Post-partum Body

I would just buy a few inexpensive skirts or shorts. Or if you found a couple of casual cotton sundresses in the babydoll style. My experience I went out and bought a bunch of shorts that were 2 sizes larger than my prepregnancy size (around 4 weeks postpardem), then a couple weeks later they were already too big.

I think you should just go to a store and try things on. And my advice would be to buy on the cheap because, from my experience, you could start dropping several sizes pretty soon. I'm a runner, too, though I couldn't exercise, even walk, for two months after I had my son because of complications stemming from my c-section. Once I was able to start walking, and then easing back into running, combined with breastfeeding, I found that I began to drop a lot of weight and that, within 7 or 8 months of giving birth, I weighed less than I did before I got pregnant. Good luck to you! K. H.

Only movie stars who train 4 plus hours a day pop right back into thier clothes! It took 9 months to gain the weight, give yourself nine to take it all off. I took mine off in about a year with each of my children with healthy eating and moderate excercise. I just wore comfy sweats the first couple of months. You can also shop at resale shops or thrift stores so you don't have to invest alot in temporary sizes. Breastfeeding helps alot too! Good luck.
M. S

I could be wrong but I was thinking it could take a couple months for the uterus to rise back to where it should be and for the tummy to tighten up. It probably depends on how much weight you gained during the pregnancy. If it was the typical 25 pounds doctors suggest, it might only take 4-6 months to return to pre-baby weight. If you gained more weight, it may take a regular workout routine and regulating the diet. That might take a while. I guess it depends on your metabolism on how you lose weight.

Congratulations on your baby! :) And good for you for breastfeeding, it will help you lose the weight much faster.
Are your maternity clothes too big? I wore mine for the first month postpartum but then they were too big and my pre-pregnancy clothes were too small. I just bought a few things that are bigger than I hope I will need once I get back in to yoga (I've been putting it off because of shoulder pain). Mostly, I wear t-shirts and some jeans that were always a bit big and hope I drop the extra 10 pounds soon!
Good Luck:)

Ok trust me. If your going to buy clothes now don't buy alot. After having my 1st child when he was about 6 weeks old i went shopping thinking i wasn't going to lose any more weight. Well about 2 months later my clothes were too big and breastfeeding definitly helps!

I got back in my clothes in 6 months, since my son was born in April - I just bought summery things that were kind of loungy - capri's and tanks that were a little bigger than normal but that I could use for wearing around the house when I lost the weight. It worked out well. Good luck with your weight loss!

I would wear maternity clothes for a few weeks and not worry about what you look like. I had to wear maternity and elastic clothes after all my kids for a few weeks and I breastfeed and also walked. I'm sure you will lose most of the pregnancy weight, because you are breastfeeding and walking. I would not buy a lot of a different size of clothes right now, because in a few weeks you might find that you will fit in your regular clothes.

I would go with 2-3 cotton, elastic waist, summer pants/shorts for my first purchase and then adjust the wardrobe as you lose weight and inches. Walmart etc, sell these pretty reasonable $15-20 each.

Congrats on your new child!
Some women return to their pre-pregnancy size within a month, with others it is several months. I wouldn't get carried away buying to many new outfits. You might try shopping at GoodWill for a few outfits to see you through the next month or so.
Or, you could be like me. I am rather short and short wasted. The baby pushed my rib cage out and I never did get back to the size I was before my pregnancy. So much for my 9 Jr. Petites!
Exercise is great and will help quite a bit. As long as you are breast feeding you may remain larger through the bust than you were originally.
P. R

If you get this twice - sorry - i'm on a laptop with a ghost mouse that keeps selecting 'send'

Congratulations on being an active pregnant mom - life will be much easier to return to your weight because you are already attempting to resume your healthy routine!.
1)I gained about 60 lbs during the course of my pregnancy - HORRIBLE I know.
2) I dropped 20 in the first 3 weeks. then dropped another 20 over the first 4-6 months and the last 20 from 6-12 months.
3) I went to thrift stores and got a couple clothes in the sizes i needed as i shrunk and borrowed from friends at work.
4)My baby is 13 months old and she nurses only twice/day now and prefers solids during the day while I work (dad watches her so she really doesn't care if she get a bottle of pumped milk at this age or food - she actually prefers to feed herself unless she gets the actual breast)
5) I haven't gained any weight back now that she's down to two feedings because I'm adapting my eating pattern and exercise patterns. Calories are all going to your baby now and you are losing water and excess blood weight. Hips can shrink back into place over time and you'll be back in your clothes. Just make sure you are monitoring your eating habits - eating while pregnant or breastfeeding realy only needs an extra 300-500 calories per day. take a look at a glass of juice or milk - there 150 already. 300-500 calories is not unlimited food. You'll be JUST FINE! :) and you will drop your weight VERY quickly. Maybe get clothes every other size instead of every size, save some trips to the store and money!

congrats on your new baby! i wouldn't buy too much yet. i went to kohl's and spent a few bucks on some shorts and capris just so i could be comfy and feel good about myself. my prebaby body was a size 1. now my post baby body (9mths later) is a size 5. so have fun with your baby and dress comfy.

