Due Maternity Blog | Designer Maternity Clothes Blog

When I was expecting my daughter, I was overwhelmed with all there was to buy for a baby. My husband and I could afford it at the time but did I seriously want to spend thousands of dollars on one baby? What was really necessary and what was not?

I had one lady tell me that all my daughter needed to grow and develop properly was a book, a ball, and a body. This generally held true but we sure did buy more than a book and a ball for her. We did not buy a lot of extra things but we still had them. We shopped frugally and looked for the best. While we spent more money on the items that we did buy her, we bought quality items. We knew that buying a high quality crib not only would it last through most of our children but it would also be something we were pleased with longer. We did the same with our stroller and our car seat.

A baby carrier is another item that I recommend going with high quality. I have used one every single day with my 10 week old son and it has been the most practical thing that I could have invested in. I am a huge fan of slings because of the many ways that you can wear your baby. You can also nurse while grocery shopping and still have both hands to keep going. When buying a sling, look for high quality and the right size. Make sure you also pick a color that you wouldn’t mind wearing every day. I personally purchased a blue Hotslings sling when I had my daughter and have continued to use with my son.

As a mom, do not be overwhelmed with all the baby purchases out there. Ask other moms and read forums and blogs to find out the things that other moms love the most. You will save money and get the best items for your baby (and money) this way.

About the Author: Rachael Coe “This began as a very small site dedicated to share the money saving tips that I had discovered in purchasing items for my family. I had the desire to share this with all of those that I love so that they also could make their money stretch a little further.” Visit her blog, Money Saving Tips for the Keeper at Home

As the consumers of the world start to move in a more green direction, one thing I notice becoming more available is organic clothing. However, I think a lot of people are wondering what is the need for organic cotton and organic clothing? Sure it makes sense to try and eat organic foods since they are going directly into our body but it is hard to see that same correlation when it comes to t-shirts and pants.

Something I learned early on in my green journey is that things like lotions, soaps, etc. that we put on our skin are then absorbed through our pores directly into our bloodstream. So even though we aren’t ingesting them, the chemicals still get right into our bodies and harm us. I have to wonder if a cotton shirt that was grown with pesticides would have that same effect. Can the chemical used to grow that cotton be absorbed by my body? Here is a little food for thought on how conventional cotton is grown courtesy of the Organic Trade Association:

• Cotton uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides.
• Fifty-five million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 12.8 million acres of conventional cotton grown in the U.S. in 2003 ranking cotton third behind corn and soybeans in total amount of pesticides sprayed.
• The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in 2000 in the United States as “possible,” “likely,” “probable,” or “known” human carcinogens.

The fact that some of these pesticides are known to be possible carcinogens yet they are still being spayed on our crops and land just scares me. What kind of damage are we causing to our bodies and planet? On the flip side, organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and genetically engineered seed. While organic clothes do tend to be more expensive, I feel that the more we continue to buy, the more will become available and in turn the prices should start to go down. In 2007-2008 there was a 152% growth in organic cotton production worldwide – so it would seem we are heading in the right direction!

Now I honestly didn’t think anyone made organic maternity clothes until I checked out Due Maternity. Much to my surprise, they do offer some! You can start with an Organic Bella Band – I love mine and I honestly think that every pregnant woman needs a Bella Band. For a cute outfit, I would go with Japanese Weekend’s During & After Luck Top and Flare Maternity Pants. In fact, if you go to Due Maternity and do a search for “organic” you will find lots of cool stuff – even organic nursing bras!

Marianna Nichols is the Owner & Editor of Green Mama’s Pad.

So, your expecting a baby…yeah! If you are like me, chances are you have been on the internet searching for ways to determine the sex of your unborn child. There are the classic old wives tales, the Chinese calendar and funky signs like hair growing faster if it’s a boy.

Thanks to fabulous technology you can know with more confidence than ever what you are having as early as your 2nd trimester!

This is both a pregnancy test kit with the lab sample collection kit. There are less expensive tests but none are as accurate and none can tell you any earlier than Pink or Blue.

GIRL or BOY? This is the #1 question asked right after a positive pregnancy test. Pink or Blue® will share this exciting news to with you as early as 10 weeks after the first days of your last menstrual period… which is 7 weeks post-conception.

“The Pink or Blue® Early DNA Gender Test is the most accurate home collected early gender tests on the market to date. With real customer accuracies measuring greater than 95%, this product far exceeds the accuracies of urine testing and early ultrasound in predicting gender. Consumer Genetics stands by its test, and its results.

Some people do get wrong results; in fact, 5 of every 100 results are incorrect. Because of this, Consumer Genetics has always offered a money back guarantee to those who have received wrong results.

Just watch the video below to learn more about this fascinating technology! I sent my lab work in today–I will find out next Friday if I need to buy PINK or BLUE!

