hip maternity blog

Busting 5 Maternity Clothing Myths....

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:38:06 -0400

When you get pregnant you hear a lot of “advice” from friends and family.
We’ve noticed a few misconceptions over the years and wanted to clear those up.

Wait as long as you can for maternity clothes so you know they’ll fit you in your last months. Everyday we have a customer who tries on her first maternity pant and says “These are so comfortable! Why was I waiting.” Most women seem to resist maternity clothes thinking they’ll never last. But with a little help from us we can help you gauge whether or not you’ll wear your clothes all the way through your pregnancy. Trust us. We don’t want you walking around in clothes too tight or with your belly poking out and saying you got your clothes here so we won’t lie to you. What we do want is for you to feel cute and comfortable during your whole pregnancy, not just the beginning or the end.
All maternity clothes are created equal. Let’s face it, maternity clothes take a beating. When your wardrobe is suddenly limited, you’ll be washing and wearing the same item over and over and over again. Quality means a lot. When you are wearing the same jeans over and over, comfort is important. You want to know your clothes are going to grow with you, wear well and not shrink up or fall apart when you are wearing them day in and day out for 9 (plus) months. Treat yourself to somethings you wont have to buy again after a month or two (unless it’s to get it in another color!) Take a look at the items you wear the most, those are the ones that are going to take the hardest hit... of all things, you want those to last you.
You can make non-maternity clothes work for maternity. The “styles these days” are very deceiving. Empire waist tops and tunic lengths may look like you can wear them pregnant but they aren’t going to go the distance. The last time you want to go out and spend money on maternity clothes is when you are 8 months pregnant and nothing fits. Of all times, that’s when you deserve to feel your best. Empire waist shirts restrict the ribcage (and cause dreaded “back fat”) and are usually too short. The fabrics are often stiffer than their soft maternity counterparts and make you look bigger than you are (who needs that?!) In theory it’s a nice idea to buy clothes you can wear pregnant or not but non maternity clothes will stretch out so much you won’t be able to wear them anyway. On the flip side however, on any given day you’ll find one of us wearing something from our store that doesn’t look maternity at all.
Maternity clothes are frumpy and make you look fat. Quite the contrary. Wearing clothes made to fit your body will actually make you look slimmer... so you’ll look pregnant. Not pregnant and fat. And because you’re fitting a different body, you can try styles that didn’t work on your pre-pregnant body. Maternity clothes are a great opportunity for you to try new colors, prints and styles because you don’t feel obligated to wear them again next year (unless, of course, you want to!)
Maternity clothes are an unnecessary expense, a size larger or your husbands clothes will do. This is one of the saddest myths of all. As women, we have a tendency to put others before ourselves (and buy cute clothes for the kids instead of for us) but don’t forget yourself. Pregnancy is a very unique time in your life, most of us only get to do it a few times and you should be able to enjoy the process. Don’t let people convince you that you don’t deserve to look cute and feel comfortable the whole way through. Your growing a person who you’ll be dedicating your life to caring for... at the very least you deserve clothes that flatter you. So basically, in the words of Loreal.... you’re worth it.

Sarah

Hard to fit sizes

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:56:13 -0400

As women, you are all very aware of your body. And by this point is should be clear to you that not one woman is shaped exactly like another. In order to dress your body as flattering as possible you have taken great time shopping and trying on all sorts of brands to see what styles fit you the best. Now you are pregnant and you may feel like you have to start all over again. Many of you may often times have trouble finding styles to fit you because you are more petite, or very tall, or have fuller hips, or have no hips at all. But never fear. Just as you found brands in your everyday clothing that catered to these different physical traits you will find that there are brands in maternity that do just the same.

Petite-
It wasn’t until just recently maternity designers starting taking the shorter girls into consideration. But the important thing is now they are available and if you are petite and pregnant you will benefit. There are several options of basic pants to choose from and as luck would have it we carry all of them in the store and online. First there is Japanese Weekend that offers two styles of petite pants in there line. They have a nice moveable jersey pant and also a more structured bengaline style. Offered in all your basic colors these pants will be sure to keep you looking cute and feeling comfortable through the pregnancy. There are also two other styles offered by Olian. They have a great over/under belly style that is more fitted with a wider leg. They flatter just about everyone and are excellent when you are barely showing but need pants immediately. The style is versatile, comes in several colors and will last through the
pregnancy. Olian also offers jeans in a petite length. So all of you girls under 5’3’’, never fear, there are pants to fit you.

