What are you doing for postpartum clothes?

[tracymom1]

Okay, I admit it. I am over 20 pounds heavier now than I was at 2 weeks postpartum with my last baby. Thus, not one item of clothing (even my 'big' clothes) even remotely fits right now. I have literally been wearing the same skirt and top for the last week. I had to laugh out loud at the comment in the postpartum chat thread about wearing pajamas out in public and looking like a mess - that is TOTALLY me!! I am single-handedly giving postpartum women a bad rap because my PJ's are the only clothes I have that fit!

I know that I will not start shedding the fat until I start working out again, which will slowly begin on Monday. I also know that for the remainder of the summer, I will not be able to fit into any of my clothes. Hopefully by fall/jeans weather I will be able to wear a few things.

Should I bite the bullet and buy a few new things, knowing that they would only fit for the next month or so or do I make due wearing DH's boxers and tee shirts? I checked out the goodwill and couldn't really find anything worth buying. Does anyone have any ideas?

What are those of you who have no hope of wearing your 'regular' clothes doing?

[kawa kamuri]

I don't even want to look at my pre-pregnancy clothes. They fit a different me. I'm just eight days postpartum but so far my outside clothes have been stretchy "yoga" pants, leggings under a dress and maternity jeans. I'll probably have to buy some transitional pieces but not just yet. I got rid of a lot of my bigger clothes pre-preg, foolish me. I have some skirts with stretchy waists and some that tie that'll will work. I know I look a mess but seriously, the world can bite it. 

[Janae]

I have yet to birth our baby, and I'm already looking at my closet knowing that I will just keep on wearing what I've been wearing for the past 4 months! I second Kawa- Stretchy skirts, dresses with leggings and yoga pants- anything comfy.  It is what it is for right now.  Do the best you can and remember it took a long time to put the weight on.....it's probably not going to come off over night! (easier said than done...i know)

I'm just looking forward to being able to move and breathe regularly!

[kawa kamuri]

I have to say that being able to move and breathe like an actual human is amazing! I feel awkward, stretched and flabby but I much prefer it - especially knowing it's transitional and temporary - to being heavily pregnant. Today I wore a pair of jeans that are at least three sizes too small (I was unable to zip or button but they do fit over my ample hips) paired with a BellaBand and a stretchy, form fitting tank. I have a tummy but whatever, so do a lot of gorgeous women who didn't just birth a baby. Something else that helps me postpartum is taking care of things like nails and hair, shaving and whatever other grooming I'm able to fit into my spare time*

*that was a hilarious joke about having time much less time to spare but really, I do what I can because it makes me feel marginally attractive.   

[Bald_Bull's_Mama]

I went out and bought a couple of knit, elastic waisted shorts. I'll wear them as jammas/lounge pants later on. I got black, white and grey so I can mix and match.

[Smokering]

I bought a few breastfeeding-friendly, not-too-tight tops to wear PP before I had the baby. They fit OK - my belly-binder helps squoosh me in! I can wear some of my pre-pregnancy tops too. For bottoms, though, I'm limited to my two pairs of maternity jeans and a couple of pairs of drawstring pyjama pants. I did wear a pre-pregnancy skirt the other day, but I had to hike it up to just under my breasts for it to fit! :p And I optimistically tried on my pre-pregnancy jeans the other day, but that was a mistake...

It's not ideal, but then, my wardrobe never is. Once I shrink back to my regular size I'm determined to sew myself some awesome steampunk, retro/vintage, and otherwise arty clothes for myself. In my head I dress awesomely, in swirly ankle-length coats and quirky top hats and underbust corsets... but in reality I pretty much slob through the day in whatever I can pick up from the op-shop. It must cease!

[amaayeh]

I went today and bought a few stretchy knit dresses (low-cut so easy to nurse).  I was hoping to find some more skirts, but didn't.  I'm going to look again on Saturday.  All the cute strappy dresses, though, look terrible on my chubby arms right now so I need a little sweater or something to cover (and I am in Northern California so I can actually do that...have always lived in Texas before and couldn't!). 

I agree with Kawa - I much, much, much prefer being able to breathe and move than being heavily pregnant.  It feels amazing!!! 

[Snowflake777]

I'm 25 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight, so I have no choice but to buy a few things unless I want to leave the house in pajamas. To be honest I'm feeling a bit crap about the way I look, so having a few things that fit is good for my mental health.

I got a couple of new skirts and a shirt today, and I'm planning on getting some more. I tried to buy things in styles that won't look silly when I go down a size or two.

[jshannyn519]

I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight, but a lot of my clothes don't fit right because of the flabby PP belly that I'm dealing with. I'm pretty much wearing t-shirts, tank tops, and elastic waist shorts 24/7 because they're cooler and they're comfortable. I bought a pair of compression underwear today that will hopefully help squeeze everything back to where it used to be so that I can fit my clothes right. I'm afraid though that at some point I'm going to be submitting a request to my insurance company to pay for the removal of a big chunk of floppy skin off my belly, aka a panniculectomy. Once I lose even more weight there will be even more skin and I can see myself having to tuck the skin apron into all of my clothes. That's hardly attractive, or healthy since yeast and such can grow in skin folds. Yuck.

[springbride]

At 6 days PP I'm 1/2 way between my pre-pregnancy weight and my delivery weight.  Right now I live in yoga pants, nursing tank tops and I throw some sort of shrug on if I'm going out.  I tried to put on some of my PP clothes yesterday and decided that's not going to happen for another week or two.  

