Interview Clothes for a Pregnant Woman

[QofQuimica]

I was hoping that someone here could give some suggestions for a friend of mine who is eight months pregnant and wondering how to dress for her interview. I suggested black maternity pants with a nice maternity shirt and a black blazer. Have any of you (or your wives/girlfriends/friends) gone for an interview while 8+ months pregnant, and if so, what did you wear to the interview?

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[ShyRem]

Go to Pea in the Pod. It's a specialty maternity clothing store that has maternity suits. Also, JC Penney has maternity suits and dresses. If not in your local store, check on line. Unfortunately, I think a maternity dress is more appropriate for an interview-type situation for an office- or medical school interview-type situation. If it's a lab job, pants would be fine. Support hose is a MUST, flat shoes. If suit is out, how about a dress and blazer?

Wow, 8 months. I was retaining water so badly at 8 months I had 1"+ pitting edema for both kids. Spent hours every day with my legs on the back of the couch above my head to reduce the swelling. To go along with it, I was so swollen that when I wore all black I felt like a black hole.

 

[shale]

oh my gosh. i agree. i couldn't imagine interviewing at 8 months! at 8 months preggo, i had a dislocated hip and couldn't walk. she sounds like a pretty amazing woman!!!

anyway. i agree... check out the sites the pp mentioned... also, maybe motherhood, or do an online search for "maternity business suits". i know there are some out there - in my former life as a corporate monkey, my director boss wore them every day when she was preggo. must have cost a small fortune, but hey - when you are making a big fortune, i suppose it doesn't matter (i wouldn't know - i wore target maternity clothes before i went on bed rest. ) also, i believe there is actually a store that RENTS maternity clothes. i'm pretty sure there is one in manhattan - can't remember what its called. but also, i think online there is something called "maternityleasing.com" or something like that. or....... check out www.thematernityward.com they have a yahoo group or something - i think its where you can buy gently used stuff from other women - if the suit is only going to be used once, this might be a good way to go? i don't know her financial situation, but the suits can be pretty spendy.

well, best of luck to her!!!

kindly,
susanna

 

[Law2Doc]

I was hoping that someone here could give some suggestions for a friend of mine who is eight months pregnant and wondering how to dress for her interview. I suggested black maternity pants with a nice maternity shirt and a black blazer. Have any of you (or your wives/girlfriends/friends) gone for an interview while 8+ months pregnant, and if so, what did you wear to the interview?

If she's already 8 months pregnant in early August I wonder if it pays to push back the interviews a few weeks?? Lots of people who get into med school don't even have their first interview until well into the fall. Whether this makes sense depends on how strong an applicant she is, I guess.

 

[QofQuimica]

If she's already 8 months pregnant in early August I wonder if it pays to push back the interviews a few weeks?? Lots of people who get into med school don't even have their first interview until well into the fall. Whether this makes sense depends on how strong an applicant she is, I guess.

Under normal circumstances I agree. But she has applied early decision, so that greatly limits her window of opportunity to interview. Unfortunately, the baby is due the first week of September, which is right in the middle of ED interview crunch time. She would prefer to interview before giving birth if possible rather than immediately after, assuming that the baby cooperates.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Cost is definitely a factor for her, and we had thought of trying to rent a suit, but I guess we don't have any stores like that here. I will pass on the tip about buying a used suit though; maybe that is her best bet.

 

[ShyRem]

Try ebay. Seriously.

 

[shale]

oh, here is the link for the maternity leasing page....

maternity leasing

the store is located in kansas, i think, but you can call them and they will ship (check out the FAQs page...)

best wishes...

susanna

 

[Baby Einstein]

Hi everyone!
I'm the pregnant friend... Thanks for your advice, I'll try to figure out something. I really don't want to spend too much on a suit since this will be the one and only time I would wear it, most likely. Even leasing is not exactly cheap... And I've tried on several skirts, but none of them are full panel, which is a must at this point!

I have another question for all moms out there: if you had a choice, would you rather interview while 38-39 weeks pregnant or 2-3 weeks after giving birth? I don't have much choice in the dates for interviews since I applied Early Decision, but I'm still trying to have the Committee accomodate my "condition". I'm leaning toward "before", but who knows how I'll feel in a couple of weeks (I'm at 35 and a half now)? It's my first baby so I don't know what to expect

Here's my list of pros and cons:
While still pregnant:
- soooooo uncomfortable... although it hasn't been too bad so far
- nothing to wear!
- possible start of labor/rupture of membranes during the interview (wouldn't that be fun? )
- obviously pregnant, but the committee know already so it can't hurt my application too much more
- as if I'm not stressed enough already!

