Mommy Style Monday #28: Postpartum "Style" Week One and Two.

I placed a set of quotation marks around the word style because, in all honesty, the first two weeks of postpartum life are so flipping difficult that if you simply make it out of bed and into something other than a hospital gown, then you are doing great.  In fact, for the first four days of Angus's life, I was in the hospital bed, gown on, with only brief moments of moving to the bathroom and/or window (to remind me that, yes, there was a world left out there).  And bear in mind I only moved as long as my painkillers had kicked in.  (I am a big wimp when it comes to pain.  The pain, OMG, the pain.)

The very last day in the hospital, I attempted to dress myself and discovered that the blouse I had brought to wear (and it was maternity, I am not crazy enough to believe I could walk out of the hospital in normal clothing) was too small on my hips.  Wah!  I had worn it in my pregnancy and in no way, shape, or form was it too small on my hips.  I asked the nurse about this and she said that c-section mommas, because of all the fluids they give during surgery and thereafter, often keep the water weight in their legs, hips, and waists.  Well, yay for me.  No.

So thank goodness the shirt I had worn to the hospital still fit on the way out of the hospital.

5:15 AM, Sunday Morning, March 25, 2012.  Yeah we take photos before getting in the car to go the hospital to give birth.  Yeah, we sentimentally roll like that (even if Mr. Dina closes his eyes).  BTW, that bright yellow top saved me...I had nothing else to wear home from the hospital.  Take a look here to see it on me on the way home.

Once I got home, I spent all day Thursday in bed (Thursday was my first full day home).  I happily took my painkillers every four hours on the dot and slept as need be.

By Friday we needed to take Angus to the doctor, and I knew that it was really important for me to give it a go even if I may overdo it (and I did, btw, but I spent Saturday recovering, fwiw).

I still had a TON of water weight on my hips and legs, which meant that I still could only wear soft, comfy leggings (these are the Maternity Leggings from Boden) and super flowy, soft, soft, soft tops (this is an ancient J. Crew top made from a cotton jersey).  Since I was feeling a bit tired and ache-y, I limited my accessories to the J. Crew palm springs necklace and a pair of Missoni for Target flats.  I did manage a bit of makeup, but again, very subdued.

I absolutely love J. Crew's weekend wear, they do understand what "sort of stylish and comfy" can look like, and if you are in the throws of only being able to wear comfy clothes daily (for whatever reason), J. Crew's weekend wear is the place to go...especially on sale (which is the only way I will buy it, the pieces always seem to go on promo with an extra percentage off).

So since I still had a bit of water weight throughout my hips and thighs, I pulled out the Saturday pants in grey, added a pair of glitter flats, and put on my crewcuts star shirt (made from a super soft cotton).  My daughter asked me to...wouldn't have been my first choice but I felt bad that I couldn't spend a ton of time with her (constant feedings and sleeping prevented that) so I said sure.  I think I may have worn this outfit for a grand total of one hour that day, for dinner.  I figured it was better than nothing. :)

And here is where the true version of postpartum me comes out.  Because of the flowy nature of the first J. Crew top (the one in pink) and because the crewcuts top was black, I was able to really hide the effects of the water weight from the eyes around me (and your eyes, too).

However, on Monday (one week and one day after Gus was born), I heard we were going to Five Guys (mmm, Five Guys!), and I wanted to again just dress up a little.  So I pulled on the Boden Maternity Leggings, a Mossimo tank top (Target), the Paisley Gust Cardigan from Anthropologie, and my Cole Haan penny loafers.  I actually thought I looked halfway decent...until I saw the photos and realized you could for sure see all the excess poundage on my abdomen.

I could have changed, but in the end, I was all, "screw that."  I don't know.  Maybe I just felt good enough (thank you, Percocet), or maybe I was (and still am) proud that I carried a MASSIVE baby in my belly for ten months (well the massive part was only the last month or so) and was not afraid to show off the evidence of it, ESPECIALLY since I had just given birth.

I also felt proud that I was walking around, smiling, functioning, etc.  After my birth experience with both Rex and CW, to do so a mere week and one day is saying something.  (I had to use a cane after both of their births, for a couple of weeks, AND I was in far more pain with both of their births.)

