Postpartum Clothes

[sleepymonkey]

Now that we're all getting closer to having our beautiful babies, I was wondering if anyone had thought about what they're going to wear postpartum. I know I'll live in stretchy pants and baggy shirts for the first few weeks while I recover from my c-section but after that I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do. With DD, I gained 50 lbs so I definitely needed a larger size after her but I happened to have clothing in that size because I had lost weight before getting pregnant and still had some of my bigger sizes. Now I have nothing in a bigger size and I'm trying to figure out if I should buy a few pairs of pants or jeans in a size up, especially since I'll be going back to work after 8 weeks. I feel like I should be prepared. I've only gained 14 lbs at almost 32w so I don't think I'm going to have a hard time getting back to the weight I was pre-pregnancy but pregnancy does funky things to body shape so I'm not going to bank on my old clothes fitting. And going out clothes shopping with a newborn is not going to be at the top of my list of things I want to do.

[BabyStandish]

Do you have a Clothes Mentor or some kind of nice resale shop near you? If I was going back to work I'd go there. I'm not really sure what to expect this time, but since I stay at home I won't really need any nice clothes. I have some maxi skirts and dresses that I wore to church that fit ok post partum last time. I have a pair of shorts that are usually kind of big so I hope those will fit, otherwise I'll stick to maternity until the others start fitting.

[sleepymonkey]

BabyStandish, I don't think we do. All of our resale shops are full of old lady clothes (because, ya know, Florida). But my in-laws live near West Palm Beach and we're going to go down there soon to do our registry completion so maybe I'll look in to some resale shops there. i hate the idea of spending a lot of money on a larger size, especially since I plan on trying to lose all this extra weight I've been carrying for 3 years once baby boy is born.

[katie0919]

I'll be living in my "give up" pants as I like to call them, and nursing tanks. Last time I wore my maternity jeans for several weeks just because it was more comfortable after my c-section. I've already gained 32 lbs at 31 weeks, which scares me - I've never gained that much at this point with either of my other kiddos. Good lord I am hoping for no more than 40 lbs max. I haven't had problems losing weight gained in the past (knock on wood) but I am older now, almost 38, so who knows. I go back to work at 12 weeks postpartum so I will hopefully be almost back to normal by then. Nursing seems to do wonders for losing the weight for me (again, knock on wood!!)

[icedtea]

I haven't really thought about this. I have no idea what my body will be like at that point, but I was planning on leggings/yoga pants/stretchy shirts/nursing tanks for the first few weeks. Then I figure I can leave the baby with H and make short trips to grab stuff as necessary. I just found a nice consignment shop nearby.

[chknma]

I'm just hoping my bigger work clothes fit by the time ML is over. I'm also hoping to get on track once LO is born and lose some of the extra weight I've been carrying since DD1, however I do know that BF makes that very hard for me and also limits the types of clothes I'll want to wear assuming BF goes as hoped again.

[irish14]

Last time I lived in maternity leggings and yoga pants for my whole leave. Got out my regular yoga pants as I lost some of the weight, but I never got back to pre preg size - I was still up 2 sizes at 12 weeks - so I went out the weekend before I went back to work and bought 2 work skirts and 2 work pants. I got some nursing tops as gifts and wore a combo of nursing tanks and cardigans and stretchy tops for a couple of months. I just think it's too unpredictable what will fit etc so I personally wouldn't buy pants/bottoms ahead of time, but that's just me.

[lupincat]

I figure I won't be going out much at first so I'll be living in large tshirts/tanks and soft pants. DS1 changed my body so much that I tend to order flowy clothes anyway so even if we do go out I think I'll be able to get by with what I have. I'm fortunate to work super part time from home so I don't need to worry about clothing for work.

[iheartbroccoli]

I plan on living in sweats, leggings, and maxi skirts for when I have to leave the house. Since it will be hot, I'll just wear whatever tank top fits.

After my first, I wore my maternity jeans until I was able to fit in my pre pregnancy clothes again. Lol.

I am hoping to lose some extra weight I was working on losing before I got pregnant, so I'm putting off buying new clothes as long as possible. I am taking a long maternity leave (5 months after birth), so I have the benefit of being able to wait a little longer to see what my body does.

[tortor4]

I bought a bunch of flowy shirts last summer because I carry my extra weight in my belly anyway. I'm hoping those will work. Last time I liked the lower panel maternity jeans for until I was in regular pants again. Other than that, leggings for me.

[hpnegirl]

"Fat" jeans with a belly band as soon as I lose the water retention until I fit back into my normal pants. Yoga pants for lazy days.

[nikonine]

I'll be wearing a combination of maternity clothes, yoga pants and my 'fat' pants. I tend to wear flowy tops so they'll fit sooner than the pants will.

[loubug]

I'll be wearing my maternity stuff and yoga pants for the first 3-4 months at least and then evaluate from there where I am. With DS I was able to get back to pre pregnancy weight between 10-12 months pp. With DD I never got back to my previous weight. I had a stubborn 15 lbs that I couldn't get rid of but I didn't try all that hard. Actually right before I got pregnant I was working out a bit more and had lost a few pounds and got excited but then surprise...

All that to say I would wait to buy anything until you actually need it because you never know what your body will do.

