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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 51 Comments · by

Nursing Tuesday: Karen Kane Dress

Everyone· Machine-Washable Work Clothes· Nursing

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A woman wearing a Karen Kane DressA few commenters noted that this lovely, washable dress — which we’ve featured before as an affordable, easy option for work — is also a great work outfit for nursing. Good to know! There are a tons of different versions of it right now at Nordstrom, many of them on sale. Since a number of commenters also noted how important prints are for nursing (as one put it, they mask the “unavoidable milk dribbles and snot streaks” — we agree!), we thought we’d feature this lovely brown/green print. Not only is it marked 60% off, but all sizes are still available. It was $128, but is now marked to $51.20. Karen Kane Patchwork Print Cascade Faux Wrap Dress

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

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    I know I shouldn’t be posting but HOW DO PEOPLE AFFORD DIVORCE. Good grief.

    • Lyssa says

      As a former divorce attorney, this blows my mind, actually. It’s unreal how much it can cost.

      But, please do keep in mind that anything that you post on it (even Anonymously, technically) could be discoverable. Good luck to you and I hope that this goes as smoothly as possible under the circumstances.

  2. Canadian pyjamas? says

    Can any Canadian C*rporettes help?

    Trying to find matching Christmas pyjamas for my 18mth old and 6 year old. Looking for cotton for both (fleece aggravates their exzema) – need footed one piece pyjamas for the 18month old and prefer two piece for the 6 year old but one piece would be okay too. My 6 year old has asked to match her brother.

    I’ve tried Carters, Old Navy, Gap, The Children’s Place, Gymboree, Sears and even Target USA and Macys but they either don’t have Christmas patterns in the cotton sleepers or if they do have a Christmas/Winter pattern they don’t have feet. I’d order from Target USA but the pjs don’t have feet for babies in the Christmas patterns.

    I don’t mind shipping from the states but I’d prefer Canada if possible as the exchange rate is horrible right now.

    (Sorry if double posting but I think my earlier post disappeared.)

    • anne-on says

      Amazon? I think Oprah’s favorite things list had these. Hannah Anderson should too.

      • (was) due in june says

        +1 Hanna Anderson. Also maybe check the pajamagram company which advertises regularly on my NPR station as having such things.

        • OP says

          unfortunately Hanna Andersson don’t have feet (my little guy won’t tolerate socks at night but needs his ankles covered or he scratches his eczema.

          Someone on the main site suggested leveret on amazon which has a better price point than Pajamagram especially once the exchange rate is factored in

          • eh230 says

            Leveret is nice quality, but I am not sure if they have feet for older babies. It’s really hard to find footed pjs in cotton for 18 months and older.

          • OP says

            Is there a way to check if the Leveret ones are footed? The link was to amazon and i’ve never ordered that brand before. I don’t see the info on amazon.

      • anon says

        We have ordered footie Leveret pjs before from Amazon and I love them. They’re thinner than Hanna Andersson, though.

      • OP says

        definitely – willing to consider anything that might works. For background, we’re working with a dermotologist but one of the things we find most effective is keeping the kids skin covered – eg my daughter wears long sleeve t-shirts with shorts in the (Canadian) summer vs. t-shirts with pants because she scratches her arms but not her legs. We’re fragarance free on all products and double rinse + use cerave cleanser/lotion Our derm has recommended avoiding fleece pjs as kids are in them so long (12 hours overnight often) vs. a fleece hat or coat in the daytime that might only be on for a couple of hours.

      • Midwest Mama says

        I am interested too. My daughter had it last winter (then 3 yo, now 4) on her cheeks and hands. It’s starting to come back a little on her fingers. Her pediatrician last winter recommended hydrocortisone ointment and Aquaphor, which helped. I’d appreciate any advice you have.

      • hoola hoopa says

        Hydrocortizone + cerave. Put hydrocortisone on the patches and cerave over the entire body. (at bedtime I sometimes put vasaline or aquafor on top of the patches to really seal them). Note that cerave will sting/burn on broken skin for about 10-30 seconds, but I have found it heals so much faster that we get through it. On patches, do this 1-3x per day. Overall, aim for once a day.

        Bathe briefly and infrequently. Try skipping for two weeks (spot clean, obviously) and then once a week going forward. Very thoroughly cover with cerave immediately after.

