Summer Pregnancy Options for Work & Play...and Savings!

To add on to Lauren's fabulous post about Pregnancy Style, I wanted to comment on some easy ways to save money as you prepare your pregnancy wardrobe and also some options for work and play this summer.

First off, on ways to save money:

1. This may sound weird to some of you, but shop your local Goodwill store. There are often many great maternity clothing items, some of which still have their original tags. Of course you'll want to wash them before wearing, but they come at a discount to their store-bought counterparts. Stores in nicer cities may also have better or more upscale selections.
2. Ask around. I'm sure many of your friends have been pregnant before and even if they plan on having children again, often they'll let you borrow what they have until they need it back. I was actually lucky enough to get two pairs of jeans from and a pair of really nice dress pants from a family member. That's $150 in savings right there! Just remember to repay the favor if you can, by sharing your new maternity clothes with them as well.
3. Check the web for local maternity re-sale stores that sell lightly used designer maternity clothing. If you can't find one dedicated entirely to pregnant women, children's re-sale stores sometimes also carry maternity clothes. These stores often work on consignment, so when you're done, save money by selling your clothes back.
4. Sign up at sites like www.zulily.com, www.gilt.com, www.totsy.com and more! Sites like these offer designer maternity clothes at a discount and you can often get great shipping deals too. The selection varies each day, so make sure to download their mobile app to ensure you don't miss a great deal!
5. Sign up for email notifications from brands like Old Navy, Gap, H&M, Destination Maternity and more. Most of them send out weekly, if not daily discount codes. This can save you 10-50% off the items you want to buy.
6. Try to make much of the wardrobe you already have. Sure your belly may outgrow your pants and some shirts may be too small by the third trimester, but many of those regular tanks or t-shirts you already own will stretch. Long, open sweaters are a great staple that still work no matter how pregnant you are.
7. Buy clothes in the women's section versus maternity. I find that maternity shops charge a lot of money for clothes just because they're labeled "maternity". There are plenty of dresses you can buy that will fit you before and while you're pregnant. For instance, I've gotten some great dresses from Target that are flowy for summer and a size Large tank top from Nordstrom is much cheaper than a maternity tank, even though they're pretty much the same thing.

Lauren had great ideas for winter, everyday outfits, but I'm going to be enduring much of my pregnancy in the hottest days of summer...and working where a business casual attire is required at all times. So I wanted to touch on some additional suggestions.

For work:

• I prefer long dress pants over skirts, but you can't go wrong with a pair of each in black. They will always look formal no matter what you're wearing. Personally, I bought a few pairs of work pants in black (2 pair in black, 1 black work capri, and 1 in a black/brown knit fabric) and then picked up a khaki dress pant and a khaki work capri so that I could feel a little more "summery" at the office. However, if you're open to doing laundry fairly often, you can get buy with less.
• If you have any silk dress shirts, these look fabulous when left out and tied with a belt right under your breasts. It accentuates the fact that you're pregnant, but completes that formal look you're still trying to go for. You can find mini belts in any shade almost anywhere right now. Try fun colored belts in neon or bright colors to add some seasonal flair.
• Find some summery dresses and pair them with a cute belt and one of those long sweaters you already have in your closet. This is my most comfortable work outfit and it can go very formal or very casual based upon the dress.
• Purchase a great pair of wedge heels (or two). They're fabulous for still giving you that heeled look you want, with a lot of extra stability for the balance you may be lacking. I recently picked up a pair of Jessica Simpson wedge heels on sale for $55 that are just amazing and still very professional-looking.
• I'm not a great scarf wearer, but a coworker of mine who is also pregnant, uses a scarf to dress up her work outfits. You just take a simple pair of pants and a solid top and add an elegant scarf to really take that outfit from bland to fabulous. At a cost of around $15, it's an easy way to dress up clothes you may already have, or that don't seem nice enough for work.

