Maternity fashion advice: Part 2

In my last fashion-related post, I shared my favorite clothing items for each stage of my pregnancy. I've also had some favorite things that have worked for me for the entire 9 months.

My favorite, can't live without items that have worked all pregnancy:

Skinny pants/jeans


I'm a big skinny jeans person and have been for a few years - they are so versatile and work from summer to winter. My fave pair is my black skinny pants from Motherhood - I just wish I would've had them for my whole pregnancy. Basically they are like heavier weight leggings with pockets that can be work appropriate. They work with ballet flats or heels, could be cuffed and worn with flip flops in warmer weather, and can be tucked into any type of boot from comfy Uggs to equestrian type ones. If you are pregnant, I say get them!

Foldover yoga pants


I got a pair of black yoga pants for $13 at Kohls and I'm kicking myself for not buying 2 or 3 pairs. They are super comfy and I know I'll be wearing them a lot post-baby. They are great for lounging, working out or running around shopping. If anyone knows of another good pair of yoga pants with a fold-over waist, let me know!

Maternity tanks with built-in bras


I wore camisoles with built-in bras practically everyday before I was pregnant, so it's no surprise that I needed some good maternity tanks. My favorite are from Kohl's because they are soft and long, but the ones from Motherhood have been good too. I bought gray, black and two in white.

Long Cardigans


I've worn the heck out of my longer hip-length cardigans this fall and winter. They keep me warm, camouflage any peekaboo maternity panels, and just look cute!

Scarves



Scarves are the best thing ever. I wear a lightweight pashmina type scarf almost everyday. They add color and (kind of) cover up a giant belly if you are self-conscious of it.

Cheap fleece jacket


I bought a gray/black fleece zip up jacket early in pregnancy for $15 at TJ Maxx. It's a North Face-esque fleece, but without the price. I bought an XL hoping I could wear it my whole pregnancy. It was big at first but now at almost 36 weeks it's still doing the job. It's a great go-to when I need to run out the door and not freeze.

Larger "boyfriend" T-shirts


Before I was pregnant, slouchy boyfriend v-neck tees were really in style. Because I bought them in a size up to make sure they were nice and slouchy, they still fit now!

Stay tuned for Part 3 coming shortly where I'll share some more words of advice about maternity style and what has helped me and what I will try to do differently next time.

Maternity fashion advice: Part 1

My "fashion" has gone considerably downhill the bigger and more pregnant I've gotten. Most of my maternity clothes still fit but I just don't feel like putting in the energy to come up with cute outfits everyday. It's so much easier to resort to the same type of outfit most days and not think about it. Also, I'm in my office mostly and not teaching or doing many official things right now, so I don't really have to dress up much anymore.

But, in the earlier months I had to look nice and professional and still be relatively comfortable to teach classes and give tours and presentations. I wanted to share what worked for me. Keep in mind my pregnancy has fallen mostly in the fall and winter, so this may not apply to ladies giving birth in the summer months.

PHASE 1: 12 weeks-22 weeks

The "I'm just bloated to there's an actual bump there!" phase:

I didn't start wearing any maternity clothes until 14 weeks, and even then it was just on the bloated days! During this stage I was still relatively close to my old size and could still wear a lot of non-maternity stuff. I really started to pop about mid-way through my pregnancy and definitely needed maternity clothes at that point. My go-to items:

Bella Band

I bought mine at Target. I didn't get much use out of it since I moved on to maternity pants pretty early, but it was good for getting more life out of pre-pregnancy pants. The band was pretty good at holding up un-buttoned pants or too-big maternity pants as well. The only problem was it tends to roll if you are moving around a lot. I bought mine in tan, which worked well under lighter colored tops.

Ribbed maternity tanks from Motherhood

My biggest problem at this stage was tops not being long enough to cover my bump or maternity panel or Bella Band. I really liked the ribbed tanks from Motherhood and Old Navy. They have been great for layering under light cardigans or just wearing around the house.

