Have you just had a baby? First of all congratulations! But if you are anything like the rest of us, you probably feel a bit self-conscious about your post-pregnancy shape. Here are 7 Simple Tips for After Pregnancy Style, for how to look and feel great, with minimal effort:

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It has taken the best part of a year to get your body big enough to deliver your baby, so don’t put pressure on yourself to lose it in those first weeks and months. Your body is in a state of transition that can be tough to dress. You’ve gone from having a glorious bump to a different type of deflated bump.

Very few of us snap back to pre-pregnancy shape and we can get self-conscious during those first few months. To make it just a little tougher, the time you spent choosing clothes each morning now seem a luxury – you have exactly five minutes to get ready in the morning and nothing seems to fit right.

When you have your baby, you spend the early weeks enjoying being at home and cocooning. During this time, loose easy shapes are your friend. You might want to stay in your PJs all day, but try not to. You can have the comfort and ease of loose shapes without resorting to the trackies.

Tips for Dressing After Pregnancy

As you get into a bit more of a routine and go out more, there are a few tips that can make dressing decisions easier:

1. Focus the eye away from the area of the body you feel most conscious of

if your tummy is large, draw the eye to the sleeves like Casual Company has done with these smart tops. Designed especially for new Mums, they are longer length too to drape over your tummy. See how your eye goes to the sleeve detail here?

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2. Your hemline and neckline deserve attention

It doesn’t have to be deep or plunging, but a V-neck or scoop neck that shows some skin elongates the neck. Show off that décolletage too.

This beautiful white wrap top from iclothing.ie can also be easily opened for breast feeding. It’s great with jeans as shown but also will work over a skirt too.

3. Opt for tops and dresses that drape

Wear tops and dresses that drape over and away from your tummy, rather than fitting tightly. Ruching and gathers are great details to look for – see this coral top from iclothing.ie drapes over the tummy and creates a waist even if you don’t have one.

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4. Go for larger jeans or stretch leggings

Your old jeans will be one of the toughest items to get back into, so be kind to yourself and buy a slightly larger pair. Since your body will change dramatically over the next few months, opt for stretchy denim jeggings.

This season’s paper bag trousers won’t work on most post maternity women as the focus of them is on the waist line. Try these stretch leggings from Golden Spiderweb. They have lots of colours and styles and patterns in store.

5. Avoid clingy fabrics

Fabrics should not cling to the body but softly drape. Long cardigans are great – they are loose and stylish like this longline one from Casual Company.

6. You can transform some maternity items

There may be a few things you bought while you were pregnant that you’ll want to continue to wear. Pass on the maternity jeans and adjustable waistbands though.

The cotton or jersey dress could be cinched at the waist with a belt and look stylish after pregnancy.

This maternity dress from iclothing.ie can transition into post baby wardrobes. Choose a crop denim jacket or a belt to shape it.

7. Scarves come in handy

If you are breast feeding and using nursing pads, wear loose scarves too. Pads leak and can become lumpy and a drapey scarf can disguise this.

Enjoy your changing shape with your great new body. Look at what you have been able to achieve and translate that confidence into how you look and feel.

Here are links to the 3 websites Barbara recommended:

www.casualcompany.ie, www.iclothing.ie and www.goldenspiderweb.ie.

Did you find this useful for tips for after pregnancy style? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!