What to wear AFTER baby?

[June Mommy]

I'm wondering what I will need to wear after my baby is born. I know I will want things that are comfortable, but still look nice since people will be dropping by to see the baby, etc. I'm due in June, and normally very petite, so I'm pretty sure I won't be able to fit into my skinny little shorts and stuff very soon. A friend had suggested the velour sweats that are popular now. Since I'm due in the summer I probably won't want sweats, but along those same lines I was thinking maybe the cropped terry or fleece capris with a t-shirt and flip flops? Does anyone else have any suggestions? What about size, would I get my normal size or a size bigger? I don't have anything like that right now, so I would have to buy it before the baby comes, and I don't know yet how to estimate. Also, any good ideas of where to look for something like that without spending a fortune? Any other suggestions? Thanks!

[papal]

No real suggestions for clothing. I have been living in my sweats for the past 4 months and in my experience when people come over.. they no longer look at you.. it is all about the baby. :)

[sadie427]

Unfortunately most people are still in their maternity clothes, at least for a little while. I sent my husband out to Old Navy a week or two after we were back from the hospital, which was also in the summer--got some cotton capri-length sweats and t-shirts. I also had a few large-ish regular sundresses that fit at that time, and I wore hospital scrubs around the house. It would be hard to buy stuff in advance, I still had to guess my size. I was an XS before the baby, and a medium at that time, and then down to a small within a month or so.

Really you want to hold off on buying stuff, if you are desperate to get out of your maternity stuff (as I was) Old Navy and Target are good 'cause they're cheap. No one will be looking at you really, they will only have eyes for the baby, and you will probably be so tired you don't care what you look like! I'm still not back to my usual size on top, 6 months later, due to breastfeeding, so tops are a better investment, although you may already have t-shirts that will work. HTH!

[new_mommy25]

Try Target. They have a great activewear section. You may want to buy sizes bigger than you normally would though. I was sadly dissapointed to see that the pounds did not melt away as I had envisioned, lol! It's wierd too because giving birth literally changed my body type. I seriously think my hips spread. I had maternity jeans from Gap that I wore up until the day I gave birth. And after that I could barely get them over my hips. When I went home from the hospital in hot September I was wearing Addidas pants (surpisingly these were pants I bought years before I got pregnant, they are just stretchy and super forgiving) and a Liz Lange Target maternity tee. (Which I still wear beauase seriously it doesn't look like a maternity shirt) But as Rashmi said, it's no longer about you, it's all about the baby. And besides you could look like you got ran over by a truck but everyone will still go on and on about how great you look because hey, you just gave birth which is a totally amazing thing.

[amp]

Totally agree w/ Rashmi - they aren't going to notice you as much as they notice your little one! :o

I now live in sweats and yoga & knit pants. They are the most comfortable w/ my "new" body. Right after the birth (May 29) I wore a combination of maternity pants, yoga pants, & cropped knit or sweat pants. I also had some loose, cotton knit shorts that I liked. The shorts and the cropped/capri style knit pants were both comfy and not as not as long sweats.

ETA: I had comfy pants from Eddie Bauer, Land's End & Target.

[kaitlinsmommy]

I did make it back to my pre-preg. weight but it took about 10 months for things to fit like they did before. I think drawstring pants & shorts are great. I wore them during and after pregnancy.

[JenCA]

I had a summer baby, and I had to wear my maternity shorts/tee shirts for a few weeks after DD was born. To be honest--I was too tired to really even care what I looked like when we had visitors! When the weight started dropping off, then I went shopping and bought a few transitional pieces (cheap sale stuff from Old Navy)just to get me out of maternity clothing. By the time the weather started cooling off, I was back in my pre-pg clothing.

[C99]

As others have said, no one is really going to look at you and you will be too tired to care if you are wearing anything more exciting than yoga pants and a t-shirt. My baby was 5 weeks early, so I wasn't ever back in maternity clothes after delivery, but it took me 4-6 months to get back to into my pre-pregnancy sizes. If you do buy transitional clothes before you deliver, I would stress buying waistbands that expand and contract -- I know this is the last thing you want to wear after months in maternity pants, but you'll shrink out of the stuff too quickly to make it worth the price of the items. I bought 2 pairs of pants in size 14 and 12 (I normally wore an 8-10) the week after I delivered and 1 pair was too big by week 2 and the second pair was too big by week 4.

[MamaParis]

I saw an ad in some baby magazine the other day that Babystyle.com is stating an "in transition" line of maternity clothes ... it is for after you have the baby and aren't quite big enough for the maternity clothes and aren't quite small enough to fit back into your pre-preg clothes ... you culd always check that out.

