So Long Elastic...See You Next Time!
I returned to work at exactly 13 weeks postpartum, and I'll be honest--I wore maternity jeans the entire week. I rationalized this by not wearing my maternity jeans with the big elastic belly panel, choosing instead to wear my "real waistband" maternity jeans...which are basically just regular jeans but with an elastic waistband.
Like I'm some kind of toddler.
A really tall and chubby toddler.
When it got to the point where I was belting my maternity jeans to keep them up, I realized I had a problem. They were a crutch. A very comfy, stretchy, crutch--but a crutch all the same. I needed to break myself of my elastic habit, so I packed up all my maternity clothes and said, "THAT'S IT. No more maternity clothes allowed until Baby #2 is on his or her way!"
It was a little bit frightening...but also very liberating.
Time to move forward! Time to look ahead! Time to get back in the habit of using a zipper!
In honor of that liberation, here is the first outfit I wore to work after having Kate that didn't include one single "maternity" item:
Jacket: Old Navy
Top: Old Navy
Jeans: Gap
Shoes: Nicole
...and as soon as I got home I changed into my (elastic waist) sweatpants.
Baby steps!
9 comments:
I’m glad to know its okay to wear some maternity pants post-partum. That is going to be a scary transition! I always appreciate the honest experiences you share with - makes me feel like I'm normal! :)
My son is seven months old and I still have one pair of maternity jeans in rotation. And actually, I'm never taking them out.
Let me explain: These are the maternity jeans with the thin, smooth panel that you can either pull up or wear under your belly. I've never liked the line the waistband of my jeans makes when I wear a tighter t-shirt or sweater. So now I pull these babies on and it just looks like a layered tee on the bottom and absolutely no lumpy waistline. Love!
(Also, very comfy.)
I'm not even going to pretend to know anything about maternity clothes- I am no where near a bun in an oven.
I would like to comment on the length of your hair-- it's soo long! It looks great! Are you growing it out, or have you just not had the chance to cut it?
LB
Aw super cute top! Love it! Congrats on "big girl" pants again!
You know what I am realizing as I type this comment, with your house pictures to the right of the comment section? You love color--you wear it so well, and look how you did Kate's room. But your house is all neutrals. Well, except the orange wall. Do tell!
You look great, by the way.
jbhat
You look great! I hope I look half that good at the end of my mat leave!
Thanks for your comments everyone!
@Jillian--Those sound like magic pants. Where can I get some?
@LizzieBeth--Thanks! I've had super long hair my whole life, but cut it a few years ago to the shorter bob you're used to seeing. Ever since then G's been asking me to grow it back out, so I decided to finally give in. But I have to admit it's really DRIVING ME NUTS at this point, so I don't know how much longer I'll last before I chop it again!!
@jbhat--You're so perceptive. I love that. Our house has a really open floor plan which made using color pretty challenging. The entryway is more closed off, so that's why I could get away with doing the bold orange there. When we first moved in I pretty much had the entire downstairs painted in shades of green and I ended up HATING it! I decided neutrals suited us much better and it was more of a timeless look. I kept our bedroom neutral b/c I always promised G that I'd never do too "girly" of a master bedroom, and as you can see I love browns and ivories, so that worked out well. But when it came to the spare bedrooms I had a lot more fun with color.
As for my clothes, I have to admit that wearing color is a relatively recent development. Up until a few years ago it was pretty much a guarantee that if you saw me I'd either be wearing black, grey, or navy blue. I never wore color! But now I do and I have to admit it's much more fun. :D
Thanks for following up. So nice!
jbhat
I dread going back to my old wardrobe but at the same time I miss my non-maternity stuff dearly. Since I just had the baby though I feel I've still got some bonding time ahead of me with my elastic waistbands! :)
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