Anyhow, I know that the above outfit is definitely a style "no," but because of the particular situation I was in, I actually believe it was a style "yes" because I had the exact right attitude to pull it off.  So there.  ;)

 Ah, Angus me boy.  (He looks so cute here.)

The top part of this outfit is actually salvageable, especially if I tuck the tank into a cute pair of jeans and add a statement necklace or a scarf.  BTW, we are at Five Guys.  My smile is directly related to my little cheeseburger I had just eaten.


(We go to Five Guys at least twice a month.  It is my local restaurant done good.  I grew up one block from the original in Arlington, so it definitely is important for me to see it succeed the way it has.)

Okay, so even though I owned my atrocious outfit (you go girl and all that jazz), I knew I had to learn from it...so the next day I decided to wear my pink maternity shorts, my striped blue/white maternity top, J. Crew necklace, and trusty Cole Haan penny loafers.

I clearly do not hold weight in my upper torso, arms, and lower legs, but I still felt I needed to wear a maternity top because I needed to have the extra give for the hips.

By Thursday (one week and a few days after Gus's birth), I was seeing the pounds falling off and my hips going back to semi-normal (still larger, but I could feel the difference when I put on certain pants).  Instead of these J. Crew pepper pants sitting below my hips, I was actually able to pull them on to my waist and almost cinch the tie.  The material is very flexible and (say it again now) soft, so I spent the day in a cashmere/silk/terry cloth heaven.  Yum.  Gus was in heaven, too, in his adorable striped bodysuit.

Still showing my curves here, but it truly is amazing what a body can go through.  I know women are meant to be able to do this, but it still boggles my mind.  (If you are a doctor or nurse, I am sure it is old hat by now, but for a lay person like myself, I am stunned by the human body's flexibility.)

This was taken nearly two weeks after Gus was born.  Again, still wearing the leggings and a super stretchy tunic, but I could see and feel the difference in my body compared to the first few days out of the hospital.  I wear that smile honestly.  By this point I was off the hardcore painkillers (quickest yet, btw, with Rex and CW I needed them for nearly four weeks) and felt so excited to go out and get out.

I know some of you saw these two photos already (the tunic was part of last week's Boden Weekly Review Roundup), but I wanted those of you who didn't see that post to understand how nice it felt to have a wardrobe piece that could work so effortlessly with my changing figure.

So here are my thoughts on postpartum "style":

1. It is going to be hard.  REALLY REALLY HARD.  Even if you don't have a c-section or complicated normal birth, your body will be your enemy.  For some women it will be WEEKS before you feel even semi-normal (this was me with Rex and CW, but not Angus).  For other women, you'll pop back into normalcy mere days after giving birth (and trust me, I am in awe of you if you do that).  But for most of us, we will be somewhere in the middle, between two to four weeks.

2. Your body will not bear any resemblance to its pre-pregnancy shape for a long while, likely.  Even though I have lost almost 26 pounds of the 31 I gained (as of today's weigh in), I still have an extra three inches on my waist, and an extra inch at my high and low hip.  And thanks to Angus being hungry constantly, I am now one cup size bigger.  For some of you, your weight will hang out in your belly, for others, you will gain near porn star sized "girls," and for some of you, your feet will have increased in size.  With Rex, I never got back to my normal size...I instead got pregnant with CW.  After CW, I was SO SURE that I would always be a size 10-12 in pants, and a size 8-10 in tops that I overbought and now have a ton of clothes that only fit when I was postpartum with her.  (Most of these I have since sold.)  It took me a whole year after she was born to get back to normal, BUT I DID.  And when I did, I was all, "oh, wait...my postpartum period was just really long, and that's okay."  And now I tell everyone, DO. NOT. OVERBUY. CLOTHING. WHEN. POSTPARTUM.

