I am so happy to tell you that our first post on postpartum style comes from my dear friend,
Mary.
In March 2011 we welcomed the two of the best babies in the world into our family, and named them Captain Maxwell and Maggie Elaine. Those babies kept us very busy for exactly 14 months, until the birth of our (surprise) third, Lucy Eleanore. We are awesomely happy. It's just the five of us for now, but we'd like to add on to our family again someday.
My first postpartum experience was incredibly hard for me. It was nothing like I expected. Not only were my newborn twins in the NICU instead of at home with me, but my body wasn't going back to its normal size and shape quite as quickly I expected it to. My cup size, which usually hovers somewhere between an A and a B, had swelled to a DD, and unlike every previous thought I had harbored about how fun it would be to have bigger breasts, I found that I really just wanted my old body back. My mother kept saying things to me like, "Oh, you only look five months pregnant today!" or "You're still wearing maternity clothes?" Needless to say, she wasn't helping my self-image at all.
While I spent the first couple of months of my twins' lives wearing yoga pants and my husband's t-shirts, I eventually kind of figured out what I was doing... just in time to get pregnant again. If you're looking for some advice on postpartum fashion, here's what I've got for you:
1. First, have an easy go-to outfit that looks like it required more thought from you than it actually did. Here's my favorite postpartum ensemble:
- I love dark wash denim leggings because they go with everything, are forgiving around the waistband, and show off a part of your body that probably didn't drastically change with the birth of your newborn.
- A button-up is the ultimate in nursing accessible tops, and this one is cut a little larger and boxier, which means that it will hang away from your body instead of clinging to it.
- I've always found that chunky plastic frames did wonders to hide the I've-been-up-all-night-trying-to-nurse-a-baby bags under my eyes.
- These nursing necklaces are
the best. Seriously, my Lucy loves to wrap her fingers in my hair {or lately, dig her fingernails into my collarbone} unless I'm wearing this, and then she's all about clenching it in her tiny chubby fist and leaving the rest of me unscathed.
- I've never been one to mother in heels; cute flats are my go-to shoes now. I feel like it makes a big difference, the twentieth time your baby spits his pacifier onto the floor, to at least have your balance under control as you stoop to pick it up.
2. Second, go shopping for a few items of postpartum clothing
after your baby is born. Your body will change so unexpectedly and so drastically that it's hard to predict before it actually happens. Go alone if you have the opportunity to get away, or bring a friend {or grandma} to hold the baby while you try on clothes. Try on items a few sizes larger than you usually wear, and stick to woven fabrics instead of knits, which cling to your body.
3. Finally, get a nursing bra that works for you and has a shape that you like under clothes. After my first pregnancy, my mother bought me some nursing bras from Target and I
hated them. The shape was so weird, and made me feel even uglier than I already did. The second time around, a friend suggested that I just buy a bra that I liked that had a front closure. I followed her advice and found
this one at Victoria's Secret. It's still incredibly convenient for nursing, I got to try it on before purchasing {and got a free fitting to boot}, and I felt good wearing it.
Did you find a good postpartum uniform? What worked best for you?
Mary blogs here, pins here, & tweets here.
