Maternity Monday: Bradshaw Cigarette Pants and Celeste Top
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I kind of love this entire outfit. The cigarette pants are kind of perfect, and the pleated top is pretty but cool at the same time. As for the styling: kudos to you if you can be that pregnant and still be in 3″ heels — but the nice thing about cigarette pants and maternity is that the proper hem on them is always a bit shorter than, say, a trouser, where only an inch or so of heel should be showing. SO: if you end up being like me and end up resorting to flats and kitten heels for most days past week 30, then you don’t need to re-hem all of your maternity pants! (I had a few pairs of trousers hemmed for heels, and one pair of trousers hemmed for flats, and I wore the HECK out of the trousers that were hemmed for flats.) The trousers are $155, and the top is $105 (available in both pink and a dark gray) — both are new at Isabella Oliver.
Building a maternity wardrobe for work? Check out our page with more suggestions along both classic and trendy/seasonal lines.
(L-3)
Sales of note for 5/14/25
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Beauty Deals up to 25% off (ends 5/17)
- Ann Taylor – Suit Yourself! 30% off suiting (ends 5/16) + 25% off your full price purchase (ends 5/18) + extra 60% off sale (ends 5/14)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 25% off
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off everything + extra 60% off sale + $1 shipping on all orders
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off long-weekend styles + 50% off select swim and coverups
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + extra 15% off $100+ + extra 20% off $125+
- M.M.LaFleur – Lots of twill suiting on sale! Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 40% off all markdowns (ends 5/18) + 30% off dresses, skirts, accessories, and shoes
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
Me again! Anything you wish you would have done before you went back to work after maternity leave? Or anything you’re really happy you did before you went back?
Please help me find shoes to wear in the NE in fall/winter! I’m 26 weeks with twins and am facing the fact that sandal season is basically over. My feet are swollen and my back does 10x better when my shoes are well cushioned. I work in a casual business casual office and would like something(s) I can wear casual or with black leggins and a casual dress or tunic for work, and then also on the weekends. Open to almost anything except velcro orthopedics :)
Whew! I’m 11 weeks pregnant, and just passed my first pregnancy anxiety milestone. The NIPT screen indicates low risk of trisomies. This was a biggie for me, as the NIPT during my last pregnancy showed high likelihood of trisomy 18. Results were confirmed by CVS, and to me the decision to terminate was clear, if not easy. I turned 40 in March, so time was running out to conceive a 2nd child. With the NIPT results for this pregnancy, I feel like I finally have permission to at least start envisioning life with 2 kids.
Batgirl, congratulations! Also, I am in maternity pants already – no shame! They are so much more comfortable and flattering than trying to squeeze myself into regular pants – with or without Bella band/rubber bands/etc. Like you, I’m short, and the 3-5 lbs I’ve gained already went straight to my waist.
So this is more a vent and looking for reassurance than looking for advice. Forgive me for the novel- I feel really strongly about this
I would consider myself a very well-informed woman who has made conscious choices surrounding pregnancy and birth about what is best for me and my family. I’ve considered research, anecdotal experiences of friends, family politics, and what would make my husband and I feel the most at ease.
We came to the conclusion that a natural birth with a doula in a hospital setting was the best decision for us. We also chose a practice groups that does contain primarily physicians, but what started as an ‘Okay, I need immediate care for this one pressing issue and will search for a provider that fits better’ appointment lead me to a really fantastic, collaborative, woman-centered practice that I’ve been nothing but pleased with. I’ve been complementing my ‘standard Western medicine’ care with a number of alternative/crunchy methods.
Every time I discuss my non-traditional methods or plans with my traditional providers, they are 110% on board and supportive. They have actually surprised me with just how open/encouraging of complementary/alternative medicine they have been across the board.
On the other hand, every time one of my alternative/crunchy practitioners asks me about my choices, I’m getting the ‘OMG YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE A HOME BIRTH OMG THEY WILL FORCE DRUGS DOWN YOUR THROAT AND EVERYTHING WILL BE NOT WHAT YOU WANT’ (yes, Ellen caps 100% necessary).
I guess it just is frustrating me that the providers who have all over their websites, ‘Respecting Women’s Birth Choices’ seem to have this secret sub-message which is ‘unless it’s to not have a home birth’. Am I alone on an island here? Is it geographic to where I live? Am I just totally out there on pregnancy hormones?
How did you get your kids to sleep through the night?
Our baby sleeps great but wakes up twice a night to eat. She’s great at falling asleep at bedtime and after feedings, and is growing and gaining weight spectacularly. She’s even STTN on her own initiative twice (10 hours). We agree with our pediatrician that she doesn’t actually need to eat, she’s just used to it. We tried letting her cry it out and it failed spectacularly – almost an hour of crying until i couldn’t take it anymore. We also tried just comforting her at night without feeding – same results.