        Humidifier in bedroom and another central home location.

        Bleach bath occasionally. I know that sounds insane, so here’s a link (of many) to show that I’m not crazy. https://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/a—d/atopic-dermatitis/eczema-bleach-bath-therapy

        Check for food or other allergies.

        FWIW, I haven’t found fleece to be an issue for my three family members with eczema.

      • AnonInColo says

        We’re still pretty new to the eczema thing, but our 10-month-old son has had it crop up on his upper arms and back over the last couple of weeks. We used the 1 percent hydrocortizone for close to a week to treat the flares, along with Eucerin on body and Aquafor on face. After about a week, things were under control enough to stop the hydrocortisone, though we have continued to apply the Eucerin and Aquafor and have been putting pure coconut oil in his bath. Also, we’re using a humidifier. It’s been under control for over a week now so here’s hoping we’re on to something! It is really dry where we live, so we’ll see how the winter goes.

  3. Sigh says

    My gender equality UGH of the day – I just gave notice at my mid-size law firm to join a wonderful boutique in the suburbs. (Yay!) One of the (male) partners, whom I’ve worked with a lot over the last few years and consider a mentor, supportively said “That makes tons of sense. I always wonder why women continue to work at firms like this after they have kids.” And then a few moments later, “What’s nice is that your husband has a good job, so you don’t have to worry about making money.” SIGH.

    • double sigh says

      I pretty much had the same sentiment from the female partner to whom I gave notice (…whose spouse does not work full time…).

    • Sigh says

      And more… I just told another partner, and his reaction was “What are your plans? Going to stay home?” TRIPLE SIGH.

  4. (was) due in june says

    I wore a solid-color version of this dress during my flights on a business trip last week for easy pumping access in the plane bathroom (I want a medal for pumping on the plane, someone give it to me). Soft, comfortable, and a modest neckline that nevertheless opens wide for pumping. This dress was the perfect thing to wear with leggings on a long flight. I need to buy this dress in more colors.

    • Anonymous says

      you are so bold! I pumped briefly on a plane once, but it was dark and I used a manual pump in my seat while my seatmates were sleeping. It was a 6 hr flight so there was no way I was going to make it! I may have also done the same thing with my electric pump, but my brain was all mush then. Bathroom would have been better but I felt guilty taking it up for so long. I am older and wiser now and will not have that issue again!

      • (was) due in june says

        I told the flight attendant about my need to pump and asked her when a good time was to occupy the bathroom for 20+ minutes. She was like “oh honey been there, I’ll let you know when is a good time, but anytime you need to do it, I’ll help.” I approached her after meal and beverage service round 1 were over, she stuck me in the farthest back bathroom and said she’d keep an eye on the door so no one bothered me, and no one did. Virgin America = A+ service.

        I also occupied the family restroom for 20+ minutes at MCO, who has a brand new pumping room in the terminal I was not in. I felt bad about occupying it for so long when I could hear families with kids on the other side, but I decided I was basically taking care of my kid at the time and I had nowhere else to go. You’d think freaking MCO would be more family friendly.

      • Chi Squared says

        I have pumped on planes – in my seat, with a nursing cover. It just seemed a lot easier and cleaner than doing it in the airplane bathroom.

  5. anon says

    I tried this on and wanted to love it, but it is SO SHORT! I am fairly tall, 5’8”, so I’m sure it would be fine on a shorter person. But it was so disappointing! The fabric was also surprisingly thin.

  6. Baby Showers says

    My in-laws (aunts) graciously offered to host a baby shower for me and suggested having it shortly after the baby was born. I politely declined. There are no logistics issues at play here – all of the guests live within 10 minutes of my house and that is where the shower would be hosted (and there are approximately 12 weekends available between now and the due date). I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but we are planning on restricting guests for awhile after the baby is born, so there is literally no way I am attending a shower (just after giving birth) with close to 50 guests, many of whom I’ve met a couple times or never. Am I being crazy?

    • Anon says

      You are not crazy. This is exactly what I would do. I just wanted to cocoon at home in the early weeks – can’t imagine having to go to an event and make small talk with 50 people.

    • Butter says

      I don’t think you’re crazy at all. It will also still be flu season then, and short of offering TDAP booster shots as part of a shower game, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. I’d say you appreciate the offer and would love to take them up on it at an earlier date.

