What To Wear After a C-Section
Pregnancy often involves making a few changes to your wardrobe. Most likely, you’ve spent the past several months putting together new outfits that accommodate your growing belly. Now that you’re reaching the end of your pregnancy or have recently given birth, your focus may be on choosing a few key pieces to improve your C-section recovery. Knowing what to wear after having a C-section helps you to feel prepared during the first few busy weeks of being a new parent. Whether you’re planning a C-section or are recovering after an unexpected one during your delivery, we’ve got all of the postpartum garments you need to feel your best as you get to know your new little one.
Find the Perfect Postpartum Bra
During pregnancy, your bra size may change by as much as several cups. Although your new bra size doesn’t necessarily indicate how much milk you’ll make, it does let you know that your body is preparing to nourish your infant after delivery. Since your cup and strap sizes may fluctuate during the postpartum period, we’ve made sure to include nursing bras that are meant to accommodate a changing body.
Nursing bras have special clips on the straps that allow you to easily move the fabric out of the way when it’s time to feed your newborn. Paired with the right top, this feature makes it possible to feed your newborn in public when you prefer to do so discreetly.
Even if you choose to formula feed only, you’ll love having a set of supportive bras that can help you through the post-C-section transition. Some breast swelling is common among all new moms, and wearing bras meant for the recovery period can prevent discomfort.
That’s why we also have a maternity bra that doesn’t have clips but still offers full-coverage cups. The pullover style allows you to opt out of a hook-and-loop back closure, which provides more comfort when you prefer to wear your bra to bed. You’ll enjoy not having any fasteners that could dig into your back when you’re rocking your little one to sleep.
When you look for nursing bras, make sure to pick out ones that are made using seamless technology. As you adjust your position to feed your newborn, the last thing you want is to feel an uncomfortable seam poking your delicate skin. Plus, you’ll enjoy having a comfy bra that you can wear at home or while taking your baby to your early care appointments.
Since you’ll be wearing your new bra through multiple nursing sessions in those first few weeks after delivery, make sure to pick out several pairs. Being able to quickly put on a new bra after a surprise rush of milk helps you stay comfortable. With several options for neutral colors, you’ll find it easy to match your bras to what you wear on top.
Select Comfortable Underwear
During your C-section recovery, you may find that you prefer panties with a little more support than you might’ve worn in the past. You want to know that your new underwear can accommodate the changes in your waistline that are certain to follow when delivering a baby. After your C-section, you can expect to still have a slightly rounded tummy. The good news is that most swelling will slowly go down over the first few weeks of your recovery until you reach your new final size. Until then, you’ll want to select underwear that can fit your body as your belly flattens out. High-waisted panties are perfect for helping to hold your tummy gently in place as the incision site heals. Our postpartum panties are designed with a special adjustable panel that you can use to alter the waistline to fit your needs.
The adjustable front panel is made using smooth double-layered fabric that is gentle on your incision as it provides compression. Keeping the incision site free from irritating seams or fasteners helps you to heal better while staying comfortable.
As an added bonus, the seamless design means that your new panties will be nearly invisible underneath your favorite postpartum outfits. Being able to snap those newborn photos with your baby without worrying about panty lines lets you smile with confidence.
During the first few days after delivery, you might prefer to keep the panel slightly looser to ease any discomfort you feel at the incision site. Some new moms might prefer to keep it tighter to hold their tummy muscles in place as they bend over to pick up their baby or put them to sleep.
Either way, you’ll feel your best in a pair of panties that are meant for moms experiencing a post-C-section recovery. Being able to control the level of compression that you feel on your tummy means that you can feel your best day or night. You’ll even feel more confident moving around your house when you know that your incision is protected.
Support Your Tummy With a Compression Garment
Once you’ve made it out of those disposable postpartum panties that you receive at the hospital, you’ll be ready to start wearing more attractive garments. On top of high-waisted underwear, we’ve put together a few more key pieces that you’ll want to add to your wardrobe. Many women enjoy wearing a post-surgical short girdle that helps to hold their tummy in place while they allow their abdominal muscles time to heal. Adding compression to this part of your body can help to train your muscles to return to their optimal level of tightness as you also do your postpartum exercises. Remember that a C-section recovery takes time, no matter what you wear. But, you can still feel your best while you give your body what it needs to heal. In fact, you’ll likely be ready to wear our favorite sculpting body shaper with a built-in back support bra early on in your recovery journey. At Leonisa, we know that women tend to have their personal preferences regarding undergarments. That’s why we have included a few shapewear pieces in our collection that have longer legs to add some gentle smoothing action to your upper thighs. If you prefer, you can wear a style that offers invisible bands along the upper legs. Including a few postpartum compression garments for C-sections with varying lengths in your wardrobe makes it easy to grab the perfect thing to wear beneath your favorite shorts or dresses.
For those nursing moms, we’ve got an open-top body shaper that you can wear with your favorite bra. The hook-and-eye closure begins just below your chest, and you can select your desired level of compression by fastening the garment on your preferred loop. In the early postpartum period, many new moms prefer to keep the garment looser towards the chest while fastening it tighter along the bottom. Holding your tummy tighter can give you more confidence as you move through your day. The added compression can help to encourage your abdominal muscles to stay in place, which can help tighten them back up after pregnancy and a C-section delivery. Putting a few supportive compression garments on your shopping list gives you more control over your postpartum body. Plus, you’ll be ready to slip into your favorite clothing sooner when you have supportive undergarments already in your dresser to wear.
Sail Through Your Day in Supportive Leggings
Leggings have become such a wardrobe staple that you probably already owned a few pairs before you got pregnant. If so, then you might’ve found that some of your leggings stretched with your growing belly throughout your pregnancy. Or, you might have made the choice to pick up a few maternity leggings that had special panels that expanded as your belly grew through each trimester of your pregnancy. Once you deliver, you might prefer to have a set of leggings that provide a little more support than those stretchy maternity panels that you wore earlier. Compression leggings are perfect for helping you to ease back into everyday clothes. Our extra high-waisted firm compression leggings are great for everyone, but especially for postpartum moms. For your comfort, the compression eases up towards the upper part of your stomach. Having some moderate support here gently sculpts your body to create a beautiful outline under the rest of your outfit. Since your body temperature might fluctuate due to hormonal changes in the postpartum period, look for leggings with moisture-wicking fabric. They’ll give you the perfect bottoms to wear as you welcome visitors who want to meet your newborn. Then, you’ll love being able to throw them on when your doctor gives you the go-ahead to do your postpartum workouts. Having a few pieces that you can keep in your wardrobe for several months down the road is always a great way to stretch your clothing budget. Since compression leggings can go under a cute work dress or be worn as a standalone outfit with a fun top, you’ll get lots of use out of a pair.
Put Together the Perfect Postpartum Wardrobe
Welcoming your new baby to the world is a special moment, and there’s no doubt you’ll be enjoying some special snuggles over the next several weeks. While recovering from a C-section does take time, you can make your first few weeks as a new mom more comfortable with a little planning. From picking out the perfect nursing bra to choosing the right compression garment, spending a few moments focusing on your recovery now gives you more precious time to enjoy with your newborn.
Image Credits Don_ya/Shutterstock.com