After having the baby:
- exhaustion/sleep deprivation
- engorged/leaking breasts (I'm planning to breastfeed)
- probably still nothing to wear that would fit!
- possible baby blues, at the very least crazy hormones
- possible episiotomy/C-section to recover from (hope not!!!)
- leaving my baby for one full day...

Please let me know what you think. Early Decision seemed like such a good option a couple of months ago!!!! Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

Hi everyone!
I'm the pregnant friend... Thanks for your advice, I'll try to figure out something. I really don't want to spend too much on a suit since this will be the one and only time I would wear it, most likely. Even leasing is not exactly cheap... And I've tried on several skirts, but none of them are full panel, which is a must at this point!

I have another question for all moms out there: if you had a choice, would you rather interview while 38-39 weeks pregnant or 2-3 weeks after giving birth? I don't have much choice in the dates for interviews since I applied Early Decision, but I'm still trying to have the Committee accomodate my "condition". I'm leaning toward "before", but who knows how I'll feel in a couple of weeks (I'm at 35 and a half now)? It's my first baby so I don't know what to expect

Here's my list of pros and cons:
While still pregnant:
- soooooo uncomfortable... although it hasn't been too bad so far
- nothing to wear!
- possible start of labor/rupture of membranes during the interview (wouldn't that be fun? )
- obviously pregnant, but the committee know already so it can't hurt my application too much more
- as if I'm not stressed enough already!

After having the baby:
- exhaustion/sleep deprivation
- engorged/leaking breasts (I'm planning to breastfeed)
- probably still nothing to wear that would fit!
- possible baby blues, at the very least crazy hormones
- possible episiotomy/C-section to recover from (hope not!!!)
- leaving my baby for one full day...

Please let me know what you think. Early Decision seemed like such a good option a couple of months ago!!!! Thanks everyone for your help.

I am the father of two young children (19 months and 4 years). I can tell you that you will NOT be at your best game after the baby is born. Think about it, you will be on virtually 0 sleep. If you are nursing, you will not be comfortable and, with full respect, you may leak during your interview which will bring you embarassment and make the interviewer uncomfortable. Besides, you will have in theback of your mind, did you pump enough.

My suggestion would be this, if you have a family member who also recently had a baby or a friend, borrow something. My wife borrowed a suit from her cousin when she interviewed for a job while pregnant. If you are going to wear it once, why buy. Get it a few days before the interview, take it to the dry cleaners and interview. Then drop the suit off at the dry cleaners before you give it back.

Bring a back support pillow with you so you can sit comfortably. This is a medical school interview, I am sure they will understand. Bring comfortable shoes, and bring someone with you so they can help you change into better shoes for the tour of the facilities.

Of course, this is a man's point of view and we all know the pregnant woman's mantra about getting advise from a man, "If only a man could be pregnant and deliver a baby they would see things differently".

 

[ShyRem]

I actually worked at a police department until the very day I gave birth (NOT a cop!). I did a lot of walking at my job, and I can tell you I was MUCH more comfortable before the birth than after. Afterwards your hormones go even more nuts than now, you're sleep deprived, even if you have an episiotomy there are stitches down there that are NOT comfortable to walk too far with (trust me on this one) and you'll be all swollen even with a natural birth. Not to mention the fact that you bleed for a few weeks after birth. Yes, weeks. Invest in some good pads - you'll need 'em. Also afterwards if you're breastfeeding you will hurt horribly when you go a few hours without feeding your baby. Believe me, nothing hurts more than engorged breasts (and no, a good bra doesn't help much), not to mention if they get really full they "let go" and you'll squirt across the table. (yes, it's really funny when it goes across the dinner table, but probably not across the interview table.)

I know you don't want to spend a ton of money - but try JC Penney and ebay. Last I saw JC Penney had fairly decent professional looking maternity dresses for less than $60. If you're handy with a sewing machine, you can probably make a dress for about $20 (that's what I did), or put a panel in a skirt you don't care much about. A dress would probably be your best bet at this point as finding a blazer for a reasonable price could be problematic. I found it difficult to find pants that were professional looking for a reasonable price when I was pregnant. And yes, comfortable shoes are absolutely a MUST MUST MUST. Naturalizer was my friend along with gel inserts.

