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Maternity Monday: Jersey Wrap Dress

Machine-Washable Work Clothes· Maternity· Maternity Fashion· Pump-friendly· Recent Recs

Rosie Pope Jersey Wrap Dress | CorporetteMomsI never splurged on Rosie Pope dresses during my pregnancies, but this wrap dress looks like a great basic for work, and I like that “wash cold” laundering instruction. It even looks like it could be a great option for pumping and for the postpartum period (when you may or may not fit into your regular clothes). It’s $178 at ShopBop. Readers who’ve bought Rosie Pope, please chime in — what were your thoughts on the quality? Did anyone have this exact dress? Rosie Pope Jersey Wrap Dress

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Sales of Note…

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

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

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Comments

  1. MomAnon4This says

    TJ: So, I just tested positive on Saturday, and we’ve been trying for awhile so I’m excited/anxious. Question: What pregnancy webpages, apps and especially online forums have been most helpful to you? I’m looking for an intelligent, friendly forum with supportive women. Seems to me most forums (like on WhatToExpect.com and Babycenter.com) are full of people yelling “baby dust!” and comparing 5D ultrasounds, but the medical webpages are so clinical and not emotional at all – is there a group of people like this, intelligent, funny, who also want to talk about pregnancy? I realize I especially rely on online groups in the 1st trimester (or for my and my anxiety, before even 20 weeks), before I go forward and tell friends, co-workers, other people I’d want to discuss with, I appreciate the anonymous factor. I just want the right kind of community. Thoughts?

    • (former) preg 3L says

      It seems that’s a big reason behind Kat launching thiss!te, moms variety. I agree that an intelligent, friendly forum for pregnant women would be ideal and I certainly didn’t find one when I was expecting!

      That being said, congratulations!

      • nyclawyer says

        I made a wonderful group of friends on TCOYF. We actually just had an in-person meetup and many of us traveled across the country to meet each other! There are due date groups there, and each is different based on who joins – sometimes you luck out and get a great group, and sometimes you don’t.

    • ANP says

      I had no good luck with online resources but there are some non-crazy (meaning: the tone is normal/not judgey) books out there if you’re interested.

    • anon says

      Congratulations! So far the internet (except for the ladies here) has been so unhelpful – lots of conflicting information out there. I really liked Emily Oster’s Expecting Better to get a handle on what the various risks associated with consuming coffee, etc. For me, it was really helpful to see an analysis of the various studies. Haven’t looked at any other books yet.

    • Carrie M says

      Congrats on the positive test! If you haven’t already checked it out, the pregnant chicken calendar is great. As for forums: I lurked on the Bump birth month board. Yes, there was drama and unhelpful responses. But there were also some fairly nice/supportive posts. And somehow it helped me stay calm/rational to read some of the crazier posts and know that I wasn’t alone in stressing about every little thing but I needed to keep it in check so I didn’t end up in crazy town. My month was a little snarky, but not terrible and of course YMWV depending on who else is on there. If you find a forum you like, please share!

    • Anon for this says

      Don’t really want to connect this to my regular handle, but I joined a pregnancy cohort on the AltDotLife forums, and found it really great. Lots of other working/professional moms (and also some lovely SAHMs), people who write in complete sentences, and support for a pretty wide range of parenting choices but also for looking at the actual evidence behind any parenting “rule.”

    • For Kat says

      The OP’s question raises a question I have for Kat— Are you comfortable articulating your vision for how this s*te and Corpor*tte proper “should” be used? I really hate reading the snarky comments on the main s*te to the effect that all parenting or pregnancy clothing or maternity leave related questions should be posted here. I think people are kind of jerks about it, actually. I don’t know if anyone wants to you policing & moderating, but I do think a large contingent would respect what you say is your vision for the way to two s*tes are meant to be… Would love to see you post something in both places to inform the commentariat how you feel about it.

  2. Anon says

    Any urban moms love their graco stroller? I have a significant discount for graco. Considering the aire3 but open to all. I’m a first time mom. Thank you.

    • Anon says

      I’m curious to hear responses about this as well. My husband and I just received the aire3 travel system as a gift. I am also a first time mom. We played with the stroller quite a bit at the store and we loved it.

