Postpartum Fashion

Dressing for life after baby doesn’t have to be difficult. I am no fashion expert but I have learned about the important pieces of clothing to have for after baby is here, so here’s my little two cents on some postpartum fashion.

Having a baby is huge life event (as I’m sure you already know) and you’ll like to think that you’ll be one of those people who leave the hospital ready to take on the world having just birthed a baby out a hole the size of bagel….but I’m sorry to break it to you, the majority of ladies I know do not have it that easy. I, for one, was stuck on the couch for two weeks post-baby and greeted all my guests in sweats I had been wearing for a few days covered in spit up and breastmilk. Portpartum is already such a very vulnerable time. Sleep deprived. Hormonal. Lack of confidence from trying to adjust with a new babe (especially if it’s your first). Take it from me, make sure you have plenty of clothes prepared for you before baby arrives.

For the first three months (ish) you’ll have three types of outfits: around the house, out and about, and on the rare occasion you get a night out.

Around the House

When you’re at home, and especially for the few weeks after you come home, you’ll want some super comfy clothes to hang around in. As your day and nights are mixed up, it won’t really matter if you wear your jammies all the time, but you’ll need something easy to feed that little one in too.

I found Target has some cheap nursing tanks that work great! I bought five of them so that I always have a clean one available. I lived in these for the first few months while at home because who actually wants to have to pull up shirts or stretch a shirt down to feed your baby ever hour or two? I know I sure didn’t! So throw on a nursing tank top and then just keep a light weight jacket or cardigan nearby if it gets chilly or for the evenings. Or in case your conservative grandparents come to visit and you don’t want to greet them in just a tank top and sweats.

Speaking of which….sweats. Lots of sweats. Comfy and cozy at its finest! But they don’t make you feel like they’re “fat pants”. And with that leggings are always wonderful too. But ladies, please be sure to cover the crotch and butt. No one needs to see that business. Especially right after a baby comes out of it.

tank top / jacket / sweats / slippers

Out and About

Hopefully you’ll make it out of the house within the first few weeks but the goal is to just stay comfy. Sweats in public when you have a one week old is totally acceptable! However, eventually you will want to pretend you’re a normal human being again and not just a walking zombie who is seriously sleep-deprived. So the goal for dressing when you’re out of the house is to keep it casual and colorful.

I know for me, I liked wearing fitted shirts while pregnant so that it was obvious I was pregnant. For years, my greatest fear was that I would be too fat for people to know if I was pregnant or not so my solution to that was wear tight shirts to make it more obvious. However, this makes it difficult postpartum when your body doesn’t shrink back up quickly. So have a few loose shirts ready for once baby arrives that you can wear. Besides, loose shirts make it way easier to nurse your wee little one when out in public rather than awkwardly having to pull a fitted shirt up (or down) while still maintaining some sort of decency.

A big thing for looking cute as a new mom while getting out and about and looking like you have it all together is ACCESSORIZE. Have colorful scarves, bracelets, and purses ready to glam things up a bit. Although chunky necklaces are super adorable and all the craze right now, not so practical when you’re carrying a sleeping baby around. Take it from a momma who ended up tossing the necklace in the diaper bag one too many times because it made snuggling the cute little newborn much more difficult.

As for shoes, keep it easy. Flats and slip-ons are going to be your best bet.

scarf / blouse / pants / flats / wristlet

A Night Out

I’m not sure where you might be headed for a night out with a newborn, however, on the off chance you get out (or have a wedding to go to like I did with an 11 day old), here are some tips.

Again, wear a loose-fitting shirt for easy access to feed the babe. I highly suggest a skirt below the knees because not many ladies want to look at their thighs right after having a baby, especially if that’s where lots of your baby weight went to.

Layers are great and make nursing in public easier. So having cute cardigans or sweaters available are great! And again, accessorize the heck out of your outfit to make it look like you have life together. Accessories really just add so much to an outfit.

  cardigan / skirt / pumps / purse

And there you have it. Postpartum fashion. Some tips from an amateur.

Do you have any tips of your own? What would you tell your pre-baby self on fashion to get prepared for life after baby?