Don't be afraid to tell the person giving you a tour (if you take one) to slow down. They probably haven't been pregnant and won't realize your lung capacity is less than 1/2 of normal (yeah, I remember the days of going up four steps and pausing to catch my breath).

Good luck!

 

[shale]

hi baby einstein! congrats on everything!!! baby, med school interview! wow, you really do have a full plate... but its all wonderful!

well, i am a fairly new mom (she's gonna be one in 8 days! ) your pregnancy sounds as if its going as smoothly as it can, and thats great. givent that, i would do the interview BEFORE. after, you may be tired, hormonal, uncomfortable, enamored, in love, depressed... in other words, interviewing will probably be the last thing you want to think about! and... if you're breastfeeding... well, lets just say that if the thought of your baby even pops into your head during the interview, it can cause letdown. along with lots of other bizarre things. in the beginning, letdown is pretty random. and shyrem is right... that stuff can shoot pretty far! also, who knows how big you'll be... i'm large up top to begin with, but when i was bfing.. lets just say that a nursing bra cost me a small fortune and i wasn't aware that they went that far up in the alphabet. a muu muu probably wouldn't have covered the things. so.... you may not have anything to wear now, but people tend to be forgiving of pregnant women. if you just wear something conservative and professional, i am sure that no one would fault you for not wearing a business suit. again, shyrem is absolutely right. a dress would probably be the most comfortable. my suggestion there would be to get a fairly long dress or a pant suit - something where you could wear knee highs or thigh highs instead of maternity hose... ooh, the thought of having to pee at 8 months preggo and being all wrapped up in maternity hose is insane! LOL!
so.... ebay, jc penney, target (really! some of the liz lange stuff isn't bad!), sears, old navy... check 'em all out. sorry.... i just wore black pants and maternity tee's before i was put on bedrest, or i'd offer you my stuff.

i wish you nothing but the best, and congratulations again!!! let us know how it goes!

a few links to play with...

ebay career maternity

target maternity

penney's maternity

 

[Baby Einstein]

You guys are the best! Thank you so much.

I figured before baby would be much better, I'm glad to see experienced moms (and dads - thanks a lot EMT2ER DOC) agree. I don't know what would be more embarrassing: my water breaking in the middle of the interview in a nice carpeted office or my milk spraying the interviewer in the face. I'm already soaking breastpad after breastpad with colostrum and I haven't even delivered yet!

I'll be checking out all these stores/websites you suggested. I've been dressing in Target and Old Navy all along. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who could lend me a suit and I have never even come close to a sewing machine. I do have somewhat dressy maternity pants (in black and cream), and I was counting on wearing one of my slim days jacket, just wear it open. But I'll try to find a skirt or dress not too expensive if you guys think it's better. I'd much rather spend the money at Babies R'Us though! My baby already has more clothes than I have! Spoiled little boy!!!

Thanks again for your help and support. I'll keep you up to date!

 

[ekydrd]

I though I had it bad! The first time I interviewd for med school I was on crutches s/p ankle ligament repair.

As for dressing for your interview... yes, it can be very expensive to buy a suit. Do you already own a nice pair of dress maternity pants and dressy top? If so, then I suggest trying to find a jacket or blazer to match... however, since that may be difficult to do, just the top and pants should be sufficient. Admission committee's understand the situation. They are not out to slap you down just because you are pregnant and are saving your money for things for the baby, rather than spending it on an expensive piece of clothing you will never wear again.

You do need to make a great first impression, and that can still be accomplished in maternity wear. It's all about your attitude, not so much your clothing style, that will get you a spot in school.

Good luck Mom!!!

 

[olydoc2b]

Great that you have a choice! I'm not applying EDP and am 31 weeks pregnant today, so I'm guessing most of my interviews will be post-birth. As a second time mom, I suggest you do it BEFORE birth if possible for sure. You'll be uncomfortable, yes, but far preferable than leeking all over your suit front (breast pads can only do so much, you know). Besides the leaving your baby for a whole day thing. That will be awful. And the lack of sleep thing. I'm sure it's not great now with your belly, but it will be far worse with feedings every 3-4 hours!

Good luck to you and tell us all how it goes!!!

 

[olydoc2b]

Oh, and definitely look for used clothes--at this stage, most will be barely worn especially along the suit lines. If you're in a decent sized city there should be a few consignment stores. You'll save a bundle. Ebay is great, but I think the prices are higher than if you spend a bit of time checking out used stores.

