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Maternity Monday: Slim-Leg Twill Pants

Maternity· Recent Recs

Motherhood Maternity Slim-Leg Twill Pants | CorporetteMomsMaternity style is all about the basics for most working women — the black dress, pant, and blazer; a white blouse, a few extra skirts. One pair of “fun” pants, though, can go a long way towards making you feel like you’ve got more of a wardrobe — and you often need maternity pants a lot earlier than you need maternity dresses or the like. I like these happy cobalt ankle pants at Macy’s, which look flattering and versatile. Wear them with Pucci colors for a fun spring look, or keep them muted with grays, blacks, whites, and other neutrals. A less memorable, but still non-standard pair of pants is here. P.S. Pregnant ladies, please visit our new Maternity Shopping for Work page. I decided to create it because a) for work style, it IS all about the basics — but as far as editorial content goes, it gets a bit repetitive because hey, I can only feature the Seraphine knotted dress or the Gap washable maternity trousers so many times, right? So there are “Maternity Classics” at the top of the page — these items have all been around for a long time (years in some cases), and would be a great place to start your wardrobe. Second, odds are you’re buying your maternity wardrobe in a few shopping sessions rather than slowly — so at the bottom of the same page you’ll also find a fun grouping of trendier, seasonal pieces. We’ll still feature one item here on Maternity Mondays, but I hope the new page will be a help to you. (L-3)

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Sales of Note…

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

Kid/Family Sales

  • J.Crew – Up to 50% off kids’ camp styles; extra 50% off select sale
  • Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
  • Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off summer pajamas; up to 50% off all baby styles (semi-annual baby event!)
  • Carter’s – Summer deals from $5; up to 60% off swim
  • Old Navy – 30% off your order; kid/toddler/baby tees $4
  • Target – Kids’ swim from $8; summer accessories from $10

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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!

Comments

  1. Maternity Leave says

    Maternity leave based threadjack: At what point should I start pushing my employer for a solid discussion about what’s going to happen?

    I’m due in June. I work for a small law firm, and I think that there is only one other attorney who’s ever had babies here, and it was years back (she does happen to be my boss). There’s no HR, just an office manager, and no policies or formal procedures for much of anything. We don’t even have a real PTO or vacation policy (I was told “an informal 2 weeks a year” when I started, and there’s no tracking system). Also, though everyone at the firm is nice, they are definitely not the most communicative folks around – it can be extremely difficult to get information or news. Boss in particular is one of those people who can be very difficult to ask questions of.

    I revealed my pregnancy in December, and was told by boss that she would tell the other partners and we would discuss it later. I asked the office mgr and he said that he would have to figure it out. Since then, I’ve tried to give updates and sort of hint along that I’d like to discuss it any time, but haven’t gotten much response.

    Should I wait until the delivery is scheduled (I will have a planned C), which will be sometime next month? Or should I push them before that? I don’t really need a lot – I did 8 weeks off last time and plan to do that again, though I’d like to know how that will impact my salary (and bonuses, as one will be due during the time I am gone), and I’m able to do some work part time or at home if needed. Should I start with the office mgr or boss?

    • CHJ says

      This sounds like my firm exactly. I would just email your boss to set up a time to talk about it in the next week or two. I don’t see any reason to wait to have the discussion, and it’s clearly on your mind. It sounds like they are pretty flexible, so I’d go into the meeting with what you want and see if they’ll accommodate it.

      • Maternity Leave says

        What would you ask for in terms of pay? I know that a lot of firms give full pay during a leave, but some don’t, and I’m feeling uncomfortable with the idea of saying “Hey, I expect you to keep paying me while I’m not working.”

        • CHJ says

          If you’re only taking 8 weeks, I think it is entirely reasonable to ask for paid leave. As a fallback position, you should be able to use sick days and short term disability for some or all of your leave. My maternity leave (12 weeks) was a combination of paid leave (4 weeks) and short term disability (8 weeks). I know my disability insurer would have paid for even more time off (I also had a C-section) but my firm wouldn’t let me be out for more than 12 weeks.

          • Maternity Leave says

            No disability coverage, either. I suppose that if I’m offering to keep covering email and whatnot, I can feel better about asking for paid time, though.

            (My husband will be there the entire time, so I’m not too worried about doing some work while on leave.)

          • Meg Murry says

            Ask for paid, be willing to compromise for 50%? Has anyone taken time off for other medical or personal needs, like having a knee replacement? What was the deal for them?

          • Maternity Leave says

            Seems like that must have happened at some point, but not that I’m aware of.

