Help staying stylish and looking good when I become a mum

[Givemethebiggestslice]

First child due shortly!

I’ve put on a lot of weight during pregnancy and am not happy with how I look but hoping I’ll slim back down with breast feeding/ buggy pushing.

Also developed loads of cellulite and strech marks, so not feeling too hot right now.

I’ve just started Mat leave so have had haircut, manicure, pedicure etc so I’m feeling a bit better about myself.

I’m struggling with clothes as I know I won’t be back in pre-pregnancy clothes straight away (bum and thighs have definitely increased one or two sizes), but I’m not sure what size I’ll be. I picked up a couple of cheap items in size 10 & 12 from charity shops (I was an 8 pre-pregnancy) so hoping that will see me through the first few weeks.

I lack self esteem and looking half - decent is quite important to me and I’m determined not to fall into the frumpy Mum trap or let myself go.

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Be kind to yourself. The baby might come and want to be held all the time, or it might want to BF all night or it might scream all evening. The first few weeks are incredibly difficult and you'll be dealing with liquid coming from all orifices. Seriously, don't worry about your appearance initially, just do what you need to do to survive.

When you feel more human (and you will keep feeling more and more human until your youngest child is a few years old) then look around at some blogs or magazines and reassess your budget and shape and lifestyle and buy some clothes to suit.

There's no need to be frumpy if you don't want to (I've got 3 kids and a full time job and am pushing 50 and I'm slimmer and fitter than I've ever been and have a healthy clothes budget) but lots of women decide fashion isn't the most important thing in their life anymore or would rather enjoy food than spend time going round the shops looking at clothes or frankly don't have the budget anymore to buy fast fashion. And that's fine. Men care very little about their appearance but aren't called frumpy so if you aren't able to spend time on your appearance for a short while after having a baby then don't sweat it.

Avoid the mum uniform of joules, fat face, seasalt, white stuff and you won't go far wrong.

I fell into that trap as they are all very practical and fit in with that lifestyle but it's a one way ticket to frumpsville!

And I can say that as an ex frump.

Be kind! I agree the first few weeks are very hard. But it quickly gets easier! Are you planning to BF? Because nursing clothes truly are the land that fashion forgot. What worked better for me was to find normal clothes that I could BF in. There is a good group on Facebook called Can I breastfeed In It? where people post BF friendly outfits from the high street.
Wrap dresses are your friend, as are camisole tops. Maybe use your pre-baby mat leave to find a few options so you’ve got something easy to go to when you’re hideously sleep deprived but want to look good.
Also find a nice lipstick. It hardly takes anytime to put on and makes you look like you’ve made an effort even if you feel like the walking dead.

Yes planning to give breast feeding a go.

I’ve not bought any nursing tops but have several shirts that will be suitable for breast feeding. I’ve got a few Cloth & Stone ones from TK Maxx if you’re familiar with them, I don’t think they’re frumpy.