Pre-Pregnancy
Just before I got pregnant last year, I lost ten pounds and my pants were fitting amazingly. I felt amazing.
Pregnancy
As the months of pregnancy started adding up, I knew that my pants would at some point cease to fit. For a while, I tried to delay the inevitable by wearing the BellaBand, but having my zipper down just felt weird. So I folded all of my pants up, put them on the shelf, and said, “I’ll see you in 9 months.”
Embracing the world of maternity pants was a fun ride. Elastic! My husband was jealous of my ability to wear comfy pants all day, everyday. We jokingly discussed having him wear them. Secretly, I still think he’d like to.
Here’s something no one told me: I’d need to move up a size in maternity pants later in my pregnancy. (My sister might have mentioned it, but she was having twins so I dismissed it as that. Surely, a single pregnancy wouldn’t need a bigger maternity size.) That’s when maternity pants stopped being fun. It took a few weeks, but I finally caved in and bought a bigger size. I was comfy, but wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
Seven or eight months into the pregnancy, the seams on my bigger maternity pants started to show. I didn’t think I was putting on *that* much weight. Seeing the white seams of my jeans changed my whole love of being pregnant. It was time to have this baby and get back into my pants.

Post-Pregnancy
I had a c-section and the most startling thing was to see myself three days after delivery. I had had the baby, right? Why the hell did my stomach look like something was still in there? “That’s okay, I’ve got this covered,” I thought. I had done my research and purchased a post-partum compression girdle. I’d wear it for two weeks and be back into shape.
Riiiggghhhtttt.
I did wear it for two weeks. And it did help shrink the belly. But not even close to enough.
Three months after the babe was born, I finally caved in and bought some regular jeans. In a size bigger than usual. A vanity size bigger. (So really, I didn’t know my true size.) They are the mid-rise jeans I never thought I’d own. My mom jeans. And they are a nice complement to my assortment of yoga pants and leggings.
I looked in the mirror a week ago and thought, “what the hell happened to me?” My mom jeans were saggy in the rear and tight in the tummy. I was hiding as much of my figure under huge sweaters and shawls. I hadn’t been this insecure about myself since high school when I thought my size was an men’s XL. Essentially, I’d given up.
That’s when a friend say, “Go buy one nice outfit. Just one.”
I’m nearly five months post-partum and I finally bought a pair of jeans that fit. It helped that the store I chose has amazing service and stylists to help fit you. I was so anxious in the store that I nearly left as soon as I walked in.
When the stylist asked about my size, I quickly said two sized above what I normally wore. When my stylist came to me and said, “Now, just trust me.” I knew I was in for it. They were black, stretchy, and skinny. I didn’t believe her for a second. What’s more, I couldn’t believe it when I needed a smaller size. They fit so well that I didn’t care about the number on the tag (or the price, for that matter).
In a nano-second, I felt amazing for the first time in over a year.
People will say that clothes are not important. Sure, they’re not important in the scheme of things. But when they affect how you feel about yourself, they are of utmost importance. As a new mom, I am learning how to remake time for myself. It takes 30 seconds to pull on yoga pants. And possibly two minutes for my new fancy pants. But using that 90 seconds is worth it. For me and for my daughter.

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