fashion, style and more; bump & beyond blog — #bumpandbeyond

There is no end of advice out there on how to dress best for your body type-apple, pear, boy, curvy, etc.  Nowhere have we seen advice on how to dress a pregnant pear or, an apple with basketball or, well, you get the point-what to wear when your body type is pregnant!  And, no matter what your body type is-it will change when pregnant.  Learning to love to dress the bump is exciting -and can be quite the challenge for some. We here at Mom's the Word love dressing all bodies, before, bump and beyond.  Through our 20(!?) years of experience we have come up with some easy to follow guidelines.  Some people will feel more comfortable in one of the below, some will love 'em all.  There is no right or wrong.

1. First rule is that there are no rules.  Guidelines. Yes.  But if you feel great in your body in the clothes that you have on, at this exact moment, then read no further.
2. Follow our guidelines, but, some days?  Color outside the lines if you're feelin' it. Try something new.  Or reach for an old fave and see how it feels on the new bod.

• Flowy over Fitted.  Looser top, skinny bottoms.  Done.  Cute.

            

• Fitted over Fitted.  The bump is your best accessory, flaunt it mama! Rock ALL of those curves!

    

• Looser over fitted over fitted. Did we lose you there?  This can be a great way to embrace the bump for those who aren't feeling like embracing the butt.  Take the above fitted over fitted, and add a looser layer.  Not only can this cover your less fave body parts-hello hips and butt, it also creates a vertical line which elongates your silhouette:) Our bet?  You'll feel great.

• Fitted over flowy, or less fitted. Think boyfriend jeans, looser trousers or coulottes, flowy maxi skirts or shorter a-line skirts.

4. It is most difficult, not impossible, but hardest, to look good in Flowy over Flowy. If you hated fitted before, do not assume that you will hate it now.  Try a fitted over less fitted option. If you absolutely want flowy over flowy we suggest working with dresses more than separates.  If you want to do separates-tuck your flowy to into the under the bump waistband of your looser bottom. Seriously.  It's cute, although it can get tricky in later months. If you do looser over looser, another thing to do is make certain to show some of your body-feature your ankles, shoulder, clavicle and wrists, and bring the attention up with a scarf or necklace.

Maybe even throw a belt under the belly to give yourself a little shape.  You have a great shape.  Embrace it, eh?  What the heck? (Thanks to Melissa, above, for modeling a look that we didn't yet have a shot of.) Challenge yourself to feel good- bump & beyond. A happy-with-how-she-looks mom is a happier mom. We really do love what we do-stop in and let us style you.  Not near us?  E-mail us and we'll send you a personal stylist form and get you on the road to loving the bump- hello@momstheword.com.

"Not even my pajamas fit." That is what she said when she first opened the door to our store. This soon-to-be-mama was in need of clothes, and we got her dressed for a day in the office and a day at the park.  She was so happy to finally have clothing that fit and would continue to fit , as the baby grows. But, we had to tackle her big problem. Pajamas. 

We all look forward to being able to slip into something comfortable at the end of the day, and EVERYONE should have that luxury. We love lounge wear, and we also love options. That's why we make sure to have them. The Georgia Seamless Nightie is perfect for the warm nights when a nightgown is what you want. The Genna PJ is the perfect balance of softness and cute. They are the go-to for movie night and oh-so-comfy you may never wanna take them off. The Take Me 2 The Hospital Set is the perfect thing to wear as the baby bump grows and exactly what you want in the Hospital Bag for after delivery(No one has ever liked wearing those horrible paper gowns, lol).  And then there is the Cache Coeur with the va-va-va-voom touch of lace!

So many options that you can wear during pregnancy and then long after. They are all nursing friendly too. They do their job of keeping you comfy from bump to beyond. 

Night, night, Sleeping Beauty!

Let's talk about the eagerness of soon-to-be grandparents. 

They're pushy, over excited, always ready to step in with an opinion and we love them all the more for it!

We can't tell you how many times we get the shy newly pregnant mama coming in with their moms who are ready to put everything but the kitchen sink in the dressing room! 
Of course, it can be a little much for the expectant mama, but they're sooo excited, and it is so cute to see!

