Nursing mom needs advice on closet purge/organization - YouLookFab Forum

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Nursing mom needs advice on closet purge/organization

sknapp

Hi! I've been reading the site forever, but finally decided to join. I like how kind people are on this forum.

So, any advice for a nursing mom on how to deal with wardrobe? We're moving in a few weeks, so I'm taking this opportunity to really sort my clothes and get rid of stuff that's not working. My baby is one, and it will probably be a few more months before I completely wean her (though she loves to eat those solid foods, so who knows!). I have lost all my pregnancy weight, but my chest is still bigger than it used to be, so most of my old tops and sweaters don't fit.

This being my first child, I have no idea...does one's chest normally return to its previous size after weaning? Should I hang on to all my pre-pregnancy tops? Even though I have lost the weight, my body seems...different...and I can't tell if it's just the bigger chest.

Also, any ideas on closet organization with regards to things that fit now, vs. things that MIGHT fit after I wean? I hate the idea of storing most of my clothes in the hopes that they'll fit again someday, but I also hate opening my closet and seeing that hardly anything fits right now. I'm a SAHM right now, so thankfully I don't need work clothes too handy.

I'm sure other women here have been in this situation, so I'd love to hear your advice!

Thanks!

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15 replies

Latest reply was from Becky

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Pregnancy/birth and nursing just change your body- permanently. Don't keep anything that doesn't fit you anymore. You are no longer your baby's only source of nutrition at a year old, and your breasts are no longer engorged. The changes are probably permanent at this point.

sknapp

Oh, that makes me want to cry! I have so many pretty clothes from pre-pregnancy...pretty silk shirts, dresses I loved, etc. It had taken me a long time to get my wardrobe to a good place, and I felt like I was finally there. Can't really replace them right now, since I'm not currently bringing in an income.

But thank you for your honest advice. Sigh.

crwilson

Veteran

I agree with Chewy - I would get rid of things that don't fit. After weaning, I did get a little bit smaller, but not much, and then I got pregnant again and have started all over. I think that my body has just permanently changed.

Kate

Veteran

Sknapp, can you try selling some of the nice stuff on ebay? That would help you get back at least some of the money you spent on them.

Also, you might be able to get away with keeping some of your cardigans and jackets by wearing them open, which can help stretch your wardrobe until you can replace things.

Finally, I would be sure to try things on before you give up on them, some might surprise you! Be sure to have a belt handy to see if that helps any of your tops fit better now. GOOD LUCK!

Dusty

(website)

I'd say that it's possible that your breasts may still shrink when your little one weans, BUT I wouldn't count on your old stuff fitting the same. Pregnancy really does change your body. It's likely that your rib cage is larger now, and even if you chest does shrink it may end up smaller than before (and it will definitely be less perky). I think the real indicator seems to be pre-pregnancy size. If your chest is large to begin with, it seems to grow and never shrink, but if you're on the smaller side, it seems to get even smaller.

I guess I would say if you have one or two things that you're not ready to give up on, keep them but sell or donate the rest.

sknapp

Thanks, everyone. I was hoping you'd all say the opposite, but good to know!

I guess my strategy will be to dry clean and store all my nice tops, dresses and jackets that don't currently fit, and try them on again after I wean. If they still don't fit then, I'll sell them and try to use the money to at least replace a few things.

Hurts though! I had really put some time and effort into buying some pretty, nice-fitting things before we had our baby. And without a job right now, I just feel so broke and frumpy...I was really counting on fitting back into those things in a couple months. Best to not hold my breath, though, from the sounds of it.

Oh, and in terms of my measurements, Dusty -- I'm about 5'3" and around 125 lbs. Prior to pregnancy, I was a 32B, and now I'm somewhere around a 34B/C. From what you're saying, it sounds like my cups might indeed shrink, but my rib cage probably won't. Sigh.

Thanks, everyone! I kind of want to cry a little right now. But I know my sweet baby was worth it.

April

Veteran

SK -- first off, welcome! Second, I'm going to say that I agree that you may actually be a little smaller than you were before after you wean the baby. I didn't notice any changes at all in my ribcage after a year of nursing, but I definitely had less breast fullness.