Tall-
If you are fortunate enough to have nice long legs, shopping for pants can sometimes be just as much of a challenge for you as it can be for petites. No one wants to walk around with high waters or feel like you can only wear flats. Fortunately for you there are plenty of maternity brands that run long. If you are used to wearing designer denim such as Citizens and Paige you are in store because they do not change their cut. There is still a lovely 34 inch inseam in the leg. Jeans are not your only option though. Olian and Noppies have great options for work pants too.

Curvy-
If more room in the bottom and thigh is what you need then Japanese Weekend has options. This brand specifically cuts their bottoms keeping a woman’s curves in mind as well as taking into account room for growth through the pregnancy. Maternal America is another nice option that works well when you are looking to flatter your hips and thighs. However, don’t feel like you have a choice of only a few brands. Really, most brands will be fine as long as you keep in mind choosing the correct cut for your body. Straighter cut pants will not be your best choice. Make sure you look for something with a boot cut, wide leg or flared leg. This will help make a nice balanced look for your maternity figure.

X-Small (Sizes 0-2)-
Someone who is a size 0-2 can often times have trouble shopping for maternity clothes at mass retail stores. These larger stores are meant to cater to the majority of the population and size x-small is not where their major business is done. But don’t get too upset assuming that you will be forced to walk around in ill fitting clothes for almost a year. There are several brands that will fit you perfectly in size x-small. Olian, Japanese Weekend, Maternal America, Childish, Ripe, Citizens, Paige, and Rock and Republic are just a few you can consider. They all make great pants, skirts, tops and dresses that you will be fine to begin wearing as soon as you start showing. You will be comfortable and still have the tailored fit you are used to wearing.

Plus Sizes-

If you are starting out a plus size in your pregnancy or even if you are bordering into plus sizes there are options up to a 3X in maternity. Brands like Full Moon and Rebel have really nice options in jeans, pants, skirts and dress. Whether you are looking for something basic or fun there will be options.

So never fear, those of you thinking maternity shopping is going to be a horrible chore. There are plenty of options to fit each and every body type. It is just a matter of having a little patience to try on a few things and of course never be afraid to ask questions. It is a good chance you can get clear guidance from someone in the store who works with the brands everyday. Shopping for maternity clothes can really be a lot of fun no matter your shape or size.

-Rebekah

About nursing bras...

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 17:15:01 -0400

By Sarah

At least once a week someone asks me
"when do you start getting fitted for a nursing bra."

So here's the answer.

Shop for a bra when you feel you are ready for a new bra.

Whether your cup runneth over or your band is getting tighter. When you start feeling like that's happening and have a little time on your hands come on in and let us have a look at you.
For those of you not fortunate enough to have a team of friendly faces near by, here's a tip or two...

Buy Quality Bras. Most hard to fit women already know this. Even in your every day life, an uncomfortable bra is no fun. Trust us when we say its even worse when you are 6 days post partum, haven't had any sleep and have the most ginormous boobs you've ever seen in your life. Allow me to be blunt: If you are ponying up $45 for a very sexy, slightly impractical bra from Victoria's Secret, you can do the same for the bra that you will be wearing daily for the next 6-12 months. Breast health is important and a cheaply made bra is something you will most likely to regret. What does a good quality bra look like? Well I am so glad you ask...

What to look for in a quality bra
No Underwires Yes, it's true, most nursing bras have no underwire. That may sound a little frightening but nursing bra's with underwires need to be extremely well fitting, otherwise the wire can cut into the milk-ducts and blocked ducts are extremely painful. Underwires can be uncomfortable in the late weeks of pregnancy anyway... But there is good news for you underwire lovers. A good well fitting bra will still be able to support you, even without the high-wire act. If you are particularly big busted, worry not, there are bras especially made for you too.

