Hey friends! Happy Wednesday! Over the last week, I have been chatting with y’all quite a bit about my postpartum period [aka my fourth trimester] and some of the battles I’ve been facing during mine. I have found it refreshing to open up and find that so many of you, during yours, felt or went through some of the same things. These conversations were life-giving for me and, from what you’ve said in my DM’s, it was great to hear about my reality for you, as well. It seems like some of these topics just aren’t touched on enough on social media. Of course, it’s a vulnerable time so it can be hard to be open about things like body changes and stuff but, I do feel it could be helpful for our mental health to do so. I heard an OB say something that really brought that idea home with this simple quote: “You, as mama’s, shouldn’t scare anyone with being open about your experience but you shouldn’t sugarcoat it, either.” I really liked that.
One of the things I opened up about and that you guys asked me to highlight a little more is what I’ve been wearing during my immediate postpartum period – most specifically, right when I came home with Louie and was in full-on recovery mode. Something I learned during this time is that every woman’s body is different after delivering their children so the first thing I’ll say is be nice to yourself! You could recover quickly and be able to wear things you did prior to giving birth but, for many others, that won’t be the case and that is OKAY. Both scenarios are NORMAL. Okay, here we go!
I cannot recommend these pajamas [similar option] enough! I have worn them so much over the last six weeks. The buttons made nursing and pumping a breeze. The material is super soft. The bottoms were long enough for me to wear them over the bump I still had post-delivery. Once my incision had healed a bit, I was able to wear them under my bump so, either way, they were super comfortable and not tight AT ALL. I wore them anytime we had guests over, like John’s mom, as I felt like they kept me warm [being that he was a late March baby] and made me feel like I looked as presentable as I could during this time. HERE is the short sleeve version to consider if you’re delivering this Spring or Summer! HERE is another version of the pants and come in a bunch of colors, just to throw another option in the mix!
The little graphic below shares quite a few of my fourth trimester style go-to’s. I’ll chat through a few of them [and highlight a few more down below!
Another must, in my opinion, especially during your hospital stay, is this night dress.
I’d also recommend something like this dress for that first pediatrician visit after baby is born. I bought it last year and, if it was warmer outside here in London, I’d be wearing it out for walks. Anything loose and flowy has my name written all over it during this time, although you girls know feminine flowy dresses were very much my thing before pregnancy too! A good pair of slippers [mine in the hero photo of today’s post are old from Anthropologie] is another necessity being that you’re kind of living in a bubble those first few weeks, especially if you’ve had a C-section. Although, I have heard it’s harder to live in that bubble when you have other kids to take care of but, generally speaking, it’s worth considering a cozy pair to live in. I had my hair up most of those early days so I’d recommend these silk scrunchies. No matter what type of delivery you had, I think jumpsuits are also a great choice.
Comfortable undergarments are also something to think about. Once you’ve moved past your mesh underwear days, I’d recommend these briefs as they didn’t hug my bump, which was really sore after having Louie. I’d also recommend THESE because of how insanely stretchy, comfortable and seamless they are. I have about six or seven pairs of these so I honestly grab for them quite a bit! Calvin Klein bikini briefs are my other go to lately. They’re so comfortable provide really good coverage, which I’m appreciating A LOT these days.
If you’re breastfeeding, it’s true that the Spanx nursing bra is worth every penny – I loved it! I also loved THESE from Amazon! And, last but not least, I’d also recommend the tank and jogger set that I’ve been wearing lately from Tommy John! Sadly, my code is no longer active but I cannot stop singing their praises. Everything is so comfortable. The material has some great stretch to it so my pre-pregnancy size has worked fine postpartum. I’ll keep you posted if I get another code from them!
I hope this little round-up of items was helpful! What mom / baby / postpartum topics do you ladies want me to share next? I always love getting my ideas straight from you! xo.
