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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 65 Comments · by

Maternity Monday: Side Shirred Dress

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Maternity Work Dress: Loft Maternity Side Shirred DressThis dress caught my eye in regular sizes at Loft, and I’m excited to see they have it in maternity sizes as well — it looks like a nice basic for work and beyond. It’s $79.50 (online exclusive). Loft Maternity Side Shirred Dress 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 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

  1. Preemie Mom says

    Immediate threadjack – for potty training, what are your favorite (1) over the seat toilet cover and (2) stand-alone little potty, for a boy? My son is 18 months old, and the pediatrician last week said we should get these things now to have them on hand in case he starts showing interest – I looked on Amazon and was totally overwhelmed. You ladies have never led me astray. Thanks in advance!

  2. Meg Murry says

    This is a cute dress, but I feel like on my body type it wouldn’t have worked until I was really, obviously pregnant – otherwise I think it would have just been one of those “is Meg pregnant or just wearing a really unflattering dress that makes her look poochy?” outfits.

  3. CPA Lady says

    I have a dress very similar to this one, also from Loft. It’s okay. I got it a few months ago on sale for about $30, which is what it seems like it’s worth. It’s lined in a cheap knit polyester fabric that I’d associate with stores like F21. I wear it on days when I don’t have the energy to care. It seems like it wont last longer than a year or two.

    *insert rambling tale of glory of bygone days when you could buy lined wool garments at loft*

    • AIMS says

      I really liked my maternity clothes from loft. Now that I no longer need the maternity stuff, I ordered some “pencil pants” from there and was so disappointed. Fabric way too stretchy, attracts lint like no one’s business and both the ‘curvy’ fit and the ‘straight’ fit really gaped at the waist. Last year, I bought similar pants at Loft and LOVED them so was hoping to be lucky again. But last year’s version was 99% wool, came in one perfect (for me) fit, and was generally just a well made pair of pants. I remember being surprised at the quality and thinking maybe Loft was turning a corner. I guess not. Should have stocked up!

      On the other hand, I bought some of the “silky” button down shirts there and at 50% off, they’re pretty nice to wear under sweaters and make for easy pumping at work.

    • Anonymous says

      Same. This looks exactly like a Loft maternity dress that I bought late 2015 in black with little white triangles. That dress has been decent for the price (assuming you buy with at least 40% off which happens pretty regularly at Loft). Fabric has pilled but it’s not noticeable in black and I’ve washed it every time I wear it. Like Meg M suggests, it did look a bit dumpy when I was small, then worked well around 7 months and is too small now that I’m 39 weeks unless I wear a long cardi or jacket to hide that it’s too tight. If I wasn’t going to deliver soon, I’d seriously consider this dress – looks like a nice color and pattern and looks like it would work for almost all seasons, right? If you want better quality for work, I’d recommend either a non-body con or non-polyester dresses from Seraphine.

  4. Mondays says

    On Mondays, I miss my little one so much I have a lot of trouble focusing on work. Any ideas? I have tried cold-turkey not allowing myself to look at photos, because I’ll look up and it’s 15 min later. It’s easier later in the week, but Mondays are the worst!

    • JJ says

      Mondays can be the worst. If it makes you feel better, I almost wanted to donate my oldest to daycare today and just let him live there. This was one of those mornings where I had to (literally) drag him in, kicking and shouting, while a bunch of other parents watched. I couldn’t get to work and solitude fast enough…

  5. What am I forgetting? says

    Okay, two weeks left on my (extended- for the US, at least) maternity leave.

    So far, I have freezer meals made, I’ve gone through my whole wardrobe, I have my bills all set up on auto pay, we set up a 529 and did all our investment ‘clean-up’ stuff while I had time to meet with the financial planner, I went through all our files and purged what needed to be purged, the kid is set with clothes for the next several months, daycare forms are filled out, I got my teeth cleaned, have major birthday/holiday gifts already selected or purchased with reminders on my calendar that I have a gift for x occasion and where I put it, have a list of 4 available/pre-screened sitters, and am making an appointment for my car to be serviced.

    What else do you wish you had done in those last two weeks?

    • rakma says

      Nap. I tried to get so much done before I went back that I was exhausted when I started, and it’s so hard to catch up on sleep.

      I wish I had hashed out with DH more about the expectations household wise we had after I went back. We ended up having a blowup fight after I had been back for about 3 months, because I was still shouldering a lot of the things I took care of while I was on leave (laundry, cooking, dishes sort of things) but now we were both working. We worked it out, but it hindsight it would have been better to say ‘I can’t be in charge x, y, AND z, which do you want’ before it came to a head.

