Postnatal frump...help!

[crazybutterflylady]

So, what did you all wear after you'd had babies?! I am really struggling! My tummy is a train wreck: jelly and full of stretch marks... I am feeding so need stuff to be accessible although dont really mind if it's not, I can manage most of the time through timing feeds to be at home.

I am a size 12-14 usually but more 14-16 at the mo since LO only arrived 11 days ago. I could do with some nice things to cheer me up about the state of my body! I have white chunky legs (now covered in stretch marks) and big hips so can't really do skinny jeans but would toy with leggings and tunic type things but would like some knee length summery dresses - all the ones I have tried only just skim my bum! I must be getting old

Would be very grateful for any help you can give in making me feel a bit more human!

[crazybutterflylady]

quite chunky legs not white - am blessed with olive skin.

Apologies for all! The! Exclamation! Marks!

[yoey]

I'm in the same boat. I've nothing useful to say as I rarely leave the house and I rarely wear anything but pyjamas. I just wanted to extend sympathy! I do have 2 outfits- leggings and a tunic from jojomamanbebe and a bf-friendly dress from the same shop which with leggings isn't too clingy. I'm going to wait until my bazookas calm down a bit before trying to improve my self esteem and I'll start with a good nursing bra from hotmilk- they're the nicest around, though at top of my price range.

[wideawakenurse]

Congratulations!

Day 11 is very soon after birth, don't be so hard on yourself. Your body needs more time to recover from the birth and settle down a little.

I would say that if you feel that eventually you want to lose some weight, then don't spend loads at the moment. Saying that a few good pieces will be useful and you could always sell or store away if you are pregnant ever again.

Rather than leggings, as it might be a bit hot for them, what about some chinos that you can roll up. I have some from Zara and New Look. They are practical but very fashionable at the moment.

Also, would you consider a maxi dress? this one gets excellent reviews from many posters here. Also from WC is this dress and this tunic. You can also put a thin vest top underneath and go for the one top up,one top down method for BF.

I have this t-shirt in white, I cannot praise it enough and it does not fall off the shoulder like in the picture. it's very comfy, but the sleeve detail makes it smarter than just a t-shirt.

[crazybutterflylady]

Thanks wideawake they all look fab. I have a few maxis already but feel pregnant in them - mainly because they were all I fitted in during the last trimester! Maybe a new one will make me feel less like I'm just wearing stretched clothes. The shorter dress looks perfect too. How do the WC sizes come up?

The tunic is gorgeous, I might order a few bits from WC and see how they look. I am hoping to have more babies (eventually!) so I don't mind spending a bit to make me feel a bit better about myself as I can't see me fitting into my old clothes for a while judging by the stretch marks on my legs - too depressing to even try at the moment!

The t shirt is lovely - does it cling around the tummy area tho? It looks quite tight on the model?

[wideawakenurse]

I find that dresses from WC tend to run true to size. If you say you are a 14-16, I'd go with a large. Although if you think you can get to a store then you could order a M and a L, they take returns back at stores I believe. There is always some discount code floating around too.

The t-shirt is very forgiving on the stomach area. My tummy is my worst area, and I don't find it clingy at all. It's lovely in the navy too.

If you feel like it, slap a bit of Johnson's holiday skin on your legs, it's very forgiving in that you can apply it pretty quickly without getting streaks and you might feel a bit more confident about your legs.

I promise that you will be feeling better about it all soon, please don't be harsh on yourself.