 

[Baby Einstein]

Thanks guys. It turns out I won't have a choice about the date. I was hoping so but no! It will be mid-September, one week after my due date. I've looked at Ebay but it's really hard to decide if these stuff will fit or not and it's always tricky to return. The consignment stores I looked at didn't have any suits, only casual clothes.

But I don't think it will matter anyway because I saw the OB today and I'm already at 2 centimeters and baby's head is " way way engaged" (her words). woohoo! I'm having tons of false labor too and some of these contractions are really nasty . The OB doesn't think I'll carry him any longer than 10 more days (that would be 38 weeks). I'll let you know. I guess I'll have to deal with all the post-partum stuff when dealing with my interview.

Thanks again. Did you guys notice the ads at the bottom of the page for maternity clothing websites? They see pregnant/maternity somewhere on a forum and there they are to advertise. I think it's hilarious!!!

 

[1Path]

A Mom with a different take on things, I would interview after the baby was born simply because I wouldn't want the adcom to know I was pregnant in the first place.

 

[samenewme]

A Mom with a different take on things, I would interview after the baby was born simply because I wouldn't want the adcom to know I was pregnant in the first place.

You never know. I know one woman who, at the end of her interview, was asked how old her kids were. She was concerned at first but then realized they were trying to let her know where the good school districts were BECAUSE THEY WERE GOING TO ADMIT HER. And sure enough, they did.

 

[1Path]

You never know. I know one woman who, at the end of her interview, was asked how old her kids were. She was concerned at first but then realized they were trying to let her know where the good school districts were BECAUSE THEY WERE GOING TO ADMIT HER. And sure enough, they did.

I guess the issue is HOW MANY WOMEN SERVE ON ADMISSINS COMMITTEES?? Not many in my experience and even when they are there, they don't always seem so "profemale", quite the opposite in my experience. But then again, my perspective IS racially baised. If I, as a minority woman show up at an interview pregnant, the assumption is that I'm NOT married. So between the racial and gender bias that DOES exist in the US, I tend to save the "real me" for orientation.

 

[samenewme]

... So between the racial and gender bias that DOES exist in the US, I tend to save the "real me" for orientation.

I won't argue about the bias. I know it's there. There's something to be said for not wanting to attend a school that has that heavy a bias, but then when you've had a lifetime of it, I suspect that would get old and you'd take another tack. I can't blame anyone either way they go.

 

[olydoc2b]

Thanks guys. It turns out I won't have a choice about the date. I was hoping so but no! It will be mid-September, one week after my due date. I've looked at Ebay but it's really hard to decide if these stuff will fit or not and it's always tricky to return. The consignment stores I looked at didn't have any suits, only casual clothes.

But I don't think it will matter anyway because I saw the OB today and I'm already at 2 centimeters and baby's head is " way way engaged" (her words). woohoo! I'm having tons of false labor too and some of these contractions are really nasty . The OB doesn't think I'll carry him any longer than 10 more days (that would be 38 weeks). I'll let you know. I guess I'll have to deal with all the post-partum stuff when dealing with my interview.

Thanks again. Did you guys notice the ads at the bottom of the page for maternity clothing websites? They see pregnant/maternity somewhere on a forum and there they are to advertise. I think it's hilarious!!!

So exciting! And it sounds like you ought to have at least a week or two to recover. You'll be fine! Maybe you'll even still be on the post-baby high and have lots of energy--you know, retain your glow a bit. If you're up to it, keep us up to date.

 

[ShyRem]

Hmm... almost one month post-partum. So, still need an idea about clothes:

For me, I was looking about 5 months pregnant for about 1-1.5 months after giving birth. But it was a strange spongy tummy like a balloon that was all blown up and then the air was let out. So if you have anything nice from around that time it may fit. I was actually in clothes from early pregnancy (and a few "normal" clothes) that had elastic waists and a few gathers to hide the extra hip and belly swell. I did have some extra weight post-partum than normal since I had gained almost 30 pounds pre-pregnancy from fertility drugs, so most of my available clothes were not close-fitting anyway. I did have a friend who left the hospital in her normal pre-pregnancy clothes (and to make me feel worse, she was a size 00).

Anyone else remember about 1 month post-partum to give her some ideas of what to pull out of the closet? Good luck!!!!

 

[mamadoc]

Okay, so you're going to be interviewing in the early postpartum period....

Clothes: I'd definitely go with a pantsuit rather than skirt, and choose a dark color in case you are still having postpartum bleeding (although it should NOT be a big factor more than two weeks after delivery). Choose a **patterned** blouse, not a solid color - if your breasts do leak, it's much harder to see those tell-tale enlarging wet circles on a print than on a solid. (You might want to pack an extra blouse in your briefcase...)

