving birth (nor did my hair or makeup or clothes or anything else look quite so polished — I left the hospital wearing my husband’s shoes and coat because none of my own things fit!)

    • Manhattanite says

      For better or worse, that’s her job. And she probably (I would hope?) had assistance on the hair and makeup. Probably also had a stylist to help with proper attire. But yes, I was a mess leaving the hospital and really couldn’t have cared less what I looked like. Child birth is a war fought out in a very personal territory of your body.

    • Meg Murry says

      No kidding! I just read a story that told of all the people that came into her room to help get her ready, and I was thinking – if I had to sit with hot rollers on my head less than 12 hours after I gave birth I might stab someone.

      And a dress with a white lower half? I would have been so worried I was bleeding all over it! Not to mention, how did they know it was going to fit? Was it strategically pinned, or did she have to put it on and have in tailored in the hospital room?

      And heels?! Heels?! No. No no no.

      Yup, not cut out to be a princess over here either. I guess I’ll never have a job that requires me to be perfectly presentable at all times.

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