  3. (former) preg 3L says

    New Office Q: I’m a new lawyer and I’m pumping at work. I have my own office with a door that locks, but my office has a floor-to-ceiling window into the office hallway. The office manager has made a room available for me to pump in (and told me about how she set it up just for me), which is fine, but I would love to get a curtain for my own office and just lock my door 2x/day when I pump. Any thoughts on having that conversation? I don’t want to appear ungrateful but trekking across the building with my pump is embarrassing. Is the setup I have better than pumping in my office, in the opinion of women who have done both?

    • Katarina says

      I have only ever pumped my my office, and I can’t imagine going elsewhere would be better. It is easy to keep working while I pump, so I can bill more. It is also less embarrassing. I bought a mini fridge in my office for extra convenience. I kept my milk in there, and my pump parts between sessions. Just have the conversation. I might mention that it facilitates you billing more to pump in your office during the conversation. Plus, then they can use the other room for something else. Even if you don’t work, you save time by not having to go anywhere.

    • CHJ says

      I had the exact same set up. In the end, I decided to go with the pumping room that the office manager set up, which was really a tiny storage room. I left my pump in the room, along with some other supplies (ziplock bags, etc) so I didn’t have to carry my pump and such around the office. See if you can stash things in a file cabinet or banker’s box so it’s not noticeable. At least in my office, I think it would have been a lot more obvious to draw curtains across the windows every time I needed to pump versus just chilling out in the pumping room. There were a few times when it was annoying because I was busy with work and it was hard to take the break, but in the end, I really loved the peace and quiet of the pumping room. I would use the time to check things on the internet, read books on my Kindle, or text my mom. I kind of miss the pumping room!

      • (former) preg 3L says

        See, this is my thinking so far too. Although, if I were able to get a curtain for my office, I would just leave the curtain drawn all the time and open the door when I’m available, but close & lock the door when I’m unavailable. The main drawback to the “pumping room” is that it’s actually an office for visiting attorneys, so it can be used by other people.

        • Anon says

          No curtain. A new hire at my office put up a curtain in her office (she’s not pumping) and everyone is talking about how weird/unprofessional it is. Don’t be that girl.

          • anon says

            I don’t think a curtain will be that big of a deal. Just float it that you are breastfeeding/pumping, and no one will dare mention it again. I pumped for three kids, 8 months + each, and all I had to do was casually mention it to one guy in my wing and everyone knew what was going on and didn’t mention it. (Until I got walked in on by a partner, but yay for locked doors.)

        • Meg Murry says

          If there will come a day when you can’t get into the pumping room because there is a visitor, you will still need a curtain/ screen or backup space. So you may as well setup to just be comfortable in your office.
          However, in the name of office politics, you may want to use the pumping room occasionally, as the time may come that someone without an office (I’m thinking assistant, receptionist or front desk person) might need a space setup for them, and it will be a lot easier if the precedent has set by you, an attorney.

      • anon says

        +1

        My office walls are half glass. A curtain would not work (and we are so small that there is no other option than the bathroom).

      • HM says

        Self-adhesive privacy clings. I put them up on my interior window – lets in light, can tell that a person is in the office, but otherwise everything is obscured.

        • (former) preg 3L says

          I think you would still be able to tell that the office dweller had to remove her shirt!

          • HM says

            I don’t think you can. The ones I use are similar in texture and thickness to a shower curtain. It lets light in, and you can see some darkened shapes, but no one is getting a visual impression of anything. It also helps I’m angled away from the window, and have about 6 feet from the window to my seat.

    • Carrie M says

      I think you should have a conversation with the office manager. If the make-shift pumping room is still going to be used by visiting attorneys, then it really doesn’t make sense as a pumping room. What are you going to do – stop by 2-3 times a day and ask the visiting attorney to leave? If it’s going to be your room exclusively while you pump (and you might want to make sure the office manager understands this could be 1 month or 6 or 12 or even longer, depending on what your hopes/plans are), then you can leave your pump in there. That at least cuts down on carrying it around. You should also ask for a mini fridge in there if you haven’t already, so you can store your milk (and flanges and collection bottles) in there during the day.

      On the curtain: I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask, but I’d be honest with the office manager and say that you weren’t sure how it would come across. I think the curtain is a know-your-office kind of thing. At my previous firm, I don’t think anyone would think twice about curtains. At my current firm, I think it would raise a few eyebrows but wouldn’t read as totally unprofessional.

