New Mama Style Rules

I think years of watching What Not to Wear on TLC scared me about becoming a mom.  I'd say 80% of the contributors on that show are moms that have completely let themselves go. It seems like a lot of these women cared about what they wore before they had kids. I don't think they had always worn sweatpants every.single.day. I thought that maybe becoming a mom would make it so I would no longer care about something as frivolous as my clothes because I would now be responsible for a little life. Or that the part of my brain that stored details from In Style magazine would now be filled with nursery rhymes. Well, let me tell you, that didn't happen (although I can sing the itsy bitsy spider with the best of them). Thank God.  For all the changes that motherhood brought, not caring about fashion was not one of them. Now, I just have cute clothes that are regularly covered in vomit and other bodily fluids.

This brings me to my fashion rules for new moms.

1. Forget about wearing anything that is dry clean only.

2.  Camisoles are your best friend. If you are breast feeding, you have to make sure you have easy access to the boobs. Not everything you wear has to be a button down or a "nursing" shirt. A cami under a shirt helps so I'm not exposing my stretch marked stomach to all the ladies in the Nordstrom lounge while feeding my baby.  Bonus points for a body shaping cami. I freaking love my Mother Tucker camisole. It was expensive but worth it. Luckily I got mine on Gilt group.  And, what a great name, right?

3.  Get a stylish baby bag.  Since you will be carrying this thing around every day, make sure that it reflects your personal style. I wouldn't be caught dead carrying around something with cartoons on it. You are carrying the bag, not your child.  Mine is Marc by Marc Jacobs. It fits a ton of stuff and is machine washable so I can throw it in the washer when it gets poop on it.  Awesome.
4.  Get out of your maternity clothes. I don't care how comfortable those full panel Pea in the Pod pants are, you shouldn't be wearing them anymore. There is an acceptable amount if time post pregnancy that you can get away with wearing them. For me, I wanted to burn all of my maternity clothes. I was so sick of wearing them. If it is unrealistic to wear your pre-baby clothes maybe go and get a few inexpensive items in a bigger size as a kind of in-between wardrobe. You will feel better about yourself. I wore a lot of dresses that were kind of flowy before I could fit back into my regular jeans.
5.  Get an easy hair style.