The shape of a mother...

[geminigirl]

Last time I was pregnant, I got on this total clothing-purging kick. I got rid of an unbelievable amount of stuff, and I'm glad I did. It was stuff I didn't really wear anymore, didn't really need and was more suited to a different time and place in my life.

And that was great-I'm sure that pregnancy had something to do with the drive to do that...the nesting thing.

I'm contemplating my closet again. And my closet right now contains a variety of things...

-skirts and dresses that I have worn recently or currently wear-stuff like special occasion dresses, for example, that I'll hang on to, or skirts that are comfortable

-my professional wardrobe pieces that I'm not ready to part with

-some other casual clothing that no longer really fits my body, but still suits my style.

It's that last part that I'm struggling with...

The first group of things will stay in my closet. That's not necessarily stuff that I reach for on a daily basis, but stuff that I own for the times when I needed it.

The second group is going to be stored properly as soon as I can get the necessary supplies. It's silly to store it and I know that, but emotionally I'm not ready to get rid of it, and there's room to keep it in the attic, so it will go there.

The third group...that's where the problem lies. I didn't gain weight when I was pregnant with Naomi. I delivered a baby and within a few days weighed less than when I got pregnant. I weigh less now than when I got pregnant with Naomi...and that's great. But my shape has changed. Things that are the right numeric size no longer fit my shape. And while my comfort level with my body as a body hasn't changed, it's the shape that I'm not familiar with, nor entirely comfortable with yet-in part because I know it's still changing, especially now that I'm pregnant again.

So I've got all these pants...and they're the right size but the wrong shape. And I don't know what I want to do with them. The smart thing to do is probably to get rid of them and replace them. But I hate spending that kind of money. They're business casual kinds of things...khakis and such, so they're not outrageous, just annoying to find the right ones, and then have them altered so the length is right (because I'm so short that even petite stuff doesn't fit the length.) But doing that makes me have to say "This is not me anymore" and that's a challenge...

Comments

[bicrim.livejournal.com]

yup. I have found that with every pregnancy, my belly hangs down about another inch or two. It used to be fat but firm and high, now it is more of an "apron" if you will.

Will you be visiting NJ any time soon? I would love to meet your kid(s) and for you to meet mine.

[geminigirl]

It's actually my hips, not my belly.

It's hard to say when we'll be in New Jersey-we've typically done a quick visit when we're at my parents for Thanksgiving, but since we're not coming up for Thanksgiving this year (too close to due date) I don't actually know if or when we'll be there this year.

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

I have similar issues - I am at a considerably lower weight now than I was before I got pregnant with Leif, but wearing a larger size. It's totally my hips.

[yix.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I had the same issue with my shape after my first pregnancy. I didn't notice it so much after my second...but I've been pretty much in a coma since then.

:)

[geminigirl]

I'm kind of hoping it's not quite as dramatic this time around-you know?

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about pregnancy or post-pregnancy bodies. But I do know one thing -- life is too short to wear clothes that make you feel bad about your body. You don't have to buy a whole bunch of new clothes, but a few outfits that make you feel fabulous should help.

[geminigirl]

This is my plan. I need much less now that most of my days can be spent in shorts and t-shirts or polo shirts, or comfortable and casual things...especially since many days, I end up having to change my shirt at least once or twice depending on how many sticky hands with graham cracker crumbs end up grabbing me.

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Is it essential to buy new clothes? Do you know people who you could do a clothes-swap with? I'd have thought "the right size but the wrong shape" could apply in a number of situations.

[geminigirl]

I have the unfortunate problem of being the shortest of my friends. This makes clothing swaps difficult because I end up with much to take and little to give, since most of my clothing ends up being shortened so that it fits my bottom half.

I can on occasion swap some things, but it's often more sensible to donate clothes to places that need them-second hand shops or charities, and replace things, even if it ends up costing me more in the end.