Third, I'm going to be the dissenting voice and say that I wouldn't get rid of any clothes just yet on the grounds of size alone since things like "what will happen after I'm no longer nursing" can vary a lot from person to person. How about getting rid of a few things that never made you feel all that great to begin with. Keep the items you still love because you may be back in them sooner than you think.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

And another welcome from me!

This is a hard question. Dressing womens bodies for a living both pre and post pregnancy has shown me that there are few generalizations. I guess the only one that I dare to make is that most women get a little wider around the midriff and tummy area, but not everyone.

How many sizes are you off from the clothes do you think?

Regardless of anything else, you "must" pass on items that you don't love. Editing is a beautiful thing.

anne

Veteran

I'm with April. A year is not enough to know that this is permanent and that it wouldn't change after you completely wean.

I say keep the things you love.

(speaking here as a mother of three who is still feeding the last one at 2 1/4 - she has been eating solid food and drinking milk in a cup for ages! I am hoping my breasts don't get any smaller when I eventually wean but they are definitely smaller than when she was one)

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Welcome Sknapp! As a mum of three I can only tell you my own personal shape change experience and that is I fit into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes now after I have given up breast-feeding. In fact, if anything, I'm actually a little smaller than I was before I had babies!

The biggest thing I found was that because it was a full twelve plus months between being able to wear the clothes, some of the tops/trousers were a tad out of fashion and so I decided to upgrade anyway to new clothes!

My breasts were larger when feeding, but have shrunk back to pretty much pre-pregnancy size. (ie, I'm still a C cup after three babies, 1+ year each child breast-feeding). Probably for me, the only difference is that I have a slightly more rounded hips than I did before (ie, maybe a slightly more pear emphasis than I used to be) and my tummy, which has not got the fabulous appearance it used to have (sigh), but still looks ok in clothes. Based on this, I would say don't through out your clothes just yet, wait a few months until after you've finished breast-feeding to see what your body does.

As you can see, what your body does after baby varies greatly from woman to woman and even I would say from pregnancy to pregnancy! (I hope I give you just a bit of hope - don't give up just yet!)

stylemama

Welcome! I agree that a year is not enough time to know what changes are fairly permanent. It took more than that for me to lose the weight completely. And even though I was down to just nursing minutes a day before I weaned my younger child, my chest did shrink a bit after completely weaning (certainly "less perky" as Dusty mentioned). So I think the strategy of editing what you don't love, but keeping what you do until you wean and see what your shape looks like then is a good one.

LoP

Veteran

I only read the first few responses, but I'm surprised. You could get back to old shape after weaning in my experience. It really depends on your body type. Women who do are not outliers. In fact, it is quite common with running after a toddler or moderate exercise. I wouldn't give away everything yet and sounds like your bottoms are already fitting so you already have a big probability your body would recover.

What do you think? You know your body best so your intuition would be the best answer for this.

sknapp

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate the advice and hearing about different experiences.

To answer Angie: I am not quite sure how off I am, but I would guess maybe a size? I have lost my pregnancy weight and am able to put my pre-preg clothes on, but they're really tight across my chest.

Sounds like there is no way to know for sure what will happen to my chest until I wean, from reading everyone's experiences. I'll go ahead and get rid of stuff I don't love, and keep the things I do in a storage box until I'm done nursing and try them then. If they don't fit then...well, I guess I'll be selling them!

Thanks to everyone!

Lori

Veteran

I'll agree with the ladies who are saying to wait and see. In my experience after several years of nursing, my breasts went back to the same size and maybe a bit smaller. I could fit into most of tops several months after weaning. It isn't impossible to return to (almost) your former shape. After two boys, well, I'm definitely a bit more curvy through my hips, but my chest didn't retain it fullness after weaning though.

Becky

Veteran

I nursed two babies for about 13 months each. While I was nursing, my cup size was about 1/2 cup size larger than normal, but within about a month after weaning, was back to normal or even a bit smaller. My rib cage seems to be permanently a bit larger, though. I'm with those who advise waiting to part with any clothing that fit and flattered prior to pregnancy.