Pregnancy Part 26

We had our breastfeeding class this week at the hospital. It was taught by a male nurse. There were 6 couples there, but I think 3 of the women attended with their moms. One was a second time mom who didn't successfully breastfeed her firstborn because she went I to early labor and there were lots of complications. It was very helpful to practice the holds and swaddling with a doll. The teacher had a beanbag breast so that he could demonstrate. He had a PowerPoint presentation with a lot of embedded videos. Dear husband said he learned that there was a lot more to it than he initially thought, and he was glad he attended the class. The class was free and lasted 2.5 hours long, plus there were free cookies!

I think it's kind of sad that the brick and mortar Motherhood Maternity stores are closing. How are people supposed to buy clothes that fit properly when they can't try it on?

I got the above top and bottoms for my hospital "going home" outfit. The pants I got are in black, in case of blood leaking out. But they're totally comfy. The first pair I picked out was so uncomfortable, but dear husband grabbed these and had me try them on. See what I mean? Sometimes you can't tell what will feel good until it's actually on your body. Got this whole outfit for $35. So many of my yoga pants are "over bump" and it's nice to add one to the collection that is "under bump." Since I don't know at this point whether I will do a vaginal birth or Caesarian section, it's good to have loose pants that don't necessarily have to go over bump.

Of course it doesn't look like this on me. I do enjoy when they use plus-size models because it helps e get an idea of what the garment will look like on me. I'm looking forward to the day when each store uses a body-scanner to generate a virtual version of you and then you can virtually try the clothes on and see how it will look on YOU. For example, the pants are very long and pretty much drag on the ground because of my short legs. But I just don't know if it will be cold on the day we're discharged so I'd rather have pants that cover just in case.

I think I picked up the shirt because it was a good price (on sale) and I liked the pattern. But also it was really comfortable and something I could see myself wearing even if I wasn't pregnant. I tried on a few nursing tops but they weren't really my size. This Motherhood Maternity was in a small corner of a Macy's store at Victoria Gardens. Even my husband was like, "this is it?" I know we're only pregnant for a short time of our lives, but it's so nice and comforting to wear things that look good and are appropriately tailored for our pregnant bodies.

I got this swimsuit and the one below at a Motherhood Maternity store closing sale at the Santa Anita mall. I don't think I would have paid the full price, but I am so glad I got this. It's messaging is kind of silly and won't work after I am no longer pregnant, but I like to let the lifeguards know that I'm pregnant in case something goes wrong while I'm at the pool. I like that this is a pretty traditionally cut one-piece bathing suit. It has a few smaller criss-cross straps in the back to keep the shoulder straps from falling down. It's gathered around the bump area, which you can't see from this picture. I want to say the suit was about $24. It's been a while since I bought it.

Again, I probably wouldn't have bought these swim separates at full price, but at 70% off it was really a steal. I mean a good deal. I think I can definitely get away with wearing this one after birth. I've never been much of a tankini person or a swim skirt person, but I just didn't know what kind of shape my body would be in by now or after the baby is out, so this seemed like a good option. And the top is very bra-like and has wide supportive straps that criss-cross in the back. I think the two pieces were like $12 each.

I don't LOVE buying new clothes, but it's necessary every once in a while. Especially for things like swimsuits. They only last so long and it's hard to find them secondhand. To pack our hospital bag, we wanted dedicated "going home" outfits that wouldn't be worn for any other purpose. It's hard to give up the yoga / PJ pants that I have because I only have 2 pairs that fit now and I wear them every day. Likewise with shirts. I have probably 4 now that make sense, so you can believe that I won't be packing them away for an indeterminate amount of time.

It also seems that maternity clothes aren't "made to last." Many are made of stretchy fabric that is very thin. I am washing them carefully (delicate cycle, Woolite) and line drying, with some hopes that they will become useful hand-me-downs for my younger sisters. It makes sense that the fabric is thin, though, because I do seem to be overheating much more easily than before.