Postpartum body………it took me by surprise.
After spending 8 months watching my body slowly grow and change to have it suddenly feel like a squishy deflated balloon didn’t feel so good. It felt odd and empty.
I missed my pregnancy belly and the rest of me felt bloated and achy. My boobs hurts from my supply coming in then they had a week of one being twice as big as the other as they evened themselves out (spoiler…the left is still slightly fuller than the right). I had a tummy but it was squishy and my organs and uterus were slowly making their way back into their original place leaving my abdomen feeling loose and confused. My arms and thighs felt like I had ziplocks of salt water taped to them. Honestly, I just felt gross. It’s not that I felt “fat” but I felt misshaped. I just wanted comfort and functionality while I transitioned from being a pregnant woman to being a new mom and to feel as much like “myself” as possible.
So below I linked some of my favorite items to wear postpartum. I am still going through changes as I am just over 4 weeks postpartum now and have a few weeks before I can get back to exercising and hopefully my body adjusting better to the new changes.
Belly Binders– I have two belly binders. One I got for the first week postpartum that wasn’t as tight and easier to manage with velcro and the other is more of a corset shaper that I like to wear under my clothing when I am out and about. Note that I didn’t transition into the corset until closer to three weeks since I found it very tight and uncomfortable while my organs settled back into place. I feel the corset is best after using a softer belly binder. Both offer the feeling of being held in and distract from that empty womb sensation and have AWESOME lower back support which you will need. You’ll find that as one of the most surpising discomforts the first month.
Nursing Tanks– Mama, get ready to live in these those first few weeks while you’re at home and especially at night. I really underestimated the importance of these and I strongly, STRONGLY recommend grabbing about 5-7 of these for the week because you’ll find yourself not being able to do laundry as often as you may think.
Leggings- Even after birth I still found maternity leggings to be the most comfortable for the first two weeks. The elastic doesn’t dig into your new squishy belly and I liked wearing them high up UNDER my belly binder to avoid any skin irritation. They fit a little loosely but I found this more comfortable than spanx type leggings since my body just went through so much trauma and you’ll be wearing those awesome depends diaper type things having extra room is key. Also at this price you can stock up on multiple pairs!
Underwear– For the first few weeks you’ll find yourself wearing….basically adult diapers as you continue to bleed while your uterus settles back into place (FUN!). Then you’ll slowly start to bleed less and be able to wear normal pads. If you’re like me you were a thong girl before so wearing full coverage underwear is a bit daunting. I found these awesome affordable multi packs of seamless underwear that feels less bulky and are transparent under clothing. I strongly recommend buying two packs, because again, laundry doesn’t get done as frequently as it used too.
Nursing Bras– You would be surprised at the VARIETY of nursing bras you’ll want and need. I found not one bra did all jobs, especially once you start wearing “outside clothing” aka not just leggings and nursing tanks around the house. I strongly suggest a mix of nursing bras that can be worn under normal tops, soft ones for night nursing and strapless nursing bras since you’ll find strapless clothing is your new BFF. I also included some nursing pads becuse you’re going to leak a lot those first two weeks, YAY!