For Play/Summer:

• Maxi dresses are the answer to your prayers! Sure I wouldn't wear many of them to work, but for weekend wear they are fabulous! Extremely comfortable and luckily for us, very in style at the moment. I actually had some from my honeymoon that will easily stretch for pregnancy, which prevented me from spending a lot of money on extra dresses.
• I also picked up some dresses that were short (but regular women's size). The only necessity is that you pick out a dress which is tight around the boobs, but very loose/flowy from there. I found a great dress at the Gap Outlet and paired it with a skinny belt and it's now one of my favorite outfits.
• Jean capris are a great style for everyday casual wear, especially if you don't feel like showing off (or shaving) your legs. I bought two pair of cuffed, non-brand name jean capris on zulily for $13 each and they're fabulous! Very comfortable and no one can tell that I didn't spend $100 on them. I like to pair mine with Target t-shirts (in fun summer colors) and will move to some of Target's lace tank tops as I get into the hotter days. Both the t-shirts and tank tops cost me $8-$12 each and don't shrink.
• Since it will get really hot at some point, I did pick up two pair of shorts from Old Navy the other day. I grabbed one in denim and another in white, so that they could work with almost anything in my closet. They were on sale and are really comfortable with the under belly band. I don't love my legs, but I do love comfort! I wouldn't buy lots of pairs of shorts if you don't have to though. If you're working, you're probably only wearing about 2 pair a week.
• For shoes I recommend Old Navy's $3 flip flops - you probably have a million pair in your closet already - or a pair of ballet flats. I have giant feet, or at least the kind that never really look good in ballet flats, but I figured that I needed to find a pair of them for those days when I felt like flip flops would be a bit informal. I found a great pair at Target that somehow managed to look ok and I was in heaven. I actually like them so much I'm trying to find a pair in brown or navy.
• I've asked a lot of people about bathing suits. Sure, I'm hoping to avoid being seen pregnant in a bathing suit, but if there ever comes about a need for one (and I'm sure that day will come), the recommendations I've received from women differ. Half of women say to opt for a cheap maternity tankini. I actually saw a fabulous one at Goodwill but it was too large. You'll have to keep your eyes out online for one you like, as they're hard to find in stores. The other half of my friends just wore a regular bikini when they were pregnant. Maybe they're the type who magically skipped stretch marks or have a strong sense of confidence, but they said it was really comfortable. This option would be easier to find, as you could purchase regular sized bikinis, but just go up a size (or two or five) as necessary. I haven't decided which of these options I'm going with yet.

So what did you wear to work and out on those casual summer days? Do you have suggestions I haven't mentioned here? I'd love to hear from you!

If You're Worried, Buy a Doppler..

My path to conception wasn't the usual one. It wasn't an accidental "Ooops!"; it wasn't a planned pregnancy that happened right away. My pregnancy was one fraught with infertility and hormone tests and procedures aimed at making my baby for me. I'll do a whole post (or five hehe) on infertility later, but what those of you who didn't deal with infertility in getting pregnant may not realize is that we don't get to continue down the same path as you once we get pregnant.

We worry. We worry a lot! Because we weren't able to have babies easily or naturally like you were and because for months we saw a Big Fat Negative, we gained a sense of thought that the bottom would always fall out. So while others enjoy their ever growing belly and wait for their morning sickness to end, we "formerly-infertiles" worry that we have had a missed miscarriage, or the baby will have a disability, or that our decrease in symptoms means that something is wrong. It's stupid, honestly, but getting your brain to believe that is something I haven't quite mastered yet. And we envy those who don't live like this, with the constant sense of worry. I'd give anything to "enjoy this pregnancy" as my husband continues to beg me to do.

Due to infertility, we were lucky to get extra ultrasounds in the beginning - while done primarily for medical purposes, I think doctors know we're the kind of women who need extra reassurance that things are going ok. However, once you "graduate" from your fertility specialist, you're a pregnant woman at 11 weeks, just like everyone else. You only get that monthly visit, and you'll probably only get an ultrasound another 2-3 times in your entire pregnancy. For me, this increased the worry. Going 4 weeks without knowing everything is ok is HARD.