3. Because your body feels so different and so painful and so bloated (likely), just accept that style in the first couple of weeks is a fairly fluid notion...leggings, casual wear, stretchy tunics and top are all great.  If your feet don't see the inside of heels until months later, so be it.  YOUR body will let YOU know what you need.  If style means you simply got up, put on something other than PJs, took a shower, and maybe put on some lip gloss, then that is what the style is for you.  If, however, you feel fantastic and want to wear real jeans (with buttons and zippers, no less), then you go on with your bad self.  ;)

4. You may be in your maternity clothing for a full three months after pregnancy, so don't be in a super rush to sell or donate it.  If you had a c-section, especially, since that scar can be sore and sensitive...it makes sense to use pants with a belly band top rather than traditional button/zip pants until your scar is completely healed.  (Likely completely healed by six weeks postpartum, usually coinciding with your checkup with your OB/GYN.)

5. Oh, and because I didn't realize this myself until it was too late...you may need to bring more than one top and pants to go home from the hospital in...even what you are sure will fit you may not fit you.  Just bear that in mind when packing your hospital bag.

Anyone else have early postpartum style advice???

P.S. We'll talk soon...as  you all may have noticed, my blog writing is WAY down.  There are days where I am unable to get on the computer until way late at night, and because of my love for the vino, most of those nights I am just not really using the sharpest knife in my brain.  (Although I am sure my vino influenced posts could potentially be hilarious, depending on the amount of vino I have drunk.  Just kidding.  I only have one a night...I am way too lazy to pump and dump because I can't control my drinking habits.  Oh, to be 22 again.)

Boden Weekly Review Roundup: Then and Now.

Ooh, there's a lot out here today.  :)  Most of what you will see on me is a repeat, but because of my "new" body, the pieces are fitting me different, so I felt like this would be a service to give a revised look at the pieces again.  I do have at least a couple of new pieces in here, as well, so it isn't all re-runs.

A lot of blog friends have been active, so there is quite a few reviews from that front, too.

I have NO coupons right now, however if you use the code WCM1 (found this one from CC--THANKS!), you will receive an additional 15% off with free ship and returns.  I am planning on updating my sidebar to reflect that.

I will add a direct link to Boden's US site at the bottom of this post for all the mobile users...with the reminder of the code down there, too.

Okay, onto the roundup:

Regular Boden:

Uptown Heels.  I bought these in a size 40, which is one size down from my "tts" Boden 41.  That said, I often buy shoes from Boden in a 40, nearly as often as the 41, so who really knows anymore?

I have last year's Downtown Heels in a nice pretty neutral color and since I wore those a ton last year, I kind of knew getting these in the navy would prove to be a smart move.

I was able to get these shoes during the mid-season sale with a 20% off, and since they are now nearly sold out, I was fine to pay that amount.  Most shoes, though, I am holding off on because they are fully stocked, in all colors and sizes, meaning that those shoes will be around during the clearance in early July.

It was just warm enough to wear these today, with our temps in the 70s.

These shoes are narrow through the front (like the reviews say), so if you do have a wider foot, you may need to size up, but if you have a wider toe box AND a narrower heel, these will likely be the wrong shoe for you as the reviews all mention the heel being a bit too wide.  (Not my experience, by sizing down, the length is exactly right, the heel is just narrow enough, and the toe box is a touch too narrow, which will be fixed by the stretching of the leather over time.)  Quick note, I bought the 41 last year in the downtown, so if you own those, and want these, size down one from that size.

You can't really tell, but the navy leather has a yellow/lime piping, which was a great match for my old school J. Crew lace top.

Those pants, btw, are Johnnie b. and will be reviewed at the bottom of this post in the Clearance section.


Uptown Heels.  Almost all the shades are selling out, except the tan.

Border Print Tunic.  Worn originally in this review post.  I love this tunic as a maternity top/tunic, and really love it as a regular tunic/dress.  In fact, my hubby definitely wants me to wear it this summer as a dress, he likes it with leggings but thinks it will look really pretty with just a pair of flat sandals and bare legs.

I am in the size US 6, which hits right above my knees.

I was about two weeks postpartum here and found that the tunic, combined with the leggings (these are the maternity leggings I posted about here), managed to keep my lumps and bumps fairly well hidden.

CW made us laugh here, posing with her hands on her hips, too.