They've already brought life into the world and raised wonderful men and women so of course, they want to be apart of the journey for their children. They want to provide as they always have and sometimes that means arguing with you about how many pairs of jeans you need and making sure someone gets you in the right bra size. Do we always want them to buy three of the same shirt? Maybe not, but we're always thankful to them later on when we realize that maybe we do need more than one pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. 

Speaking from someone who has yet to have children, but is looking forward to starting a family, my parents and in-laws are already in the category of the eager beaver. I've had people give me babysitting schedules, ideas for nurseries and of course buying anything they can "just in case" as if they would know before my husband and me! Again we love them for it. Just the other day my mother and I went to lunch, and she let me know she found some very cute Wonder Woman and Batman teethers (my husband and my favorites) because she just so happened to be at a Baby's R Us. It's that sort of unbelievable thing that shows just how willing and ready our parents, grandparents, in-laws, and friends are for us when it comes to babies.

So when someone wants you to try on that one dress in every color it comes in, when they're sending you pictures of all the different cribs and stuffed toys they've found, and when they eventually go out to buy these things for you and baby, just remember it comes from a very excited, very eager place of love.

I have often been heard to say in the store that there are three things which, as a parent,  I strongly recommend.

First is getting clothes that make you feel good, which a person is doing generally if I giving this advise:)  Taking care of mama comes first, always and forever. If you can't take good care of you, it will be even harder to take care of a child.

The second is professional photographs. You will take a million pictures of your kids. Okay, probably more. In my experience, professionals are...professional. You will get some really good shots with your phone.  Babies are beautiful. It's actually hard to take a bad picture of a baby!  As the years have passed I am grateful to have the professional ones to hang on the walls.  

And the third?  Find a doula and do it now.

Doula's are what my dad referred to as a "mother's helper" updated for 2017.  Doulas do it all-minus actually delivering the baby.  (See above re: taking care of mama.)  

• They help you prep for labor.
• You can have one with you for a hospital birth or a home birth.
• They are there for you during labor, and if this is your first, let me tell you something-labor is all that it's cracked up to be.  And more. 
• A doula makes the time pass faster, whether it's a two hour labor(?!) or way longer.
• Time is relative, 24 hours is a long time, it's even longer if you're in labor.
• Nurses change shifts. 
• Spouses get tired and hungry and loose the ability to count to 10 when you are pushing. 
• Doulas are professionals.  They probably have saved more than one marriage. My suggestion? Get a doula.  Get over the funny name.

What else?  Would love to hear what you recommend are the best ways to take care of mama.

photos courtesy of classic kids photography P.S. Your $300 in store purchase will qualify for a Complimentary Sitting with CK (a $295 value:)

Some days, we all need a little comforting. The world is wide and wonderful in so many ways, and, as discussed with a mama 2b the the other day, it is important not to lose sight of that. 

And to laugh and smile.

This mama was trying to get her head around the tragedy going on in the world around her, and was feeling like all she wanted was "comfort food and comfort dressing".  So, she was bringing on the mac and cheese big time apparently, and was in for a duplication of the outfit that she was wearing, in different colors, "I just can't seem to really change my clothes every morning, and my husband, bless him, said that I look beautiful, but suggested that maybe the shop had these pieces in other colors? Ha!"

This is  what she wore in:

This is what she wore out -apparently she really had been wearing the same thing for 3 days and knew that her sanity and a degree of happiness could be achieved just by changing clothes.  "Plus, my husband will know that what I keep saying is true, I really am okay-hormonal, weepy, tired, but, caring about what i look like, and changing clothes might make him believe me!" 

And, at the risk of pushing it, we suggested a pair of the softest jeans ever, and she admitted that they were the softest ever, and maybe "real pants" in her closet would not be a bad thing, so, she added those and went home, saying that she felt like they should go out to dinner now that she had changed her clothes!

Fashion means different things to different people.  What makes you feel good is personal, and can change from day to day, but clothes do matter, they do make most people feel better.  We get to witness this every day.  And we are thankful.