So I recently bought a fetal doppler. It was a "cheap" one at only $60 so we were certainly taking a risk when we bought it that it would actually work. It had great reviews though, so for me the risk was worth the payoff. It came in the mail yesterday and I was like a kid at Christmas. I couldn't open the box fast enough or get through the manual quick enough - despite a quick stop to make a cheese quesadilla because I was starving. My husband and I spent what had to be 15 minutes just picking up my own heartbeat. It was a bit frustrating, but we didn't give up. Finally, we tried in just a slightly different spot and there it was! 156 bpm and as strong as ever.

For a girl who worries, this doppler is my salvation. I can't convince myself to stop worrying, but hearing that heartbeat always calms my fears (for at least a week). Now I know that whenever I'm questioning the health of this baby, I can be reminded easily without waiting for my monthly appointment. I can't say how much this feels like a gift from God (or fetaldoppler.net).

If you were previously infertile, did you find yourself worrying more than your fellow pregnant friends? Were you a woman who worried constantly during your pregnancy, who did not deal with previous infertility or a history of miscarriages? If you had other methods for calming your worries, please share them below.

You'll Never Regret It

Apparently this post is going around on Facebook, although I haven't personally seen it. It was shared with me on a site I frequent, and because it's just such a beautiful and honest look at motherhood I had to share it with you. If you're currently emotional due to pregnancy, have a Kleenex handy.

(Author Unknown)

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"

"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.

"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."

But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.

I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her.

That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitation.

I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her
baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming
children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.

However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself.

That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.

I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks.

I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child.

I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike.

I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.

I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Old Wives Tales - Gender/Sex Prediction

I am currently a little over three months pregnant. At this point the one thing that consumes my mind the most (other than the constant, "is he/she ok still?") is the gender of our baby. My husband and I struggled to get pregnant, so above all things we just want a healthy baby. But as some of you can probably relate to, I'm a planner. I want to know the gender ASAP so that I can buy gender-related clothes and baby items, pick out a scheme for our nursery, and finalize our baby's name. As a way to fill the time until our ultrasound (which should occur between 16 and 20 weeks) I recently googled Old Wives Tales to see what they might say.

The following are some old wives tales I've found (although be warned, variations of each certainly exist so if you've heard of one a bit different it's no surprise):

1. Baby Bump: If you carry high, it's a GIRL; if you carry low, it's a BOY.
2. Heart Rate: If your baby's heart rate is 140 BPM or higher, it's a GIRL; if it's lower than 140 BPM, it's a BOY.
3. Cravings: If you crave sweet foods like ice cream, it's a GIRL; if you crave salty or sour foods, it's a BOY.
4. Chinese Birth Chart: If you visit HERE you can find out what the Chinese would predict the gender of your baby is, based upon how old you are and the month you conceived.
5. Mayan Births: Look at your age and the year you conceived. If both are even number or both are odd numbers, it's a GIRL; if both vary, for instance if you're 29 but conceived in 2012, it's a BOY.
6. Zits: If your acne has increased since pregnancy, it's a GIRL; if your face looks awesome, it's a BOY.
7. Morning Sickness: If you've had bad morning sickness, it's a GIRL; if you haven't had morning sickness, it's a BOY.
8. Drano Test: Pee in a cup and then add a tablespoon of Drano; if it turns green, it's a GIRL; if it turns blue, it's a BOY. Warning: do NOT put the Drano in first or risk burning your girlie parts.
9. Ring on a String Test: If you tie your wedding ring to a string and hang it over your pregnant belly, if it goes back and forth, it's a GIRL; if it goes in a circle, it's a BOY.

I did many of these for myself and got a variety of BOY and GIRL answers, and it's likely you will too. If anything, it's just a fun way to waste time until an ultrasound tells you for sure.

Other gender predictions I've heard of are:

1. The only true way to tell the gender is if your breasts grow a lot, it's a GIRL; and if they don't, it's a BOY.
2. If your placenta/chorionic villis are placed on the left side of the uterus, it's a GIRL; if they are on the right side, it's a BOY.

What gender prediction methods have you heard of or tried? Were they true for you?