Breastfeeding: You WILL have to take a break and pump at some point during the day. Not only would it be really uncomfortable not to do so, but you'd be setting yourself up for getting sick. But it doesn't have to be the huge hassle of equipment that you're already thinking of. You can hand-express breast milk into a cloth diaper or towel - practice at home before your interview, it takes a little manual dexterity but if you can get the hang of it, you will have a built-in way to keep yourself comfortable during the day. I'm definitely not normally a person who'd advocate going into the bathroom stall to pump (or, God forbid, nurse a baby), but for a little hand-expressing I think that would work well and suit your need to be as low-maintenance as any other applicant. And just for the one day you don't need to be pumping to save the milk, you just need to stay comfortable and healthy. (although I acknowledge it is really hard to think about wasting one's own milk! but in this situation you need to be practical)

Consider: having whoever will be caring for the baby for the day be somewhere that you can meet them, either at intervals during the day (if there is some sort of break during the interview day activities), or at least RIGHT after you're done. I realize this may be impossible but thought I'd throw it out there.

Finally, congratulations! New babies are amazing little energy-suckers but soooo wonderful. Enjoy him.

 

[Baby Einstein]

Still no baby but ooooh so many contractions. I keep thinking I'm in early labor, but it doesn't progress. If they are Braxton-Hicks, they are NOT painless!

Thanks for all the advice. I didn't even think I might not fit in my pre-pregnancy suit at one month post-partum. The naivete of the first-time mom! Everyone tells me I'm "all belly" but I doubt all of my extra 30 pounds are in there... And the patterned shirt is a great idea. I don't have any that look professional but it should be easy to find.

My mom will be visiting so I'll have her bring the baby so I can try to feed him in the day. The school is only 20 minutes from home. At least I'll ask her to drop me there so I can feed him right before the day starts, and pick me up after so I can feed him again as soon as I'm done. That and expression throughout the day, if I can find 10 minutes here and there. I have a small hand-held pump, it can easily fit in my briefcase in case hand expression doesn't work.

Now let's hope baby sleeps through the night by the time I have the interview. I know I know, very naive once again. Not gonna happen for 3 or 4 months right? But I slept through the night (8 or 9 hours) when I was a week old! I wasn't breastfed though... Oh my mom was so lucky...

Thanks again everyone for your great advice.

 

[beanbean]

Congratulations!

I am a mom of three and interviewed when I was pregnant (about 7 mo) with my third. At UCONN post bacc students interview the June before starting med school and I delivered him 2 weeks into MS1. Life was a bit crazy back then, but everything has worked out fine.

What to wear? You will probably be a size or two larger than what you normally wear. You may want to check out so thrift stores and get a suit there. Although they tend to have more casual maternity clothes, they will probably have a decent selection of business attire in normal sizes. Don't assume your regular blazer will fit even when not buttoned since your breasts will probably be quite large.

Good luck on your interview and the birth!

 

[Baby Einstein]

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know that my baby boy Gabriel was born on August 22, 2 weeks early. He is healthy as can be and he is sooooo chubby. Of course, he nurses constantly! I tried to put a picture of him as my avatar but I can't manage to do it... My computer skills disappeared the instant I became a mom ! You'll have to trust me that he's the cutest little boy ever . Labor went fine and I was already at 7 cm when I reached the hospital. If we had waited a little more, I might have delivered in the car! I really didn't think I was that far along...

My interview is Monday so I will be exactly 3 weeks post-partum. I'm feeling great, and my only concern now is engorgement but I'll take my breast pump with me and express as often as I can. I still have about 10-15 extra pounds but I really can't see where they're hiding. They can't be all in the chest can they? My suit is fine at the waist (which was my concern) but it is very tight at the hips and chest. But I think I'll manage with that anyway. I'm thinking of opening the seams of the skirt lining to make it a little more comfortable. I'll see. I really don't want to buy another suit just for that one interview.

Thanks everyone for your help and support. Good luck with your applications and interviews. I'll let you know how mine goes. Thanks again.

Big G and Lil' G

 

[PreMedMommy]

Forgive me if this is repeated (I didn't read the whole thread), but many maternity specialty stores sell suits. I had to buy one to compete in drama and debate in high school.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

I think that was a spambot.

 

[QofQuimica]

I removed the spam and the spam link TOM quoted. Please report spam from now on instead of replying to it so the mods can remove it.