[lastkiss]

With DS I got back to my pre pregnancy weight fairly quickly but I still couldn't fit into my old jeans and pants.
I think it's just too hard to guess what will fit so I'm waiting until after to buy anything. I won't be going back to work until the new year though so it's not something I need to worry about early on

[mcp6286]

I wouldn't buy a whole lot before you see how the weight loss goes either. With DD I bought two pairs of work pants and a couple pairs of jeans two sizes bigger than usual but was back in my regular clothes by 10 weeks PP when I went back to work. So I only wore the bigger clothes btw 4 weeks (when I packed up my maternity stuff) and 10 weeks, and prob could've gotten by without buying them. This time I'll do mostly yoga pants and maxi skirts and FX will be back in my regular clothes when school starts in Sept.

[Somers Isles]

I bought Target black yoga capris leggings with the foldover waistband. Unfolded it acts like maternity leggings, and folded up postpartum provides an extra bit of support. Add some flowy shirts and that helps buy me time to figure out what my body will look like.

[Deleted]

Definitely don't buy clothes in advance. I was surprised by what fit/felt comfortable pp with DD and would have wasted a lot of money had I tried to anticipate size/specific body changes (pants size was smaller than I thought and boobs stayed huge)

[sleepymonkey]

My birthday is coming up and my parents usually give me a gift card so I think I'll hold on to that and use it to buy some clothes when it's closer to time to go back to work 8 weeks PP. I'll leave the kids with H and maybe get a pedi and go shopping. I really don't think I'll have a problem losing the weight since I haven't gained much (perks of being overweight already?) but I know how much bodies can change after pregnancy so just because I might be the same weight, it doesn't mean I'll wear the same size. Especially the boobs if I am able to BF.

[jennyelf]

I remember doing a lot of fold over skirts and flowy tops last time around, I'll probably do the same this time around as well. I was in my pre-pregnancy clothing by the time I returned to work, so hopefully that'll be true this time too.

[txcatlady]

Any advice on buying nursing tanks? Should I just buy 1 size up or my current size? Any particular store/brand? I was planning to have a few on hand for the first few weeks when I probably won't want to leave the house.

I'm planning to live in nursing tanks and maternity yoga pants for the first few weeks, then figure out what kind of clothes I might need to buy for the rest of maternity leave/going back to work.

[BabyStandish]

txcatlady I hated the 2 nursing tanks I had with DS so I am also curious what brands people recommend. I am a fan of these Jessica Simpson nursing tanks that I've been wearing, but I'm not sure how I'm going to like them for nursing yet. I've been getting my current size, not a size up so I hope they work out okay.

www.motherhood.com/jessica-simpson-clip-down-shelf-bra-nursing-cami/006-94810-006-001.html?cgid=nursing-tops&dwvar_006-94810-006-001_color=006-94810-80#start=1

Since they have rouched sides I'm not sure if that'll get annoying as my belly starts shrinking. I have one Motherhood clip down nursing tank and it's comfy too. I like that the Jessica Simpson ones are kind of padded so I don't need to worry about wearing a bra. I think I'm going to wait to see what my boobs do post-partum and then get a couple more either at Motherhood or Target.

[irish14]

Mar 13, 2017 11:12:02 GMT -5 BabyStandish said:

txcatlady I hated the 2 nursing tanks I had with DS so I am also curious what brands people recommend. I am a fan of these Jessica Simpson nursing tanks that I've been wearing, but I'm not sure how I'm going to like them for nursing yet. I've been getting my current size, not a size up so I hope they work out okay.

www.motherhood.com/jessica-simpson-clip-down-shelf-bra-nursing-cami/006-94810-006-001.html?cgid=nursing-tops&dwvar_006-94810-006-001_color=006-94810-80#start=1

Since they have rouched sides I'm not sure if that'll get annoying as my belly starts shrinking. I have one Motherhood clip down nursing tank and it's comfy too. I like that the Jessica Simpson ones are kind of padded so I don't need to worry about wearing a bra. I think I'm going to wait to see what my boobs do post-partum and then get a couple more either at Motherhood or Target.

I have the target and motherhood ones. My motherhood tanks have ruching, and I've been wearing them since DS was born and it never bothered me. I find them comfier than the target ones - I have a couple with buttons that look like pajamas, and the regular plain front cotton ones always felt a little more snug than my motherhood ones. The target ones were a little better for being dressed in "real clothes" though - my motherhood ones had a little gather/vneck style in the front and it always showed a lot of boob.

On balance, I'd buy the motherhood ones again first. And they've held up really well.

[sagen]

I am going to go shopping and buy some low rise non pregnancy pants and shorts that fit me now. Just a few, those tend to fit just great after. Also really flowy shirts a size up. I hate wearing maternity clothes after, I would rather just buy some cheap Ross inbetweeners.

[sleepymonkey]

sagen, I'm not a fan of wearing maternity pants after because I have to wear a belly band with them and I find that annoying. Once my c-section incision is healed enough, I'll probably go to Ross or TJ Maxx and trying to find some lower priced transition pants and jeans. I'm hoping my old tops will fit because I tend to like things loose anyway but I depending on the state of my BFing success, they may be too tight across the boobs.