Daily, spiffykermsbaby

Where I buy maternity clothes

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I suppose one of the most signature looks I have could also be classified as loungewear. I like to keep things pretty casual. I’m all about comfort.

I thought I’d show you where I’ve been shopping for the majority of my pregnancy (and I’m also including the places that have sent me stuff because some of the items are truly one’s I’d buy with my own money). I mean. Why promote it if I wouldn’t buy it with my own money, right?

Either way, my pal from back home, Bobbi requested I do a favourite store post, for maternity clothing. I’m a bit late to the game as I’m pretty sure she requested me to do this ages ago.

A lot of the stores here are definitely much more accesible here to me, as every store imaginable almost ships to USA residents. In Canada places are bad for customs (I’ve yet to see that here in the USA, maybe iut’s not even a thing? Can anyone claifry?)

Okay 28 weeks into the pregnancy. Wearing a ton of maternity clothing now, but still wearing a lot of non-maternity tops that I’ve purchased from Forever 21, and Target over the years – empire/flowy tops are my jam, and definitely come in handy with a belly.

For the pants, I’ve opted for only 2 maternity pairs, and I purchased them both from H&M. One is a pair of Mama Skinny Jeans ($3-0) and the other is a pair of $12 leggings. I ain’t gonna be squishin’ the belly with pre-preg jeans and be uncomfortable, when I have pants that literally go right up to my boobs. There’s no question about it – it’s comfort gold.

None of my jackets will zip up,  I fret that come January/February I’ll be super chilly but my husband suggested I just wear his larger jackets. Score. I’m not going to be buying a winter coat down here when I can simply wear his (for as long as I can). Then I’ll just have to get smart about the layering with scarves to keep my front warm.

The majority of my go-to shops for maternity wear: Target, H&M, Forever 21, and PinkBlush. I’m not one to spend a ton of money on clothing, because I almost always spill something on myself or ruin it quickly, and I don’t even go to fancy-pants places to invest in gorgeous silky tops for instance. Like I said, I have my comfort zone and I stick to it.

Here’s my new top from PinkBlush it’s the Black Striped Maternity Knot Sweater, and it’s super cozy and soft feeling.

Wearing:
PinkBlush Black Striped Maternity Knot Sweater ($36)
H&M Mama Super Skinny Maternity Jeans ($35)
Slippers + Starbucks (lol)

A few days ago I took Alfie to the park, just for a change of scenery. Oh, and random but someone asked me if I’m due soon. Does that mean she thought I was 9 months pregnant already? Hmmmmmm……..wonderful.

Disclaimer: Huge thanks to my pal Megan for hooking me up with PinkBlush to be an ambassador with them too! As a PinkBlush Ambassador I get 2 points for 2 pieces of clothing to review. Each time I post = 1 point. I did not receive monetary compensation for posting about the brand. 

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Daily, Fashion, spiffykermsbaby

Maternity clothing: yay or nay?

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Up until week 18-19 my clothing fit fine, for the most part. A lot of my jeans would feel tight around the belly area, but the Zara jeans (which I really hate to wear frequently since they honestly don’t last very long especially considering I only have 2 pairs of jeans at a time) were the only one’s that I’d been wearing from week 13 on wards, besides my Joe Fresh velvet-like leggings which are so incredibly comfortable.

Then I got my Cuddl Duds velour pants, which I was living in, waiting for my online H&M order to arrive with all my maternity pants (I bought 6 pairs of pants/leggings, trying to decipher my preg-size, the style I wanted, etc). They arrived, I kept 2, and I returned 4 of them earlier this week. For ages I didn’t think maternity clothing was worth it. I would only be wearing them for a few months, and if/when I get pregnant again, it might be opposite seasons — thus “wasting” my money. I thought for the longest time I could do without, and buy bigger sizes in regular-wear. However I did indulge-if-you-will, in some H&M maternity jeans to get by. You’ll get sick of only wearing 2 pairs of pants for the past few months, I tell ya. I wanted to feel like I was wearing clothing that actually fit me, and I didn’t have to unbutton each time I sat down. Ha! I honestly think you can simply get away with up-sizing your tops, but for pants — I’d prefer maternity style, just for the comfort and not having anything dig into my stomach.

I also received some items from PinkBlush Maternity (thanks to my pal Megan!) that you’ve seen on the blog already, which are cute, comfortable and most of all — affordable. I don’t spend much on clothing honestly, and these I’m sure will work during, and after pregnancy.