      On pumping at your desk: it is convenient, but I have lots of friends who make pumping rooms work well for them. Also, since the room is an office, could you ask IT to set up a computer in there that would allow you to log on to the network? When I visit other offices in my firm, I’m always able to do this. And you can forward your phone to that office while you’re in there – so it would be basically like pumping at your desk, except without the window.

      Finally: on the embarrassment of carrying your pump – don’t be embarrassed! You are doing a wonderful, amazing thing for your child. I lug a hospital grade pump to and from work in a plain black bag. No one knows it’s a pump. But I carry my flanges and collection bottles in a big zip lock bag, usually in my hand or on top of my regular work bag. If I end up riding the elevator with a colleague, most don’t even look twice. I don’t think the men know what it is (unless they’re a recent dad), and so far the women have either been respectful and not said anything (or maybe they’re silently judging?), or said congratulations/asked how my baby is.

      Good luck! And congrats!

      • Spirograph says

        RE: no one knows it’s a pump. Yes. Women – an maybe men – with young kids know, but everyone else is pretty much clueless. Mine was a Medela in a little black backpack looking thing, and I got several compliments on the Metro for my cute, practical little commuting bag.

        And maybe my boss is just a jerk (quite possible. Quite possible also that he just doesn’t understand that pumping is not just something I can put off for another hour, no problem!), but waiting for the elevator with my pump bag in hand was zero deterrent for him pulling me into a meeting… I am giving the him the benefit of the doubt that he didn’t know what the bag was.

        • (former) preg 3L says

          I agree that no one knows it’s a pump, I’m just waiting for a well-meaning partner to ask me, “so where are you headed?” at 10:30am. I haven’t figured out what I’m going to say. (Suggestions?)

          • CHJ says

            Two answers, depending on the person:

            “To the bathroom. Be right back.”

            “I have to take care of something. Be right back.”

            In the course of a year of pumping, only one person ever asked me where I was going, and it was a middle aged partner, father of two teenage girls. I said “I have to take care of something” and he obviously made the connection and turned purple out of embarrassment.

          • Carrie M says

            Agree with Anon – “To pump.” I’ve had to have a couple conversations with male partners about this. Usually it goes something like this: Partner: I knocked on your door earlier to discuss this deposition/brief/whatever, but you didn’t answer but I think you were in there. Me: Sorry I couldn’t answer the door. My daughter drinks breastmilk, so I have to pump 2 or 3 times a day so that she has milk at daycare. The firm has been so great/supportive – I can do it right at my desk, so I’m always available by phone or email. If my door is closed when you stop by, you can always call or email.

            Several times, I have received calls while I’m pumping to come to a partner’s office immediately, and every single time, I’ve said “be right there!” and stopped pumping. If this happens more frequently, I may have to ask for 10 or 15 minutes. But I also think this a “know your partner” situation….I have one partner who would not take kindly to an associate trying to re-schedule him, even if only for a few minutes.

            Also: I feel like I need to walk a fine line between telling them I need to pump, but not making it seem like pumping is consuming too much of work time. The thing is, though: it does. If I pump 3 times, that’s an hour of my day plus a few minutes more each time to set up/break down. Yes, I can work while I do it (or comment on this site, which is how I’m currently multitasking:)) but it still takes time.

      • (former) preg 3L says

        Thanks for all of these thoughts! I asked about a mini fridge and the office manager told me I can just use the communal fridge (umm… not ideal). I feel pretty ridiculous (and inefficient) about taking my pump to the pumping room, then stopping in the break room, and then returning to my office. I suppose I will have to be a squeaky wheel about it to get the most efficient setup. I hope to continue pumping until my daughter turns 1 (but I’m not going to torture myself if it stops working).

        • Anon says

          I recommend buying your own mini fridge and keeping it in your office. Eliminates one step.

          • CHJ says

            I was just about to say the same thing. You can throw the bottles into a lunch bag while in the pumping room and then store it all in a fridge in your office. No one will notice.

          • OCAssociate says

            Buying my own mini-fridge was the best thing I did to be able to pump past 1 year. If you buy from amazon and have it delivered directly to your office, you don’t have to try to drag it in yourself.

          • (former) preg 3L says

            @OCAssociate, I’ve been told that babies should stop having bottles at 1 year. How did you continue BFing after 1 year? I hope to continue as long as my daughter wants it / until she self-weans. Do you (or any other moms) have info on continuing past the 1-year mark? I would be happy to email about it, in case some readers aren’t interested, but I don’t have an anonymous email address set up.

