Pumping Tuesday: Skipper Collar 3/4 Sleeve Blouse
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Happy Tuesday! I was intrigued to see a reader give a shoutout to this VERY affordable blouse as “my unicorn post-partum work shirt” in a recent comment — as she noted:
It has everything – flowy in the torso, lose enough that you can lift it to pump, dark colors, wears like iron, works with pants/skirts/suits. It looks fine straight from the dryer, and if you have a steamer you can make it look even better. And it’s on sale!Indeed it is — there are three colors left in sizes XXS-XXL for $14.90 (originally $29.90). NICE. Rayon Skipper Collar 3/4 Sleeve Blouse Readers, did you have a “unicorn post-partum work shirt”? What were you looking for in one — and did you find it? Psst: Looking for more info about nursing clothes for working moms, or tips for pumping at the office? We’ve got them both… This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
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!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
DS just turned 2. We are going to Florida next week to spend a week at a beach resort. DS has never been to the pool and beach and is overall a bit timid. What sort of floating devices should I plan to get for him? One of us will always been in the water with him at all times, but I was hoping we could get him some floaties that will help him stay upright. There seem to be so many options (puddle jumpers, tank tops with tube, life vest style, etc…). Any recs for what would work best for a small 2 year old trying the pool/ocean for the first time? Any other pool/beach essentials for this age?
I was surprised to find myself wearing a lot of button downs when I came back to work and needed to pump. Different ones, but my favorite was the Loft Utility Blouse. I’m normally a bit too chesty to make button downs work but my chest size didn’t change much with pregnancy/nursing, at least after the first trimester, and with softer nursing bras, button down shirts ended up being really perfect for pumping. These Loft ones in particular were great because you could machine wash them, they were loose but not boxy, and I could wear a camisole underneath to pull down for pumping, which really helped me feel less “naked” when pumping. I ended buying multiples in different colors which is something I almost never do with clothes.
Welp, I did go ahead and do the Oh Crap potty training over the long weekend. We made a lot of progress but still many accidents… and I am happy it’s daycare’s problem for the next few days (how convenient that it’s closed on Friday, ugh). The teachers were really supportive during drop-off, said accidents are no big deal as long as there are enough back-up clothes, and my little one was very very excited to show off his underwear (hoping that subsides a bit!). [Side note: How crazy is Oh Crap for insisting on a month without underwear?! I believe that it’s helpful, but most of us live in the real world, thanks.]
As some of you warned, it was a tough weekend, especially with husband gone. The kid does not like being cooped up. And I think I went overboard hovering over him too much. But, if he keeps improving in the next weeks, it’ll be worth it. Fingers crossed!
Mark this one down as one of the many ways little guy has shown me that he is in charge and I’m just along for the ride…
We had planned to move him to a twin bed (mattress on boxspring on the floor) this weekend so that he would have a full two months with no crib in his room before baby sister arrives. The twin bed has been in his room for a few months now and is where we snuggle and read books before bed. Our grand plan was to do Saturday nap there and make a big deal out of sleeping in his big bed. On Friday night he decided he was too old for the crib thankyouverymuch and would be sleeping in the twin bed from here on out. Zero adjustment period, just this is now where we sleep.
Ok, then, kiddo. In the future please let me know when I should not waste my stress!
Any good tips for traveling with a whiny child? I have just realized how much I am dreading an upcoming four-day trip with my family, largely because of my nine-year-old’s behavior while traveling. She whines whenever we do something other than what she wants (and generally she wants to spend most of her time at the hotel pool, which I would never do at all without her). Sometimes, she enjoys the activity we’ve dragged her to. Sometimes, she whines and sulks long enough to ruin the time for everyone. She also complains about accommodations; she is currently complaining because we booked a one-bedroom suite — she’s mad that she’ll get a pull-out and wants her father and I (and her 7-month-old sister in a crib) to take the living rooms so she can have the king-sized bed to herself — and the hotel does not have a breakfast buffet.
Complicating this is the fact that the nine-year-old is my stepdaughter. Although I have been an active stepparent in her main home for several years, I have limited control over how she’s been raised. When she’s with her mom, her mom doesn’t consider what the kids wants to do or what’s an appropriate activity for a nine-year-old. When she’s with us, my husband goes (in my opinion) too far the other way — there’s too much leeway for whining and he used to plan everything around what she wanted to do. So I feel that she hasn’t learned the natural give-and-take of a family vacation — sometimes you do something you are less interested in because other members of the family want to. Also, I get very frustrated by the whining and incessant questions about when we’ll leave any activities she doesn’t like, not to mention literal feet-dragging.
We have already planned what activities we’ll do, with her input. One of them she is not interested in, and she will also likely complain about seeing her great uncle.
So far my husband and I have agreed that we’ll set a schedule with two pool trips and tell her the schedule; if she harangues us for additional pool time, she’ll lose the scheduled pool time. We’re also only allowing her to bring two comfortable pairs of shoes, because otherwise there will be arguments over what shoes she can wear or complaints that her feet hurt whenever we walk more than a block. Finally, we’re trying to get the great uncle to join us for one of the activities she is interested in, rather than having a leisurely sit-down meal where she’s bored. I’m also planning to use the baby’s early morning wakings to leave the hotel room for some (semi-)alone time with coffee.
