First of all, thank you SO much for all the great comments on the diaper post. I’ll stop buying diapers now and see what works best for Baby on Board. Now. I’m obsessing over something else. I had planned on getting the Mamaroo, but I’ve been hearing that they’re really not all that great. I’d rather not spend $200 on an item that BoB may only like for a week or two. So…

• Do you have a Mamaroo? What do you think?
• What bouncer did you use?
• If I have a bouncer do I also need a swing?
• Why are swings and bouncers so offensive looking? I refuse to allow too many “baby” looking items into my house. Adults live here, too.

Friends, I am perplexed by the diaper situation. I need help.  Target (who I really hate right now) has been running some great sales and I’ve picked a few packages of Huggies and Pampers up, but before I buy any more, I thought I’d ask the wise internets for help.

• How many newborn diapers should I have on hand? How about Size 1 diapers?
• How long was your baby in newborn diapers? Size 1? And, so on?
• What brand did you prefer?
• What kind of wipes did you like?
• Do you use Amazon Mom?
• Why am I obsessing over this?
• What has become of me?

There comes a point in a pregnancy when you stop looking like you have a beer belly and start looking actually pregnant. And, that is the time (for me at least) when it’s time to shop for maternity clothes. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve probably spent WAY too much on maternity clothing, but I think feeling cute is important. Especially when your body is changing SO much every day.

I am by no means a fashion expert, but these are just some things that worked for me.

Must Haves:

• 2 or 3 pairs of jeans (I loooove Gap jeans, however their maternity jeans just weren’t long enough for me. HMMPH. I have two pair of Seven maternity jeans and one pair Boden.)
• 3 or 4 plain t-shirts (Liz Lange’s plain tees are great.)
• Leggings (I do not hav e a brand I love. I’d love to know if you have a brand you love as I’m in the market for a couple pairs of leggings for the last few weeks.)
• Maxi dresses (especially for summer)
• Jersey skirt (or two)

Brands that have worked for me:

Rosie Pope Maternity - Rosie’s stuff is a little spendy, but totally worth it. Definitely watch the sample sale sites for her stuff. I have several items from Gilt and also I snapped up a half-price gift certificate on ideeli a while back. This dress has been my “go-to” dress for night’s out. It’s super comfy and works for early pregnancy through late pregnancy, so long as your weather allows.

Michael Stars – I was addicted to Michael Stars years ago  (shine tees and tanks!) and I really love this brand again. The blouses are super durable and comfortable and work for early pregnancy on to the end.

Boden – Perhaps one of my best maternity purchases was a pair of Boden white jeans. They work well for early pregnancy as there’s an adjustable band inside the panel. Also, the panel is super thick, which I like a lot. Don’t ever pay full price for anything at Boden. Sign up for their emails and wait for a coupon code.

Early in my pregnancy I bought a ton of clothes from Nordstrom.com for super, super cheap. And, I loved that. But,  they recently stopped carrying maternity. Hence all the sale they were having. Boo, they had really great stuff. You’ve broken my heart, Nordstrom.

Avoid at all costs:

NOM Maternity - You’ll notice that NOM is apparently a favorite of celebrities. That must be because celebrities have much larger clothing budgets than I do and are therefore not bothered by clothes that fall apart after one wearing/washing. The stuff is cute, but out of 4 pieces I own, only one is still wearable. Gilt carries this brand quite often, but buy at your own risk.

Egg - Another single-wear maternity brand. I have two Egg blouses and one is so misshapen after washing that it’s unwearable and the other just doesn’t fit right.  This brand is also sold often by Gilt.

Old Navy – I know I’m in the minority here, but I just think the quality and fit of Old Navy’s clothing is crap. There are only two things I’ve ordered that I’ve not sent back (a t-shirt and a jean skirt). Also, if you’re a tall girl, the pants will not work for you. Sorry. I wanted to love you Old Navy, but I cannot.

Gap – I’ve had very good luck with most Gap pants. As I mentioned before, the jeans were just too short for me, but I have two pair of demi panel pants and one pair of demi panel skinny cargo pants that I’ve been living in. At this point in my pregnancy (33 week), I have to wear a Bella Band with the demi panel stuff to help hold things up and in.

General things to lookout for:

Now that I’m in the final weeks of my pregnancy, I cannot stand anything with elastic around the boob area. That skin is so sensitive there and anything in addition to my bra there makes me want to die.

For some reason, cotton maternity clothes tend to pill more than regular clothes. I have no idea how you can determine if something will pill before you buy it, but just beware of this. Annoying.

I think maternity swimwear is a big fat waste of money. It costs more than normal swimwear and is HIDEOUS. We went to Costa Rica in July and I was able to find a few J.Crew pieces in a larger size that worked perfectly. This top was great. Also, a jersey skirt and a tanktop is the perfect swim coverup.

What worked for you? Any great brands I’ve missed?