Accessories

Your Most Comfortable Maternity Tights

October 20, 2011

When purchasing maternity underthings, comfort should be important, but is often sacrificed to more important priorities like shaping, supporting, camouflaging, and even, well, hiding. Being comfortably pregnant is an oxymoron. These days I usually leave the house wrapped like a sausage in a pair of thick maternity compression tights topped with a fitted maternity slip or camisole—and that’s before I even put on my outfit. There are, however, those days when I simply can’t squeeze myself in to all that tight clothing and on those days, I am more than happy to pull on a pair of the most comfortable maternity tights out there, Trasparenze’s Black Maternity Tights 60. These matte, opaque maternity tights are Italian-made and cleverly incorporate 30% cotton into the elastic material. The cotton makes a huge difference in terms of comfort and ease of movement and they fit easily and comfortably around the belly, with a very thin, and very forgiving waistband (a forgiving waistband is crucial in maternity tights, that is not a spot you want to be pinched in your current condition). For comparison purposes, the ASSETS Marvelous Mama Maternity Black Opaque Tights from Spanx are made from a nylon/spandex blend.

Because they are so comfortable, Trasparenze’s maternity tights are not particularly supportive. But if you are pregnant and lucky enough to need nothing more than a great pair of black maternity tights to wear this fall and winter, these should be your go-to pair. And if you do find yourself squeezing into compression tights and Spanx more often then not, pick up one pair of these just so you can take a well-deserved day off. They are honestly just a joy to put on after endless days encased in the necessary evil that is maternity shapewear. These tights are also available in grey and chocolate brown at online maternity boutique mama-la-mode.com.

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Ring In 2011 With A Sexy Nursing Bra

January 4, 2011

Who says you can’t look sexy and alluring in nursing lingerie? Well, I do actually. And so do most women. It’s a really tough time to feel at all appealing, esepcially if you a first-time breastfeeder. Being able to feed your baby from your own breasts is a beautiful concept, I know. But damn, it’s messy and it can be an incredibly inconvenient and truly un-sexy process.

Since its founding in 2007, New Zealand-based HOTmilk lingerie has been doing a very, very good job of trying to make nursing women feel sexy. Indeed, HOTmilk’s Spring 2011 line is just out for sale here on its website and the collection includes these two new nursing sets entitled “Her Tangled Web Tantalised” and “Destruction Followed Her.” The names alone make leaking, swollen breasts seem somehow less disgusting.

Should you own a drawer full of HOTmilk’s nursing sets? It’s certainly an appealing idea, but not so practical. Functionally speaking, these are actually great nursing bras. Easy nursing clips, comfortable fit, supportive underwire, etc. But these bras are just a little bit much to serve as everyday nursing bras. They need to be handwashed, which can be a bit inconvenient when you have to wash them after every wear. A drawer full of basic white, black and nude-colored nursing bras is obviously a much more reasonable option if you are stocking your lingerie drawer. But should you invest in one or maybe even two HOTmilk lingerie sets in case Date Night is unexpectedly resurrected? Absolutely. These are beautiful pieces of lingerie, and they basically mandate that you get off that donut pillow and join your partner for a romantic evening.

If sexy isn’t your thing, HOTmilk also does cute pieces that are a bit less…well, suggestive. My personal favorite of all of the HOTmilk sets is this Sweet Reminiscence camisole set. It’s cotton and doesn’t have any underwire, so it’s easier to wash and with this set, you just won’t feel like it has to be a special occasion when you wear it. You can take that nice hot shower you’ve been looking forward to all day and put this on…even if you are headed straight for an evening of nursing on the donut pillow. The Sweet Reminiscence camisole is currently on sale here for USD $39.99. You can buy the set with the matching bikini briefs here for GBP £44 (USD $68).

And, if you are interested in what is going to be “hot” on the pregnancy and parenting front in 2011, iVillage.com has a new slide show up here detailing all of the anticipated parenting trends for the coming year. Slide #10 features HOTmilk nursing lingerie and was authored by yours truly. But much more interesting than the rise of sexy nursing lingerie will be the expected rise in “sex-starved wives” this coming year, which iVillage predicts in Slide #3. I love trends, but that is one most of us would like to stay away from–and, if true, provides all the more reason to buy yourself a sexy nursing bra.

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Stocking Stuffers for Pregnant Ladies

December 21, 2010

I’m writing this a bit late in the season, but chances are your husband/partner/significant other has other things on his/her mind this year and hasn’t necessarily planned ahead this Christmas. Be proactive and just forward this blog posting on to whomever is charged with filling your stocking this Christmas. There’s nothing worse than an empty, limp stocking on Christmas morn’ (been there, done that).

1. Maternal America Nursing Scarf. Every woman loves a new, cozy scarf in her stocking. And if it is specifically designed with a gap for her head and enough material to cover up her breasts, all the better. Maternal America’s clever nursing scarves were released a couple of years ago and are now available in a wide selection of solids and patterns for USD $29-$32. Due Maternity is selling them in rust and navy here and TummyStyle is carrying them in magenta and black here. They are made from a poly/rayon blend, so a cashmere scarf this is not. But you are going to end up needing to put this scarf in the washing machine often once you are nursing, so think of all the money you’ll save on dry cleaning.