 

[heathenmom]

Originally Posted by jshannyn519 

I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight, but a lot of my clothes don't fit right because of the flabby PP belly that I'm dealing with. I'm pretty much wearing t-shirts, tank tops, and elastic waist shorts 24/7 because they're cooler and they're comfortable. I bought a pair of compression underwear today that will hopefully help squeeze everything back to where it used to be so that I can fit my clothes right. I'm afraid though that at some point I'm going to be submitting a request to my insurance company to pay for the removal of a big chunk of floppy skin off my belly, aka a panniculectomy. Once I lose even more weight there will be even more skin and I can see myself having to tuck the skin apron into all of my clothes. That's hardly attractive, or healthy since yeast and such can grow in skin folds. Yuck.

OK, I know this thread isn't about this specifically, but I have to ask .... will insurance PAY for that?  I always assumed it'd be considered cosmetic so never even considered that I might be able to get this done.
 

 ETA:  I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight too, but hardly anything fits right.  I bought a couple of knit dresses from Walmart.  The bodice is like a tube-top; they have spaghetti straps, but they're too long and I haven't had time to try to alter them so I just tuck the straps into the top and wear them strapless.  Aside from them, I have a couple of pre-preg dresses that have necklines with deep v's that cross ... have no idea what the proper term for that is, but they do okay for nursing.  Other than that, I desperately need some nursing tops and nursing bras.  And skirts.  And shorts, and a BATHING suit (I want to go swimming soooo bad ...).  So, basically, I need a whole new wardrobe and we're pretty much broke.  So, strapless dresses from walmart it is.  LOL

[jshannyn519]

Originally Posted by heathenmom 

OK, I know this thread isn't about this specifically, but I have to ask .... will insurance PAY for that?  I always assumed it'd be considered cosmetic so never even considered that I might be able to get this done.
 

If there is a medical reason for it, most insurance companies will cover it. Usually you have to have either the potential for skin issues, or actual skin issues starting to develop. You have to get it pre-authorized, which requires your doctor saying that you're having skin issues that will only be solved by removal of the excess skin.

[erigeron]

Blah, I have clothes that cover my body, but nothing that really looks all that good. Most of my pre-pregnancy summer wardrobe was pretty tight-fitting. When I worked during the summer, my work clothes were less so, but I typically wore long sleeves to work since it's always over-airconditioned, and our house isn't. Most of my button-down shirts don't fit me properly and that's all I want to wear since I'm taking it off 2067240720 times a day to nurse. So I am wearing a few flannel shirts and luckily my enormous wardrobe of skirts and PJ pants is still active. We've had to take the munchkin out multiple times this week and I haven't thought much of my appearance any of those times, but oh well.

[jshannyn519]

Are button-down shirts really easier for nursing? I've always found them to be annoying because I have to juggle the baby while I'm unbuttoning a bunch of buttons. I just wear looser t-shirts and tank tops and lift them up to nurse.

[heathenmom]

Originally Posted by jshannyn519 

If there is a medical reason for it, most insurance companies will cover it. Usually you have to have either the potential for skin issues, or actual skin issues starting to develop. You have to get it pre-authorized, which requires your doctor saying that you're having skin issues that will only be solved by removal of the excess skin.

So gross, and probably TMI, but I get yeast rashes ALL the time from it.  I've always just managed it on my own, i.e., I was too embarrassed to go to the doctor about it.  Guess that was a bad decision.  :/
 

[jshannyn519]

Originally Posted by heathenmom 

So gross, and probably TMI, but I get yeast rashes ALL the time from it.  I've always just managed it on my own, i.e., I was too embarrassed to go to the doctor about it.  Guess that was a bad decision.  :/
 

The good news is that it's not too late to do something about it! Go see the doctor and see if they can help get your insurance to cover the surgery, if that's what you're wanting. I used to work for an insurance company and we covered panniculectomies for gastric bypass patients after they had lost a whole bunch of weight and needed to get rid of the extra skin.

[erigeron]

Right now I've been favoring button-down shirts for nursing because I don't have any nursing bras. So I can close a button-down shirt around me for a little coverage. And either way I have to finagle an arm out of a sleeve. I dunno though, it's probably six of one, half-dozen of another.

[kawa kamuri]

I don't own button down shirts or nursing bras - I strictly flop the boob over a tank top. 

In other news: my SIL is getting married in early October when I'll be just about 3m pp. I have no idea what to wear and feel considerable stress from not only finding something cute but the money involved in purchasing things I'll never wear again. I seriously own no grown up lady shoes, for example. Jeans, tank top, a cardigan, flip flops if I can get away with it minus freezing. I am not the fancy woman. My SO recently bought a suit and will look fly. I won't yet be the size I'll end up, I'd like to try not to have my nipples be the star of the day but with a young baby I'll no doubt be nursing near constant. I have no idea. I'm trying not to stress. Oh gosh, I have like twenty kids here who own no dress clothes. What a pain.  

[erigeron]

How formal of a wedding is it? Do you know anyone who you could borrow an outfit from?

[tracymom1]

Amazon has some nursing dresses that aren't too expensive and pretty.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=Nursing&rh=n%3A1285229011%2Ck%3ANursing&page=1

I had to get a few nursing dresses last time around because we had holidays and a wedding, too. I am so glad I did because I really wanted to be comfortable nursing in front of a lot of people and hiking a dress up over my head would not be very comfortable, lol!!