Non-maternity dresses

At this stage I was still getting a lot of wear out of non-maternity dresses. But, as my bump grew they started to get a little too short. Some people could wear leggings or tights but as I got bigger I never found a good pair of maternity tights that were comfy. I thought I'd be wearing dresses and tights throughout my pregnancy but have found myself choosing pants more often.

Black/gray herringbone Trousers from Liz Lange for Target

(no longer available)

Speaking of pants, I had a favorite go-to pair of dress pants for this stage of pregnancy. They had a nice comfy panel and looked professional and I'm pretty sure I wore them twice a week! I was able to wear them with a lot of my pre-preg tops and cardigans.

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PHASE 2: 23 weeks - 33 weeks

The "nothing fits AT ALL and I need more clothes now" phase

Long sleeve t-shirts from Motherhood/Old Navy and Target


I've gotten a lot of wear out of the 5 or 6 long sleeve tees I bought for this pregnancy. I got black, white, purple, fuchsia, brown, and gray. I've probably worn the black and pink the most and the white the least.

Maternity dresses from Motherhood

My mom bought me the cutest denim shirtdress and I got a lot of wear out of it in this stage. The weather was warm enough to not need tights and I could still wear belts so I swapped out the fabric one for some of my fun skinny belts.

Flats!


At this stage I could not wear heels of any kind anymore. I was having a lot of swelling during this stage (it's gotten much better now that I'm not on my feet as much). But I found that my comfy ballet flats and flat boots are a must.

Creative layering

Layering is pretty typical for most people in the fall, but for this pregnancy I think I got even more creative. I'd layer too-short pre-preg tops over maternity tanks to get more life out of them and wore a lot of cardigans and jackets unbuttoned as well.

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PHASE 3: 34 weeks - 40 weeks

The "I'm sick of all my clothes and just want to wear pajamas" phase

In this last stage of pregnancy I've relied a lot on one go-to type outfit: Skinny jeans or black skinny pants, a long sleeve tshirt with a lightweight cardigan or chunky sweater over top plus knee-high boots and cute accessories (scarves, necklaces, hats). It's just so cold and nasty I have to wear boots, and anything else just takes too much thought.

Here are the other things I'm wearing in my last month or so:

Pajama bottoms - Worn only at home - not out in public!

Neil's t-shirts and sweatshirts - Again, mostly at home, though I have worn his solid brown zip-up sweatshirt out

My comfiest pair of maternity jeans

I have a super comfy pair of Liz Lange for Target jeans - similar pair pictured and here. They have a wide leg and just feel good. I'd recommend every pregnant woman to have one pair like this to kick around in.

Fake Uggs

Comfort before fashion when you're nearly 9 months pregnant.

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This post was getting far too long, so I've broken it up into three parts. Stay tuned for maternity fashion post Part 2 where I will share my favorite items that worked all throughout pregnancy and Part 3, my advice for pregnant fashionistas!

35 weeks down and 35 days to go!

The fact that I have 35 days until my due date is both exciting and frightening! I'm so ready to meet Lila but so nervous and scared about labor, delivery, and recovery. I'm getting so close to full term which is really exciting, but I know it is likely that she will arrive late - so I probably have more time than I think! But we are definitely in the last stages of this pregnancy thing and I need to get all the last minute things for me and baby and start packing the bags! My goal is to have everything packed (or at least with a list of what to throw in last minute) by next week sometime.

I still need to buy some items for me for the hospital (warm fuzzy socks, another nursing tank, etc) and gather a few more baby items as well. For the most part I feel pretty good about my preparation. It makes me feel a little bit better with all the unknowns and things out of my control that are to come!

In basement-finishing news, Neil has been rocking it out on the priming and painting and we have a pretty good looking basement already. He just needs to finish painting trim and edging, lay the floor and the contractor needs to build the bar. There are some more little things to do of course, but it's getting so close! I actually don't know where Neil is finding the energy to do all this work, but it's going to be awesome when it's done! He just knows he has two deadlines looming: Lila's arrival and his MBA classes starting up.

On the pregnancy front, same old same old, really. I'm feeling how any 9-month pregnant woman feels. Big, slow and in pain! But I'm so close to having this baby I'm trying to ignore that part and enjoy my last weeks of pregnancy. It's really been an amazing experience. I love feeling Lila move in there (even when it hurts or tickles). It's just so cool and mind-blowing, really. I just need to slow down and enjoy it and wait for her time to arrive.

