Wearing maternity clothes post-partum?

[Mopey]

I have a wedding party to attend (not too fancy at all) in May, when I will be about two months post-partum. I am not sure what to wear as I feel I have no idea what my body will be like. I am usually pretty good about this kind of thing, and I do have a few dresses that could maybe work - one of which is a maternity dress.

I was thinking I could belt it and taken advantage of the extra tummy room but not sure if it will look sloppy. Do I just have to wait & see?

Any opinions and advice appreciated! TIA :)

[MSWR0319]

I'd wait a little while and see. I was in regular jeans about 4 days pp. they didn't look too hot, but they buttoned and zipped. I wore maternity clothes for comfort for awhile pp. By 2 months I think I was back in regular clothes for the most part. It will just depend on how quick you lose weight, how your body bounces back, if you're nursing, etc.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'd wait and see too. I bounced back really quickly after ds1. If you are nursing, you'll need to consider nursing friendly options not just belly fit.

[edurnemk]

I'd wait and see, you never know how fast your body will bounce back, like PP said. I was in my pre-pregnancy clothes a week pp. If you want to have something ready, I'd look for a regular dress that's not too fitted, and has a flattering shape.

[swissair81]

I don't bounce back quickly. Admittedly, I'm expecting #5, so I know not to wish for anything miraculous. I lose my weight, but it takes me a good year of hard work to be back where I was. With #1 (and 2), I think I was back in pre-pregnancy sized clothes at about 8 weeks or so. I wore maternity for a good 3 weeks though. Basically, what we're all saying is that everyone is different, and it's hard to plan the first time.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i'd wait and see. i was one of those unfortunate folks that despite EBFing I couldn't lose weight quickly. my youngest is almost 1 year old and only just now am I about a dozen lbs away from my pre-preg weight!! it took a ton of effort, watching what i eat, going to go to the gym, etc.

i wore a maternity dress to a wedding 4mos post partum. it wasn't obviously maternity, i mainly liked it bc it was stretchy and it was a wrap-style dress so i could easily nurse my DS in it. a lot of maternity dresses are also nursing-friendly, so that was another reason.

[marymoo86]

I agree I had lost my pregnancy weight by 8 weeks but my abdomen still hadn't tighten up yet and would have needed the camouflage of spanx or a great dress to not accentuate that area.

[Mopey]

Ok, it sounds like I have some things that could work. I am planning on this being our first night away from the baby and so would pump before we left the hotel, not nurse. Does that make a difference too?

[SnuggleBuggles]

Depends on how long the event is. You may need to pump again at some point during the night; even if it is just enough to relieve potential engorgement and avoid the possibility of leaks.

[newg]

I think it also depends on if you have a c-section or not. At 8 weeks pp I still tried to keep tight things off my scar and still felt bloated in that area. If you have an A-line top or dress, that would be more forgiving than something tight. A belly band might help too, with keeping things smooth, or if something isn't ready to be buttoned all the way yet.

[lizzywednesday]

Ok, it sounds like I have some things that could work. I am planning on this being our first night away from the baby and so would pump before we left the hotel, not nurse. Does that make a difference too?

It definitely makes a difference.

Find a place to pump at the reception if possible. My DD was an early March babe & our anniversary is early May.

We left her with the ILs to celebrate ... I didn't bring my pump. BIG MISTAKE!

I was SO uncomfortable by the end of the night that I nearly cried. (DD was also asleep when we got back to the ILs' house to pick her up, so it was a double-whammy - no pump, no baby, rock-hard engorged boobs ... OUCH!)

I attended a July wedding and didn't repeat the mistake! (Wore a dress similar to this one: http://www.shabbyapple.com/p-52-ballerina.aspx)

I do recommend LilyPadz brand breast pads for a situation like this though, as they are not as thick as nursing pads, but definitely worked to keep leaks at bay:

http://www.lilypadz.com/

Also, assuming nursing is well-established at that point, you might be able to get an underwire nursing bra to help the dress fit nicely.

[BabbyO]

Many of my maternity clothes were regular clothes with cuts that accommodated the belly (empire waist, sack dress, etc). One of my favorite dresses is non-maternity and I wore it all the way up until the end of my pg. I'd wear that one again without thinking twice.

Similarly, I have a few maternity tops/dresses that don't look maternity and I'd wear one of those, too.

[citymama]

Totally wait and see. Heck, I have some maternity clothes I still like wearing (Gap yoga pants and capris!) because of the stretchy waist, but maternity dresses would have hung off me a few months post partum.

[JamiMac]

I would wait and see also. With all three of mine I could wear my normal jeans (maybe the bigger of the normal) in a week after birth. I would not have wanted to wear maternity clothes after birth, especially two months out. Your body may rebound quickly. Also, the right clothes can hide a multitude of issues. ;)

[ett]

It definitely makes a difference.

Find a place to pump at the reception if possible.

:yeahthat: I went to a wedding 2 months post partum and was so engorged by the end of the evening I couldn't wait to get home to nurse DS1!

[Mopey]

I will definitely check on that with the venue once the baby arrives.

And I am on the look out for a different dress in that case - if I have to pump at the party I will need something with more "access" on the top :( Oy.

[AnnieW625]

i'd wait and see. i was one of those unfortunate folks that despite EBFing I couldn't lose weight quickly......

i wore a maternity dress to a wedding 4mos post partum.

:yeahthat: I had similar results. I did not lose any weight after the first 17lbs that came off when DD1 was 3 weeks old until DD1 was 6 months old. With DD2 I wore a maternity dress to an event a few months after she was born and it looked okay. I still have a maternity tee shirt I can wear, and my black camisole is a small from Bella Maternity @ Target because it doesn't have a shelf bra. No one has ever said anything. Just wear what is comfortable for you!