Fashion

6 Tips for Getting Dressed After Having a Baby

posted on August 13, 2019 | by Chelsea Becker

Before I had my son 4 months ago, I put a lot of thought into recovery and my body after baby. I had ice packs for my boobs, pads for my lady parts, twenty thousand nursing bras, and so on. But what I didn’t think about was what the f*ck I’d wear beyond that.

Because here’s the thing – maternity clothes are awkward and unless you’re a unicorn, you won’t be fitting back into pre-pregnancy clothes for a while. If I had to do it again, there are 6 things I’d do differently and I’m sharing those below.

Buy a size up in basics

I reallyyyyy wish I had more well-fitting leggings and basics for the few weeks after delivery.  Everything I owned from pre-baby was too tight – even leggings – but my maternity stuff was too big around the waist or just fugly.

I’d suggest buying a couple pairs of leggings, some basic tops, and a pair of jeans all one size up. It might seem like a waste of money, but when you’re trying to survive baby life, you’ll be grateful for anything easy to reach for. If you do have another baby, these can come in handy early on in pregnancy — or when Ben & Jerry are hanging out often, if ya know what I mean.

High-waisted everything

I’d like to give whoever brought back high-waisted bottoms the biggest freaking hug because they seriously kept me from crying on multiple occasions. Weird stuff happens to your stomach after a baby and while I love my new pooch because it means baby boy, I won’t lie and say it’s exactly a confidence boost. So helloooo high-waisted everything!

If you’re about to be a mama and don’t own a pair, please get yourself some. I especially appreciated this pair of Madewell high-waisted wide legs because nothing felt restricting. They suck you in without being uncomfortable and the wide legs are forgiving, too. Same goes for high-waisted leggings, skirts, bathing suit bottoms and everything you can get your hands on.

You don’t HAVE to wear a one-piece

Speaking of bathing suits, this was a really tricky area for me. I gave birth in April which meant summer was around the corner. Because of my large chest (naturally, but enhanced by milk), I’m not a big fan of one-pieces because they usually lack support or contain a weird underwire situation. But I also had that lil’ pooch and wasn’t comfy in a regular bikini right away.

I found my happy medium with a semi-high-waisted pair of bottoms like these, and then bikini tops I mixed and matched. Target, Aerie and Old Navy both have insanely good deals on swimwear so they’re a smart shop for suits you might not wear long.

Wrap tops are your best friend

Depending on your situation (breastfeeding or not, recovering from a C-section or vaginal, etc), everyone’s a little different. I personally was a vaginal breastfeeder (LOL). Because of this, I was needing a boob often and my upper half was fairly free from recovery. And while lots of people told me about nursing tanks that fold down for your boob, that felt too revealing when we had visitors or in public. Also, they were annoying and ugly, TBH.

I ended up loving on wrap tops which happen to be in style. I found that these were a lot easier to unwrap while still sticking my son’s head in my shirt and they provided extra room as my boobs expanded with the food supply. Plus, they’re still cute shirts I can wear today.

Get bras that fit

I’m done breastfeeding now and let’s just say my boobs have…changed. I hear they get back to regular fullness eventually, but for now, they’re flatter than they were pre-baby and definitely pre-milk. They’re also a lot smaller.

While I spent the first few weeks after breastfeeding in my old regular bras, I quickly realized they weren’t going to cut it. The cups were too big and they weren’t padded enough for a round shape. It was definitely time for some new bras!

Since I had just pushed a baby out of my you-know-what and wasn’t exactly feeling my sexiest, I wanted pretty options. I opted for two different kinds from ThirdLove: this beautiful choice that actually gave my boobs roundness again (thank god!) and the T-shirt bra which I’ve been wearing for years — in a size that fits.

If you’re a new mama in need of a new shape or simply something to feel feminine in, treat yourself, please! (I’m sure there are other options, but I personally adore ThirdLove because it’s so easy to find your fit…and I didn’t have to leave my house. So extra tip, mama to mama.)

Slip-on’s or slides

Here’s something they don’t tell ya about having a baby: tieing your shoes is a fucking joke. It’s a joke once you hit 8 months pregnant and it’s a joke after delivery a baby. Bending down to do anything is. So get yo’self a nice pair of slip-on sandals, slides, slippers, etc. You can leave the hospital in them, wear them as you recover down under, and they’re also great for when your hands are busy with a baby, car seat, diaper bag, and all the crap once you have a kid.

To shop some of the pieces that saved me, click through below. Hope this was helpful, babes! Let me know if you had anything else that should be added.

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