Here I am at 35 weeks!

And my weekly survey:

How Far Along: 35 weeks.

Best Moment(s) this past week: Having a slow week at work and a pretty relaxing weekend at home. Also, I got my car washed yesterday and that made me really happy!

Current baby/pregnancy worry: I'm worried about losing this weight after she's here!

Movement: Still as active as ever. I love it because she is so "interactive" now. I can poke her and she reacts back to me or I can tickle what I think is a foot or an arm and she pulls it back. It's so cute!

Labor Signs: Nothing much. My heartburn is better, but I don't really think she's dropped or anything because I still have a lot of rib pain.

Food Craving: Just hungry in general.

Any new symptoms?: Pain/numbness/swelling in hands is pretty bad, but no other swelling really. Still have sciatica pain, some heartburn, fatigue and general crappy mobility and sleep.

What I miss: I miss working out! I still try to walk and lift weights and stretch or do yoga at home when I'm feeling up to it, but I can't wait to do Spinning, Zumba, running and heavy weights again. Oh and how fun will it be to do my first ab workout in 9 months!?

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower on Saturday! I can't wait to spend time with my Aunt Rhonda and friends from home whom I don't get to see often. Also, I have Monday off for MLK day. Yippee!

Happy Monday everyone!

Quick Appointment Update

Not much to report from my appointment today - it was pretty quick, just like I like it!

Blood pressure - 122/80

Weight - Didn't look. Don't want to know. :)

Fundal height - 34 cm, exactly on track

Cervical check - Didn't do one this time

Lila's heart rate - 140s

Lila's position - Head down but hasn't "dropped" yet

Next appointment - January 20th, at 36 weeks. Will have a cervical check to see if I'm dilated at all and I will have my Group B Strep test.

After my appointment on Jan. 20, I'll be going in every week until D-Day!

Becoming Mom

So I'm about a month away from welcoming my baby girl into this world. And while I'm scared about the birth and the pain and the recovery, I keep thinking... oh my gosh, I'm going to be someone's mom!!? Me? I mean, what have I done that qualifies me as a mom?! I haven't been around that many newborns and I certainly don't know how to parent one! I feel like I'm becoming a CEO of a company when I'm only qualified to take out the trash or something.

I think part of my panic is that I have such a wonderful mom. How does she/did she do it? I'd love to be a mom like her, but how did she learn to be that good? She claims she was even less of a baby person than me, before I came along. I guess a lot of it just comes naturally and I'll figure it out. I know the main thing is just to follow my instincts and to love my daughter and the rest will come. Well, I already love Lila and I haven't even met her - but will I be a good mom to her? I sure hope so. Shouldn't I have some grand ideas or wisdom that I want to impart to her or a list of values and characteristics and a plan on how to give her those? I really haven't thought about that beyond wanting her to be happy and to be nice to other people.

I just can't believe I'm being given such a big responsibility and all I did was.. well, you know, get pregnant! Here's hoping I have some good latent mothering skills that will show up when she arrives. I predict that one of the biggest changes I'm going to go through as mom is focusing less on myself. I mean, it's not all about me anymore!! Not that it ever really was, but sometimes I let myself live in that fantasy world. I know, especially in the first few weeks and months, that I'm going to be focusing pretty much solely on my little baby. It's going to be so weird to know that someone needs me, like literally, for food!! I hope I'm ready for this!

The 34-Week Update

Week 34! We are getting so close!

Not surprisingly, I'm starting to feel that end of the pregnancy uncomfortable-ness. I'm not miserable yet - but I have my moments! Today I feel really good. I slept well last night and only got up once. But the night before I was up every hour and was very uncomfortable and in pain. I am starting to really hate sleeping on my side. My hip goes numb and flipping to the other side takes a lot of energy and I always wake Neil up. I think he's pretty close to moving to the guest bed or couch so he can actually sleep!

