How to Style Your Changing Body—Dress Well for Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Beyond

Styling your pregnant and postpartum body can present unexpected challenges. Keep reading my my tips on how to maintain a sense of personal style as you navigate the journey of motherhood.

As a mom of two, I’ve seen my body through many changes. Both of my pregnancies were tough on me—extreme fatigue, headaches, severe nausea, and the list goes on. During my first pregnancy, I put very little effort into getting dressed. I had one pair of maternity work pants, and I kind of made everything else work as best as I could. I was also young when I had my first child, 23 to be exact, and my body didn’t change much postpartum. I went back to my pre-pregnancy weight after a few months and was able to get back into my normal wardrobe sans a few crop tops.

Fast-forward seven-ish years—things were very different with my second pregnancy. For one, I was dedicated to getting dressed more often during my pregnancy because I wanted to actually feel cute this time around. Postpartum was also a totally different story. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve already had one baby, so my body has not gone back to its pre-pregnancy form.

It’s been a long journey, and at about 17 months postpartum, I am still learning to embrace my new body while setting some health and wellness goals for myself. As a style blogger, I’m navigating a level of pressure I put on myself to look “just right” and feeling self-conscious when I see myself in photos. I realize I have to let go of that pressure and accept myself for where I am at any given moment. Here are a few things I keep in mind as I style my ever-changing body.

Embrace your body as it is today

I know this can be hard. It’s hard during pregnancy because you feel like nothing looks right with your new, round belly. It’s hard postpartum because your hormones are changing rapidly, you have a new baby to take care of, and you just want to feel like yourself again. The best thing I did at each stage was embrace myself as I was, instead of longing for something that was in the past. I took time to thank my body for getting through the amazing feats that are pregnancy and childbirth. I made an effort to be kind to myself and say things like “This body is growing a human” or “This body is feeding a baby”. That helped me change my perspective about wishing for my old body or being hyper-critical about how I looked postpartum.

Skip the maternity clothes

Please, don’t spend unnecessary money on maternity clothes. Most of them don’t look great, and you wear them for such a short time in the grand scheme of things. With my second pregnancy, I found it made more sense for me to buy regular clothes and size up as needed. More often than not, I was still able to wear my regular size since I was choosing pieces with a lot of stretch. The few maternity items I did wear, I rented from Rent the Runway. Pregnancy is one of the best times to rent clothes, in my opinion. You can snag things like maternity jeans, tops, etc, and return them when you’re done. I was in my third trimester during the summer, so I rented maternity shorts and dresses that would compliment my bump.

Treat yourself to some new pieces

This one is specifically for my postpartum girlies. I think a lot of us try not to shop postpartum because we’re waiting for our bodies to change again and are worried that anything we buy now will be rendered useless later. You don’t have to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, but you should buy yourself a few pieces you can feel good in.

When I finally bought clothes that fit my body in its current state, I started to feel more confident. I wasn’t frustrated that nothing in my wardrobe fit. Instead, I reached for what looked good on me and that felt 100 times better than crying over clothes.

Try things on

This is almost mandatory when you’re postpartum. Pre-baby, you may have known your sizes like the back of your hand and could just order what you wanted in your size. Postpartum is a different story. Even if you still wear a medium top, you may find that some styles don’t flatter you the way they used to. Taking the time to try things on ensures that everything you buy fits well and looks good to you.

Comfort over everything

This is one principle I always stand on, but especially during pregnancy and postpartum. If your clothes are uncomfortable in any way, you’re going to feel self-conscious. If you’re not ready to wear jeans again, stick to comfortable pants made of soft fabrics. If you find underwire bras uncomfortable, keep wearing your maternity bras for a while longer. Being comfortable is the secret weapon to feeling confident in what you’re wearing.

Invest in shapewear

My postpartum wardrobe now includes a few shapewear pieces. Tbh, I haven’t found anything that makes me feel super snatched, but good shapewear helps to smooth things out. I’ve found shapewear to be especially useful when I’m wearing dresses or skirts made of less forgiving fabrics. My midsection is one area that I’ve been self-conscious about, and wearing shapewear under some of my outfits has made a world of difference. It can literally take an outfit from “meh” to “yes!”. I’ve tried pieces from Target and Amazon, but SKIMS has been my favorite.

Pro tip: If SKIMS is out of your budget, keep an eye out for their bi-annual sale. A lot of their shapewear goes on sale and you can save up to 50% off.

I hope you remember these “principles” and keep them close to you as you style your changing body. Ultimately, the goal is to look and feel your best at every stage of life. If you’re on the hunt for new clothes, I’ve shared a few of my most-loved pieces for postpartum style.