L, a pregnant reader, wrote in to recommend this piece: “I thought I would share with you a great blazer I just got at Target. The tailoring is really nice, it’s washable, and you can’t beat the price! I think it fit true to size and looks like I paid a lot more than I actually did.” Congratulations, L — and thank you for sharing! Readers, have you bought any great washable pieces lately? The blazer is $29.99 at Target (online only), available in four colors and sizes XXS-XL, as well as petites and plus sizes (reduced to $15 and $17, respectively). Merona Tailored Ponte Blazer
Psst: Amazon is having a sale of up to 60% off baby items! Gear, clothes, and more.
This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Sales of Note…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – 2,100+ new markdowns!
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off all sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything; extra 30% off orders $100+
- Eloquii – $39 select styles; 50% off select styles
- J.Crew – 25-50% off wear-now styles; extra 50% off select sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything; 50% off women’s dresses; extra 60% off clearance
- Loft – 60% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – Up to 40% off your order
- Talbots – Semi-Annual Red Door Sale: Extra 50% off markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ sale items (for women)! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
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
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
Click here to see our top posts!
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Pogo says
I have this blazer – I can testify that for the price, it is actually pretty great. In the dark the other day I was feeling around in my closet and I confused this one with a much more expensive blazer – it doesn’t feel excessively polyester-y at all! I actually have the skirt in the picture too, lol. I find that if you treat cheap-o Target finds like this as nicely as you would ‘real’ clothes they wear pretty well – delicate wash, line dry, hang up immediately after wearing, etc. I’ve seen minimal pilling on this blazer and the skirt.
now a TJ: Question for you ladies about TTC – how long did you wait after going off BCP before trying? My doctor said it’s actually fine to start trying right away, but I’m worried after almost ten years on BCP things won’t go back to normal right away?
mascot says
Things seemed immediately normal, IME. I got pregnant within 4 months of going off the Pill (and we were TTA for the first 6 or so weeks of that). I had been on the Pill for maybe 8 years before that. Good luck.
(former) preg 3L says
We had a short window of time in which to try for our first, and I got pregnant immediately after coming off hormonal BCP. My first week off of BCP, I stuck with a vegetarian and super healthy diet (tons of fruits and veggies) just to make myself feel better about trying to “clean out” my body. (Nutritionists/doctors, feel free to laugh at my meager attempt to counteract 5+ years of BCP.) In any event, it worked, and I have a beautiful bouncing 7-month old daughter now. My doctor also said it was fine to start trying right away.
FVNC says
Based on a data set of approximately 3 (so, highly accurate…), I think it’s likely your cycle won’t be completely normal or predictable immediately after you stop using BCP. I stopped taking my pills in October, had one period sometime in December, and conceived mid-January — a lot quicker than I had anticipated, thankfully. If by “trying” you mean charting, temping, etc., then yes, it might be hard to see patterns until your cycle normalizes. But if by “trying” you mean having a lot of fun adult time and seeing what happens, then no need to wait until your cycle normalizes.
Maddie Ross says
I waited a couple of months before we were “actively” trying after going off BCP, but I considered us “passively” trying during that time and would have been ok if things had worked. Anecdotally, I’ve heard that you often have increased fertility right after you go off and get pregnant that first month – but it may be that those are just the super fertile/lucky. I ultimately got pregnant (and had it “stick” – had a MC first) 10 months after going off BCP.
CPA Lady says
I had my implanon removed at the end of November, took December off, and got pregnant in January. I had been on hormonal BC for 7 or 8 years in a row at that time, and implanon/the shot for 4 of those years. My gyno told me it might take up to 6 months for my cycle to normalize after coming off of implanon, but obviously that was not the case for me. I should mention that the entire time I was on the shot or implanon, I did not have a period, so I was worried it might take a long time for things to normalize.
OP says
thanks for the responses ladies! I know it is one of those things that is different for everyone, I was just curious..
Spirograph says
We never really “tried,” I just went off bcp and we figured we’d see what happened. I did start charting, just so I’d know when/whether I actually started ovulating. It took a good 6 months, but I got pregnant soon after that.
Obviously it varies for everyone. If you don’t really *want* to get pregnant right away, use a backup method just in case because it could happen. But if your doctor says it’s fine, I’d believe her.
Anon S says
Pogo, I am 8 weeks pregnant (my first baby :)) and prior to getting off the pill and TTC, I had been on the pill for 14 years straight. I asked my doctor if being on the pill for so long would negatively impact my ability to conceive (because I had heard from several girlfriends that they were going to get off the pill a year or so before they started trying), and my doctor said it was an urban legend and the pill shouldn’t affect my ability to conceive. I was still paranoid though so I stopped birth control in May. We didn’t start trying until August and lo and behold we conceived the first time we tried. So based on my experience, I don’t think the pill affected me negatively at all. I will say that after I got off of it, for the first month or so my stomach hurt and I was really bloated, so just for comfort’s sake it might be better to give yourself at least a few months before you start trying so your body can re-regulate itself and you can feel normal and comfortable.
CHJ says
I went off the pill and things were wonky for about five months. We tried during those months anyway, but with no success. Then everything seemed to calm down/regulate and I got pregnant on the second month of normal cycles. So it took us 7 months from going off the pill until I got pregnant, but those first few months were crazy cycles anyway, so I don’t think I realistically had a chance of getting pregnant then. Good luck!
anon says
I had been on BCP for about 13 years and expected things to be wonky, but they weren’t. Got pregnant my second month off.