When I was newly pregnant, I couldn’t fathom the thought of eating anything. I wanted to snack on something and couldn’t put my finger on what it was…I tried everything! Nothing was satisfying the baby bump and it was awful! On top of that icky feeling I had to travel on a plane from New York to Chicago. I was stuck on a 4 hour flight on a small plane crammed with people.

I tweeted out that I couldn’t eat a thing and felt nauseous all the time. One of the first people to come to my aide was Belly Bar. They sent me the cutest little package of snacks for the plane ride. I had a chocolate shake, some chews and 3 bars. Can I tell you that I ate all 3 bars during the flight? Yummy! It was the start of my tummy turning over to the good side again.

What was one of your first cravings that was satisfied while pregnant? Tell us and you can win!

Belly Bar has generously offered up 2 baskets for 2 lucky readers! The baskets include:

- 2 bars of each flavor (Baby Needs Chocolate, Berry Nutty Cravings, Mellow Oat and Burstin’ Chocolate)
- 1 pouch of each chews flavor (Chocolate Cuddles and Citrus on Board)
- 2 shakes of Due for Chocolate Bellybar Shakes

Contest ENDS Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at Midnight EST

Celebrities are always the go-to source for all that is chic and stylish. While pregnant, they never fail to disappoint. Heidi Klum, who is expecting her 4th child {and finally, a GIRL!} this October is one of my favorites to watch while expecting.  What is her favorite maternity piece of clothing? Balenciaga’s black jeans! While not exactly “maternity wear” she wears them under her belly. Not exactly a look everyone can pull off.

Want to get the celebrity fashion status for less? Try these jeans from Maternal America! The perfect skinny jean to get you through your pregnancy in style!

Super comfy underbelly fit waistband that can be worn from the beginning to the end of your pregnancy and beyond. Pair with heels, boots, flats and your favorite tee or sweater for a fantastic look. We love the new dark black wash. Perfect for any season.

To get the “Heid” look pair these jeans with a ultra comfy cami from Fit 2b

and this versitile lightweight maternity jacket from Momzee Coco

I’m Clarissa, a.k.a. the POSHpreneur and also the Owner of The Posh Parent. I love all things fabulous and frilly. I am a real girl’s girl. I’m a wife and mother of 2, soon to be 3 children. This pregnancy is our last and with that, I am determined to make this my finest! I have been so eager for my baby bump to start to show and now, at 4 months pregnant, it is finally popping out a bit. I’m wanted to share with you how to rock your bump with style from [bump] tees!

First of all, I have to say that in all honesty, being pregnant was not when I felt my best. Once the belly popped though, I felt like I could rule the world. The way that people smile at you when you are pregnant makes me happy. I love how there are so many fashionable maternity clothes that you can wear now that accentuate the bump. Better yet, brands like [bump] tees make fun sayings to go on these tees making this time in your life fun.

One of my personal favs is this shirt for Daddy”without me there would be no [bump]” Classic!

So, who IS [bump]? That was the question on my mind when I saw these tees. I love a good story about how brands came to be and this one is one of my all-time inspirational ones. Renae is a 3G gal– gifted, generous & gorgeous!

A little tidbit from her site: ”

Renae was incredibly excited about her [bump], but like most moms-to-be, she was concerned that most people just thought she was letting herself go. She wanted to scream, “I’m not fat–[bump] on board!”

Disappointed to find that nothing catered to the first four to five months of pregnancy before the [bump] finally “pops,” Renae decided to create and wear her own maternity designs on her growing belly that reflected her sense of style and humor.  That’s when [bump] was born!

Renae’s [bump] designs quickly garnered such an amazing response from friends and strangers alike that she realized she was onto something good. Pregnant again within a year of her first child’s birth, Renae refined and expanded her [bump] line and for the next several months, the world at large became her focus group.  Since then she has had her [bump] tees worn by celebrities like Jenna Elfman, Matt Damon’s wife Luciana Barroso, Gillian Anderson, Brooke Burke, Jennifer Meyer, Sarah Wayne Callies, Nancy O’Dell, Poppy Montgomery, Jaime Lynne Spears, Jason Preistly & Ali Landry.

Currently, Renae juggles three young children, her husband and soul mate, her talent management company and [bump] babies. Oh, and she most recently saved her kids local preschool Camelot Kids – so now she runs that as well.  www.camelotkids.org! ”

You can read more about her here and be sure to check out Due Maternity’s collection of [bump] tees .

My name is Rachael Coe. I am a stay at home mom to an almost 2 year old little girl, Gracie, and a little boy, Gabriel, born July 25th of this year. My journey of saving money in every area when my husband was laid off for 9 months. It was a tough time that we do not regret in anyway. We learned to live frugally in order that I continue to stay at home. My husband is now the Assistant Pastor in our local church and living frugally is still something that we must practice.

