Feel Good in Maternity Wear

Maternity wear has always been a tricky subject in most households. Couples hesitate from spending money on them because it’s clothes that you wear for a few months in your life.

On the blog this week, I decided to shop around the web to bring you the best maternity wear you can order from the comfort of your couch. As always, click the image to take you to the website.

As I searched for maternity clothes, I discovered that you can either get something affordable that’s dated (looking at you, Macy’s), or expensive and not much cuter than the cheap stuff (again, looking at you, Macy’s). It’s 2020 and the style of maternity clothes at the malls haven’t changed much since 2005.

I believe women should feel good while pregnant because your feelings are important to the baby. What you feel, the baby feels. So you should feel good!

Then I struck gold.

On this blog you will see THE CUTEST MATERNITY CLOTHES that the internet has to offer right now.

There is a brand that I primarily focused on during writing this blog (not an ad) called Hatch Collection. I love it so much because it can be worn before, during, and after pregnancy. It’s a little bit more expensive, but isn’t it nice to wear stylish, well-made clothes that can be used during ANY PHASE of your life?! It’ll be easy to show your partner that these clothes can be worn at any size so get ready, these items are a must!

I love this very affordable tie-waist midi-length dress from Old Navy. Style with a pair of keds, tretorns, vans, jack rogers, with a denim jacket or olive jacket and you are ready for the summer leading into fall! Best yet, it’s on sale now for $25

This is another similar print to the one above and it’s so cute! Add a little cardigan or denim jacket for the full look! $59!

This is a great option if you are subconscious about your baby pump. This highlights that you are pregnant, but also isn’t taut across the bump! Also great for post-partum bod!

Own your bump! Love this bikini look <3 And, you can wear it after pregnancy!

How cute is this bathing suit! Old Navy for the win at an astonishing $25!!

This dress from gap is both for pregnancy and nursing! Very cute and on major sale!

Here’s another LBD option for those who don’t like colors all the time (me)

I love this entire look! This link takes you to the faux suede draped coat (cough, only $52)

one of my pet peeves is women who wear an old cardigan or a jacket that doesn’t zip up or fit properly. AC in the summer or cold days in the fall, you need a jacket/cardigan that fits over your belly!

Love this from Gap. This dress is a great staple for spring, summer and fall pregnancies!

This one is a little bit more expensive than the Old Navy looks because it can be worn AFTER PREGNANCY! How versatile and great is that?! Love how they styled this dress as well <3 They also have this in solid black!

I love a good skirt. And this is a great skirt. Gimmie!

Hatch has the BEST looking nursing items. This shirt has a hole at the middle of the chest on the inside of this top so you can feel more at ease nursing in public <3 It’s also so discreet that you can wear it as a pregnancy top too! Happy mommas!

I love how bright this top is! Own your glow <3

this top for $37 is so cute! Look at the little eyelets on the sleeves! Pink Blush for the win!

This tee from Gap Maternity is a versatile tee that you can wear after pregnancy as well!

This Gap Maternity tank is soft and comfy and perfect for hot days!

This blouse is $36 and super cute for casual dinners or events.

I think this dress is so cute from Pink Blush! It’s only $72 and the perfect spring/summer pregnancy dress!

I seriously love this bodysuit from Hatch! The neckline is so flattering and a good stripe is a necessity. Definitely a feel-good, flattering piece.

And here is a close-up and direct link to those pants that she’s wearing above. Luxe, soft-washed cotton pants. They look perfect for summer!

Okay so after I saw that bodysuit, I kept scrolling through their site and found this stunning stripe dress. So, so cute.

What I love about this top is that it’s versatile. You can wear this during pregnancy and after pregnancy. Everyone loves a billowy blouse!

This dress from Pink Blush is only $58 and super cute for a baby shower!

This super cute corduroy jumpsuit is only $68. I love how it has a wide leg and if you tighten the straps after pregnancy, you can rewear post pregnancy!

I love this chartreuse oversized dress! Perfect piece for your closet because you can wear it next summer when you’re not pregnant! $59!!

This is such a refreshing look. This would look so cute as a baby shower look! However, I don’t think the heels are necessary! Style with a comfy sandal and get the same effect!

Here’s a similar look if you’re on a budget. Gap Maternity!

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I’m not pregnant but I am adding this dress to my cart right now for myself! It is so versatile. Can be dressed up or down <3

This dress is a great option for women who feel slightly uncomfortable with their arms (that’s all of us, right?) The poofy sleeve is in style and perfect for pregnancy weight gain tricks!

Here’s a comparable dress for a third of the price. It’s so adorable and perfect for Gender Reveal parties!

This dress is so cute with the flared sleeve. And it’s not too short and not so much focus on the baby bump.

And here’s a bit of self care for all you mamas out there. Take care of yourself and treat yourself. You’re growing a human, after all!