One-Handed Closure Most nursing bras will have a hook at the top which should be easily undone with only one hand. This comes in handy (pun intended) when you are also holding a newborn baby or are half asleep.

Versatility Look for a bra you can also wear to bed. In those first few weeks this is especially true, the night time ritual you had post partum of putting on pajamas, brushing your teeth and getting in bed with your favorite book before nodding off may be changing just a little bit. I found that I often fell asleep wearing the same shirt I wore during the day... So for those days (or nights) your nursing bras should be able to double as a sleep bra.

Get a bra that grows with you- As you may have noticed, you are doing a little bit of fluctuation as far as your size is concerned. A good bra will support you whether are 3 days post partum and your milk is just coming in or 6 weeks down the road and you've just nursed. This isn't to say that all women will be able to get away with one bra for all the stages your poor breasts go through. For you first time nursers you may be surprised that you breast actually change sizes during the day depending on the last time you nursed and how much. A good bra should keep you well supported throughout the day.

Okay, now you know what to look for, now where to find it...

For the reasons above we carry the Bravado line of nursing bras. They are so easy to fit it's like nursing bra's for dummies... we love that. Their Original Nursing Bra is great for doubling as a day or night bra. The Body Silk has the "bra-like" shape you are used to. Bravado's Nursing Tanks are the only ones we've seen with an actual bra built inside. Imagine that, real support from tank! That means no more droop or uni-boob action. For you busty, hard to fit girls the Bravado Supreme Bras keep you well lifted during the day, sans underwire.

Bravado designs bras made to support a range of cup sizes so you won't find that your bra WAS supported until you nursed or fit when you nursed but then you busted out of it 3 hours later. Their underwear is darn comfortable too!

When you fit your bra, the general rule of thumb is that the bra shouldn't be causing any cleavage. If it's causing cleavage now, imagine what it will do when your milk come in. Yowee! You should feel well supported, but with room in the cup for growth. You shouldn't find the back riding up or a tight squeeze around your ribs... you should almost forget about it.

Of course if you have any questions about the fit of your bra whether in our store or online... ASK.
It can be confusing. We have boobs too, its okay to let us look and make sure you've got a good fit.

Armed with all that....
take a deep breath. it's not so scary.

-Sarah

9 months on, 9 months off -yeah, right. also known as “Things aren’t where I left them”

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 15:42:15 -0400

Sarah has asked me to inaugurate this blog with a personal message. So here it is, about nothing other than weight loss post-baby. But don't get me wrong, this isn't "How Katie Holmes lost her baby weight" or "How Heidi Klum hit the Victoria's Secret runway 6 weeks after having her second child." This is more "How Anne Kennon took 3 years to lose her baby weight, and that's ok."

The reason I'm writing about this is that we have had more than 200(!) of our customers have their babies in the last 90 days. And just about every one of them comes in 3-8 weeks postpartum, upset that they still don't fit in their regular clothes yet, and they can't bear to admit that they still have to wear their maternity clothes. And they are INCREDIBLY hard on themselves. Sleep-deprived, hormonal, and not fitting into their regular clothes.

The only thing that could make them feel any worse would be if Heidi Klum herself walked through our front door.

What I say to them (every one of them) is this: It took you nine months to grow that baby, and for your body to stretch and grow to accommodate him (or her). You can't expect your body to recover in 1/3 the time it took to grow. The standard mantra is "nine months on, nine months off." Sure, we all know that one person who could wear regular clothes 2 weeks after she had her baby. But that's ONE person out of everyone you know...

When I was pregnant with my son (going on six years ago), I got HUGE. My belly, my face, my butt, every part of me was enormous. You know, the kind of pregnant that had people asking me if I was having twins. When he was born, and was over ten pounds, I was psyched-I was going home skinny! I could see my toes, I checked myself out in the hospital mirror, and I was downright svelte. Problem was, I couldn't even put my non-maternity pj pants on to wear home. So I sent my husband home for my maternity pants to wear home. I attributed that to my c-section scar that was still sensitive. No problem.