    • ANP says

      Reading this, I have to ask: why don’t you think you deserve to be paid during your time away? I would (gently) push back on you here. Just because US companies aren’t required to pay employees who take parental leave doesn’t mean you should go in there, hat in hand, not asking for it. If you’re valued there’s no reason your manager wouldn’t want to do that for you.

      Now, I also understand the restrictions of working for a small office, precedents, etc. All I’m saying is not to undervalue yourself.

    • JBJD says

      I am in a similar situation with my firm – small practice, only female attorney, no HR (and no office manager) and I’m 7 months pregnant with my second child. With my first, I went in with an exact plan and they just signed off on that. With this one, they just said we’d do the same thing again. Full pay for between 6-8 weeks of leave, I’m available for emergencies while on said leave, and I check email regularly. The pay issue wasn’t even really discussed – I just said that I’d like 6-8 weeks of leave and then I’d come back. Not sure if that will work for you but it went over a lot easier than I expected it to. One thing that did seem to help was to have a Word document with notes about the status of every matter I was working on, which I updated daily until my last day in the office.

  2. Two Cents says

    Ladies, what lunch do you pack for your toddler for daycare? We’re all vegetarian. Daycare is nut-free, and I’ve essentially rotating between giving garlic/butter pasta with veggies and grilled cheese. Needs to be something my son can pick up easily (no rice, no soups). Any ideas?

    • FVNC says

      My toddler lives on baked sweet potato fries with a little Cajun seasoning. Humus sandwiches are another favorite.

      I love the idea of grilled cheese – I’m stealing that one!

    • Anonymous says

      We are also vegetarian, and have to send nut-free food. We do English muffin pizzas, fake chicken nuggets, veggie burgers, quesadillas with beans and veggies, sunflower butter sandwiches or leftovers for the main dish. We include a side of baby carrots, seaweed, kale chips, sliced cucumbers, or broccoli florets, and a piece of fruit (either berries, peeled and sectioned orange, mini-banana,grapes, or guava). But I would love more ideas since I feel like we are in a total rut.

    • SFBayAssoc says

      Rice could certainly work. My school lunch regularly included musubi, which are hand-held Japanese rice balls using what is usually leftover rice mixed with leftover protein and veg, like scrambled egg, seaweed, and bits of carrot.

    • Meg Murry says

      All nuts, or just peanut butter? My kids like hummus spread on pita but not sure if sesame oil/tahini would be grouped into a no-nut policy.
      Hard boiled eggs or egg salad?
      Cheese cubes and crackers instead of cheese sandwich?
      Avocado on toast?

    • mascot says

      How is he with spoons? Can you do fruit/greek yogurt parfaits? Other ideas would be sunbutter sandwiches, hummus, hard-boiled eggs (my child likes the whites), string cheese, veggies or fruit with appropriate dips.

    • Take 3 says

      My kiddo is pretty picky (hates fruit, very oddly). For the primary protein, we usually do hummus + pita; sunbutter +honey; veggie burger; or tortilla stuffed with cheese and beans. Half of the time, they come home uneaten. We are not veg, so we’ve also sent turkey meatballs, honeybaked ham bits, and sausage. You could do meatless versions of these?

    • Momata says

      As far as vegetarian protein goes, my kid likes hard boiled eggs (ok, just the whites of the hard boiled eggs) and beans. She also likes cottage cheese – she’s just getting started using the spoon but can pick up clumps of it.

    • Sarabeth says

      Good suggestions above. My daughter also likes a curried tofu that we buy in the deli section of our grocery, slices of frittata, white beans, and cut up veggie sausages. And she’ll eat endless amounts of cheese if we let her.

    • ANP says

      We’re not vegetarian but my kids HATE sandwiches (so weird!) so we’re in a similar position. I like hummus and pita (or carrot sticks, or crackers). String cheese or the Babybel variety. Vanilla Greek yogurt with fruit in it.

    • Anonymous says

      Bean salads and pasta salads (with beans and veg) are yummy at room temp and, if the kid is sensitive to dressings/sauce, actually taste pretty good with just butter or lemon. We ate a lot of cooked left over veg served cold at daycare – peas especially for some reason, but anything works. I also loved deviled eggs when I could convince my mom it was a good idea, and left over pancakes (ours were homemade and low sugar + high protein) were also pretty great especially when we got old enough to use a toaster. If texture isn’t an issue, dips made of different beans (white beans, for example) are also really great and for an added boost you can make flat bread out of chickpea flour (socca) and use that with the dip instead of pita or carrots. Also, “nut loaf” which you can make with beans in this case taste fine cold, and I think you could make little-kid-hand-sized patties instead of a loaf if you have the energy.

    • Annie says

      Old Navy probably has a slim blue pair. Isn’t that what those Amy Poehler ads have been about?