Any other strategies to implement or pitfalls to avoid?
I really love the Breton nursing tops from Jojo Maman Bebe. They are great for layering under a blazer. I have liked wearing nursing tops for pumping. A non-nursing top I LOVE is the Pleione wrap top that has been featured on here before. Downside is that if you wear it with baby, it’s easy for it to unsnap. I have been thinking about taking it to the tailor for assistance with that.
Any tips for getting a 20 month old toddler to sleep in a queen size bed in a hotel room? Son sleeps in his crib and only his crib. He has never successfully slept for more than 30 minutes in a PNP and even naps are in his crib as he’s home with family during the day. We’re embarking on our second ever trip away with him. The first was when he was 12 months. PNP was a disaster and he slept with us. He’s now bigger and I am pregnant again so sleeping with him sounds even less appealing than it did the first time. When I booked our room, I requested a crib but missed the part where it said crib OR PNP. When I confirmed hotel over the weekend, I learned they have PNPs only.
We are literally on our way, so no prep time! We have a suite style room with 2 queen beds and the main living area is totally separate. It’s only two nights. We have no intention of even attempting the PNP but I have dreams of him sleeping in one of the queen beds while we sit in the other room and enjoy being awake past 7:30.
We have his favorite stuffed animal, books, blankets, etc. and plan to barricade him with pillows and blankets. Is this the impossible dream or is there a chance it’ll work?
Update on my mom’s visit as I asked for advice on projects a few weeks ago.
We’ve had such a nice time thus far – she’s sorted all the baby clothes and stuff, and did an Amazon order of all the hospital bag / baby essentials. She’s been making lovely healthy meals and nibbles and I’m eating a bit more which was very much needed.
Baby decided to put on a show for grandma this morning and kicked and kicked and nuzzled her hand and we’re enjoying hanging out. I have to go in for an extra scan on Thursday so she’s able to come along and get a peek at baby.
Any rec’s for a tandem double jogging stroller? My spin around the internet make this seem like a unicorn stroller. I’ll have a newborn and a 20 month old and live in a neighborhood with uneven sidewalks and frequent need to curb hop, so the massive jogging style wheels have been a godsend on my single stroller.
If not a tandem, are there are narrower-style double jogging strollers? Any of these that have a shot in heck at folding down enough to fit inside of a compact car trunk?
Any double strollers to just straight up avoid?
What did you pack in your hospital bag? This is my second, so I should know this, but I really cant remember.
Also what kind of gift did the baby “bring” for your toddler?
I have this shirt. It is quite nice, though a warning: it runs VERY big.
Hi! I wanted to report how our wedding went this weekend.
We had to leave our baby around noon, nursed him before I left. After the church I went to pump in a family members hotel room. Then at the venue I asked the catering manager and they allows me to pump in their office. It was clean, private and her staff member was outside the door waiting for me to finish. I didn’t feel rushed. I puked about every 4 hours which is my normal schedule with the baby.
I had called the venue and emailed ahead of time but they didn’t answer me.
It worked out well to have my nursing cover with me just in case I did get walked in on. Ii did save the milk…. when we got home baby was asleep so I pumped again and got almost nothing. Nurses like usual in the middle of the night. Over the course of the day had 3 glasses of wine but always felt fine since it was so drawn out. Kept the milk!
Thanks again!!
Paging whoever recommended this blouse (or others in the know): have you tried the white? A professional white blouse without buttons is the holy grail but everything is sheer! Let us know what colors you have and like
What do you do about kids and social media? Expecting a baby soon and if it were up to me, there would not be digital images of my daughter anywhere online until she’s old enough to post them herself, but I realize this is probably unrealistic. Husband and I will probably share a handful of photos on Facebook to announce her birth and mark subsequent milestones such as Mother’s/Father’s Day and her birthdays, but we don’t anticipate sharing photos online regularly. I’m not enthusiastic about my parents, siblings or sister-in-law putting any photos of her on their Facebook pages (parents-in-law don’t have social media pages). First grandchild/niece for all of them. It seems hypocritical to tell them not to do it if we’re doing it but a) we know exactly who can see our photos and there are no strangers on our Facebook friends list whereas I have no idea who can see our family member’s photos and even if they’re all friends-only they’re certainly visible to a lot of people my husband and I don’t know and b) we are going to be extremely selective about what we post, while I feel that my mom and SIL especially will go crazy and upload hundreds of pictures a month – giving them a blanket “you can’t post any photos” seems like an easier line to draw than “you can post one photo every three months” or whatever. And I know I don’t have to worry about this for a few years, but will I totally ostracize my kid if I ask her classmates’ parents not to put photos of her on social media?
Pumping Tuesday prompts me to ask: When did you stop or cut back on pumping at work?
My twins are 8 months old, and I’m pumping 4x/day (3x at work plus once in the middle of the night) to fill their bottles while I’m at work. I’m fortunate to have my own office to pump in and just enough supply to feed my littles, but I’m finding it incredibly time-consuming, draining, and exhausting. Yet I can’t quite give myself permission to stop. I don’t judge others for using or supplementing with formula (and, in fact, I myself was combo fed), but I worry that I will judge myself if I stop or cut back now when I could keep going until 1 year.