The other day I was strolling on Instagram when a photo caught my attention. A woman I follow posted a photo of herself showing off a fresh outfit to fit her new postpartum body. The caption read something along the lines of, “when I dress to feel good about myself, it motivates me to want to work harder to take care of my body”, which was a lovely sentiment and it got me thinking…
I had my daughter four months ago and gained a considerable amount of weight. In those first few weeks at home with a new baby, I could only fit into a handful of my clothes; I lived in my stretchy Lululemons and comfy, oversized tops — you know, the uniform of an anxious, sleep deprived new mom.
But as the weeks ticked on and the weight slowly began to fall away, I remember standing in my closet, after a failed attempt to get my jeans over my hips, and made a decision on the spot. Aside from treating myself to some new workout pants and bras (I highly recommend this and this), I was not going to buy new clothes. It wasn’t an act of self punishment but rather a motivator to start dialling in my eating habits and start moving my body once again.
To me it didn’t make sense to buy new clothes when, 1.) Let’s be honest, I wasn’t going anywhere (Omicron and a new baby equals anxiety); and 2.) New clothes would only fit me for a short time before they became too big.
As I sit and write this, It’s been about 4 and a half months and although I can get my jeans on they aren’t comfortable. But I’m sticking to my decision to work a bit harder so I can finally wear them, with comfort, once again. I’m super curious, where do you stand when it comes to buying new clothes postpartum? Are new clothes an act of self love or are your old clothes a source of motivation?
Stay Well,
S.
Well Loved 