Wearing:
Pink Blush Lavender Striped Colorblock Sleeve Maternity Top ($33)
H&M Super Skinny Maternity Jeans ($34)
Fossil Campbell Crossbody ($138)

How long did you use/wear your maternity clothing for? As in, post-pregnancy? I don’t have any qualms with wearing it for as long as it takes, but I’m interested in learning and hearing some feedback!

Also — has anyone bought pregnancy bras? I don’t know where to look, or where to go. Why are they helpful? I think my bras pre-preg were too big to begin with, so I haven’t had to size up (yet?). Haha!

Disclaimer: Huge thanks to my pal Megan for hooking me up with PinkBlush to be an ambassador with them too! As a PinkBlush Ambassador I get 2 points for 2 pieces of clothing to review. Each time I post = 1 point. I did not receive monetary compensation for posting about the brand. 

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Fashion, spiffykermsbaby

Pregnancy thoughts: first trimester (+OOTD)

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The first trimester has come and gone, and that scary stage waiting until you hit that “safe mark” of 13-14 weeks is over. Unlike most, my first trimester was so uneventful. I had no symptoms at all. So, this post will be a short one, ha!

I kept everything on the down-low for so long, primarily because I wanted to make sure everything was honky-dory and moving along smoothly. That, and the fact it was still so surreal to me. Only last week I did my pregnancy announcement where I drove to Santa Cruz and had my friend take some announcement photos for me.

While most people think having zero pregnancy symptoms are a blessing, I thought quite the opposite! Until I returned home from our trip to Canada (where I was then ~8 weeks pregnant) I didn’t feel any different than my regular self. Zero aversions to anything, zero morning sickness. Zero symptoms. I wanted to feel… something. Although I’m generally a 100%  optimistic person who rarely feels stressed (lol), I was pessimistic each time I went for an ultrasound, and was happily surprised each time they said “and there’s the heartbeat”. The first time I heard it was the first and only time I got emotional about it, and teared up. I was all “Whoa that is not my heartbeat racing, is it?!”. It was pretty cool.

Week 9-10| This is when I started feeling fatigued. It was extreme to the point I was falling asleep sitting up talking to my husband. I napped up to 4 hours a day, and sleeping right through the night. I kept referring back to the 3 pregnancy apps on my phone when my husband told me that fatigue wasn’t normal. Sidenote: It’s real, and totally normal.

Week 11-12| Then around week 11, my nose started becoming more sensitive to smells. I could smell a physicians formula bronzer from about 6 feet away at GenBeauty SF, asking the sales associate if there was something coconut scented at the booth. Wild, right?

Week 13| A light switched in my body and I become so alert. The fatigue completely disappeared and I had so much energy I was waking up at 5-6am every day. Even in the middle of the night, completely wide awake at 2am, checking my phone for e-mails and scrolling on Instagram. Pregnancy is so weird.

Other than that, it’s honestly been pretty uneventful with the symptoms. I kept telling the Doctor that I was worried I had none. Everyone told me how lucky I was, but I hated hearing that — because no. No symptoms to me, meant no baby. At least with a symptom I could pair it up with the baby still being in there. Right? And oh my gosh avoid those pregnancy threads on your phone apps. Bad idea! So many horror stories.

Like I mentioned above, I haven’t had any aversions to food, nor any cravings. I did notice my nails feeling healthier and not chipping as easily. And what’s with the hair-thickness feeling? I don’t get why my hair feels thick. It’s obviously not thicker, but why does it feel thicker?

As for bump photos — I didn’t take any at all in the first trimester. As much as I was thrilled, I didn’t want to do anything to jinx it! So instead, here are some from this Monday (lol).

Wearing:
Pink Blush Grey Heathered Dolman Stitch Maternity Sweater ($36)
H&M Super Skinny Maternity Jeans ($34)
Fossil Campbell Crossbody ($138)
H&M faux-suede slip-on sneakers ($15)

 

Livin’ that decaf latte life. Ha!!

Disclaimer: Huge thanks to my pal Megan for hooking me up with PinkBlush to be an ambassador with them too! As a PinkBlush Ambassador I get 2 points for 2 pieces of clothing to review. Each time I post = 1 point. I did not receive monetary compensation for posting about the brand. 

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