          • Meg Murry says

            BF is not the same as bottles, so you can continue doing that as long as you like – the World Health Organization actually recommends to age 2, as long as desired by both mother and baby. Some moms switch to sippy cups or even small open cups (if baby will take b-milk from one – some kids are picky about it). Others stop pumping at work and just nurse at home, and offer cow’s milk out of cups when kiddo is away from mom.
            The issue with bottles after 12 months has to do with teeth, and with developing different facial muscles. Breastfeeding doesn’t cause milk to pool around teeth the way bottles or sippy cups do, so its not quite the same.
            I bf until 15 months, and weaned off bottles to sippy cups from 10-14 months at daycare (started with switching snacktime bottle to cup). Ask your daycare/nanny – you probably won’t be the first kid they’ve done this transition with.

          • Burgher says

            My son recently turned 2 and we are still BFing at home, although I stopped pumping at the 1 year mark. After a year they should be eating a good bit of food and drinking from a cup. Our daycare provides whole milk after one year, though you are able to provide BM if you still want to pump. Keep in mind that you are only legally entitled to pump until 1 year.

            He just comes into bed with me first thing in the morning when he wakes up and then we snuggle on the couch after work or before bedtime. It is very nice bonding time together! He doesn’t seem interested in weaning yet, though I am wondering what is going to happen when my supply dips and later turns into colostrum (I am currently 20 weeks pregnant with #2). I would like him to be weaned several months before baby #2 arrives, but also don’t want to stop before he’s ready.

          • hoola hoopa says

            I also nursed well beyond the time I stopped pumping. I nursed in the morning, evening, bedtime, and more or less on demand on the weekend. They drank non-breastmilk fluids from cups after 12 months or earlier when away from me and at meals.

        • Burgher says

          Having your own fridge would be ideal, but it is not that difficult to manage using a communal fridge. I had a little black cooler bag (it was maybe 6″x6″?) that came with my pump that perfectly fit 4 bottles in it and was not obvious what it was at all. I was able to come up with a system so that I could fit my pumped milk, my active pumping bottles and all my pump parts in the small cooler bag, and occasionally another small bag.

          I think it is a great idea to frame it as an issue of efficiency and what is better for them. Yeah, it’s not forever, but it’s still 10 months. That can add up to a lot of lost time.

          I made it until my son was 1, but, in hindsight, I did torture myself needlessly about supply and trying to get him through 1 year on 100% mom milk. I felt like I was failing on the occasional days that he needed to be supplemented a bottle of formula. Guess what, he is fine, and would have been on 100% formula, too! It sounds like you already have a good outlook on it.

          • Anonymous says

            Chiming in as another mom who pumped until 1 year and then weaned from the pump but nursed mornings, nights and weekends until 33 months (which was longer than intended but I had a needy guy who at 4.5 YO will still “nurse” my arm while we are cuddling. Nice hickey bruises with sleeveless shift dresses for the win!).

            It’s totally doable and much more pleasant than continuing to deal with the pump in my experience. I plan to do the same for my now 7 MO.

            I also agree not to stress too much about a little supplementation. I feel like I gave myself a serious oversupply issue with my first because I was so concerned about that issue. And also stressed about organic baby food. All of which is good, but the moment I realized that maybe I was taking things a bit too seriously was when my 1 YO (at the time) toddled right over to the dog food bowl and chowed down on a handful.

            One other thing I have done that I find helpful is to have a full week’s supply of pump parts (5 sets) . . . picked up on the cheap at consignment sales other than the membranes which are bought new. . . that I keep in my desk drawer so that I only have to remember to bring in clean pump parts once per week. The dirties go home with the milk each day. It means I do not have to deal with washing pump parts and remembering them everyday and really takes one more stress-y issue of my plate on a day-to-day basis.

        • Katarina says

          I just bought the mini fridge myself. I stopped pumping at one year, but if you want to continue pumping past a year and bottle wean, you can give breast milk in a straw cup or a sippy cup. You can also pump wean but continue to breastfeed when you are with your child.

        • OCAssociate says

          I talked to my doctor because I wanted to breastfeed for at least 15 months, and my son didn’t like cow’s milk or other alternatives. She had no problem with bottles up to 1.5 years, especially since he was only getting a bottle during the day. Morning & night he was breastfeeding only.

