What to Wear After You Have a Baby

Figuring out what to wear towards the end of my first trimester of pregnancy was difficult. For awhile I was trying to hide my growing belly. Then I wasn’t trying to hide it as much, but found that most maternity clothes were huge on me and my pre-pregnancy clothes were too tight. Eventually, I found a few tricks to hide my growing baby bump and then managed to find some great maternity clothes without breaking the bank.

I read that when you leave the hospital after having your baby you’ll look like you’re about 5 months pregnant. I’d say that’s about accurate. Fortunately, my belly has been shrinking and I am looking more like I am ‘very bloated’ versus ‘very pregnant’ at this point. Although I am mostly living in comfortable/stretchy clothes, a few times I have gotten dressed in jeans, shorts or a skirt.

Sometimes it’s hard to feel good about yourself when you haven’t lost all of the baby weight and you have dark circles under your eyes from lack of sleep (not to mention you might be covered in spit up and who knows if you have had a chance to take a shower or not!). I think it’s important to put on ‘real’ clothes once in awhile when you have a new baby even if it’s just to run an errand or walk around the neighborhood. It makes you feel a bit more human, even if just temporarily. 🙂

But, what can you wear when all of your pre-pregnancy clothes are too small and your maternity clothes are big and make you feel frumpy?

• Think of what you have in your closet or stored away that’s a bigger size. I purposely saved a few items that were too big for me, knowing that within a few years I wanted to get pregnant and knew I would want things to wear afterwards. I found a skirt that was a few sizes larger than I wear now and a few pairs of capris that will do the trick for the next few weeks.
• Invest in some stylish comfortable pants. I have some Lululemon pants that I wore during my pregnancy and still wear often right now. Put on a cute shirt and you’re errand-ready. Much cuter than stealing your husbands sweats or wearing old baggy sweats with holes in them.
• Wear your maternity jeans, but dress them up with a flowy pre-pregnancy shirt and some heels or cute flip flops.
• Many dresses will fit just fine if you have a bit of a belly and empire waist dresses will even help to disguise your remaining belly.
• Use the bellaband so that you can wear your pre-pregnancy jeans unbuttoned. (It also helps things look a little smoother around the middle.)
• Possibly borrow some items from a friend for a few weeks/months until you are back in your pre-pregnancy size.
• Oh…and lastly…watch what you eat, try to get as much rest as possible and start to exercise when you feel up to it. Then you won’t have to deal with this ‘issue’ for too long. 🙂

New mamas – any tips on this topic? What did you wear after having a baby before your regular clothes fit again?