    • anonymama says

      I have a pair from Loft, but I got it a while ago so not sure if they still have them.

  4. TBK says

    After my twins were born a year ago, I did the typical hair-shedding thing for several weeks (gross). But lately I’ve noticed I have a TON of tiny new hairs coming in. I mean, a TON. Like all over my head, all about 3in long. Is this typical? I’ve never heard anyone talk about it. I won’t say no to more hair (my hair is fine so extra volume will be greatly appreciated) but it makes me look so fuzzy and unkempt (especially if it’s damp and they all frizz). Not the look I was going for.

  5. Anon S says

    Another maternity leave question, as well as a question about requesting to go part time. I am a mid level associate at a large firm in a large city. The maternity leave policy is 17 weeks paid, and then you can take up to 6 months with group approval. I am not 100% sure that I would take the 6 months, but I might, just depends on how I feel (I am due in late April). Should I ask the head of my group now for approval to take 6 months? Or if not now, when would be an appropriate time to ask?

    Similarly, I have a feeling I will want to request to go part time when I return, or maybe part time on a trial basis (like 6 months or something). When should I have that conversation with the head of my group? The only reason I hesitate about having it now is because I’m just not 100% sure what I want to do yet. Thanks in advance for any guidance or suggestions on how to handle.

    • CHJ says

      If you’re due in mid-April, the options are to ask now, ask right before you go on leave, or ask during maternity leave, is that right? For both questions, I think it’s best to ask now. You will give your department extra time to adjust staffing and set their expectations. I also think that for your reputation, it’s best to ask for more time before you go out on leave, even if you’re not sure you’ll want it all, versus going out on leave and then asking for an extra month or two. The latter makes it look like you’ve had a change of heart about going back to work once you have the baby, versus just planning ahead and taking the leave you planned on.

      I would say the same for the part-time work question, too, but I think it’s a more nuanced question. Would they need to hire someone else to be fully staffed if you were part-time? How sure are you that you want to go part-time? FWIW, in my own experience, I would have loved to go back part-time after maternity leave, but it wasn’t an option.

      • Anon S says

        Good point about asking now so it doesn’t seem like I’m having a change of heart.

        For the art time work question, I don’t know if they would need to hire someone else if I went part time. I would say no, because by the time I’m due to go back we will have acquired a couple other associates (though granted, they’d be first years). I suppose it depends on how busy the group is. I am probably 75% sure I want to go part time.

        • Nonny says

          I know this was a typo on your part, but now I want my work to provide art time. :-)

      • ANP says

        I agree with asking for the max possible maternity leave now because it’s always easier to come back sooner vs. being out longer. However, unless you are CERTAIN you want to work PT, I would wait to have that conversation — but this advice is coming from someone who went from a 4-day-per-week-job up to 5 days after her second child was born b/c home was too stressful! Still, I would wait on the PT conversation. You can still have that talk with your boss four months, three months, two months out or whatever (or even agree to come back FT and, while they figure out staffing, agree to dial back to PT by X date). I just wouldn’t show those cards until you’re certain b/c you truly never know how you’ll feel after baby arrives.

      • Lorelai Gilmore says

        I have two kids and had both while in BigLaw. At my firm, the general practice was to go on leave and have a scheduled return date at the end of the 17 weeks. At around 12 weeks, you reach out to the firm (or they reach out to you) to discuss 1) whether you are coming back at the end of the 17 weeks or if you want to extend the leave out any further; 2) what schedule you want when you come back and if you want to go part time; and 3) what projects they might staff you on. If you are 100% sure that you want to take the full 6 months, I don’t think it hurts to have that conversation now. But I wouldn’t raise the part time business until mid-maternity leave.

        Also, you should be talking to all of the other associates who have taken maternity leave to see how they did it. Every firm is different and firm culture matters a LOT here.

        Finally, I don’t think that you need to worry about your department staffing to replace you if you go part time. Law firm associates are so fungible. While I agree that this would be important in a regular job, I don’t think this is something you need to manage at a law firm, where they can basically always deploy people in various ways to manage the normal ebb and flow of work.

  6. Nonny says

    Ugh, please tell me I’m not the only one suffering from the time change today. I think we put LO to bed too early last night, because she woke up at 10:30 and wanted to play for 2 hours. We ended up bringing her into our bed but I don’t think it was the best decision we’ve ever made. On top of that, I’m recovering from a cold and I really, really needed a good night’s sleep last night.

    Just.Barely.Awake.

    • PregAnon says

      It’s awful. I feel so terrible I decided to work from home today. I think a big part of my problem is that I learned how to tell time by the sun when I was really young, and then all summer would work on our property / small garden. I just have this natural sync with time, and when the clock says something that is so obviously WRONG it throws me way out of whack.