          Honestly, I weaned at 16 months only because I knew we’d be trying for a second child and wanted my body to myself for a few months. Depending on how things go with this one (last baby), I’ll probably pump longer/wean later.

          I’m happy to talk about nursing/baby stuff. email ocassociate at the g mail.

    • Burgher says

      I found that pumping in my own office was highly preferable & more efficient than going to pump in another location. I kept my pump & supplies right in my desk drawer and just locked up with a “please do not disturb” sign on the door when I was pumping. It was so much more convenient than the times I had to pump somewhere else, and I was able to get a lot of work done (paperwork and emails – FYI – others CAN hear the noise of your pump on the phone!).

      However, I only had a small window in the door that I covered up with paper & drew the blinds. I don’t think that a curtain or screen would be terribly weird, since everyone will know why it’s there anyway. It’s not like you are just putting one up for decoration. Oh, and remember, it is your legal right to have somewhere to pump! That always made me feel a little better when I was thinking that I was asking for “special treatment”.

    • hoola hoopa says

      A friend had a similar situation and used a tension rod. It didn’t require any holes, and she could easily and quickly put it up and take it down. Her window was fairly narrow.

      • (former) preg 3L says

        My window is flush with the wall and the door only has two inches of wall above it (and I think the ceilings are 10′ high), so the tension rod wouldn’t really work.

        • hoola hoopa says

          Boo.

          I’d ask building manager about installing a roller shade. They are subtle and professional. When retracted, I doubt anyone would even notice it. There’s probably someone else you need to loop in prior to contacting the building manager, but that role is highly office dependent.

          While I agree that offices make for convenient pumping, don’t feel embarrassed. The only people who know what’s in the bag understand pumping. If you can’t resolve the window covering and still feel embarrassed, consider getting a different bag for your pump. Another alternative, depending on the pump room set up, is leaving your pump in the room during the day or all the time and just grabbing the cooler on your way out. But seriously, it’s NBD.

    • WestCoast Lawyer says

      I would definitely highlight the productivity aspect of it, you’ll also want to put a do-not-disturb sign on your door when you are pumping. There’s nothing like a knock at the door to disturb your flow (and the ensuing “um, you’ll have to come back later” can be a bit awkward). Regardless of where you pump you’ll probably end up fielding at least one awkward question from a clueless male in the office. Just remember that what you are doing is totally normal and they are almost certainly more embarrassed to have asked the question than you are to have had to answer it.

      The fridge should be less of an issue. If your pump didn’t come with a nondescript cooler you can put the bottles in an insulated lunch bag. Unless you have a chronic lunch thief (which would be a pretty funny surprise for them) no one will notice. I was also surprised to learn how long the milk stays good if you have an ice pack in the cooler – some days just left it at my desk and never had any problems.

      • ANP says

        Chiming in to say I pumped with two babies, a year each, and never refrigerated my milk. Ice bag + cooler was fine. And you can leave bre@stmilk at room temp for a ridiculously long time, I think — 4-8 hours? So I never worried too much if, for example, I over-pumped and had an additional supply that couldn’t fit in the cooler (rarely happened, but still).

  4. shortperson says

    i bought several rp shirts to go with maternity suits (i also highly recommend the theory suit pants at pea in the pod) for a trial in my third trimester. they were the most professional shirts i could find that would accommodate and enormous and growing belly. the “liv blouse” is my favorite of the ones i bought. they are all washable, gorgeous and drape well. note that i am 5’1″, a size s/4 pre-pregnancy, and i needed a large for my 3d trimester.

    downsides: they are made of polyester which is not great when you are overheated and pregnant in the summer. shipping through amazon was terrible — shirts arrived wrinkled at the bottom of a package and several washes and steams wouldnt get them out. i refuse to iron anything. finally i got my new shirts dry cleaned and they looked good. but i also bought a few in the rp store and the shirts and service were great.

  5. Pest says

    I have two Rosie Pope shift dresses. One is navy and sleeveless and the other is black with short sleeves. I love them. I have worn them to meetings, depositions and to court with pre-pregnancy blazers. I’m 29 weeks and think they will fit me until maternity leave. I have received complements from other mothers who say that they did not know they made maternity dresses like that. They were pricey but worth it IMO.