This is a better view of the side.  You can see how I still have a bit of the belly left here, but nothing that the pattern didn't help camouflage.  I love pieces like this post baby and post surgery, the leggings and tunic are so soft and forgiving and stretchy that they give confidence by just being something that fits and are "normal" clothes.  Don't get me wrong, I spend a good 50% of my days (even now) in pjs and sweats (surgery scars still hurt!), but to have pieces like these are so valuable.  :)



Border Print Tunic (top) and Maternity Leggings (bottom).  All of these are fairly well stocked, but there are a few on backorder and a few showing low stock.

Plait Trim Top.  I originally wore it here.

Wow, what a difference a few months and a whole lot of inches make.  This top is not short anymore. This is definitely tunic length on me now.  I sort of wish that they had a petite length (they don't...come on Johnnie!) so I could reorder and have it hit higher on my hip (more flattering, imo), but eh, whatevs.

The rest of my outfit is a mess, I needed a quick change outfit, so I grabbed my Duo Maternity white khakis (soft belly band better for the scar), flip flops, and my bag.  Watch out world for my wrinkled pants.

The top looks way better without the pants and flip flops.  :)  I wore this on Tuesday, so 3 weeks postpartum.


Plait Trim Top.  Definitely proving to be popular.  Nearly sold out, except a few sizes.

Flowerburst Scarf.  Wanted a bit of something something to wear out with my "hipster" outfit last night.  I am finding I am turning to scarves far more than I ever did in the past.  Huh.

Anyhow, I originally wore this scarf in the last few weeks of my pregnancy.  Since then, I have worn it multiple times, meaning that the cost per wear is getting lower and lower.  :)

Rest of the outfit will be discussed in another post (same is true with all the other outfits featured in this post), but for those of you who can't wait...pants, Garnet Hill; shoes, Mossimo (Target); top, Madewell.


Flowerburst Scarf.  All colors still very much available.


Casual Jersey Dress.  Wow.  That is all I can say about Egyptomaniac's review.  Not only is it super well written and thorough, but it also looks AH-mazing on her.  :)  (Sadly, the 20% off promo she published is no longer working, le sigh.)


Chic Spotty Tunic.  Poppy's Style hits a homerun again with this beauty, with bare legs and pretty flats, natch.  :)


Stripy Tunic.  Can I just tell you I am so glad I found Poppy's Style?  A woman who loves tunics as much as she does is a soul mate of mine.  :)  She looks quite lovely in the dusk version! 



Must Have Jumper (top) and Long Sleeve Breton top (bottom). Poppy's Style wears it much like Vanessa (in the top photo), with the radish must have jumper paired with the navy/white long sleeve breton top.  What a perfect combo!


Skinny Jeans. Lolcatgirl wrote a fab review of these jeans in a recent post over here at this blog. She says: The linen crops in white reminded that I've been meaning to post how much I like Boden's skinny jeans in white. The material is nice and thick and not see through. I've tried both the J.Crew and Madewell ones and they don't work for me.  Thanks, lolcatgirl!!! :)


Boden Maternity:

Breezy Jersey Dress.  I am so relieved that I could wear this, not pregnant.  I mean, I was fine to not ever wear it again, if need be, but to find out I can wear it and not look pregnant is nice, as I really love this dress.

I wore it here originally, and then again here.

CW is also in Boden, from last fall.  :)

Here is the front view.  I changed out the tie to tie in front, rather than the back.

FWIW, my friend who we were visiting for lunch did not think it looked maternity, which I was glad to hear.  ;)  However, I DO NOT recommend this dress if you are nursing momma.  Yeah, umm, not so good at that.  Next time I wear it, I will have a pumped bottle ready to go.  I worked it out in the end, but I don't plan on doing that again to the neckline ever again.


Breezy Jersey Dress.  Available in all sizes and colors.

Clearance Boden:

Slim Fit Cargos.  See the very first photo to see them in action.  :)

I bought a 32 Long after carefully deciding which measurements would work best for me. right. now.  I don't think I will likely wear these next fall (the waist and hips will be too large), but it is nice to have well fitting pants that are slim enough in the legs but still forgiving at the waist and hips.  I may take the waist in when need be, but these were SO cheap that I kind of don't mind not doing so and just reselling them.

