Hey mommas! Today I’m excited to host our first guest on the blog, Mal from the blog Aloha Connecticut Girl. If you are anticipating working in a corporate setting throughout your pregnancy, this post is for you! I just love the awesome tips Mal has to share with us. Please make her feel welcome with a comment at the end of the post!
BIO: Mal Holcomb-Botts lives with her husband and baby boy on the island of Oahu in Hawaii where they have to deal with things like crystal clear ocean water and picture perfect sunsets. She is a wife, mother, sporadic blogger, self-proclaimed comedian and event designer. Please join her on Aloha Connecticut Girl as she shares a bit of truth and a little humor on marriage, motherhood and the corporate world. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
If you are a woman in the corporate world, then you know that there are a lot of hurdles to be overcome to earn the respect and equality that we deserve.
Now, throw being a PREGNANT woman into the mix and things can be a little scary to navigate.
That is why I want to help expectant mothers out there have one less thing to worry about on their journey towards motherhood while maintaining a career.
Personally I LOVE my job… but I HATE the office. I have just never been an office person (I blame my carpenter father and his penchant for the outdoors).
However, the one thing that could really get me excited about office life… the clothes! I truly enjoy putting outfits together, especially utilizing items that I have found from consignment and thrift stores.
So when I became pregnant I got nervous thinking there was no way I was going to be able to enjoy creating a work wardrobe as I got what felt like larger, and larger, and larger…
I think a common misconception among pregnant women is that once you reach a certain point you have to pack away all your clothes and purchase a new (not at all times flattering) wardrobe from a maternity clothing store and call it a day.
But that is not the case and I came to realize, with a little creativity, a lot of stretchy fabric and just a few signature maternity items (some maternity tanks and maternity pants *I preferred the skinny legged variety) that there are some staple pieces in the closets of most corporate women that transition very nicely into a fun, comfortable and stylish maternity wardrobe. Â
The important thing to do is take a little time to go through your closet and focus on the items that you can still wear as your little loved one and your tummy grows. Pinpoint what you love and see how it can convert into a comfortable maternity option.
Here are a few items from my own closet that I realized I could wear almost to the end of my pregnancy (when finally, the only thing I could stand was a bathing suit so that I could bob around in our pool) and how I repurposed them to do so.
#1 Dresses
For me, there were a few dresses that I wore prior to being pregnant that I could still wear until almost my third trimester. I just had to repurpose them slightly. For example, with this dress, eventually it got too hard to zip the back all the way up, so, I threw a sweater over the top and wore the dress as a skirt. This got me a good month more use out of the dress itself.
#2 Sweaters
This brings me to my next item. Sweaters are great because they inherently tend to be a bit larger which gives you a little wiggle room with them. For me, I really enjoy wearing a sweater tucked into a high wasted pencil skirt. Now take that same outfit and just untuck the sweater and again, you can get a few more months wear out of the skirt.
#3 Pencil Skirts
Rolling right along I’d like to highlight pencil skirts themselves. I enjoy them because if you happen to find the kind that are stretchy and without zippers (I found mine at T.J. Maxx) they are nice to wear as high-wasted for as long as it is comfortable. Then, when they become too tight, pull the top down right below your belly and they can be worn like that for much longer.
#4 Blazers
Number four on the list is probably my favorite wardrobe staple of all time!
The great thing about blazers for me personally, is that you don’t have to wear them buttoned! This provides a great way to help an outfit, that may consist mostly of actual maternity clothing, look more professional and put together with minimal effort. And consignment shops and thrift stores are WONDERFUL places to find blazers in all sorts of sizes, cuts and colors for a fraction of the cost!
#5 Oversized Shirts
Finally, this tip is probably the most obvious of the bunch. Oversized shirts. Luckily oversized shirts paired with a nice set of skinny jeans, or even (dare I say it!) leggings, is in fashion right now. So most of us have some oversized tops in our current wardrobe. The clearly nice thing about this, is you can continue to wear these tops as your tummy grows, many times with people being none the wiser.
#6 Lastly, shoes…
…just kidding, we all know that is an entire other post in and of itself 🙂
I truly hope that this has made your day a little bit easier out there and good luck with your lives, little ones and fashion adventures!
XOXO
Mal
Are you working at an office throughout your pregnancy? Which of these ideas do you want to try out with your own non-maternity wardrobe? Let us know in the comments below!
If you loved this, don’t forget to check out Mal’s blog, www.alohaconnecticutgirl.com and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!