    • AEK says

      No way to the shower after birth! Stand your ground. Just curious— any chance you don’t know the sex of the baby? Some people (bless their hearts) are really put out by not knowing when they buy shower gifts. As if there is a right to know.

      • OP says

        Nope, we know, and it has been widely publicized. A friend suggested it may because they all (particularly the people I’ve never met/only met once or twice) want the opportunity to meet the baby.

    • TBK says

      No! I wouldn’t let anyone who wasn’t a parent, grandparent, or medical professional near my babies until they were a month old, and even the grandparents (and dad) could only come near after they’d confirmed they’d had a recent whooping cough shot. AND everyone had to wash hands, a lot. I can’t even imagine a bunch of shower guests pawing my newborn.

    • Anon in NYC says

      Nope, not crazy at all.

      #1 – babies are so vulnerable to illnesses and there is no way I would expose my newborn to that many people all at once, especially in the middle of cold and flu season. A fever for a newborn is an automatic trip to the ER. And all the people who will want to hold the baby and touch his/her face! Yikes.

      #2 – you are going to feel out of sorts physically, and probably emotionally/hormonally, for at least a little while. I couldn’t fathom putting on any sort of presentable outfit and making small talk while having to nurse a baby every 2.5-3 hours around the clock. (Seriously, props to my Jewish friends who have a bris 8 days after giving birth.) The last thing you want is to have to put on nice clothes when you’re in that awkward post-partum phase where none of your maternity clothes or pre-pregnancy clothes fit.

      For the sake of family relations, I’d ask if they are willing to host the shower before the baby arrives.

    • Lkl says

      To counter all these naysayers — you may feel totally game a few weeks after having the baby. We had 40 or more people over for our son’s bris at 8 days, and I enjoyed it a lot (while seated on a soft couch, and then exhausted afterward, and with 4 grandparents to help, but still). So it’s definitely possible to do and possible you’d enjoy it. However, no way of knowing in advance! You may also NOT feel game. Could you have the shower a month or two after? You’ll still need plenty of items. Or before the birth?

    • Anon for this says

      Another (sort of) counter – are these aunts older? My mother at first had real issues with the idea of a shower pre-baby. She basically thought it invited some sort of trouble and was somewhat superstitious. While I know showers aren’t exactly new, I think there are still some people who feel more comfortable with celebrating after a happy healthy birth.

  7. oil in houston says

    hello ladies,
    I need to go to London for meetings, and will fly with my baby and husband. Husband will take care of baby during the day, and I should be able to take breaks and nurse her, but there might be the odd lunch or dinner when I can’t, so I was thinking of flying with some of my frozen stash for emergencies the first day.
    does anyone know if there is any way to keep milk frozen for 16 hours or so???
    Otherwise, I just have to pray I have enough to pump after I feed her when we arrive …
    thanks!

    • Anon in NYC says

      I’ve never had to deal with this and I have no idea if my suggestion is okay from a bacteria perspective, but what about taking frozen milk straight from the freezer and letting it slowly thaw in your cooler bag during the flight? This way you’d arrive and it would be ready to use on the first day. I’m thinking of it as akin to letting milk thaw in the fridge. Of course, you could always ask the airline / flight attendant if you could put the milk in the fridge on the plane (no idea if they’d let you).

    • Msj says

      I did this over the summer but was starting to wean. Are you deadset against formula? HIPP is a great brand in the UK and would be helpful to have on hand for a situation like this.

      • Maddie Ross says

        Same thought. How old is your baby? If you really think you cannot pump enough to cover contingencies while there, I might think about formula supplementation. I personally think flying with frozen milk that I wanted to remain frozen would be really risky for that long a flight.

        • oil in houston says

          well, the plan is to start to wean her that week of her afternoon feeding , but I was thinking of doing gradually, like a day 75 BM/25milk, next day 50/50 and so on, which does require some supply… hence the idea to take some of my frozen milk. I will try to pump there, but have no idea what the facilities will be like ….

