Posted on August 11 2016
It's pretty hard to believe that I have been a mom for a little over 3 months already! Harper turned 13 weeks old last week, and it really is incredible how quickly time flies once you become a parent. I feel like my body is finally only somewhat back to "normal", but I definitely still have my days where it feels like nothing will ever fit correctly again. I have pretty much accepted the fact that a lot of the clothes I own from BB (before baby) will never fit the same again. While I was pregnant I really never thought about how certain parts of my body would change and possibly never return to it's original state. Granted I have hardly made any lifestyle changes to help speed up the process, but it can still be really frustrating when you are dying to wear something from before you were pregnant and having to accept that it's not going to happen. I am always reminded of one of my favorite Mean Girls quotes, "Sweats are all that fit me right now." In the weeks after giving birth, I definitely Googled how to dress my postpartum body and had little luck finding helpful tips, which is surprising since you can pretty much find anything on Google these days. Keep in mind, the tips that I am about to share are what has worked best for me, although I am pretty confident that they can be generalized to most body shapes and sizes.
1. Don't rule out your maternity jeans! After I had Harper, I couldn't wait to get back into a pair of jeans. Looking back, it was pretty ridiculous that I expected any of my pants to fit me so soon! Take my advice and don't even try any of your pre-pregnancy jeans on for at least the first 2 months. The fact is that unless you are one of the few lucky ones who bounce back to your pre-baby size right away, you will probably have to wear your maternity jeans for at least a few months or more. I'm here to tell you that IT'S TOTALLY NORMAL AND OK! There is so much pressure to fit into our pre-pregnancy clothes that it's hard not to feel bad about yourself for throwing on a pair of maternity jean after your baby has arrived, which is so silly! I was still wearing my favorite pair of maternity jeans in this post about 2 months after having Harper.
2. Maxi dresses are a life saver. I pretty much only wore maxi dresses for the first month after I had a baby when I wasn't wear yoga pants. Thankfully, I was able to wear a lot of the same dresses before, during, and after pregnancy, like my favorite cobalt maxi and this emerald green one. After having Harper, I realized that I also needed to be strategic in getting dressed so I could always be ready to nurse her if needed. If you plan to breastfeed, Pink Blush maxi dresses are nursing friendly and are SO comfortable.
3. Treat yourself to a few new pieces. You just had a baby. You did the hardest thing you will probably ever have to physically, mentally, and emotionally do. If that doesn't deserve some new clothes then I don't know what does! Old Navy has been my bestie in the past few months. It was a sad day when I realized that at least 75% of the tops I own may not ever fit me again (or at least they probably won't until I am done nursing), however this is the perfect time to pick up a few new tanks and tees to get you by! I just sized up in this boyfriend tank and some loose fitting tees from Target.
4. Elastic waistbands are your friend. In reference to tip #1, even though it's ok to wear maternity jeans, you will probably get sick of wearing them all the time. If you're like me, you will want to wear pants, but will get tired of having a full belly band that rides down because you don't have a bump to hold it up. I took a chance on some soft pants from Old Navy and they have really been a life saver. They can be dressed up or down, and basically feel like sweats because they have an elastic waistband. Do yourself a favor and pick a pair of these up!
5. When all else fails, accessorize. Because when you're not feeling so great about your new body (even though we should feel nothing but proud of ourselves considering we grew and birthed a baby!), throwing on a statement necklace, some oversized sunglasses, or cute pair of embellished sandals totally helps!
Thanks so much for sharing!! :)