how long did u have to wear maternity clothes post-partum?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

just wondering, how long is this going to last. where "this" referring to still looking/feeling pregnant, even though MONTHS have passed since baby was born.

anyway went clothes shopping for pants today (since still none of my pre-prego pants are even close to fitting) and it was so so depressing. at JCrew, Gap and they didn't have a size big enough to accommodate my humongous belly. Nice. I ended up having to go to Pea in a Pod to buy pants that actually fit properly and were somewhat flattering. how great is that. maternity pants in size Small fit perfectly. whereas a regular size 12 at Gap or JCrew doesn't cut it. So u can imagine how big my tummy still is (compared to the rest of me) and how i still really do look preggo. i don't know, with 5 months and zero weight loss, i have a sinking feeling that i'll be wearing maternity clothes forever.

argh, maybe i should have put this in the Bitching post.

[newg]

I voted 6-12 months because I ended up wearing some of my maternity tops for a while because they were just so comfortable and loose and easy to nurse in, and I really didn't get back in my pre-pregnancy pants until DD was about 6/7 months old.

I found I had more of a muffin top after and needed to go out and find some pants that had a different cut than I would normally wear. I also started doing a 'mommy and me' exercise class and that really helped tone my body and get me back into my regular clothes.

[luckytwenty]

I was pretty lucky with my previous two pregnancies, despite gaining a lot of weight (36 lbs & 42 lbs.) I know I had 15 lbs. to lose at my 6 week check up the last time (the first preg, stress from things gone awry and pumping/breastfeeding issues eroded all the weight in a month) and then I worked out pretty hard (spinning, cardio mainly) and lost that in another 6 weeks. My belly remained puffy looking until I stopped nursing, so while I was in most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, I didn't really "pull them off," though, until I weaned. And that was weird: within 2 weeks I had my old, flat belly back but an extra 5 lbs. that I then had to worry about losing.

I think hard-core cardio is the way to go with post partum weight, even if it takes a while for the rest of your body (ie your uterus!) to cooperate. Running, spinning, boot camp, etc. It's very hard to diet especially if you are nursing--and even if you're not, I found it hard to follow a specific plan just because your life is so hectic. But if you can get in a really great workout most days, you will not only have the other benefits of stress relief and calmness, but of course it burns a lot of calories.

(Disclaimer: I am a gym rat. I am still spinning 5 months pregnant. My advice may not apply to people who don't love working out!)

[twowhat?]

I didn't fit back into my pre-preggo clothes until about 10-12 months post-partum. And I just recently sold my maternity clothes (as in, just a few weeks ago when I felt sure I didn't need them anymore!) And I didn't stop wearing my maternity clothes until I went back to work, a few weeks ago So...definitely give it time, esp if you are BF.

eta - I still have a muffin top. I KNOW it ain't going away.

[jgenie]

I think we delivered within a week of each other. I feel your pain. I have lost most of my pregnancy weight but the pounds that are left are in my belly. None of my pre-pregnancy clothes fits me. I generally hang on to the last of the weight until I stop nursing - so only another year for me. UGGHH!!! I finally picked up a few pieces in larger sizes to get me through the next year. I need to get back on the treadmill but I'm averaging 4 hours of sleep a night so that won't be happening anytime soon. I keep reminding myself "9 months on - 9 months off". Don't know what I'll change that to after we hit the 9 month mark.

[wellyes]

i don't know, with 5 months and zero weight loss, i have a sinking feeling that i'll be wearing maternity clothes forever.

Oh that stinks, I'm so sorry. Are you nursing? Not a judgmental question, just I always thought that nursing helps a lot with weight loss since it burns several hundred calories daily with about no effort. I know with me the pounds shed super-fast -- like in a month. But maybe I was just lucky.

[wendibird22]

Pre-preg I was a size 6. After DD2 I wore my maternity pants for maybe a month and then pulled out my post-baby clothes from DD1...size 14s. I am just now, 6mos postpartum, wearing my sz 6 shorts from 2 summers ago. IIR after DD1 it took longer...probably a year to get back into my pre-preg clothes.

There's nothing more depressing than going back to work wearing clothes 4 sizes bigger. But I wanted to wear "normal" looking things so I bought cheapo pants from Walmart and Target.

[katydid1971]

You might want to try more "mature" clothing stores (chicos, talbots, macy's, nordys) They tend to cut the pants to go higher on the waist and help cover the flab o skin that your beautiful baby left hanging where nice abs use to be. There are a few brands of jeans (Not your daughter's jeans is one) that are made to suck in your gut. I have some from macy's that are the house brand "style & co." that are cut high and help hold in the gut. It might make you feel a little better about yourself.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I agree with pp, you might want to move out of jr. clothes' type stores (I know Gap isn't really juniors but the cuts are different than others). I have to go with mid-rise stuff- there is no way in the world that with this extra belly skin that I could pull off low rise things (another thing to keep in mind since I don't know what cut you are buying).

I was out of maternity clothes almost immediately but w/ ds2 I wore yoga pants and a size up in regular pants for a few weeks (maybe 2 months even??).

Beth

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thx everyone for the replies.

to answer some of the questions... yes i am nursing. my son has gotten nothing but breastmilk (up until a week or so ago when we introduced rice cereal); I never supplemented. this is what makes it all very maddening, because i was told by practically EVERYONE (hospital nurses, friends, family members, online articles) that nursing --> faster weightloss. I am living proof that this is just NOT TRUE, at least not for everyone. It seems like nursing actually makes me hang on to weight more than anything else. I don't know, i think there should be a disclaimer about this somewhere!!

Also, while i'd love to exercise, going to gym is out of the question for me right now, for many reasons (no family around to provide childcare, only one car, and as jgenie said, with a baby this age some days i only get few hrs sleep so it's a struggle to just get thru the day). Also, exercise doesnt help with weightloss for me anyway. I ran the Boston Marathon 5 years ago, and even with 5 months of intense training (running 20-25 miles a week), i never lost a pound nor did my clothes fit any better. So, I only exercise for the stress relief/enjoyment factor; i never expect weight loss from it because it just doesn't happen for me. The only way i have ever lost weight is to eat less (which is easy for me, normally, but IMPOSSIBLE when nursing).

As for style/cut of pants, i really must use low-rise style pants as hi-waisted pants do not fit me at all, even b4 i was pregnant. I pretty much have no waist and relatively narrow hips (pre-preg I used to be able to wear men's jeans!). So the more "mature" style of clothes dont' fit at all and plus make me look like i have hips larger than i do, which isn't flattering. Also, most of the mature style clothing seems to be more formal stuff like for work clothes, and i'm a SAHM so i need more casual stuff (casual khakis, jeans, etc).

sorry if i sound so pessimistic, it's just so super-frustrating to be in this situation. i am really trying to figure out what i am doing wrong. so far three different people have asked me if i was pregnant/when my baby was due (my son was not with me at the time). argh!!