‘Remembering my one and only maternity outfit.’
Forgive me for the, um, pregnant pause in posting. So many projects, so little time! I swear that I’ve never been busier since I stopped working. I get up, settle in with a cup of coffee and Spelling Bee, and before you know it it’s time for a Manhattan and Wordle.
One of the Antarctic books I recommend if you’re not going to the Antarctic. Or even if you are (!)
In between, there are things that need fixing (this week it was the nuker and the coffee machine), books that need reading (some Shackleton stuff in preparation for Antarctica in a couple of weeks) and — lately — a book I’m Shutterflying to commemorate my mother’s memorial weekend in late August.
Some Mom memorabilia at her Celebration of Life. Including a book I made to commemorate her 90th birthday
Whew.
Oh, and there are sweaters to knit. These days, I can hardly crank one out for myself in between the ones for the babies of my nearest and dearest.
My latest sweater not for a baby: the Field Sweater by Camilla Vad
Yes, don’t let statistics of a declining birth rate throw you. The Child and her cohort are making up for everyone else. Seems like every single member of this particular batch of Thirtysomethings has at least one little Bundle of Joy. And some are working on siblings.
Handsome little hoodie for handsome little Julian
Right now I’m working on a rustic mini-hoodie (tweed with “leather” buttons) for Leon, and already planning something sweet for a soon-to-appear Baby Girl Grand-Niece.
Speaking of Mom’s Memorial, Baby Girl Grand-Niece was there, though not outwardly visible (yet).
Seeing this fashionable young Mom-to-Be got me to thinking about my own pregnancy and, to a lesser extent, my own maternity wardrobe. Which consisted of exactly one item: those awful stone-washed-denim overalls you see me wearing in the photo at the top of this post.
Here’s my sister and her two girls. All looking waaay more stylish than tee-shirt-and-shorts-clad me. Pregnant — or not
I swear to the pregnancy gods, these overalls were literally the only thing I wore during the last couple of months of carrying — and I do mean “carrying” — The Child. I wore them with tee shirts and sneakers. I wore them with turtlenecks and boots. And, bless me, I even wore them with silk blouses and low heels for dress up. They were the only thing that fit. Because they were the only piece of Actual Maternity Wear that I owned.
Quel contrast: Here is Her Childness, also attired in maternity denim. But managing, somehow, not to look like a hillbilly. Maybe it’s the antlers
See, I was 39, and figured that maternity clothes were a bad investment. At the time — 1990/1991 — clothes made specially for expectant mothers were not only very expensive, they made you look either like a nun (severe, black, trying for invisibility) or like a baby yourself (ruffles, poufs, bows). I got away with wardrobe murder — mainly by stealing Dude Man’s duds — until my seventh month when I blew up like a balloon for a not-so-fun party. My mother, bless her, is the one who saved me from bathrobe-only dressing by buying me that overall.
Maternity dressing, the olden-days way. That’s me, leaning against my elegantly-dressed Mom’s pregnant tummy, which contained Oldest Younger Brother Scott
But, trust me, after I wrestled my way into my hospital gown before being escorted into the labor room, I handed that overall — worn that day with a white tee and blue high-tops — to a nurse and said, “Burn this.”
Amagansett, New York. September 2025
I loved to sew and made all my maternity clothes for my first…including a plaid winter cape.
All my siblings and friends used the cape for years.
AND that was the end of my sewing days.
I did not wear denim. Wasn’t my style…I don’t think I ever had a style.
Alice, I love the story of your pregnancy and beyond.
All the laughs make me think of you fondly.
Oh, Joanna…what a lovely comment! And I love that you sewed your maternity clothes. My mother was an amazingly talented seamstress. She sewed most of our clothes, including plaid sport coats for my three brothers! Thank you for reading! xoxo
Ha, love this–though with my shape overalls have always been a bad idea. I chuckled at 39, because my OBGYN the other day relayed to me that she had just delivered a 57-year-old mother’s baby!! Eeek. Enjoy Antarctica–how wonderful!
OMG! 57 and a new baby? Bully for her, but I was so exhausted at 39, I can’t imagine!!!! Eeek is right!!! And hey, it’s not you…those overalls would have been hideous on Brigitte Bardot!
(Pregnant pause) oh how I love this. When I think back to the maternity clothing of 90/91, it’s no wonder I wore control top panty hose and heels in stoic defiance straight through seven months. My lovely OB wrote a note month eight so I could stay home and hide out, that’s how ashamed we both were re:wardrobe. Thanks as always for the laughs. And your baby sweater knitting is next level 🌟lots of love 💕
Ah, Teresa! As a fellow fashionista…or, at least a person with enough style sense to realize the absolute horror of stone-washed denim, I truly appreciate you sharing your maternity story. I love that you got a pass from your OB to hide out at the end. We both got lovely daughters as pay-back, so there’s that (!)
Love your stories and pictures❣️
Many many stories! And, yes, lots of pictures too. That one of me in the maternity overall was in an album of Mom’s.
Maternity overalls! Brilliant!
Yeah…no belt loops!