      Of course, now I’m “paying” for working from home because my crazy co-worker resents it (we’re allowed to do this, she just has it in her head that it “isn’t good” and won’t do it, so she “punishes” me when I do it), and I’ve gotten about 6 emails already from her this morning asking if I’ve done about 50 different things that don’t concern her AT ALL and are on files that I’m working on by myself :(

      Unfortunately we’re going through a little regime change so things are a bit “Lord of the Flies” in my department right now. Have to just kind of grin and bear it. But it is so annoying.

    • TBK says

      I had one baby standing in his crib bouncing while his brother alternately shouted “da-da-na-na-na!” at the top of his lungs or cry-fussed for over an hour last night — after putting them to bed “late”.. (I recall reading something on a mommy blog saying you don’t need a video monitor for your baby because “what are you going to do, just sit there watching while your baby cries?” Yes. Yes, sometimes you do. And sometimes you just sit and watch them bounce and yell “nananana!”)

  7. Laundry Service Question says

    I’m wondering if anyone in the Washington, D.C. area has any experience with laundry services. I’m hoping to spend $150-$160 a month on either a service that will just pickup a laundry bag and drop it back off, cleaned, and folded. Or I’m looking for someone to come to my house and just fold clean laundry and maybe wipe a counter or two and run a vacuum (i.e. not an intense/traditional house cleaning) for $60 a visit, bi weekly. Is this an unreasonable ask? Anyone have any info?

    • anon says

      Not in your area, but in my city we have Washio, which the internet tells me is also available in DC. Have used it for dry cleaning a few times when I just could not make it to the cleaners myself. Haven’t used them for regular laundry but I would not hesitate to try it.

  8. Mom-to-be says

    We recently found out that our daughter will be born with a cleft lip and palate later this spring, and will need reconstructive surgery. We aren’t sure what to expect. My husband has a cleft lip, but is dissatisfied with his reconstruction, and was pretty psychologically affected by his scar growing up.

    We live in a more rural area in the Pacific Northwest, equidistant from Portland and Seattle. My OB is in our local area, but my husband grew up here and feels pretty strongly that we should get our daughter’s surgery in a much bigger city. (We are also not against traveling further if the care is better.)

    Can anyone give experiences with this, and what to expect? Our doctors don’t seem to know too much, and don’t have any recommendations for doctors in bigger metro areas. All the Children’s Hospitals seem to have cleft clinics, but we have no idea how to figure out which ones are ranked higher or might provide better care.

    I’m cross-posting this on the regular Corporette site too.

    • CHJ says

      My parents live in a ruralish area in PNW, and I think it’s worth the hassle to go to Seattle or Portland for important medical procedures. My parents are always going to one of those cities for anything where they need a specialist. Given your husband’s concerns, it would probably give him great peace of mind to go to a specialist at one of the Children’s Hospitals.

      For finding a good specialist, are there online forums for parents of children with cleft palates?

      I’ll also echo some of the comments on the main site that I think there have been great advancements in this area in the last 10-15 years. One of DS’s daycare buddies had the reconstructive surgery and you seriously cannot even see a scar.

  9. pockets says

    I am trying to use the time change to shift my 1 yo’s entire schedule up half an hour (instead of 730-745 bedtime, 8-815 bedtime). Everything is getting pushed up half an hour from naptimes to mealtimes to bedtime. Crazy? Genius? Time will tell.

    • CHJ says

      We are trying this too! His schedule was 7:00 (bedtime) and 5:00 (wakeup), and we are trying to push it back to 7:30/5:30. Of course last night he slept from 7:30 until 6:22 for the first time in his life and we were all late for work/daycare.

    • TBK says

      Us, too. We’re shifting the boys (also 1yo) from 7:00pm to 6:00am, to 7:30pm to (pretty pretty please) 7:00am. With daylight savings, it worked last night (well, except for them bouncing/yelling in their cribs until almost 9:00pm — see above comment).

    • Nonny says

      Theoretically I’d like to do this too – our current bedtime is 7:00, with wake up ranging anywhere from 5:00 to 6:00 – 5:30 being the mean. But some nights my little girl is so tired we need to do bedtime at 6:30 or 6:45. I can’t imagine her willingly waiting until 7:30.

      I had a pipe dream that she would sleep until 7:00 this morning. Sigh. At least she made it until 6.

  10. anne-on says

    Reminder to anyone who’s a gap/banana/old navy card member – the 40% off full price promo code (save40) ends today. Just stocked up on pjs in a bigger size since of course those things almost never go on sale.

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