Katarina says
I went off the pill and charted the first month, and prevented using condoms. My PMS was awful that first month. The second month I charted and TTC, and I got pregnant. I did ovulate a few days earlier the second cycle. I was told that the only reason to wait is you might not know your due date, especially if you get pregnant the first cycle.
(former) preg 3L says
I say this with love: your due date is totally useless. Your baby can come 2 weeks “early” or 2 weeks “late” and still be considered “on time.”
Katarina says
I know. I had a dating ultrasound anyway, which changed my due date anyway. Due dates do affect things like induction or C-section dates, though. I think the advice I was given was more to know when to test and/or expect a period, and not freak out about being late, when it was not actually late, if my period were irregular.
FVNC says
That’s what I would have thought, too, except it did make a difference in my case. My due date was estimated based on the date of my last period, which was inaccurate based on when I knew conception occurred (there is a long backstory here that I won’t go into). I didn’t think twice about the “wrong” due date. Then, toward the end of my pregnancy, my baby was “trending small” based on the estimated due date, ultimately leading to early induction (which failed because, duh, baby wasn’t ready to come out), and a teeny tiny baby who was very grumpy for the next two months about her early entrance into the world.
Still, I wouldn’t have waited for normal cycles before TTC. If I was ever in a similar situation, I’d be much more forceful about advocating for myself and baby (i.e., not being pressured into an early delivery) when I believed baby was developing just fine, thank you very much.
(former) preg 3L says
Good point — I apologize!
FVNC says
No apologies necessary! Just wanted to share my experience because I had no idea that the miscalculation would have implications months later. And no, I will not be returning to that OB practice ;-)
OP says
Thanks for the comment – this was sort of my fear. I figured we’d use a back up for a bit until I could actually tell when things were happening, for peace of mind/dating purposes. Obviously I know you don’t need to “wait” but I was curious how long it took people to get back to “normal” cycles after stopping BCP.
kt says
I went off BCP in January after being on it for almost 15 years and conceived on the first try in May. I had some weird cycles in the beginning (short luteal phase, and then a weird 50+ day cycle). I saw my CNM in April and she said to give TTC a try until about October and come back if I had any issues, but next month I was back for my first prenatal appointment. :)
ETA: Just wanted to note that we tried with purpose – charting, OPKs, pineapple (lol) etc. Remember that even in the best of circumstances, there’s only a 30% chance of conceiving every month. So, even if it takes you a while, it’s not necessarily because of BCP.
Newly pregnant says
I have a $200 credit at Nordstrom’s that I need to spend by November. I just found out that I’m pregnant, so I’ll be finishing up my first trimester around that time and I imagine I won’t look particularly pregnant. What types of items should I be looking for that might carry into the next few months/post-partum?
JJ says
I was able to wear a lot of wrap/jersey dresses late in to my pregnancies. Also, open front sweaters and cardigans I wore throughout. Especially if the sweater is long enough to cover leggings that you might wear when you are more pregnant.
Famouscait says
+1 to all the above. I also got my Bella Band from Nordstrom. The version they sell is far superior to the one in Target.
hoola hoopa says
+1 to all, plus jersey skirts and roll waist leggings. I’d add accessories and make up, too. If your credit lasted through 2nd or 3rd trimester, I’d add shoes and a sized up bra, but I’d be nervous about sizing in 1st tri.
Agree that you should look at their maternity clothing.
NewMomAnon says
You can order maternity clothes through Nordstrom’s online. I would order leggings, tights, and open front cardigans. Maybe also yoga pants for maternity leave? I lived in yoga pants, and the ones with the roll-down waist are good for during pregnancy too (until that last month, yuck). Skirts with elastic waistbands are also good for now and will be good for a summer maternity leave (they might also be on sale as a summer clothing item).
(former) preg 3L says
Splurge on really comfy lounge clothes. You’ll want them during your maternity leave.
Also, Nordstrom has such a fabulous return policy, that you’ll be able to return/exchange anything you buy now if you end up not wearing it as much as you hope.
Newly pregnant says
Thanks, all! This is very helpful.
Anon S says
I had my first ultrasound yesterday and thank God all is well. :) It was amazing to see the little heartbeat, I felt very emotional and so did my husband! It’s all I can think about now which is NOT helping my productivity at all. :-\
CHJ says
Hooray for a healthy ultrasound!
FVNC says
Congratulations! If the IT department at my company had seen my internet search history the day(s) after my first ultrasound, I’m pretty sure they would have seen only baby-related searches. So, get your work done but indulge a bit and enjoy the moment!
JJ says
So today my youngest son transitions from the older babies’ room at his daycare to the 1 year+ toddler room. Not a huge deal, but I’ve spent the day wondering where in the world the past year went and how my baby became a toddler.
CHJ says
I went through this earlier this month! After dropping DS off for his first day in the toddler room, I walked past the infant room and saw all his infant buddies and his little empty crib and started bawling. He’s totally fine in the toddler room and is actually eating and sleeping better than he did in infants (peer pressure, I suppose?), but I’m still processing what it means for him to not be an infant anymore. It’s hard because the first year is so intense and emotional and life-changing, and yet it’s only one year long before BOOM, they are little toddlers. Motherhood is such a wild ride…