I had the luck with my pp weight that I lost with the help of mummy magic tea. Was drinking it 3 times a day before my meals and dropped 30 lbs while nursing my lo.

Since it's the summer, get those stretchy, but not form fitting shorts w/draw-string so they are "adjustable"..(i got mine at Target..about 2 years ago though). You can wear them lower on your waist w/a longer cami-tank top(you can get them pretty cheap just about anywhere). That's what I did and you can dry the shorts, and tops for that matter, to shrink them a bit after you get back to your normal size. Get a couple pairs..and maybe one or two nicer shorts in the size you are now so that when you go out you can dress yourself up a bit!

That's a really tough question because people are so different. But I wouldn't invest in a lot of new clothes. You said you're breastfeeding and that will make the pounds and the size drop drastically. If you maintain a healthy diet, you might be down to your prepregnancy size within 2 months. My son has dairy and soy intollerances, so my was hit harder (as I'm breastfeeding too). However, I am a runner (well, I was until I was about 3 months pregnant, and I will be a runner again but haven't had the time or energy yet), and I am down to prepregnancy weight. My hips did stretch a little but me and my tightest hip pants are the only ones who know.

Hold off if you can. If you're pretty active, you may lose the weight pretty quickly. It's only been 4 weeks since you had your baby, don't rush yourself. If you want to go buy some new clothes, I'd say buy one or two pairs of pants or shorts and that's it. If possible, go to a consignment shop. You'll spend less money. It's is possible that your body will NEVER go back to the way it was. I know mine never will! It took you 9 mos to put it on, it only stands to reason that it will take you some time to take it off.

i bought two pairs of big pants, and they got me through the month or two of shrinking back down. every body is different, but my hips did get smaller and the belly went away after 2-3 months.

Don't worry, the huge hips won't last forever! I noticed things starting to really slip down about 6-9 weeks after delivery. Around the 9 week mark I was able to start doing the elliptical machine and breastfeeding (supply/demand thing) had become more of a routine, those things combined is when my shape started to normalize. I would purchase enough clothes in the size you are right now to get you thru about 3 or 4 more weeks. Then re-assess the situation and you'll probably be able to get into some of your old stuff that wasn't very form fitting in the first place. Your bio says that you're a runner, that will definately speed things up but I wouldn't be too anxious to run, wait for at least a few more weeks and take it slow at first. Before you are able to get back to running perhaps you could try some yoga or something with little impact but that will facilitate muscle tone, etc. Enjoy your little one and don't obsess about the larger sizes too much, you'll get back to normal in good time even though you may be panicing about it now!

One thing to keep in mind that is all-too-often overlooked is that it took your body nine months to get to where it is now. Don't expect it to bounce right back to where it was overnight. Knowing that you are athletic and breastfeeding is a positive thing though. The breastfeeding can (not always though) help you to lose some of the 'baby weight' you gained during your pregnancy. And, of course, being physically active will help too.

If the capris being a size bigger works for you, then I would suggest to continue in that size. If the belly band is uncomfortable, then maybe one size larger might be a more comfy fit. I would expect to wear that size for close to a year (considering it took so long to get your body where it is now and will take time to get back). Now, it's likely that your body never will be exactly as it was before. You carried a baby and that changes things, lol. But, by taking care of yourself and getting exercise will only help in getting you back to some level of normalcy.

Congratulations and God bless,
A.

since you are nursing you'll lose weight rapidly in the beginning, and your uterus will go back to normal size quite fast. so i need to advise you to eat healthy. seriously. i thought since i was burning the extra calories that i could eat anything, not true at all. those sleepless nights with my son i would eat oreos and root beer floats. please don't do what i did. i have been under my pre pregnancy weight since 3 weeks of giving birth and i only gained 22 lbs with the pregnancy. but i still look pregnant b/c of all the extra fat. now i'm worried that i'll never get rid of the fat. i eat ok and remain pretty active but nothing seems to help. i live out of gaucho's. they stretch perfect. they are capri's that flare made of lycram(sp?)

It took me about 3 months to really get down to normal. I wore my maternity pants for the first couple of months. I didn't want to go buy new clothes when I wouldn't wear them any time at all. Now 7 months later I am a size smaller than I was before! Keep up the walking and in time you'll get there! I wouldn't buy too many clothes too quickly. I bought a few size 8's thinking that's where I'd be for a while (waste of money), but I'm already in size 4's. Keep up the nursing!! It's burns a ton of calories and is great for baby! Good luck!!

S.,
Congrats on the baby!
I kept my maternity clothes and wore some of the shorts and T-shirts for a while afterward. As long as they aren't obvious maternity (Lots of extra material)you know what I mean! :) I wouldn't go shopping just yet you'll lose a lot of weight breastfeeding and your walking.
Hang tight.
R.

I was down to a size 5~ 2 weeks after I had my son. I went out and bought all kinds of new skinny jeans. The day I quit breastfeeding I gained almost 20 of those lbs back so I ended up having to go out and buy all new clothes again except in a size 10. My suggestion is if you don't have anything to wear than buy a few things, and see where you are in a few weeks from now.