      But seriously, naps.

    • MDMom says

      Cleaned my house- especially the stuff.that’s hard to get to. Clean the bathroom, vacuum, dust, etc etc. Our hire someone to do all of the above.

    • Philanthropy Girl says

      I wish I’d enjoyed the time with my kiddo more. I was so busy trying to prep myself going back, I feel like I missed out on some good moments.

      If you’ll be pumping at work – stock up your phone with plenty of good photos and videos – it can help with let down, etc…

      I had a hard time focusing at work, even though I was working PT from home during leave (my mat leave is unpaid). Having a check list and a sketch of a daily schedule for being back in the office would have helped me focus on those early days back.

      Depending on what your childcare situation is, having the daily routine for the care provider would be good. DH took over childcare when I went back to work – and although he was a pretty involved dad, I still wrote out nap times, bottle times, tummy time, etc… in a little schedule for him. It gave me peace of mind and helped him feel more confident about flying solo with LO.

      Other than that – read a good book, indulge in a few TV shows, and snuggle your kiddo.

    • NewMomAnon says

      I wish I had chilled out…I don’t think my kiddo has ever been as cuddly as she was during my maternity leave, and I would give anything for two hours napping on the couch with her again. Also wish I had met more friends for lunches and gone to more mommy/baby yoga classes.

      But as far as prep; order some name stickers (NameBubbles is my go-to) and label all of kiddo’s clothes, bottles, nooks, etc. Organize photos in kiddo’s baby book/photo album/scrap book.

      • Anonymous says

        +1 to napping together, giggling on the floor and mom/baby yoga — miss the slow moments so much now that everything always feels so hectic. Wish I had more time to just ‘do nothing’ with baby.

      • JEB says

        Agreed! I was quite anxious about going back to work (mostly about leaving the baby at daycare) that I feel like I wasted my last week or two. I wish I’d worried/thought less and simply enjoyed those last few weeks of cuddles and downtime together. You’re likely to never have that type of unstructured time again, so make the most of it!

      • What am I forgetting? says

        I’ll admit that I have had a really hard time with so much unstructured time off. I actually figured out that the last time I went this long having this much unstructured time was probably the summer after kindergarten. I started to get a little down and so I started having a ‘mission’ for every day.

        Thanks for all the great suggestions- I just ordered a set of labels and have decided that today’s major ‘mission’ should be catching up on The Good Wife and rolling on the floor with the kid.

  6. Anonymous says

    Can I get permission please to not pursue a friendship with someone who, in the two times I’ve seen her, obsessed about her 3 yo’s Mandarin lessons, his preschool admission interview (I didn’t realize it was a thing in our area — silly me), and whether her baby is “fitting in” at play group? She was also very careful to note that although her current job is X she recently left Super Prestigious Job Y and named-dropped Impressive Title at Former Job Y. I also suspect she wants to be friends because she thinks I could be influential in her career. Or maybe she honestly likes me, but since most of our interactions were her obsessing about play group and me probably making a face like “seriously?” (I have no poker face), I’m skeptical.

  7. Noise! says

    I’m feeling very stressed out by noise complaints from our neighbors downstairs. They have been frequently complaining about my two young boys running and banging things on the floor. According to Condo bylaws, we need to be quiet during quiet hours (10 pm – 8 am) and have the floors 80% covered. Our floors are covered, but the issue is that my kids get up early (6:30 am) and they can get loud in the mornings. Of course, I’m trying my best to keep them quiet but I can’t run around behind them every second (ie: I need to take a shower and get ready for work).

    Any suggestions? Are there “noise specialists” who can come to your home and make suggestions on how to dampen the sound? My 3 year old has started to develop a complex that he’s “bad” and “loud” and it really pains me. I think the only real solution is to move out but was curious if others have had luck with other methods.

    We already met with the neighbors and they’re actually nice people, but unfortunately the guy is the Condo president.

    • Anonymous says

      Can you increase your floor coverings? Additional foam underlay under your rugs? Unfortunately your long term solution may be moving.

    • Lulu says

      No specific suggestions (our son isn’t mobile so we haven’t had to deal with this yet) but if you’ve met with the neighbors and they understand the situation but are still complaining, I would look into moving–especially since he is on the Board.

      Believe me, I know how much it sucks. I spent 3 years remodeling and decorating my condo so that it would be perfect and within 2 months of finishing the project the Board decided to pick a fight with my husband that they refuse to resolve despite our efforts and so we feel that we have no option but to sell. Meeting with our realtor in about an hour.