So I got home, and grabbed my fat jeans. They'd do for a while, seeing as I did get so huge after all. I will never forget looking at myself in the mirror, with the zipper making a giant V in front of my belly-not even coming close to zipping. What the heck? I turned to the side, and *GASP* I still looked pregnant! I called my husband in, and asked him how I could have gotten fatter again since being home. Wasn't I skinny in the hospital? Poor man, he looked up, he looked down, he looked all around until he said, "um, honey, you really weren't THAT skinny in the hospital. I just didn't know how to tell you." Traitor! How could he? But there it was, the mirror, telling me that he was right. While I could see my toes (finally), I really wasn't back to my original self.

So out came the maternity clothes again, and they served me well for the weeks of my maternity leave. They got baggy toward the end (yay), but my regular clothes still didn't fit. So when it was time to head back to work, I went out and bought a few pairs of pants, and a few tops, all one size bigger than my pre-pregnancy size. They fit ok in some places, not so great in others, but hey, I needed clothes. Keep in mind, this was pre-BellaBand. There was no wearing regular pants unbuttoned, unless I wanted to show off my lovely, jiggly, post-baby belly.

The strangest thing of this? I actually weighed the same as I did before I got pregnant. And that's when I realized that things weren't quite where I left them...this beautiful, happy baby rearranged my body for a while, and it was going to take a while to put things back, if you know what I mean. I took solace in that knowledge while I wore regular clothes in a size I never thought I'd be, and counting the days until I could wear my real life clothes again.

Then, wouldn't you know it, I was pregnant with baby #2. Away went the regular clothes (I put my first pair of maternity pants on at ten weeks for that baby), and I went through the same cycle, all the way down to the "how did I get fatter since I got out of the hospital?" conversation. At least this time I was prepared for the response from my poor, beaten-down husband! So, I wore maternity pants (still), then moved into the size-up regular clothes (again), and waited it out.

Fast-forward three years, and here I am, proudly weighing less than I have since high school. It took three years to get my act together to exercise regularly and eat less (I could go into greater detail here, but this particular blog is not about diet and exercise), and guess what-I still wear maternity clothes. Thankfully not the beaten and abused clothes from 2002 and 2004, but the stuff you see on the racks in the store right now. In fact, my new favorite pants are the Olian contrast-stitched linen pants in chocolate brown. I've worn them on an airplane, to work, even on Channel 6's "Virginia This Morning." And guess what else-no one realizes I'm wearing maternity clothes until I mention it.

My point is this-if I can wear the clothes from the store, with a three-year-post-partum body and no one knows, there is no shame in wearing maternity clothes for 2, 6, or 12 weeks after you have your baby. You will be so much more comfortable wearing clothes that are shaped to fit around your now-shrinking body, which is crucial to surviving the sleep-deprived and hormonal first weeks of motherhood. (Not to mention the first weeks back at work.) And I have to be honest-the clothes now are FAR more conducive to helping you out post-partum than even the best clothes I had six years ago did! Wear your maternity clothes with pride, knowing you are getting even more wear out of your well-made maternity clothes than you ever could out of the size-up clothes that would only fit you for a few weeks.

And if you ever have any doubt, come into the store and ask who today is wearing maternity clothes-chances are someone is, and you wouldn't even know it.

-Anne

Shopping on a budget

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:35:11 -0400

It's time... a personal story.

