Open Thread
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Something on your mind? Chat about it here. But first… the weekly recs!
Pictured above:
- For the pregnant mama: LOFT is offering 50% off EVERYTHING on the site right now, which means this is a great time to stock up. On the maternity side of things, I like these cotton/rayon/spandex chevron herringbone slim bootcut pants – they’re the rare non-black pair of maternity pants. They were $89.50, then marked to $79.99, but with code FIFTY they come down to $40. Maternity Chevron Herringbone Slim Boot Cut Pants
- For the nursing (and pregnant) mom: I suddenly find myself in need of new nursing tops since I’m less than thrilled with all of the ones I had during my first pregnancy — just one or two tops to wear to the doctor’s office, on airplanes, for playdates, etc., since I always seem to end up nursing in public on those occasions. I’m drooling over this nice one from Baju Mama, which also works for maternity — I love that you pull fabric both up and down to nurse, so you’re covered from multiple angles. It’s $54 at Figure8Maternity. Jill Scoop Neck Nursing Top by Baju Mama (Readers, which nursing tops were your favorites?)
- For mamas in the sticky-hands phase: I like the look of this machine-washable blazer from Old Navy. VERY limited sizes are still left in a light pink, too. It’s $39.94 (but comes down to $30 with code ONSAVENOW). Women’s Ponte-Knit Blazers
- For mamas in the diaper-bag phase: I’m intrigued by this Timi & Leslie diaper bag, marked down 33% at Nordstrom — it’s available in five color combinations, features a crossbody, adjustable, detachable strap, and comes with a changing mat, a zippered sack for soiled clothes, and “a stylish clutch that you can use as your own purse.” It also has matching stroller straps, an insulated bottle pocket, and six interior pockets. Wow. It was $165 but is now marked to $110. Timi & Leslie ‘Hannah’ Faux Leather Diaper Bag
- For everyone: I just found these stackable number rings at J.Crew, and I love them — I’d get some with important dates (like my sons’ birthdays or my wedding anniversary). (Note that J.Crew is offering up to 50% off sale styles and 30% off select styles for everyone this weekend with code HISUMMER.) Lulu Frost 14k gold code ring
Readers, what are/were your favorite nursing tops? Did you buy birthstone- or initial jewelry once you became a mama?
The Tiger’s Eye august birthstone has many different varieties, this mineral
in its wearer. Regardlessof the origin, Valentine’s Day as a gemstone for the wearer,
And bless them capable and healthy. AprilDiamond
– probably the best known and most of which were almost transparent, and is in fact only
ever been found occasionally, including white, orange and brown.
Pumping Q. One side of my pump seems to be stronger than the other side. I’ve switched them and it is definitely the pump, not me just producing more on one side (though I do produce more on one side). Is my pump defective or is there anything I can do about it? I plan to check the manual tonight but thought I’d post here in case anyone else has dealt with this. TIA!
Any New Yorkers here? Any idea how much of a raise to offer the nanny when moving from 1 kid to 2? The absolute most we can do is $2 but I don’t want to insult her… (we already pay $18/hr. In DUMBO.)
I bought my regular size. But i have friends who bought larger maternity sizes than regular sizes for a variety of reasons, including that they wanted the clothes to be looser, and had gained weight aside from in their stomach. And I found that if a store vanity sizes their regular clothing, they also vanity size their maternity clothing.
Question about maternity clothes sizing: do you really just wear your pre-pregnancy size? Is it safer to buy up a size? I don’t need maternity yet, still too early, but I wouldn’t mind taking advantage of the Loft sale. Is it better to wait until I pop and try stuff on then? Or is it possible to buy ahead of time?
Relatedly, do you find that maternity clothes are “vanity sized” (hate that term but don’t know the alternative)? Especially at stores like Gap or Loft that also sell regular clothes?
I am the World’s Luckiest Parent, with a baby who’s been sleeping 8 hours at night since he was 2 months old. The baby books say that eventually he’ll be sleeping a 10-12 hour stretch at night, with 1 – 2 daily naps. So here’s my question / problem: once he starts doing this, when will I ever see him? I’m in a 2 lawyer family, and my husband and I have both adjusted our work schedules so we can share all non-breastfeeding baby duties: he works 8:30 to 6 and does daycare drop-off, I work 7:30 to 4:30 and do daycare pickup. In mornings I wake up at 5:30 to nurse the baby before I leave for work; at night we have a 1 hour wind-down, bedtime routine starting at 830 that involves dad reading him some books, one of us giving baby a bath, and me nursing before he falls asleep at 930. If baby sleeps 10 – 12 hours, most of this gets cut … either I won’t have time to nurse him before I leave to work, and/or dad won’t get home early enough to read / bathe the baby before bedtime. Am I doing the baby any harm by continuing to have him only sleep 8 hours at a time, to enable dad and I to spend some quality time with him?
I am finishing up week 2 of being back at work after maternity leave. The logistics of pumping are challenging, but I think I’m doing pretty well. Thank God I read somewhere about putting pump parts in the fridge between sessions rather than trying to wash them every time. My office doesn’t have a sink other than the one in the bathroom, and I don’t think I ever would have figured that out on my own.
In that spirit, what is your best pumping tip? Do you have any secrets for making it easier, quicker, or more pleasant?
How timely! I am expecting twins in August and have started to look at nursing camisoles this week. For those offered in s/m/l, do the sizes correspond to your pre-pregnancy size as with most maternity wear? Also very interested in favorite brands. I tried on some yesterday at Target on the basis of various recommendations but was less than thrilled with how they looked/felt (then again my giant belly can be throwing things off).
I’ve also seen advice to stick with non-sized or s/m/l bras in the first few weeks until supply stabilizes. I have found the one-sized coobie bras to be useful during pregnancy. Could they also be used for early nursing? The straps are detachable, just not as easy to clip out and back in. But then again since we are talking about twins and I will be attempting tandem feeding, there really aren’t any ‘discrete’ options
Thanks!
I am still nursing and have been since the fall. Once I went back to work I switched to pretty much only V neck and/or wrap style tops and dresses. I pump in my office when i’m in the office, but I am often in airports and cars and who knows where else so the less undressing I have to do in the short amount of time I have to pump, the better.
When I work from home, or when I’m (rarely) at my desk in the office, I wear a sports bra that I cut holds in to be hands-free. At home, I just throw a zip up on top. At work, I put a shawl over my shoulders and lock my door and pray there is not a building fire :)
To kat – my favorite nursing top was the crossover wrap thingy from Gap – they have it with long/short sleeves and without.