Reclaim your postpartum style

A few weeks have gone by since I had my son and I’m only a couple weeks away from returning to work. The past few weeks I’ve been living day-to-day in anything and everything elastic. I’m wearing my husband’s sweatshirts, my maternity sweatpants and nursing tanks. It’s hot. Really hot.

I visited my work last week and I pulled out all the stops. I showered, put on real clothes, applied makeup and (gasp) put a curling iron to my hair. It was an amazing feeling to feel like a real woman again. This got me thinking about my return to work and my desperate need to reevaluate my wardrobe.  My body is obviously different than pre-pregnancy and even more different since I had my first baby. Things are settling in ways that I never imagined and nobody warns you of. God bless shapers.

Here are a few staples that I’m going to rock this spring as I return to work and just become a daily showering woman again.

Shapers

How have I survived without this constraining spandex before I had a child? I really like the Assets Open Bust Cami shaper. I can still wear my nursing bra with it and it gives my ladies a nice lift, which is nice considering the nursing bras don’t give much oomph. It’s reasonably priced under $30.  I purchased mine in-store from Target, or you can order it from Spanx directly.

Maternity Clothes

Wait. I thought this was a post about postpartum style. You’re right. As anxious as you are to pack away the maternity clothes, there are a few key pieces that you can and should still take advantage of. I’m still sporting my maternity leggings and skinny pants. I have them in black, bold colors like coral and blue and jeggings. Pair it with a tunic and nobody knows any different. I got this patterned mint tunic at Marshalls for $17 and paired it with my maternity black leggings and riding boots.

Jeans

A good pair of jeans will change your life. Since I still have the baby pooch, I’ve found that mid-rise and high-rise denim are the way to go to help keep that muffin top at bay. I’m a huge fan of the Curvy Gap jeans in either boot-cut or flare bottoms to help even out my birthing hips.

Accessories

A belt, skinny or fat, depending on the outfit helps you define your waist, while a great scarf will help draw the eyes up to your beautiful, glowing new-mama face.

A great pair of drop earrings from Towne and Reese or a bold necklace are other great ways to bring any outfit come to life. I’ve been wearing the Mother Nestling Birds necklace from Uncommon Goods that my husband gave me for the holidays. It’s made in North Carolina and is a great way to have my “baby birds” with me daily. Choose from one to four baby birds.

Blazer

This piece is a great way to feel “put together” and can be pulled off with jeans or dress pants. Lately I’ve been seeing them in a variety of colors and patterns which can really spice up an outfit. I recently purchased a coral blazer from Target and love pairing it with jeans.

Dresses

I currently love two styles of dresses. The knee-high wrap dress since it wraps right at the waist and works for everyday work attire. New York and Company has some cute options and I recommend wrap dresses that have a pattern to help disguise any lumps, bumps or bulges.

**Smarty tip – AAA member? You can get a 20% discount at NY&Co – just show your card!

Maxi dresses are another favorite of mine. The fabric is just flowy enough to be super feminine, but not moo-moo and you can put a belt around the waist to help create the definition you want. I’m a fan of the chevron patterns for maxi dresses and love the Gray Chevron Jersey Maxi from Saved By The Dress and the Splendid Pieces of Chevron Tie Maxi from Modern Vintage Boutique.

Pair either dress option with a cardigan and a belt or a blazer to really tie it all together.

Nursing tops

With baby number one I splurged on nursing tops. I quickly found this to be completely unnecessary. I highly recommend getting some good nursing bras or camis and wearing normal tops over them. They are much easier to navigate and much more cost efficient.

So many of us say we’re going to wait until we lose the baby weight to go shopping. We should embrace our postpartum bodies and be confident in our skin and clothes.

Smarty moms – what are some of your must-have postpartum style essentials?