You will need a special post-baby wardrobe. WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS?!?! Well, you’ll need them if you are like me and gain 60+ lbs during your pregnancy. You’ll put on your maternity dresses and you’ll have a post-baby fat pad around your middle that will poof out in the exact spot a baby used to. That pooch combined with a maternity style dress will have everyone asking you are due unless you have a baby in yours arms. And then, because there really are people this dense, you will might get asked that question anyway.

I wish I had known about this before baby came because I might have spent some of my waiting-for-delivery time shopping online for post-natal clothing possibilities instead of surfing blogs all day.

The first time I went into TJMaxx with T1 in tow it was depressing and frustrating on many levels. I was new to bottle feeding him, still depressed that breastfeeding didn’t work out, and someone walked in on me feeding him while I was sitting half naked in the dressing room. He started crying not long after we entered the store, and stayed fussy throughout. And, to make things even more awesome, I had gained so much weight that I was too large for all of the XL clothing pieces. I just wasn’t feeling the plus size section that day, so I went home with one measly shirt, a shirt that’s still a bit tight around my middle even after I’ve lost a few pounds.

It was time to swallow my pride and turn to the LB. (I recently noticed that a store for heavy people can be abbreviated to the letter lb. Ironic, right?) I had to shop at Lane Bryant once before, when I gained so much weight right before meeting TH, and I admit I wasn’t ready to go back there again. Guess I’m lucky they vanity size big time because I won’t have to be wearing their stuff for long.

Even though I plan on getting this weight off soon, I wanted some clothing to tide me over until I got there. Wearing ill-fitting clothes that make you look pregnant or emphasize that you just left the town of pregnantville stinks bit time.

I placed an order with Lane Bryant for $900 worth of clothing, and had a little dressing room party in my living room. I had read through their return policy carefully, and knew that I could return everything that didn’t fit at a physical store, which happens to be within walking distance of my apartment. Out of the 20+ items I ordered, I ended up keeping these:

I was able to find a few shirts at TJMaxx, and I took a few things from my mom’s closet while I was home, and between all of that I have a decent supply of clothing that will get me through the next 10 lbs or so. By that time I hope to start fitting back into some of my old clothes again!

I also bought a swimsuit. I loved this one and thought it was super flattering, but the smallest size was a bit too big so I had to send it back. The one I bought looks really similar to this one, but it has some purple accents as well. It’s a tight fit (a Miracle Suit that claims to make me look 10 lbs slimmer, unfortunately I need to look something like 50 lbs slimmer), so I’m hoping I’ll be able to wear it next summer as well.

Soon I will be able to fit back into the clothing sold at Ross and TJMaxx once again. Until then I’m a plus size girl battling the bulge and poking at her muffin top. If you’re like me, and gained a lot of pregnancy weight in the form of adipose tissue, start thinking about what you’re going to wear when baby is out before baby is actually out. You’ll save yourself some time wailing “I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!” to your husband while riding the post-pregnancy hormone rollercoaster.

Also: