Product Review: Motherhood Maternity Short Sleeve Lift Up Double Opening Nursing Tee

Finally, a nursing shirt that doesn't stretch out at the neckline to the point of indecency... and its cute too!

I begged my mother for nursing shirts as a birthday gift and she hit the jackpot with this $25 pink Motherhood Maternity number. It is figure flattering (its long and ruched on the sides) and, most importantly, made of a thick, stretchy cotton that doesn't sag at the bust. What's more, the neckline is high enough to cover a full-coverage nursing bra. Hallelujah!

Getting the hang of breastfeeding in this shirt did take me a couple of tries. Contrary to being called a "lift up" shirt, you actually have to pull down the top layer to expose a cropped lower layer. You then pull up the lower layer on one side, unhook your bra and voila.

Of course, doing this with one hand while hanging on to a squirmy, hungry baby with the other can be interesting--but I'm willing to brave that challenge for a shirt that doesn't sag down to my navel by the end of the day. Just remember to pull the lower layer of the tee down when you are finished breastfeeding to avoid bunching.

Motherhood Maternity makes the same exact tee in a more muted grey design for $30 and I'm thinking of getting my hands on one of those as well. Its really been a struggle finding tops that make me feel comfortable both with my larger post-pregnancy body and my breastfeeding needs, so I need to pounce on quality items like this when they cross my path!


Thank you, Motherhood Maternity! I know they can be hit or miss with their products, but this one is totally a hit in my book!

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Product Review: Motherhood Tummy Sleeve revisited

I stopped wearing my Motherhood Maternity tummy sleeves weeks ago when I could no longer squeeze into non-maternity bottoms and graduated to full-panel maternity pants. But I have now rediscovered how lifesaving they can still be as the heavier fabrics of fall have my maternity pants constantly slipping down my body. (Seriously, how do some people walk around with the crotch of their pants between their knees? SO uncomfortable!)

These days, I'm wearing the full-panel Secret Fit Belly boot-cut maternity jeans ($25) with the panel pulled up all the way to my ribs and also have the tummy sleeve folded in half around my hips, just below my belly button. My two sleeves are definitely raggedy from too much washing in unforgiving laundromat machines (I recommend hand-washing them), but no one sees them and they save me from the saggy-ass syndrome and let me get away with not having to buy more expensive maternity jeans. I'm sure that the designer jeans stay up a bit better, but this mama is not paying $300 for pants I can't wear after baby is born.

Just a quick, hopefully money-saving, tip!

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Old Navy Maternity

At six months pregnant this Friday, the time has finally come for me to add some moderately-priced fall maternity clothing to my wardrobe! Yesterday I popped into one of the few Old Navy's in our area that has a maternity section and found some great shirts on sale, specifically these:

$9.90 $10.00

I'm wearing the green shirt today and it is oh-so-comfy and cute. The website has even cuter stuff including a $25 dress that is perfect for an October wedding I will be attending (I'm in love with the fact that it has sleeves to cover my plumped up pregnant arms) and the elusive maternity coat, available in plum or gray, priced at only $34.50 (compare that to over $100 at Pea in a Pod!) :

$25.00 $34.50

I do advise against any of Old Navy's elastic-waist pants, however. I tried on a pair in-store and they are just darn uncomfortable! You're better off with the Maternity Perfect pants, which are similar to Motherhood's Secret Fit Belly styles.

Check it out! Click here for locations of Old Navy's that stock maternity clothes in and around Queens: STORES.

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Product Review: Motherhood Maternity Secret Fit Belly(tm) Poplin Convertible Pants

Here it finally is, my love letter to the Motherhood Maternity Secret Fit Belly Poplin Convertible Pants (that's a mouthful!) These pants have been my savior over the last few weeks. The Secret Fit Belly is extremely comfortable pulled up our folded down and I really like the convertible cargo capri to long pants style (you never know when those pregnancy hormones are gonna make you hot or cold.) They also make my ever-growing butt look cuter and smaller (awesome) and are a nice enough material to wear to work in a not-too-formal office environment.

While $40 bucks a pop may seem like a lot of money, you'll really get your money's worth if you're like me and wear the pants every other day. Seriously, when I visited the maternity clothing mother ship, Destination Maternity in Manhattan, and my two pairs of pants rang up to about $80, I almost cried. But I was a desperate woman with no pants and now I am comfy all the time in the Secret Fit Belly.

A word of warning: Just like Motherhood's tummy sleeve, the secret fit belly material will snag on jagged fingernails and the like and start to unravel if you do not wash the pants carefully. Keep those nails filed and wash the pants on gentle/cold and you'll be OK. You can even throw the pants in the drier on medium and they won't shrink (but the black pants will get ridiculously fuzzy.)

Enjoy the style and comfort!

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Where have I been? And, Product Review Revisited: Motherhood Maternity's Tummy Sleeve

Yikes, where have I been ? I’ve actually been moving from North to South Queens and, what with a baby on the way and poor hubby having to do all the heavy moving and (the horror) unpacking, we’re just starting to see the ground underneath all the boxes in our new place!

But now, back to your regularly scheduled Queens Mama:

Despite the previous post, I never did quite get around to getting the Bella Band and, you know what, I’m glad I didn’t. Despite unraveling a bit, my Motherhood Tummy Sleeves have held up and I’m still using them to hold up the few non-maternity pants I still fit into at 4 months pregnant.

So, here's my final verdict: For those of us looking to save some money and extend the life of our non-maternity wardrobe, you can't go wrong with purchasing one or two Motherhood Tummy Sleeves at $17 each. Make sure to hand-wash them (or use the gentle cycle on your washer) if you don’t want them to unravel too much. And be careful with any jagged fingernails you may have if you don’t want the fabric to snag. But, in the end, these sleeves will serve you well and won’t break the bank while you’re waiting to fit into those maternity clothes of your dreams.

Next up on the review list: Baby Bargains--the mother's baby-product-buying-bible--and Motherhood Maternity cargo pants, my favorite new pants that make all of my non-pregnant friends jealous!

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Product Review: Motherhood Maternity's Tummy Sleeve

A couple of weeks ago I bought the Motherhood Maternity Tummy Sleeve from their store in the Queens Center Mall. I had been loving it because it allows me to leave my too-tight jeans unbuttoned (or semi unbuttoned using the hair-tie through your buttonhole method). And, at about $17, it was $10 cheaper than the coveted Ingrid & Isabel Bella Band.

Yesterday, however, I noticed a little string hanging suspiciously from the band. Upon further inspection, I found out the whole dang hem of the sleeve was coming out after only 4 wears and zero washes!

I do have another, similarly worn, never washed, Tummy Sleeve that is still intact, but I've got to do a little bit of investigating to find the product that will give the best bang for the buck. Once I receive my Belly Band in the mail (sadly, it seems that nobody in Queens carries it, but you can buy it through JC Penny, Baby Earth and others for around $26), I'll wear the heck out of the thing and give you the down-low.

And, don't worry remaining Motherhood Tummy Sleeve, maybe you'll surprise me and live a long life. Maybe Tummy Sleeve numero uno was a bad apple.

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