    • Samantha says

      That’s rough. Is there a quiet activity you could set up for them for the mornings alone? Crayons/coloring? (With caution) water colors? Play doh? Puzzles? Worst case, some screen time? This toy should be used only for mornings to preserve it’s specialness.

    • mascot says

      Can you contain them to one area, preferably one that isn’t directly over a bedroom for your neighbor, for a little while? Turn on some PBSkids and let them watch a show while you get dressed? Little kids are just loud. I swear my child leaps from his bed every morning and it sounds like elephants. Maybe make a game out of moving quietly, using a stool to get on and off the bed, playing with certain quiet toys for a time.

    • AIMS says

      I’m not sure if this will help but there isn’t a whole lot even a condo president can do in this situation, if you have your floors covered. The odds that the building will take you to court are, I’d think, slim unless he’s insane because that’s both expensive and not good to have as a public record (“Condo Pres Takes Kids to Court” would not be a good headline). I’d try to just redirect your kids’ energy into either an area of the house that’s not, say, directly over his bedroom or into some other activity (maybe someone can take them outside? or they can take morning baths and play there?). But you can also sound proof a room. I’d just maybe get a really thick surface for kids to play on (you could even make that the game).

      • Noise! says

        Yeah, I agree that they don’t have grounds to kick us out. The bigger issue is that I just don’t want to be stressed about the constant complaints and feel like we’re walking on eggshells, and I just want my kids to have the freedom to be kids.

    • Anonymous says

      What exactly are they doing that is loud between 6:30 and 8? Are they screaming and yelling? Jumping off furniture? Running in circles like banshees?

      My 3 y/o wakes up, complains about getting dressed, runs back and forth between my room and her room making various messes (typically the puzzle/stuffed animal sort) while i am in the shower (20 min max). Then we go eat breakfast and she watches 20-30 min of PBS while I do my hair/makeup (in the downstairs bath so she can find me). Brush teeth for her and we are out the door.

    • Noise! says

      Thanks all. The kids (I have two, ages 1 and 3) are making noise in the living room, such as running and my 1 year old in particular likes to take toys and bang them on the floor. I don’t allow them in the master bedroom (which is right above the neighbors’ master room, where they are likely sleeping at that time) but they can still probably hear the noise in the living room bc this building is new construction and doesn’t seem to be particularly well constructed. The 3 year old is not that noisy, it’s the 1 year old that really likes to take whatever he can get his hands on and bang it on the floor.

      We don’t do screen time with the kids yet and I’d rather not start that. We do try to give them puzzles and quiet things but they are little boys who just like making noise! I think we’re just going to suck it up and move. Ugh.

      • Daycare says

        It’s ugly, but can you cover the entire room that the kids use with foam? It’s not pretty, per se, but it would love the banging toy issue. Just cover the whole floor with foam, and then carpet on top? Or just use foam. Better to be ugly than your 3 year old start to really stress about this. THen, yeah, moving seems to make sense.

      • pockets says

        I can understand the no screen time thing, but you’re willing to sell your condo and move into another place instead of let your kids watch a half hour of educational TV in the morning?

        • Noise! says

          Ha, we rent. :) Selling would be a whole another layer of complexity that fortunately we don’t have to deal with.

      • Soundproof says

        I also would re-think the no-screen thing if you aren’t able to fix the issue with an honest attempt to soundproof, especially if it’s starting to impact your 3 yr old’s impression of himself. My personalize preference would be to download a few educational games, or even youtube videos on a few favorite subjects (animals are a big hit), rather than having him internalize some notion of “badness.”

        • Noise! says

          The issue is actually with my 1 year old, who I don’t think would be particularly interested in screen time. My 3 year old is pretty quiet (generally, anyway).

          • Anonymous says

            Is Baby Signing Time still a thing? It is designed specifically to appeal to that age group and is about the most educational video you could ask for.

    • NewMomAnon says

      So…that neighbor is a jerk who shouldn’t be living in a condo. I have an upstairs neighbor with pre-teen kids who dribble and/or shoot hockey pucks inside every evening and every morning. My neighbors’ closet doors sound like gunshots when they get ready in the morning. I say nothing, because my daughter likes to drop metal cookware on my (tiled) kitchen floor while I make dinner, and we have to turn the TV volume up LOUD while doing asthma meds at 6:30 a.m. We all take and give in a condo situation.

      Personally, I wouldn’t move and I wouldn’t make the kids change their behavior; they are far too young to be mindful of how loudly they are walking/playing. This is your neighbor’s problem, not yours. Maybe give him a lovely pack of ear plugs or a white noise machine if you feel bad for him.

