[MrsWhatsit]

This is a question for the experienced moms...My 20 year class reunion is August 7, and I'm due June 18. I keep seeing dresses that I'd love to wear, but I realize I have NO idea what any part of my body is going to look like at that point!

I might take a gamble on my waist being somewhat near normal size 6ish weeks after (I wasn't tiny to begin with), but what of the boobs? They haven't blown up crazy huge yet (THANK GOODNESS) but are all bets off when the milk comes in? Were you anywhere near your pre-pregnancy size 6 or 7 weeks after birth? Is there any way whatsoever to predict these things for your first pregnancy? (For reference, I'm generally curvy, average to largeish sized, and I'm 37, so I am not exactly expecting to bounce back like a 20 year old)

I just don't want to wait to go shopping too long...it won't be any fun when I'm really enormous and I have the feeling I'll be really busy after baby comes

 

[azdaisy]

Those are all great questions! As each body is different, it's really hard to say how your body will change between now and then, as well as after birth. My chest actually grew quite a bit during pregnancy, and as I was nursing, they happened to stay large for about two years. (I was still nursing after that, but I guess they just decided to shrink some...who knows???) As far as the rest of my body, it took quite awhile to be back to pre-pregnancy size (not sure I ever really got there!). I was actually feeling pretty good about my size a few months ago, then got pregnant, and so all bets are off, I guess. ;-)

On the other side of the coin, I do have friends who didn't gain much weight during pregnancy and were back to pre-pregnancy size within a couple months or so.

I'm sorry I can't really provide more info, but it's really difficult to say how each body will be affected by pregnancy, or even how a single woman's body will be affected by each individual pregnancy.

I hope you have a great time at your reunion...and just think of the wonderful baby pictures you'll have to show off!

 

[mediumcrunch]

If you breastfeed you can expect to be pretty top heavy at 6 weeks postpartum. Now as for the rest of you, you may be back in your old jeans or you may have a ways to go, there is really no way to predict until you get there. Sorry to not be more help.

 

[Pinoikoi]

I would get a couple of dresses you like in a couple of different sizes/styles from stores with really good return policies.. then you won't have to worry about it.

 

[Tulafina]

I'm not a great example....sorry

I started at 170(around a size 12-14) and ended up near 220pds with my first.... It took me 8 months to lose the weight because I was starving while nursing and ate a lot in the PP months. I think I was down 15pds by 6 weeks...that was it. And my boobs didn't get big until my milk came in. I went from a 36C do a 38 DDD in one night!! You should see the stretch marks!

They were gigantic(to me

) until the 12 mos PP mark and started to slowly go down to a 38D. I have never gotten back into my old bras. And my boobs balloon up with every baby now....oh well.

I am in the exact same situation as you...my 10yr reunion is happening 4w PP in July and I really don't want to look saggy and flabby but what the heck...I just had a baby....

 

[2xy]

Crashing.

I was an A-cup pre-pregnancy and only a B-cup while nursing, so don't necessarily count on being chesty. I tend towards being bottom-heavy if I gain weight. I gained 50 lbs. while pregnant and was never bigger than a B-cup. And no, I was nowhere near pre-pregnancy weight 6 weeks post-partum.

It really depends on your body type and how much weight you gain while pregnant. Pinoikoi's advice on buying a few different dresses is good.

 

[broodymama]

Other than a couple days of pr0n star boobs after my milk came in with #1, my boobs didn't change size during pregnancy or after birth.

My waist, on the other hand, yikes! A lady I used to know called it the "post-partum trucker belly" and that was a very accurate description for me, each time. Scary stuff.

 

[whozeyermamma]

Wow - are we having the same lives or what?

I'm due June 21 - my 20 year HS reunion is July 30!!! GAH. (I'm not sure I'm going to be able to go - it would require all of us to fly ... and me to go to the dinner with a newborn in a sling or figure out some way to have baby so close by that I could nurse at least once in the night ... we'll see.)

But - I totally feel your pain. I considered waiting a few months when we were TTC b/c of my reunion. Nope! Baby had other plans.

I can say that with DD (back when I was a youthful 30) I was back in pre-preg clothing in about 2-3 mo. I was flabby but could squish into them. But, I dropped weight VERY fast. I know lots of other moms where it took a long time.

My pre-preg breasts were a "nearly A" and went to about a B-C. NICE!

.

I'm going to wait to shop (and decide if I'm going) until after I have the critter, even though it will mean I'll get hosed on airfare. Either way I'm sure I'll be relying on a good pair of Spanx!!!

 

[at_the_hip]

For me personally, my boobs get huge so that I can't fit into 'normal' shirts for quite awhile while nursing...and my hips take awhile to have the bone structures tighten up too. Most people I know suggest giving yourself at least as much time as you were pregnant, to have your "old" body back or a semblance thereof, but for some it is closer to a year. The younger you are, the faster you *may* bounce back, but it's tough to say.

If you are bringing baby with you, you need to think about nursing accessibility - ie. shirt/skirt, or nursing dress. Even if you aren't, I would personally wait until 4 weeks or so after the birth. 6 weeks is so soon after and everyone is so different!

 

[cadejaxellamom]

When I had my first at age 21 I was back teeny tiny (size 2) in a couple months. When I had my last baby I was 28 and it took me until she was about 8 months old to get back into my pre-preggo clothes (and those were NOT the size 2's!). Though, I gain anywhere from 40-50 pounds when preggo (or at least my last 3 pregnancies). Like everyone else said, everyone is different, I have friends that I hate

who are back in their skinny jeans by the babies 2 week checkup, and others who still need to lose 20 pounds at the kids first b-day. And everyone has their "problem" area, I gain a ton in my butt and thighs and that is where mine is slow to come off, my stomach seems to somehow go back down pretty quickly. I think the advice to get a couple outfits (skirts/shirts best for breastfeeding) with stores who have a good return policy is great advice!