          • Msj says

            There are fabulous facilities for pumping in Heathrow! But in general European offices aren’t as familiar with pumping because women tend to take a longer mat leave. I had to explain pumping breaks to some confused colleagues (when they visited me in the US) . But if you are planning on weaning anyway, I might try to bump up your time frame or just go direct to milk/formula depending on age. Some babies can make the change cold turkey. Also they could make some up with solids.
            I moved up dropping the day time feedings because I didn’t want to deal with pumping at the UK office or storing milk. The kids were already 11 Mos and still nursed morning /night for another two months until I decided to fully wean.

    • NewMomAnon says

      It’s been a year since I had to deal with milk storage issues, but my memory is that fresh milk can be left refrigerated for longer periods of time than thawed frozen milk. Maybe it would be better to bring fresh milk rather than frozen, if that is an option?

  8. LC says

    The baby shower discussion above made me think of a related issue I’ve been facing re: visitors and a new baby.

    I have a one-month old baby — born at full term, no health problems. So far, I’ve been pretty vigilant about only allowing visitors who have had a TDAP shot to hold him (of course, provided that they also wash their hands, etc.) So far, no one has pushed back on this. But my two younger brothers are both coming to visit in upcoming weeks. Both have told me that it’s too much trouble to get a TDAP shot — they’ll have a flu shot and will wash their hands, but they seemed resistant when I mentioned I might have concerns about them holding the baby. My mom has not been super helpful on this — she totally agrees that visitors who want to hold baby should have a TDAP shot, but when also seems saddened by the prospect of my brothers not getting to hold the baby when they visit.

    Am I overreacting here? I’m concerned about causing family drama, but more concerned about protecting my little guy’s health.

    • Coach Laura says

      LC- you are not overreacting.

      Any local drugstore (Walgreens, Rite Aid, Bartell Drugs) or doc-in-the-box (urgent care) will give TDAP. Very easy. Adults get whooping cough too and it’s painful.

      Maybe send them a link to their local drugstore’s site about vaccines and a copy of the CDC (or whoever’s) advice that all adults need to be up-to-date on TDAP. Also – lockjaw – all adults need that too every . Probably what – $25? If my brothers were starving student types, I’d probably offer to pay but that’s just me.

    • Anon in NYC says

      I would not let guilt that your mom might be sad be the driving factor in making this decision for you (I know it’s hard). I think you should talk to your pediatrician and see what they say. I would be pretty annoyed with an immediate family member who prioritized their convenience over my daughter’s health.

      FWIW, I asked immediate family (in-laws, my parents, and my siblings) to get the TDAP shot, even though my siblings live in another country and are not around frequently. We did not ask my BIL because we assumed that he already had it (he has two kids).

    • TBK says

      Not overreacting. I may have been slightly crazy about TDAP shots (superstition in some ways — there was only one set of twins in my family before my boys, my great-grandmother’s sisters, and one of them died of whooping cough when they were 18 months, so I focused all my crazy-mom anxiety on the TDAP shot) but it’s a real thing and it’s coming back and babies die from it. Your brothers can figure out how to get a shot to prevent risking their nephew’s life, or they can wait until he’s just a few months older and has been vaccinated himself.

    • RR says

      Not overreacting at all. It’s no harder to get a TDAP than the flu shot.

    • hoola hoopa says

      It’s appropriate to ask your pediatrician.

      Frankly, it sounds like you are overestimating actual risk. If your brothers do not have symptoms (ie, no cough, fever, or cold/flu symptoms) and have not been near a recent outbreak, it’s very unlikely that they would be contagious with pertussis. It’s also worth mentioning, although it’s a bit contradictory, that because pertussis is often transmitted through the air, that the risk is not substantially different if they holding the baby vs near but not holding.

      However, it’s understandable to be frustrated and upset when you make a straight-forward, easy-to-do (and mutually beneficial) request for the health and safety of your family member and get apathy and guilt. It’s not going to be the last time, so it’s really up to you and your family dynamic on what you do next.

      You can try selling it as an easy way to remember when they got their last tetanus shot.

    • oil in houston says

      I personally laid the law firmly – if you haven’t had the TDAP, you can’t hold the baby. All complied.

    • Msj says

      Grandparents and anyone who spent meaningful time with the babies was required to get tdap but I didn’t require the same of my younger brothers or other one time visitors. (I did ask friends with kids to leave their toddlers at home as I was afraid of daycare germs). This was based on guidance of ped. I had full term summer babies. Of course, it is completely your call in the end.

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