  6. Lillian says

    I bought one dress from RP. I am 5’4″, borderline petite. The dress (not petite) fit me well during the second trimester, but now I am 30 wk, and it is definitely getting short in the front. I still wear it, but it’s not ideal. Sadly, hem is maybe 1 cm, so nothing to let out. I’m not sure whether this is an issue for all RP dresses, but something to consider if you’re taller and buying before your watermelon comes in.

  7. CHJ says

    Totally off topic, but does anyone have an umbrella stroller that they like? Right now, we have a BOB (for running) and a City Mini (for daily use in the city). We’re planning a trip to Paris in a few weeks with our 15 month old, and I’m thinking that we need something smaller and lighter for the trip. Ideally I’d like something that reclines so he can nap in it while we walk around. We’ll probably also take the Ergo, which he still likes, but he likes strollers better for longer outings. Any recommendations? Or any cautionary tales, that taking a stroller to Paris is a terrible idea anyway?

    • JJ says

      I mentioned a few weeks ago that we have the Uppa Baby umbrella stroller that we bought specifically for travel. We love, love, love it. It reclines well and has a very adjustable hood/shade that keeps the baby shaded in any light. It’s also very light but well-made, with long enough handles, and folds up easily. We’ve gate-checked it multiple times with no issues.

    • Watermelon says

      Plan on taking the bus more than the metro if you’re using a stroller. Ergo is easier. Also, consider going out to the country, which is much more baby-friendly than Paris.

      • hoola hoopa says

        I haven’t been back to Paris since having kids, but I absolutely agree that the Ergo is a million times easier than a stroller for every mode of transportation. Definitely bring it.

        Our trips with young kids and strollers generally go like this, rotating every 15 minutes:
        “Ugh, I wish we’d just brought the ‘big’ stroller.”
        “Wow, I’m soooo glad we have this lightweight umbrella stroller.”
        “Why the @$% do we even bring a stroller? We should have just left it at the hotel/at home.”

        • CHJ says

          I can totally see us having the exact same conversation, over and over again! On that note, are there baby carriers beyond the Ergo that work well for toddlers? Our guy is a total koala and doesn’t mind being carried everywhere, but he’s getting kind of big for the Ergo.

          • ANP says

            Hahaha! I’m laughing at Hoola Hoopa’s description b/c we’re the exact same.

            I don’t have any answers for you CHJ because we lived and died for our Ergo. However, I seem to recall you can wear your kid on your back with them, too…not just front carry? No idea if I’m making that up or not.

          • hoola hoopa says

            I found the Ergo more comfortable with toddlers in the back or hip position. One of my kids was also a koala (lol, love that term) and was in it up to her 3rd birthday. She’s tiny, though.

            Maybe a kelty carrier? It should handle the weight better for the parent, but I’m not sure how big of a kid it will physically accommodate. We had one and only used it once or twice because the ergo was always on hand and once they are walking they wanted up and down and up and down, which I found easier with the ergo. Our craigslist is full of them, if you want to try it on the cheap.

          • Meg Murry says

            We have a toddler Patapum which I like way better than the Ergo for older kids because the “pouch” is much bigger, but I don’t think its sold in the US anymore. This s!te has some recommendations for other toddler sized carriers, FYI.
            theportablebaby dot com backslash carrierfeatures dot html

          • mss says

            We took at Kelty TC 3.0 to China when DS was 17 months (we also brought a stroller, since we did a bus tour and could keep our entire life on the bus). This was nice because it looks like a regular backpack (no frame, fits in the overhead compartment), but easy to put the kiddo in. DS slept in it and everything. When we went to Paris with DD, we only brought an ergo. She was a fat 4 months (20 lbs) and felt incredibly heavy. She also did not like being carried by DH in that thing. If I did it again (and she were a little older) I would bring one of those incredibly lightweight strollers you can get at Target for $40, and fold it up for going on the metro (and plan on building in extra strolling time for naps).

  8. oil in houston says

    hello ladies,
    some questions for those of you that have more experience than me on this! I am a FTM, due in January. We want to buy a new house, we need an extra room, but are not sure which timing would work best:
    – move in November when our current lease expires, by then I’ll be 32 weeks pregnant, but before my husband’s new contract gets confirmed (likely in December); if it doesn’t get confirmed there is a (small) chance we might have to move towns in August next year
    – move in March or April when we know what’s happening workwise but it means looking for a house / moving etc with a newborn….
    any views / recommendations?
    thanks in advance!