I was very fortunate and fit back into my pre-preg jeans and such about a week after delivery - they were snug, but it was still an option for me to wear ... but up until then I just hung out in sweats and my maternity pants and went out to buy some longer shirts to cover the roll I had and the belly panel on the maternity pants ... the maternity shirts are HUGE after you lose the belly!

Good Luck

[August Mom]

I would suggest pants/shorts/capris with an elastic waist and/or drawstring. That gives you some flexibility while your body size is changing. I all honesty, I have a mommy uniform now that consists of elastic waist/drawstring fleece pants and ribbed turtleneck sweaters in various colors. It's a very comfy mommy outfit that doesn't look too sloppy. I had DS at the end of summer and wore knit pants instead of fleece ones at that time, along with some capris. You'll most likely have to go shopping post-baby to really find what you want. BTW, Kohl's has a lot of casual pants of this type.

[jennyriver]

you may not want to look at maternity clothes again after baby comes but from what friends have told me, you pretty much have to for the 1st few weeks, if not months. that's why it makes sense to invest in some decent maternity clothes that you would feel comfortable in after baby comes. i like my japanese weekend clothes so much that i can see myself wearing them after baby comes, without feeling "frumpy". they're not cheap, but if you invest in a few good pieces then it would be worth it if it lasts you throught out pregnancy and post pardum and then any other pregnancies (plus they have high resale value on places like ebay). i found that the target line of maternity clothes also ran a bit smaller but that might be perfect for after baby, and they look pretty much like non-maternity wear. prices are pretty good too. personally, i'd feel fine in yoga pants and the like but i can understand not wanting to look like a frumpy housewife too - when i put on my JW clothes now i can sometimes almost forget i'm PG cause they're pretty hip AND comfy. i almost wonder why ALL pants aren't made this way, even non-maternity ones!

[shishamo]

Drawstring pants and elastic pants! Even if the weight is all gone, you will have a different shape since it takes a while for your uterus to go back into your pelvis. I pretty much went down into my post-pregnany weight as soon as I gave birth, but it took me at least 6 weeks, if not a year, to fit into my pre-baby pants.

I also have a few pants that are size bigger than what I usually wear. For example, I am usually 2, but I have a few 4s and a pair of 6. I wear them at the beginning (like now!) and I wear them post-pregnancy. The key is to buy the exact same style that you normally wear so you don't go "eek! maternity stuff!"

Tops you can usually start wearing what you used to wear almost immediately, but if you are nursing, you may find that different style shirts works better for you.

[tinkerbell1217]

Babystyle has some GREAT pieces that can be worn while PG or after! I actually just got a pair of their drawstring lounge type pants and they are wonderful. I think drawstrings or elastic waists are a necessity the first couple of months. I had csections with #1 and #2 and will again with #3 and drawstrings were a life saver. Also, simple pull over dresses are nice too. I had a few of them. But, Babystyle is stylish and comfy and can be affordable if you wait for a sale. Their simple main pieces like the drawstring pants and tanks are affordable though. Their transition jeans are a bit pricey to me.

Good luck!!

Kelly

[JacksMommy]

I second the idea of getting "transition" clothes. I thought they were silly when I was pregnant and just wore my non-PG clothes until the regular maternity ones fit. Little did I know that I would look six months pregnant even after the baby came out! When I went shopping two weeks after the baby (simply had to have some summer clothes), I had to buy size 16 skirts even though I'm normally 8-10. But then I shrunk out of them in about a month so that was pretty much a waste of money. I don't think there is any way to buy regular clothes for post-baby since you have no way of knowing how much weight you will gain or how your body will change. Transition clothes or things with expandable waste lines are the way to go!
HTH,
Laurel
Working Mama to Jack, 6/4/02

[jk3]

I agree with the transitional clothing concept. My baby was born last June and I actually swelled up for a few months after the birth-water gain I was told-so I wore maternity clothes and bought some regular items. I too was very petite prior to the pregnancy and now I'm essentially back to my prepregnancy weight however my old clothes fit differently even though my weight is the same-give or take a few pounds. Luckily last summer was on the cooler side and rainy so no trips to the beach! If you buy the clothes before the baby is born, keep the receipts so you can return anything that doesn't fit.

[cara1]

Where can you get elastic waisted-pants that are acceptable for work???

[tinkerbell1217]

I have seen some at Motherhood in "work" styles and fabrics. Try them!

Kelly

[jk3]

Mimi Maternity and A Pea in the Pod too but their clothes are pretty pricey. They do have sales from time to time and their clothes hold up better than Motherhood.