My husband calls me “Queen of Cheap”, I like to think of myself as frugal.  He says I am a crazy woman when a good deal comes along, I like to think that I am a perfectly sane woman just taking advantage of a price too good to resist. 

In my quest to find the greatest deals and to save my family money on everything we buy, I have learned an important truth – sometimes what looks like a “good deal” isn’t always a good deal.  I’m not talking about the many scams that are out there or the products that you buy that you shouldn’t accept if they were free instead what I am talking about is the concept of you get what you pay for. 

I have learned that I can save money in my groceries and little everyday items but when it comes to bigger items and clothing, I get what I pay for.  Not all things are made alike especially items that you will use every day.  I have learned to look for quality over price on the items that I want to last a long time.  For instance, when buying nursing wear, I want something that will last through all kinds of stains, hold up to my baby’s tugging on the material while I nurse, and be comfortable for all the time wear.  The cheaper the fabric on a piece of clothing the less likely it will last through these times. 

I have learned many things by purchasing items based on price rather than quality:

1) Item was hard to use so I stopped using it. 

2) It stained, fell apart or broke quickly so I had to replace it.

3) Did not fulfill its purpose very well.

4) Disliked the look and quality quickly.

All of the things showed me that rather than saving money, I had wasted money.  I quickly learned to use a series of questions when determining whether to buy quality over price.

1)  How long do I want it to last?  If it is a baby item, do I want it to last through more than one child? 

2)  Will I use it every day? 

3)  Is it a practical item and will it make my life easier if I go with better quality?

4) If this item breaks, will I be apt to replace it?  

If I want the item to last a while and answer yes to any of the other questions, then I begin reading reviews and talking on forums and communities what others have to say about that product.  I head to online stores that carry good quality brands like Due Maternity, and begin to look around.  I look for quality, durability, appearance, and price.  Once I have determined the product that I want, I often wait for a sale or look for a coupon code.  If I can, I combine the coupon code with a sale for the best deal. 

At Due Maternity  you can be sure that brands like Mayreau Mia Maternity are priced reasonably and also that the quality is worth it! Stylish and affordable are staples of a true frugalista.

Next time, you go to purchase an item that you would like to last a long time – reevaluate the product you are about to buy.  Are being the Queen of Cheap or are you being frugal? 

I’m Marianna, Owner & Editor of Green Mama’s Pad, mama to William (4) and twin boys Luke & Joshua (22 months) and wife to my wonderful husband Dan for 5.5+ years. In 2007, I decided that I wanted to “go green” and since then have been gradually moving my family in that direction. From natural personal care products to organic foods and everything in between, I plan to share my journey with you.

It’s been almost 2 years since I started on my “green” journey. I’ve made a point to make sure my 3 boys eat mostly natural or organic foods. They have been my top priority for eating healthier. Now, this is my first time being pregnant while “going green”, so I am trying to be more conscious of what I eat as well. After all, whatever I eat, the baby eats too. As many pregnant ladies out there know, eating healthy when pregnant can be quite a challenge because of all those cravings. You know, maybe for some salty chips or a chocolaty cookie? Believe me I am guilty of my fair share of this. Those Oreos call to me when I am grocery shopping!

If you are new to the organic/natural foods world, you may be wondering what the big deal is. Why should you shop for organic foods? What does organic mean anyway? If something is organic it means that the product or the ingredients in the product were grown without pesticides, genetically modified organisms, synthetic fertilizers, ionizing radiation or sewage sludge (yuk!). According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) “The growing consensus among scientists is that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and early childhood.”

Now if you are like me, it is nearly impossible to able to afford to buy all organic foods. I will not lie, organic foods are more expensive. So you need to determine which items you want to switch to organic and which ones you will leave as is.

Let’s start off with fruits and veggies since we’re supposed to be eating lots of those, right? There are some that retain more pesticides than others so therefore, some that you probably want to switch while others are not so important. To make it easier for all of us, EWG put together a list called The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides. You can download the PDF for a printable, pocket-sized list or if you have an iPhone, they even have an app for that! From this list you will learn that peaches are the number one most contaminated produce followed by apples. So I make a point to always buy organic apples – right now we have been eating organic Gala apples. The Top 2 cleanest produce items are onions and avocados so, you really need not worry about buying their organic counterparts.

While this only covers fruits and vegetables, what about snacktime? Great snacking choices for expecting mothers are slim. Thanks to Belly Bar you can snack smart and satisfy your sweet cravings with some yummy natural ingredients like Rolled Oats, Honey and Soy Nuts. And, it delivers critical nutrients you and your baby need before your conceive, during pregnancy, and while nursing, including folic acid, iron, calcium, protein and Omega-3 DHA. Plus, you get the peace of mind of knowing that OB/GYNs, midwives, doulas and healthcare providers recommend it.

