Winter Maternity

So most of us get so hot when we're pregnant we don't really need too many sweaters. But, some warm tops are helpful to get us through the really cold days. Anyway, how can you give up turtlenecks in the winter?

Here are our suggestions for maternity to get you through the cold:

1. A great wrap or zip sweater. One that looks great matched up as an outfit, but can do double duty as an extra layer with anything else. Try The katie poncho (sooo cute!) or the Chunky cardigan.

2. A basic turtleneck in a great color, like soft pink.

3. A warm, yummy winter skirt, like the toledo skirt.

And of course a fabulous scarf that you picked up on sale at Bloomingdales.

New pictures!

Yes, we were also getting bored of the main picture on our homepage. Although we love it dearly, it's been nearly a year! So...we've got a new one! It's really pretty, of course. And, we plan to change it quite often.

World Breastfeeding Month

Study after study shows that breastfeeding is best for your baby. The natural composition of the milk that perfectly fits your baby's needs, the special closeness created when you hold your baby close to you, it all blends together to create the ideal situation for nurturing your little one. August is world breastfeeding month, and we have gotten in some great nursing gear to get your wardrobe going! Check out the new meta top by majamas.
At Pretty Me Maternity

Nursing Shawls are in!

They are a nursing mom's best friend - nurse modestly anywhere you go! These nursing shawls from NursEase are soooo pretty, you will be so excited to pull one out in the park! Or in the mall! Or anywhere! I used to use a blanket but after my babies kicked and pulled, or the blanket fell off every time that I moved, I just gave up. Now there is such a darling and functional alternative! 100% organic cotton, for $26! Yay!

Getting the right fit

Almost all maternity web sites will tell you to wear the same size in pregnancy that you wore before. I will say something different.
For some people, this will be the case. Everyone carries differently, so there are the few who gain no weight except in their stomachs, and they can wear the same size throughout pregnancy.
HOWEVER, many women gain in other places too and do better one size up. I was a small before my first pregnancy and bought a nice selection of smalls and mediums for maternity. A lot of the smalls didn't fit toward the end. When the super-skinny saleslady was trying to convince me to buy the mediums, I was fighting her saying "No! but I am a small too!" desperately trying to maintain my image as slim, which had been difficult for me to attain. Well, she was right, and many of my customers who have a good self image already know that. Really, it doesn't matter what the tag says. You need your clothes to grow with you. Also, some tops will rise as your stomach expands and will leave some noticeable skin showing if the size is too small.
So you need to keep in mind two things: 1, your stomach will grow a lot, but 2, your shoulders will not. What I mean is that not all tops will look good one size up because they have to fit the upper part of your torso as well.
The idea is try to find appropriate tops that fit in the shoulders and still have room to expand in the stomach. The Erin top is a great example, because the cap sleeves are sloping and therefore cal fit different sized shoulders, while the roomy fit lets it grow with your stomach.
Alas, there will always be a few things that don't quite last the whole 9 months, so do keep in mind that you may need a few extras toward the end. We have so many customers who walk in at eight months and just need something new after wearing the same thing for so long.

Maternity clothing you can't live without

What are the pieces you just can't live without? We think you need 5 basic items:
1. A great black skirt. Our most popular is the Lilo long black skirt. The title kind of says it all. This is the ultimate wear-all-the-time goes-with-everything skirt. At only $38, customers buy 2!
2. A fabulous, comfortable colored shirt. The shirt you can wear casual or dressy, and looks terrific so you feel really great when you wear it. Good example, the Olian blue circles top, which is now on sale!
3. A great layering shell to complement your shirts - like the 3/4 sleeve layer in ecru.
4. A great every day tee to throw on and run out - like the Cotton Glam Hoodie, one of our bestsellers at only $40!
5. An awesome dressy piece, like our brand new pink plaid outfit from Maternal America! (okay, it's 2 pieces but they are great together!)

Because this is when you look your best!

Ok, so what do people really think this means? Do you look your best when you're expecting? Do you want to look your best when expecting? People talk about the "glow" that pregnant women have. Does that make you look better? Or does constant throwing up and feeling nauseous and putting on tons of weight make you look gross?

Well, that's sort of the point. I love having great maternity clothes because then even when I feel totally yucko, I get dressed and then I feel good! Clothing DEFINITELY affects how we feel about ourselves, even if they don't define us. So in the midst of crazy physical changes, you get dressed beautifully and then you can sit back and be thankful for the tiny miracle forming inside of you.

Summer sale is here! Yay!

Okay, you've waited long enough...summer sale is here! Lots of summer merchandise has been reduced 30-50%! That's right, we don't play games here with sales. We have some great deals on in-season items to make way for the new crop of awesome maternity clothing on its way in. There are a few new items already here, and Fall is just starting to come. We are sadly going to remove the exciting S*P*R*I*N*G is here! category from the listing since spring is no longer here, and it will be replaced with New Arrivals! Don't worry, you can still find remaining Spring items in the other categories. Check out our sale items now! Happy shopping!

Maternity for Weddings

When invited out for a special occasion, of course you want to look your best.
We are often asked about clothing for weddings and other special occasions. Its seems so hard to come by, and why invest in a maternity special occasion dress to wear just once?
We have a couple of suggestions.
Firstly, there are affordable options out there! You don't have to spend a ton of money on a fancy dress. One of our bestsellers is the Taffetta Belt dress by Belly Basics, super comfortable, gorgeous. and only $120. It's classic styling should last through several pregnancies.
Anther fab idea is to dress up something simple to make is spectacular. For example, you can take a plain black dress and add great jewelry and heels, and you are set. Try the side shirred dress.
Or, just invest in either a great skirt or top, and pair it with something simple that you own. The lace top will look terrific with almost any black skirt, and the ball skirt will look ultra chic with a plain black sweater.
Whatever your choice is, great accessories, like jewelry, bags, scarves, or shoes can take it from drab to dressy in no time.

As Google takes over the world...

On day 2 in blogworld I have added Google adsense to this page. This was a decision that required thought, because I have seen it on other web sites advertising for competitors, which looks sort of silly! However, I decided to do it because we are totally confident that our merchandise is better and more reasonably priced than any competition. And so far, the only ads I have noticed coming up are for saving starving people and reading about social entrepreneurs, two great causes.

Did you see our first newsletter? How exciting is that! If you haven't yet seen it, send me an email and we'll send it over to you. There's a great promotion in there...

Yay! We have a blog!

Hooray! We finally have a blog today!
We'll keep it short and sweet to start.

We'll be posting often about our views on pregnancy, maternity clothing, styles, nursing, kids, and lots of other things sandwiched in between. And, oh yeah, all the stuff going on here at pretty me.

Today, as I am experimenting here in blogworld, I will just tell you that I have the greatest job, dealing with pregnancy and clothing - what as awesome combination! I get to pick the best styles from each season's crop, and present them to you. This comes in a close second to being a mommy :)

We'll be back tomorrow with some more interesting things. ba-bye!