I may buy the 30 Long for next fall as I like the silhouette, but I worry the legs will be too narrow, as the 32s are exactly the right measurements for my thighs and calves.  Hmm.

The length is perfect at 32 inches, but if you are shorter, or your inseam is shorter, the regular length is 30 inches.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...the lovely AJC did a wonderful overview of Boden, and many of their past styles in this post here.  It was great to take a photographic journey of the best of Boden.  :)

Okay, that's all.  Phew, there was a lot to cover today.  LOL.

Now I am ready for some wine (yay! WINE!).

Mobile users, here is a direct link to the website.  Remember, on your shopping bag page to use the code WCM1 for the additional 15% off.  :)


Night, night, all!

J. Crew: Fabiola Dress in Abstract Leopard.

Hi, everyone!  I have a spare moment here (one of very few spare moments!), so I thought since it is review day over at JCA, I would put a IRL review of the wonderfully flattering Fabiola dress here on my blog.

Last week I wrote a review for the JCAs but since my body was not *quite* ready for the dress, I decided to wait one week to see if I could fit into it better this week.

I did, but I am still not 100% ready to actually wear it in public, maybe one more week for that?  That's the thing about being postpartum, the body you have literally changes day to day...and this time around my body is changing in ways it hadn't with either of my other pregnancies.  I had always heard each pregnancy and recovery is different, but I am living proof of this with how remarkably different my body reacted to this pregnancy/recovery.  (Which I will likely cover in a Mommy Style Monday post, no need to discuss the details here in this post.)  :)

I had fallen in LOVE with this dress when I saw it on the website and when all the other blog friends wore it in their review posts, so I kind of knew that as soon as it went on sale with a % off, it would be all mine.

(BTW, if you are a blog friend with a review of this, would you drop the link in the comments?  I have been a bit behind in keeping up with all the reviews, help a sister out.)

This dress also had the benefit of reminding me of a dress I already own, also in a leopard print, but in a much more winter friendly fabric, the silk-wool watercolor leopard dress (wore it here).  Since I knew I loved that dress, I knew a "summer" version would be a good choice.

Pockets, pockets, pockets!  YAY!

Size 8.  I had read that this ran small through the bust, and with my hips being a problem area (regardless of postpartum or just my pear shape), I did not want to chance a size 6.  Even though all the bloggers mentioned that it was fairly full in the hip/butt/thigh area, I didn't fully believe it.

Yeah, they were right.  I am still glad I went with the 8.  It would likely fit me better in the size 6 at my BEST fighting weight, but honestly, sometimes it is just nice to have a super comfortable, yet still somewhat vavavavoom type dress in the closet.  Even with all the surgery scars and lack of energy and some pain, I put this on today and felt pretty darn good.  Really does sort of give proof to the idea that clothes indeed make the man.  (Or woman, I know.)  ;)

Here's my secret...I have a 30 inch waist now (normally it is a 28 inch non-postpartum) but some big time hip measurements (38 inch upper hip, normally 35 inches; 41 inch middle hip, normally 39.5; and 41 inch lower hip, normally 40 inches).  My bustline is (sadly?) nearly the same, le sigh.  The reason I could wear this today?  The teeny little bulge you see there below the waist?  Yeah, that's my "secret" pocket where all the excess baby weight is hiding out.  God bless you, J. Crew, for designing the exact right dress for my postpartum body...thank you for the little puff of fabric perfect for hiding a non-baby belly.  It's all in how you dress it, right?  LOL.

My silk wool watercolor dress has this, too.  (As do many of the J. Crew dresses, in fact.)  There are quite a few J. Crew dresses that I cannot wear right now, but these work, and for that, I am grateful.

Based on my current rate of weight loss (it has plateaued, which is fine), I may not get back to my normal hip measurements for a few months, and I am glad to know there are options for dress up time at my fingertips.

From the back.  I should mention that the print is really pretty, too, deep purples, a pretty lime, a bit of black, and a nice cream color all on a textured (almost seersucker like) cotton fabric.  It is fully lined, too.

Hope this helped someone out there! 

You all have a great night!

P.S. Boden friends, tomorrow is another review roundup, if you have a review that you think I may have missed would you mind putting the link in the comments below or e-mailing me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com.