    • Katarina says

      I would wait so you don’t risk having to move again. You will not need the space right a way. I started seriously house hunting when my son was 5 months, and moved at 8 months, and it worked out fine. I wore him in the ergo when looking at houses. I do think moving would be easier while pregnant than with a baby, but I would not want to risk the uncertainty.

    • anon eagle says

      I would wait also. I had my first baby and lived in a small, 1st floor condo. Everything was great until we those huge bouncy exersaucer things took over our living room. At that point I decided I wanted to move. We moved into a 3 story townhouse when my baby was 5 months old and I didn’t know I was pregnant with my 2nd baby. Now I have 2 babies in a 3 story townhouse and it is exhausting hauling the children up and down the stairs. I often find myself reminiscing of the days I could be in any room in my old condo and my baby would only be a few steps away. Sigh.

    • ANP says

      I’d wait. Life is complicated, so why make it more so? See where things take you in the next couple of months and go from there. Kiddo doesn’t need much space for the first year and it all depends on what kind of baby gear stash you have, anyway. I think it would be good to wait and see how things develop — plus I’d NEVER want to move at 32 weeks pregnant!

    • hoola hoopa says

      I don’t know. For me, it would mostly hinge on how small of a chance it was that his contract would not be renewed because I’d rather move when pregnant but wouldn’t want to move twice. My thoughts:
      – While it’s not ideal to move late in pregnancy, babies are less work when they are still inside.
      – Would moving while pregnant mean switching OB/midwife practices? It can be challenging to find providers who accept new patients that late in pregnancy.
      – Would it be best to have extra space when baby is born so that family can stay and help you?
      – Depending on the baby, you may be anxious to have them out of your room by 2-3 months old or they may be there even if you do have a nursery.
      – If you move in March/April, have gifts and baby items that you don’t need immediately sent to your parents’ house.
      – Is moving in August even if he does get his contract renewed an option? I’d rather move with a 7 month old than a 2-3 month old, although IME you’d want baby out of your room before then.
      – Either way, hire movers and have family/friends available to help pack and unpack.

      • (former) preg 3L says

        TOTALLY agree with the thought here re: moving with a 7-month-old rather than a 2 or 3 month old. If there’s any way to wait a year, do it!!

      • oil in houston says

        this is very helpful, thanks a lot, I’ll give some more details as you kindly gave options:
        – I wouldn’t have to switch practice, if anything the move would bring us 10mn closer to the ob
        – I already have a spare room for guests, the point of the move would be to keep that and have a nursery (yes, it’s nice living in Houston!). However, master bedrooms and other bedrooms tend to be on different floors here, so the plan is to keep baby with us in the room at first no matter what whilst I nurse
        – so your point about when to move baby to the nursery is bang on, I’m assuming around 3 months is when we’d do that? but obviously, I have no experience in the matter!
        – I will be on maternity leave until June, so I’d rather move before I go back to work
        – we have no family around, so any help would need to be hired, and we can’t store anything at other people’s houses

        • (former) preg 3L says

          I moved the baby to her own room (immediately next to my bedroom) when she was 11 weeks old. I wasn’t quite ready, but DH was, and it was definitely the right time to do it. She was too mobile (kicking and wiggling) for the bassinet by that age and I wanted her to be safer in her crib (though, TBH, she slept in a pack-n-play until this August). She started sleeping through the night (7pm-7am) at 15 weeks, so those first 4 weeks of her in a separate room meant I was still getting up and nursing on demand (usually 3+ times per night). I would not have wanted her on a separate floor until she was sleeping through the night. Also, there were nights when I was so tired that my DH would have to wake me up, even though the baby was crying right next to my head. So I would be very nervous about having her too far away. Would you consider putting your baby in a pack n play in the hallway, so that you have some distance between you two before moving baby to his/her own bedroom?

        • Carrie M says

          I think I’d wait to move until early May. Having to move twice would suck. You can house hunt with the newborn in a carrier and hopefully find a place and be settled before you return to work. And a 4 or 5 month old will be able to play on a mat or in a seat of some type while you pack/unpack. When our baby was that age, I was usually able to do something for about 25 minutes before my child would get bored/want to be picked up. And by then our child was usually giving us longer sleep stretches (like 8pm to 12, then 1-4, 4:30-7), which means you could pack/unpack in the early evening and you’ll be less tired than the early weeks (assuming your baby isn’t still up every couple hours to eat!).