While we are on the topic of pregnancy pains I have a few more to add to the list! My hands hurt so bad! I basically feel like I have carpal tunnel or arthritis in them, especially when I wake up. They are so stiff and painful and I can hardly bend them or pick stuff up. They get kind of swollen too, but most days I can still wear my rings. Even now as I'm typing it hurts! I could really do without this symptom of pregnancy - it really sucks.

Other than that I am pretty good. Lila is still moving a lot in there. She gets me good with some jabs and kicks every once in a while, but for the most part she is just doing rolls and slower turns. I do think she is getting cramped in there. I'm told she should be settling into a (hopefully) head down position this week or next, but I can't tell for sure. She moves so much it's hard to tell what is what sometimes. I'm pretty certain her butt is up near the top of my uterus with her head down and legs and arms folded down. She does switch from side to side a lot though. At my 36 week appt. they will check her position!

I have my 34-week appointment on Thursday. I'm not planning for it to be super exciting, hopefully. Just a checkup and meeting a new doctor. I've almost met them all at this point - but we'll see who I get on delivery day!

Speaking of delivery, I have flashes of panic about labor and delivery. I know I can do it and everything will go fine, but I'm just scared of the unknown. Will I know when to go to the hospital? Will my water actually break? Will I be at work or will it be in the middle of the night? How bad is it really going to hurt?! Will I have a fast labor or a slow one?

There are so many unanswered questions and unknowns, and for a planner like me it is really hard. I have started packing a little bit just to make me feel more prepared. I have a diaper bag packed with Lila's going home outfit(s) and wipes, blankets and any other things she might need. I hope to get started on my bag or at least listing out what I need pretty soon. I want to be packed at 36 weeks!

Things are getting back to normal at home. Neil and I are both working this week and the basement project is winding down. Just floors and paint and trim is left to do, pretty much! It should be mostly done by the time Lila gets here if she comes on schedule. I'm so excited about having a nice basement to hang out in!

Here is my update for the week:

How Far Along: 34 weeks today.

Best Moment(s) this past week: Having three days off at home to clean/organize/shop and watch movies. And a fun New Year's Eve celebration!

Current baby/pregnancy worry: I'm worried about labor and the pain, honestly.

Movement: Yep! All the time. I think she might be slowing down a bit though.

Labor Signs: Not much right now. Sometimes she feels low, but the next day she will be back up in my ribs. Nothing indicating labor at all right now.

Food Craving: Got my sushi fix in on New Year's Eve. YUM. Nothing else really in particular.

Any new symptoms?: Having to go to the restroom more often, pain/swelling in hands, general uncomfortableness. Feeling more tired/fatigued but not as bad as first trimester! Oh and some tiny stretch marks have developed on my belly. Depressing!! I just hope they don't get worse!

What I miss: I miss my old body and being able to move around easily. Can't wait to get back to normal soon.

What I am looking forward to: Getting the basement painted and my baby shower next weekend, meeting my baby girl next MONTH!

I hope everyone has a great first week of 2011!

Happy 2011!

So it's officially 2011. The year of the baby. Or more accurately babies, since practically everyone I know is pregnant. I'm so excited it's January! I can't believe I'm going to have a baby next month (she's not allowed to come earlier than that - I'm not ready!) I am really excited about this year. I have so much to look forward to, and it's going to be a year of so many changes and new experiences.

It is odd not to have my normal resolutions/goals of losing weight for the new year. For the next few weeks at least I'll still be gaining because Lila is still packing on those ounces! But of course I will be focusing on fitness after Lila is here and I can start dieting/exercising.

I'm not making official resolutions this year, but I do have a few goals in mind:

1. Have this baby and be a good mom!
2. Breastfeed Lila for as long as I can (my true goal is 1 year)
3. Find mommy friends/connections in the community for support when I'm on leave and after
4. Be a good wife to Neil and balance being a mom with all the other things that I am
5. Exercise, diet and hopefully get back to my pre-pregnancy weight this year
6. Run my fastest 5K (shouldn't be too hard - under 34 minutes is my goal!)

So much of this next year will be unpredictable and full of changes, but I'm so ready for it!

Here's to a great 2011!!!