As the CEO of Unbuttoned Maternity, Jenni St. John is in the know on all the hottest maternity trends. Pregnant with baby number two (a girl!), Jenni spoke with Celebrity Parents about pregnancy, maxi dresses and her daughter Sophie, 20 months.
Jenni, you’re due in a five weeks. How are you feeling?
It’s been a great pregnancy overall. It’s gone by much faster than when I was pregnant with Sophie. The first four months were rough; I had nausea 24/7, but then it got a lot better. I was so convinced that it was a boy because it was a totally different pregnancy.
I’m carrying so low, again! I hope I deliver early, or at least on time, with this pregnancy. Sophie was two weeks late. I’m concerned because this baby is sideways. I’m hoping she flips herself back into position!
And it’s a girl! Do you have a name picked out?
Olive Lynne. It’s the very first name that I thought of, and it just fits. Anne is my mother and Chris’ mother’s middle name, and Lynne is my middle name.
Who is Sophie taking after?
She’s like a teenager! She’s so fresh and amazing. She’s 20 months now, and she’s starting to look like me. We both have bobs and short bangs. She’s a hip cat!
Sophie just switched to a toddler bed, and it’s been much better. She hasn’t slept through the night, and in the toddler bed, she’s sleeping for longer stretches.
She’s super independent, which is like both of us. She wants to do everything on her own. After she does anything, she says, “Big girl!”
How is Unbuttoned doing?
This has been a tough year for us, like for everyone else. Plus we opened our first brick and mortar store. It was a good time and bad time to open boutique. It helped subsidize our sales.
What are the new maternity trends for the summer?
Right now, it’s maxi dresses and jumpers, like crazy! With jumpers, we had one of our really good vendors make the jumper. Some fits are tough when you’re pregnant. The jumper sells fantastic; it keeps it fresh and it keeps it contemporary with what’s going on with regular fashion. The maxi dress, too, is totally perfect for summer time.
How is your own clothing like, Rock Me Mama, doing?
It’s doing great! Rock Me Mama is one of our staples. We did a bunch of new summer styles, and they sell all the time.
What are your plans for Unbuttoned?
We’re still tweaking the boutique. After all, it’s only been open for 6 months. We want to grow the boutique and our local business. We have tons of clients coming from Manhattan to Englewood. There will definitely be no new brick and mortar boutiques will be opening this year, I can tell you that!
My husband, Chris, and I are super excited for this new baby. We can’t wait to see what she looks like, and to see how Sophie is with her. It’s going to be a lot of fun; we can’t wait for Olive to arrive.