What’s worked for you?
Best resources for dealing with 4-month sleep regression (and healthy sleep patterns in general)? We have the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book, but I don’t really like how it’s laid out. I am open to all ideas.
Agree with meme re: ignoring. I also have found that it is sometimes helpful at that age not to give a warning, as that only encourages battles. Sometimes the more abrupt end is better.
What have people found to be the best ways to handle tantrums? One of my guys has turned into a screamy little rage machine. I almost don’t want to do anything he enjoys anymore because if it stops, he completely flips out. So 20 minutes at the park results in 60 minutes of meltdown when we have to leave the park. I’m torn between just saying things like “you’re very angry but now it’s time to leave the park and go home for dinner” and then just ignoring it and letting it play out, and trying to hold him and work on breathing (not that he’s old enough to understand yet, but I feel like if I’m breathing deeply and letting out a long shhhhhh sound, it might prod him to regulate his own breathing). He’s just not old enough yet to work through tantrums, so I’m not sure whether I should be giving him support to deal with his feelings, or ignoring him to show that these noises aren’t useful. (I do know enough to not give in. We still leave the park no matter what he’s doing. Also, I give him a countdown like “we’re going to leave the park in one minute. Okay now we’re leaving in five seconds. One, two, three, four, five.” He’s still young for that but he is starting to learn to count.)
Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my housekeeper/nanny/whatever fantasies last week. I put up a post on Care.com, and I have phone interviews with five people scheduled today. All of whom promise that they can cook, clean, and watch my kid as needed between the hours of 4 and 6 every day. And it turns out that, in my LCOL area, the going rate for this kind of work is $10-15/hour, which is SO CHEAP and worth it. We plan to pay on the high end of that, because we want someone who will stay in the position for awhile, but it still seems like a huge bargain. I’ll update again once we’ve hired someone, but right now I’m so happy that I actually took some action towards making this happen.
I’m new to this part of the s1te (but long time reader/commenter on the original s1te!) and thought I’d post for some reassurance/advice. I’m 9 weeks pregnant today after a long period of trying to get pregnant through IVF. I’m over the moon excited that we’re finally pregnant and things are looking good, but I’ve been surprised at how I’ve been reacting to weight gain and bloating (which in turn makes me feel extremely shallow and ungrateful).
I’m not clear on how much weight I’ve gained because our scale is terrible but I would guess about 3-4 lbs. I suspect 1-2 of those pounds came from the IVF round that we got pregnant on itself and the hormones we were using. Usually that goes away, but not now that I’m pregnant (unsurprising, I guess). More than the 3-4 lbs, I just feel so bloated and my pants are so tight. I feel like it’s way too early for me to be “showing” and I’m worried I’m gaining too much too soon. Part of the problem is also that the only way I can stop the nausea is to eat every 3 hours or so. I’m mostly eating healthy mini-meals/snacks, but I feel like it’s adding up regardless.
Hoping for some reassurance, advice, or commiseration. I feel so ashamed of feeling this way when I’ve wanted this for so long and am the happiest I’ve ever been.
(P.S. is it too early for maternity pants?)
FWIW I have this top in the dark gray color and really like it. It’s not a thick knit so you can still pair it with a cardigan. I thought I’d wear it with a black pencil skirt but that seemed too bulky so ended up wearing it with similar pants shown above. Very comfy, although it certainly does make you look pregnant. (And I somehow got it on sale, possibly when they were running 15% off the site or something like that.)
On a related note, I think I’ve officially “popped” and am shocked at my profile. I realized this weekend that sweaters without any shape making me look like a giant schlump, but if there is a tie or gather just below the bosom I feel a little bit better. I feel like that indent is like the last remaining part of my old silhouette, ha.
Oof, this is a beautiful outfit. I wish it weren’t so pricey. Dying for a nice pair of work pants, but with just 5 weeks to go it doesn’t really make sense to spend that much.
Immediate threadjack! I am returning to work next week after an amazing 6 month maternity leave. I am a first time mom. Mid level associate in a big city. I plan to pump at the office. Questions:
1. What have you found to be the easiest outfit to wear to pump at work, and why?
2. Unfortunately I can’t pump in my office b/c we have clear glass walls, so I’ve already reserved the mother’s room for 3 times throughout the day (I’ll probably be the only one pumping but I reserved the room anyways). Pumping 3 times a day seems like a lot in terms of working calls and meetings around those times. How do you ladies do it? If someone tries to schedule a call/meeting during your regular pumping time, what do you do?
Thank you for your advice!