Staying In, Staying Cute, and Staying Motivated

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We have been quarantining and practicing social distancing now for well over a month. There is talk about finding a new normal, that social distancing might be a real thing we practice in our future. Our past ways will not continue, at least until a vaccine is completed and even then that’s a stretch; some Epidemiologists believe that there are more major viruses to come. In short, social distancing is here to stay.

I am completely unemployed since my main work as a film costumer is indefinitely postponed. I honestly welcomed the break. You want me to stay inside and keep myself AND others safe? Absolutely. I hadn’t had any time off in over a year, so I thought a couple of weeks would be nice to catch up on chores around the house and hobbies I’m interested in. The first few weeks went by pretty smoothly. We cooked, we cleaned, we made masks for my sister’s hospital…. And then I hit a wall.

The quarantine continues. There is no end date in sight. Some places are staggering their openings and trying to get “back to normal,” but right now as it stands, we don’t know when we will go back to work. If there is work to go back to.

My chores stopped getting completed and, with no deadline of quarantine in sight, things were beginning to pile up on my to do list. I was numb. I lounged on my computer, read loads of books, I watched rom-coms back to back to feel any bit of happiness that I was missing. Then it hit me:

If I wear pajamas all day, I won’t get anything accomplished.

Style is and has always been an important feel-good part of our day. We express ourselves with what we wear and it affects our mentality and our enthusiasm for life.

I realized I stopped getting ready for the day in the morning. I was letting my hair air dry in the evening instead of washing it in the morning and blow drying it & styling. I wasn’t doing my makeup anymore.

Then I remembered that I thought I never did my makeup for anyone else, I always did it for myself because I liked that ten minutes of self care. So why wasn’t I doing it now, for me when I need it the most? Do I only take the time and get ready for my day if I’m going out?

So I changed my attitude and I want to help you get and stay motivated with some tips that I have found that have helped me <3

Comment some of your own tips to help others get out of their funk!

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Step 1

Open your blinds

We have heavy, wooded plantation blinds in our bedroom windows with dark grey and peacock blue painted walls. Needless to say, it’s so dark and cozy in there. If I didn’t have an alarm, I would sleep til 10, without a doubt. But we keep the blinds open now and I wake up naturally around 8 am, 7 if it’s a sunny day. No need for loud, abrupt, jarring alarms.

Let the sun wake you.

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Step 2

Incorporate Intermittent Fasting into your day

Intermittent fasting is basically where you have an 8 hour window of eating and a 16 hour window where you stop eating. It’s probably what our hunter-gatherer ancestors did back in the day, when refrigerators and grocery stores did not exist.

I’ve been a fan of intermittent fasting and have been following for over a year. But during this quarantine, I kind of just stopped being committed to it. I easily fast for 12, 13 hours, usually stop eating/drinking by 8 pm, eat in the morning around 10 am (that’s 14 hours!) but I stopped aiming for a solid 16 hour. If you have an eating window from 11 am-7 pm, that gets you on track for better sleep, better energy, better metal clarity, and just gives you something to focus on. It also is helpful to help pull back on your quarantine alcohol consumption, which is another downer. It’s one aspect of your life that you can control in a healthy way!

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Step 3

Go back to your pre-corona morning routine

This one is very important. My morning routine before this was: brush teeth, shower, pick out clothes, dry hair, put clothes on, put makeup on, make coffee, listen to a podcast while I drive to work. This was all done between 530 am-8 am work arrival. During my sad quarantine days, it was a feat if I put my contacts in. Just get out of your pj’s! Put on workout clothes or comfy jeans or a nice, casual day dress. It helps. I promise.

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Step 4

Download a step tracker app

Normally, I would never like having a step tracker because I always walked so much at work from stage to stage at the studios and figured who cares how much I’m walking because I’m walking a lot! But during this quarantine, I haven’t been walking that much. Sure I go out and walk around the neighborhood but it doesn’t even compare to how much I was walking before.

So I downloaded a step counter and have set daily goals for myself! It motivates me to declutter from room to room (gotta get any extra steps I can!), go on walks while I chat on the phone with the outside world, and go out for a final lap in the evening to meet my daily step goal!

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Step 5

Take time to meal plan

Once a week, I like to sit down and look up fun food recipes to cook each day for the rest of the week. We’ve found that a good brunch, a nice snack, and a good dinner is the only food we need each day. So we write down on a dry-erase board what each meal is going to be, and on Fridays we order take out from one of our favorite restaurants (this week will be Pizza from Savage Pizza! My mouth is already salivating) Here is a link to my Pinterest food board to help inspire you for some of the meals we’ve been having.

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Step 6

Retail Therapy

This is a style blog, after all, and I wanted to share my favorite collection at the moment. Everlane has created a Lounge Shop with affordable, cute, ethically made clothes that would be perfect to wear right now at home. They’re cozy, comfortable, and will offer a refreshing change from your sweats. Sure, savings are important, but this is the ultimate motivator <3