 

[slsurface]

I'm tall and thin (6-foot and 150 pounds), but with wide hip bones & shoulders. I was preggo with DS#1 at age 28. I gained 50 pounds, even though I was swimming 3x a week. I went from a small C-cup to a EE-cup! So a lot of my weight was in the chest. I actually went down to a DD-cup after DS was born and I was breastfeeding. I stayed that sized for the 2 years I nursed. As for the waistline, I could not wear any of my pre-preggo pants for about 6 months - I had a lot of extra skin (ew) and was a bit more poofy after having DS. I really didn't lose the last of the "baby-weight" until 9-12 months after DS was born.

I think it is very individual...perhaps you could ask a sister/mom about there experience, since it seems like women from the same family often have similar weight-gain and loss with babies. Good luck!

 

[Tiffanoodle]

I agree, everyone is different. In 2008, when I had dd, it was also my 10 year class reunion year. I had her June 23 and the reunion was August 23. (2 days later we made a 300 mile move out of state. That was a busy summer. lol) I didn't even think about buying a dress until the week before the reunion. My body didn't change all that much, but I didn't really have any way to know how it would change and what parts I would want to mask and what parts I'd want to show off. If you find a dress you're really in love with, I say get it a size or 2 larger. Ideally from somewhere that you could return it if it doesn't work out. Otherwise, I would wait until you know how things are going to look on you then. I know that for me, as much as I'd just had a baby and had an "excuse", I still wanted to look the best I could. Pride, I guess.

 

[bjorker]

I hate to say it, but there's really no way to know. As others have said, everyone is different. I was huge for a long time after dd, and it wasn't because of anything I did or didn't do. Plus the huge boobs for awhile, but it's hard to know how big they'll get and how long that'll last. I really would wait! :\

 

[GoBecGo]

If i were you i'd save money now and splurge on something that REALLY fits right before the event. By 5-6 weeks PP you will probably be able to leave baby with dad (or have them come with but have dad on baby-duty) and will value a couple of hours off. And that way you'll have something that fits.

Before DD i was 98kg (i can't do lbs, sorry!), i was 101kg at term, 95kg 4days PP and 76kg at 4 months PP. I can't remember much about 6 weeks PP except that nothing fit. My breasts were 36F before pregnancy, 36G during and 34J when i was nursing. They shrank as i lost my milk to 34E when i was 6 months PP. Despite losing the weight really fast i was at least 3kg lighter that i'd needed to be before for anything to fit because i totally changed shape.

This pregnancy the weight gain has been totally different (began at 88kg, went to 95kg almost right away, and now seem to be hovering there...) and i'm prepared for the pp period to be different too. Sorry it's so unpredictable!

 

[calpurnia]

crashing! I had my baby June 08.

SIL got married 3 weeks after DD was born, & I waited till the week before to find a dress. In the end, I was pretty much the same size as before, with RIDICULOUS breasts. I could fit into my pp bottoms but a lot of my dresses/tops wouldn't meet over my breasts.

I strongly recommend a nursing dress though. In my sleep deprived haze I thought it was fine for me to breastfeed at SIL wedding with my breast out over the top of my dress. I know lots of people here will disagree with me but I regret that now! All most people will remember of me is a gigantic blue veined milk dripping boob

 

[lisko15]

I'd wait until baby comes and make a trip with the baby and a family member to the mall or a store...

Depending on how your Mom, or a sister, lost weight after pgcy, that may shed a tiny bit of light on how you will. Or it may not.

In my family we lose our pgcy weight immediately. With DD I was down below my pre-pgcy weight 10 days after birth and very skinny. I know, its not very fair to all of you that struggle with baby weight.

Of course, this is with breastfeeding.

So for me, after DD, I needed new shirts because the bigger BBs were just WEIRD for me (I was just barely a B before DD, but after grew nicely into a C cup and stayed there). However, I needed different pants as none of my old pants stayed up.

Everyone is just so different... if you can check with immediate family members that might help... or my recommendation is go shopping with baby at 6 weeks PP or so.

If that's impossible, they do make lots of very pretty empire waisted shirts these days. Just get one with some extra room in the chest. But something like that would work, if its fancy enough, paired with dressy black pants or a skirt and heels.

 

[elisent]

I would expect to go up at least one cup size, maybe two. I remember with my first being surprised that although I lost the weight quickly my shape seemed to have changed somehow - my hips were wider?

I would wear something that conceals the bottom and shows off the top.

 

[laneysprout]

I think it can be really tough to predict. I lost about 30/58 lbs. immediately postpartum, and then the rest of the weight trickled off over the next six months. But even once the extra weight was gone, my shape was still different and this impacted what sizes fit comfortably.

This time, I'm due 6/23 and I am a bridesmaid in a wedding on 9/3. Decisions about the dresses needed to be made before we even knew were expecting. But since we were TTC at that time, I ended up ordering a size 10 (and would normally order a size 4), thinking I can just have it altered as it gets closer to the date. This might not be as practical in your case, but if you found something you really loved on sale, maybe you could get it a few sizes bigger and then have it modified before the big day.

 

[Mamja]

I lost my PG weight within 2 weeks. Then again, I was chub to begin with, and only gained 18lbs. I find that people who don't gain that much tend to lose it fairly quickly.

However, as to the SHAPE of my body, I think that is forever changed. My belly is larger and floppier. So while you may get back down to your pre-pg weight, you might not fit in the same size.