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:00:06 -0400

My husband and I always wanted to have children. We had our boy and girl names picked out before we even talked about marriage. So it was fitting to find out that the due date of our first son was exactly 2 weeks before our upcoming nuptials. We had spent the evening before the pink line appeared putting stickers on our save the date magnets and discussing the non-refundable deposit we had just paid our photographer. The news, though a surprise, was an exciting one for us both... and though pregnancy is hand-in-hand with a new pregnant form, it was the last thing I was thinking about at the time.
I've always thought the pregnant body was a beautiful one. The symbol of life and fertility. It was amazing to me before, and even more amazing to me now, what the female body is capable of. The female body is in the true sense of the word: awesome. I think most women would agree with me on that statement. However,this didn't lessen the blow for me when I found myself taking on that same form. On me it seemed much less beautiful and much more frightening.
I was a Theatre Performance major in college, so for better or worse, I placed a lot of emphasis on my health and physical appearance. I had just switched from vegetarian to vegan and begun a new running routine. I had finished one of my personal best performances and was excited to take on the next project. I was on a roll...and then started developing some. The first things to go were the new diet and exercise routine and my thighs soon followed suit. I was proud, yet self conscious at the same time and the cute styles of summer was rapidly approaching.
Come hell or high water I was going to make non-maternity clothes work. I used the "hair band trick" I wore a lot of yoga pants and I fit some of my t-shirts over my belly. My mother in her excitement bought me a few winter maternity clothes from Motherhood and I prayed nightly that I would never have to wear them. I was 20 weeks along and still doing pretty well, only 20 more weeks to go...

The morning I learned that maternity clothes were inevitable I had gotten up early. My husband was going into work late that day and I had an "audition" for an acting class. Thankfully, my nice pants were a size up from my normal pants so I figured I'd still be fine, I'd been making it work so far. I pulled them up... my legs looked like sausages, I put on my shirt and a little bit of my belly refused to be covered. Outfit number two, the same thing. Number three looked even worse... frantically I tore through the closet. I had exactly 3 shirts and 2 pairs of yoga pants that fit. I was huge and fat and disgusting. My previously fit and predictable body was now, soft... very soft... and I had dimples in my cheeks... no, not those cheeks. Cue the waterworks.
My poor darling unassuming husband comes out of the shower to see me, hair and makeup done, standing in the middle of a large heap of clothing, stark naked, bawling my eyes out. I must have looked truly pathetic because he ran to me asking what was wrong.
"I am fat and I have no clothes to fit over my fat" was able to escape through the tears and the hands over my face. I heard him chuckle.
"you're not fat, you're pregnant. Stay home, we'll go out and get you some clothes" It was confirmed. I looked pathetic.

This is when I begun working at It's Hip to be Round in Carytown. I had been there in January when I bought a black and a white Bella Band to get me through the entire pregnancy ( I said I didn't believe they would... but I lied.) I had wondered why anyone would pay a lot of money for something you "wear for only a few months"
I soon discovered why.

I'll spare you from the stories of my first few months of employment here... But those who shopped in the summer of 2006 who saw me probably remember one thing: Ripe linen pants. I wore them every single day to work. I'd wash them on my days off and then hop right back in them as soon as they were dry. They held up like a dream. I even wore them to one of our fashion shows after they had taken a beating for months. In fact, as time wore on, my Old Navy tanks shrunk and I had to buy the size up, even in maternity. My few Motherhood items were uncomfortable. And as much as I love target, my "Liz Lange" purchases were short and... wide... very wide. So my work uniform became my home uniform because they were the only things I didn't grow out of and didn't fall apart or warp in the wash.

And when the day came that my darling 9 pound son was born, I wore one of my well loved outfits right out of the hospital... and, yes for a few weeks... okay, months, afterwards.

9 months later, when the pink line visited us once again. I came into work the next day and bought myself a pair of jeans right off the shelf... I learned my lesson. I got more wear out of my clothes, I was more comfortable and I didn't look like I didn't know what size I was. In turn, I enjoyed my pregnancy more. I felt better and I was ready to go on that physical and emotional roller coaster much more when I wore outfits that embraced and flattered my pregnancy instead of "making due"
Bouncing baby boy number two is now four months old and as I finally get around to packing away my winter clothes, instead of putting my maternity clothes in the bin with my Old Navy and Target stuff, a lot of it will be opened up next year. I fell in love with those clothes, I wore them when I came back to work. They looked great when I was pregnant, and afterwards too... I am not giving those up...

So this winter, when you come in for your nursing pajamas, or to check out our new kids store, I'll be there.
Wearing my Maternal America ribbed turtleneck (hopefully not pregnant again so quickly) trying to assist others who have come in, just like I did, trying to convince them, like I had to be convinced, that while your body may be changing you can still look and feel in the true sense of the word, awesome.

~Sarah