If you think you are ready to start switching your foods the best tip I can give you is take it slow. It is so easy to get overwhelmed and give up. Change one item at a time and eventually you will get there. And really, it is OK to indulge yourself with your favorite treats. If your baby bump has a midnight craving for ice cream – go for it! After all, when those Oreos are calling me from the cookie aisle, I never said I ignored them. But I do dunk them in some organic milk, so I say that makes it A-OK!

This isn’t my 1^st trip to the rodeo. I am Victoria Arya, the head honcho and mommy behind Life Starring the Kids & Me.  I am a married stay at home mom to two little girls: Ellie, who is 2, turning 3 in September, and Eve who turns 1 in June.  I am also expecting my third child, yes another girl, sometime in late October. 

I don’t know how many times I have heard all about how I have “easy” pregnancies and that everything has been so “easy” for me, and each and every time it seems like the person saying that is some how lessening my 9 month commitment.  Now, I admit to the fact that I happen to not have any issues with being pregnant; no morning sickness, no huge problems, no premature labor…I am healthy as a horse while pregnant.  But, even though I may have an “easy” pregnancy, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a physical, emotional, and mental toll. 

According to me, growing a plant is hard, so imagine how hard it is to grow a human…you basically give up your body for 9 months, your hormones go wacky and you deal with the emotions that come up, and then you torment yourself with the mental thoughts about the next 18 years of your life and how you are going to be responsible for a kid…a real honest to goodness kid.

So, since I have been through this a couple of times (even though those times were “easy”) I have a few tips on how to deal with even the “easiest” pregnancy when it gets hard.  First of all physically there are going to be a lot of changes: your feet and other areas are going to swell, it’s going to be harder to get around and your skin is going to go a little wacky. 

* Swelling: Face it, you are going to swell, the real question comes in how much are you going to swell?  Keep your salt intake down to a minimum and drink water…yes I know you will have to use the bathroom a lot if you do, but it’s worth it.

* Getting Around: While it’s a good thing to be as active as your doctor allows, remember to take it easy and rest when you feel the need; you’re growing a baby and you need to keep your body happy.

* Your Skin: Alright so some pregnant women get glowing skin, but for the rest of us mere mortals we get skin issues because our hormones are going crazy.  If you are like me your skin will get dry, so invest in a couple good lotions to lock in moisture and keep everything feeling smooth.  If your skin gets oily try switching to a stronger face/body wash and a lighter moisturizer.

Not only will pregnancy effect your physically, but you will also have to deal with it emotionally and mentally.  You’re hormones are going to be wacky which means that you could potentially go from swinging on the rafters to getting annoyed because your hubby/partner ate the last donut.  This may sound weird, but don’t control the wackiness; if you keep everything bottled inside you are more likely to become stressed and unhappy, neither of which is good for you or the baby. 

Mentally you are going to have to deal with the fact that you will have 9 months in order to prep yourself into becoming a parent…and actual guide to another human being (heck I have 2 right now and there are times when I look at them and think “I am in charge of making them decent human beings?”).  In order to mentally prepare yourself read parenting books if that is what works for you, talk to people who have been there.  And just because you get all of this advice, it doesn’t mean you need to do what they tell you: your kiddo-your rules.

So, overall while people may tell you that you have an ”easy” pregnancy, that doesn’t diminish the fact that you are not only growing a human (think about it, that’s amazing), but you are also mentally and emotionally preparing yourself to put a child first…forever.  That’s big. 

Hi!

I read the celebrity weeklies when I’m waiting in line at the grocery check-out. Ok, Ok, I subscribe to one or two. But they clue me in to all of the secrets of the celebrities that we want/need to know. One that always amazes me is the remarkable ability of a famous new mom to get right back into her pre-pregnancy jeans within weeks. It seemed unattainable until a little birdie told me about the Belly Bandit.

Celeb moms Minnie Driver, Poppy Montgomery and Julie Bowen are all fans of this abdominal compression binder. Sound scary? Don’t be! It’s designed to help you get your body back to its pre-baby fabulousness. Their website spills the beans on how: The Belly Bandit helps reduce uncomfortable uterine swelling, aids in decreasing bloating caused by water retention and gives additional support for a new Mommy’s weary legs & back. Plus it can help with back-pain from nursing baby.  Available in 5 sizes and 2 colors. it’s designed not to gouge you or roll when you wear it under your clothes. Remember though girls: this is a post-pregnancy product only.

Should we all worry about looking like Heidi Klum a few weeks after giving birth? No way – I’m not wearing angel wings on any nationally televised runways. But if you want a little help like the celebs get, check out the Belly Bandit and maybe a tabloid (or two).

Happy shopping!

Erin