2. Agent Provocateur Maternity/Nursing Bra. Just like every woman wants a new, cozy scarf in her stocking, she also wouldn’t mind a piece of sexy lingerie–especially when she might be feeling particularly unsexy. Agent Provocateur’s soft cup maternity/nursing bra fits the bill…and comes with under-the-bump “knickers” to match. Click here to shop AP’s maternity and nursing collection. The prices are high, but make your selection, be sure to select the Agent Provocateur gift box, and you probably don’t have to “stuff” that stocking with anything else.

3. JW Lace Nursing Gown. Leopard-print nursing bras aren’t your thing? Completely understandable. Perhaps Japanese Weekend’s sweet long-sleeved nursing gown is more your speed. This lovely lace-trimmed nursing gown is available in both black and white here at Pickles & Ice Cream for USD $72. Japanese Weekend does just about everything right and this gown makes the perfect maternity, nursing or postpartum gift–whichever stage you’re at, you’ll find a reason to wear this.

4. Comfort Zone Vital Leg Cream Gel. I’m not exactly sure what is in this gel and I’m not going to claim it’s going to work any miracles and permanently reduce the swelling in your feet, legs and ankles. But every time I was able to coax someone into rubbing this cooling gel into my legs, they not only felt better, but they also looked a little less swollen and frightening. I discovered it at the Edamame Spa in NYC, a spa specifically for pregnant women, where it is used as part of their incredible 30-minute leg treatment. I used to get the treatment on my way home from work after a particularly uncomfortable day and then almost skip the 10 blocks home, my legs and feet felt so much better. At $55 here, this gel is an indulgence. But it promises to buy you a few hours of feeling a bit lighter on your feet.

5. Ingrid & Isabel Leggings. I don’t approve of leggings as a general fashion rule, but there is obviously something I am missing, because everyone else really, really likes them. And if you are pregnant, they do eventually become a necessity when your maternity “dresses” suddenly become maternity “tops.” EGG Maternity’s Lucky Legs are my favorite, but they ship from New Zealand and aren’t going arrive in time to fill that Christmas stocking. Opt instead for Ingrid & Isabel’s Belly Leggings, available here from Bellydance for USD $52. These are nice, thick leggings that aren’t going to pill (I simply cannot stand pilly leggings) and they are very supportive. You can wear them rolled up or down depending on what stage of your pregnancy you are in.

6. L’Occitane Pure Shea Butter. They say stretch marks are in your genes and if you are destined to get them, there’s not much you can do about it. But you can try. L’Occitane’s Organic Pure Shea Butter is the closest you’ll come to finding an all-natural, preventive remedy for stretch marks (Strivectin and laser treatment both help, but are treatment options only after you’re done nursing). L’Occitane sells its pure shea butter in 5-ounce tins, which you’ll blast through quickly as you grow larger and have more surface area to cover. Plan ahead and order these in bulk here at L’Occitane.

7. Maloles Georges Flats. Not every Christmas stocking is large enough to sustain a pair of shoes. But these soft, heavenly flats are flexible and forgiving enough that you can both work them into a stocking and wear them when your feet are so swollen, flip-flops and bedroom slippers seem your only appealing choice of footwear. These suede flats will be your go-to shoes from the start of your pregnancy until the very bitter end. And, though they’re priced at a very high USD $343, they are extraordinarily durable for such a delicate shoe. Plus, if you forward this posting on quickly and your designated stocking stuffer hurries up and orders tonight, he/she can save 30% off the Maloles George flat at endless.com here.

I’ll post more suggested Christmas gifts tomorrow (thanks god for free 2-day shipping), but that completes my list of a few of my favorite maternity things…which will actually fit into a Christmas stocking.

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Counting Down Until Tights Weather?

August 18, 2010

Most people out there are not currently excited about buying themselves a pair of tights. Buying fall tights means that summer is just about over, cold weather is on its way, and those days of being able to comfortably go everywhere bare-legged are numbered.

Not so if you are preggers. You are counting down the hours until you can get those feet, ankles and legs covered all day, everyday. It is bad enough that you have to look at your spider veins, varicose veins and swollen ankles, but having to share them with the general public is especially embarrassing.

For Fall 2010, Dutch maternity designer Noppies is mixing up the usually drab maternity tights selection with its new, cotton cableknit maternity tights. I viewed an early sample of these tights last winter in choclate brown and they are just now available online in charcoal grey at Bellydance Maternity here for USD $20. Everyday Maternity has them for sale in both chocolate brown and grey here for GBP 10.99 (USD $17). These tights will do a great job of livening up your solid-colored maternity dresses. And they will look great with the new denim maternity skirt you just treated yourself to for fall. Most importantly, they are soft, comfortable, and completely opaque. So, you and only you will know what is going on underneath your super stylish tights.

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