      • Anonymous says

        +1 I’m in agreement you’ll be less stressed if you make efforts and it’s worth while to do, but bottom line your neighbor is a jerk. I’m a building dweller and some noises you just decide to live with. The sound of happy kids is one of them.

    • Lurker says

      Could you swap places? If you are looking at moving already, maybe they would be amenable to that. Then the noise would be under them instead of on top?

    • Anonymous says

      As someone who lived under an active 5 year old his whole life and who has a new baby — I would say banging on the floor would have been a bridge too far for us. Could you at least try to redirect the one year old that banging on the floor is something he can do with special pillows or stuffed animals?

      As for “kids being kids” my parents would have never let us do that and we lived in a house (my parents grew up working class and very poor — we were not allowed to mistreat things. I’m the oldest and I know they started working on this with my siblings when they could start crawling and I imagine it was the same for me.)

  8. Lulu says

    Our baby is being baptized in two weeks and I need ideas for a present for his godparents. They are good friends in their thirties if that matters. Thoughts?

    • Edna Mazur says

      Nothing? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of giving the godparent presents.

      Maybe a card that says thanks, you guys mean a lot to us.

    • By says

      Did not do gifts, but hosted a lunch afterwards for godparents, pastor, and close family. I think everyone appreciated the family time and we discovered that our daughter is a party animal!

  9. HSAL says

    How long did your postpartum hair loss last? I started losing at 4 months pp and it seems to be slowing down (6 months pp), but I’d like it to slow down faster. I know I don’t look bald, but man my ponytails are thin. And when did your hair feel “normal” again?

    • Maddie Ross says

      My hair loss was directly attributable to weaning, I felt. Started some when I scaled back, full on loss when I stopped. I think things were “normalized” about 2-3 months later, but I weaned at 13 months and it probably aligned with everything else feeling back to normal too in some ways.

    • Anon in NYC says

      My hair started falling out in large clumps at around 3-4 months pp and didn’t stop until maybe 6-8 months pp (I don’t quite remember). Now it sheds at roughly my pre-pregnancy rate. I’m a little concerned about weaning though – I had so much hair fall out pp that I looked a little bald!

    • CPA Lady says

      Three solid months and then all of a sudden it was over. I had straight-up receding hairline baldness. A combination of the hair loss and the bald-ish patches and the regrowth was so terrible I ended up cutting six inches off my hair and getting bangs.

      Hair loss happened for me from 3 month-6 month postpartum. It all happened before I weaned at 6 months. I’m now at 18 months postpartum and things are pretty much back to normal except my stupid bangs are still growing out. I was really angry around the time my kid was 1 year old because all those articles say it will be back to normal when your kid is a year old. No, no it wont, unless you hair grows an inch or two a month.

    • MDMom says

      It was bad around 3-6 months. It was all done by about 8-9 months but I don’t remember exactly when it stopped. I don’t think mine ever got thinner than pre-pregnancy though. It was super thick during pregnancy and then just rapidly shredded all that extra hair to get back to normal. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s anything you can do about the shedding.

    • farrley says

      Mine was really bad around 4 months, but definitely stabilized by 7 months PP. I lost mostly around the hairline which resulted in some funky regrowth, but I didn’t go for bangs….they just don’t work with my curly hair!

  10. DC Mom anon says

    Please help! I’m losing the sleep battle – hard! 19th month old DD For the last three weeks she has been fighting bed time and dragging it out, to the point where she goes down around 11pm now. She also wakes up multiple times a night and has to be nursed back to sleep. We have ferbered CIO several times and now that she is older and stronger – she can scream for an hour without tiring out. I would like to stop nursing – should I start with that or address the sleep issues first? They seem related – but I’m losing my marbles.

    • Anonymous says

      is she cutting her two year old molars? Maybe try advil tonight.

      Can you fit in more physical activity after work before bed? I found around that age that my boys really need to be physically tired before they would sleep well. Even 20 minutes of fresh air and running around the garden would make a huge difference.

    • TBK says

      Does she like looking at board books? My kids are (thankfully) really good about being quiet in their cribs even if they’re not sleeping (being twins and having a buddy in the next crib over helps, I think). But if they’re really having trouble settling down, I’ll give them each about three board books to look at. We have these Munchkin owl lights (I’ll try to post a link) that go off by themselves after about 15 min. So I’ll hand them the owls and the books, and they’re usually conked in half an hour. It might be worth a try.

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