          On the nursery thing – it’s definitely a personal decision! We ended up moving our baby to her own room around 3 months because she was outgrowing her bassinet. Her crib didn’t fit in our bedroom. She slept much better in the crib – not exactly sure why, but I think part of it was she liked being able to stretch out. And maybe because I wasn’t so close, she didn’t smell my milk. But in the early weeks, I loved having her next to me (even though I woke up in panics multiple times a night thinking she had stopped breathing) and it did make nursing much easier.

        • hoola hoopa says

          Based on your responses, I’m leaning towards wait. I’d hate to move over maternity leave, but it sounds like you can get by in your current space and I’d hate moving twice more.

          Moving a baby to their own room typically happens somewhere between 2 days and 2 years, lol. But based on my experience, I’d plan to move somewhere between 6 wks and 4 months. That tended to be the tipping point where they’d sleep well enough that it wasn’t such a hassle to go into another room for midnight feedings, but were old enough to be aware of us near them and have their sleep disturbed because of it. We actually didn’t have a separate space option for one of our kids and when they were ~4-6 months old, we actually gave them our room and slept in the living room to get some distance and sleep.

          It also depends on how heavy of a sleeper your spouse is. For us, we wanted at least one adult to be rested and sane, so it was better to have me up rather than have baby waking both of us all night. For one kid who was particularly wakeful, I ended up temporarily sleeping on a bed in their nursery which got all of us the most sleep.

    • NewMomAnon says

      I was in the same situation and waited until baby was 4 months old to start looking at houses. We moved when baby was 7 months old. I’m glad I got to take maternity leave in my old house; I can’t imagine stumbling around a new house in the dark at 2 am looking for bottles, burp cloths, clean sleepers, etc. I’m also glad we moved when we did, although a few weeks earlier would have been better; baby started crawling immediately once we moved, and has been a disaster with the random ish that gets left everywhere while unpacking.

      One thing that I hadn’t anticipated regarding house hunting – we left the baby with family while house hunting and it was really, really hard; I had just gone back to work, so I was suddenly leaving my baby at daycare during the week and with sitters on the weekend. A few tears were shed and there was much pumping…..If you can bring baby with you while house hunting, that might help. My kiddo is pretty high maintenance and we knew house hunting would not be productive with a baby in tow.

      I would NOT move during maternity leave, or during the month or two right after you return to work – there are too many other things competing for your attention during that time and your finances, schedules, and lives are in flux. Also, we hired movers to do the whole pack-up of our old house, and I don’t know how we would have done it otherwise. Totally worth the extra money.

  9. Left Coaster says

    I have a TTC question, which I think belongs here . . . .

    I’m 34. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for just about a year, and my GYN just referred me to a fertility specialist for further work-ups and testing. I’ve had long and irregular cycles for my entire adult life, with no real explanation. I’ve had basic blood tests done by every GYN I’ve seen, and nothing out of the ordinary has ever shown up. So I’m not surprised that we haven’t gotten pregnant yet — 80 day cycles really do decrease your odds!

    My husband very much wants a baby as well, and has also been frustrated and disappointed that it hasn’t happened quickly. He’s very much aware of my long cycles/irregularity, and knew that might pose a problem for us. But now that the possibility of Clomid and other interventions seem more realistic, he’s getting cold feet. Over the weekend he suggested that we wait and try other things — acupuncture, gaining a little weight (I am normal weight), various holistic solutions, etc. — before doing further testing. I’m just unconvinced that any of these things will fix what’s been a lifelong problem for me.

    Has anyone dealt with cold feet from their partner while TTC? I think what’s driving my husband is a fear of multiple births combined with some degree of distrust in western medicine.

    • msj says

      My husband was on board with going to the RE, but we also did acupuncture in parallel and had several sessions before meeting our Dr. The tests can take a while as some have to be on a certain day of your cycle so there is no harm in pursuing this dual track. Depending on your city, getting a RE appointment could also take time. In our case, acupuncture didn’t work on its own but it may have been a contributing factor to our 1st round ivf success (we weren’t candidates for clomid or iui).

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