Thread: Tips For Costume-shopping While Knocked Up?

I'm not going to let a 4-months-preggo body get in the way of some costume shopping when I go to Cairo next month. Anyone have any advice for how to make the best of this, though? I ask because I don't sew, I'm strictly a 2D artist and don't understand 3D very well, and I know little about fitting clothes, especially for a speculative "future" body.

I do plan to measure my current bras and belts, and bring those measurements with me. But is that the best way to ensure that the costumes I buy now will fit after the baby (assuming I get back into shape, which I plan to do)?

thanks!

- Leela

Depends on the type of costume you're looking for. If you're going for a bedlah, you may be more successful as the area covered is smaller than that of a full lycra skirt. Then again, a lycra skirt might be easier to alter... Hmmm. I'd say go for something that has at least one or two inches more so you can alter if need be. The safest option would be to wait after baby, of course. Admittedly no fun, but I have read so many comments about how a body can change after baby...

Sorry I can't help more. Best of luck, and let us know how you do.

Well, here's a question: when you buy a bra and belt set (as opposed to one with an attached skirt) at, say, Rakkasah, it's always too wide, in both the ribcage and the belt. This leaves a lot of leeway for alteration. Is this also the case when you buy in Egypt?

- Leela

A thought to keep in mind even if you do return to fitness and lose all the weight after the baby is born is that your body shape might change somewhat - sometimes our hips get wider, waists thicken up and breasts can also change shape or remain larger for some time even when not breastfeeding.

So I would suggest getting something that definitely has the possibility of alteration but err toward the larger side as getting back into shape after a baby can be a "process" no matter how diligent you are. Remember it takes 9 months to grow a baby and your body is morphing during that entire time so it can take just as long or longer to feel like you have some semblance of your old body back.

Just for reference I am 5'3" tall and I've had four children. I started out before the first one @ 110 lbs and am currently 125 lbs (aprox. 10 lbs heavier than my profile shot & the pics posted with my profile). I have been in much better physical shape the past 7-8 years than I was when I was much slimmer but my body shape has most definitely changed with having children and getting older.

No tips from me, but it does sound like a fun challenge. Enjoy!

Don't forget: if you get tired of that burgundy Saidi, I'm first in line to buy it back! But it would be more fun to see photos of you wearing it with a baby belly. Any prospect of that, hmm? ..g.:

I second the notion of getting something eminently adjustable- I fluctuated like a yo-yo starting at 136, dropping to 112 & everywhere in between. I have sworn off buying new cossies anywhere between becoming pregnant & a year after birth. 'course now I'm pregnant again & stiching like mad- but it's for a pregnancy costume that I know I can adjust afterwards. total crap shoot as far as I'm concerned- sorry that's not very encouraging! your best bet is probably to identify a good seamstress in your area, regardless of what you buy, it WILL need alterations later on.

That's why I asked about the width of new costumes. I always have to have my sets taken in, because they're usually kind of gigantic. But not always. Better to buy too big, for sure, and have things altered back in NY where I do know several extremely talented costume designers/alterations experts. Those ladies are totally worth their weight in gold.

How much do breasts usually change? Or is it totally unpredictable?

Zana - I may very well wear that dress in a few weeks. If I do I will send pics! I love that dress. I am especially grateful for it now!

- Leela

Are you going to go to the ateliers to have anything custom made? I would imagine that will be difficult since you're not sure what the custom body will be like!

Then again, since Sahar and Eman like their costumes so tight, you should probably get a costume made for your body now and it will fit perfectly after baby!!!

Also, they have some off the rack costumes - I recommend bringing your measurements in both inches and cm and bring a tape measure. (They all have them, but I would think it will be easier to peruse the racks and do measurements yourself.)

For Yasser and Maqmoud, where it's all off the rack - usually you just try stuff on and find what fits. Sizes aren't marked at Yassers and I found most were marked incorrectly at Maqmoud's, so bringing a tape measure will be helpful and I agree, err on the side of a little larger. It's easier to bring in a bra and belt than figure out a way to make it larger.

And hey, you can still stock up on gorgeous saidi dresses, beledi dresses and skirts for a fraction of what they cost here.

Actually, at about 4 months, I'd venture to say that's the size you'll roughly be for at about 2 years postpartum, maybe more. Hips often don't go back to quite the same pre-pregger measurement and breasts never really do (especially if you're planning to breastfeed a kid or two...the girls will be up and down and all over the place). You may want to take the opportunity to get a more modest dress or two in a slightly larger size that can be easily taken in, just so you have something that fits whenever you need it.

One child. Emphatically one. There will be no more than that!

I don't plan to stay in "4-months" shape for 2 years. Unless you're talking about skeletal changes?

- Leela

Originally Posted by flimflamgirl

I don't plan to stay in "4-months" shape for 2 years. Unless you're talking about skeletal changes?

Well, most mommies don't plan to, and yes, skeletal changes indeed. Your hips will actually move away from each other to make room for baby and from what I understand they don't often return to their original placement. There are other non-skeletal things that will happen to your body that may be out of your control also...redistribution of body fat (usually for the better I think) even if you are able to slim down to your original size & weight right away.

How much has your body changed at this point? When I had my son, I didn't even show until I was 5 months along. Wore my jeans and most of my pre-pregnancy clothes until I was 7 months.

I think the benefit of going straight to the designers is that you can find things which, at the moment you buy them, fir but are adjustable.

{{{HUGS}}}

I haven't changed that much. I've only gained a few pounds so far. I feel much bigger, because I'm used to moving around a lot. But my bras all still fit and so do my clothes. I'm not a scrawny person - I'm very curvy and soft, tend towards big peasant muscles when I work out, and have always had a little roundness to my belly. I have to say, though, that I don't know any moms of 2-year-olds who still look pregnant. Maybe some of those changes are more apparent to the woman herself, than to the outside eye, because certainly people talk about it, but I don't always see it. I trust CrossFit to keep me in line!

Beledi dresses. That is totally where it's at. And I can always use cool new skirts.

- Leela

Originally Posted by nasila

Well, most mommies don't plan to, and yes, skeletal changes indeed. Your hips will actually move away from each other to make room for baby and from what I understand they don't often return to their original placement. There are other non-skeletal things that will happen to your body that may be out of your control also...redistribution of body fat (usually for the better I think) even if you are able to slim down to your original size & weight right away.

That's scary. My hips have expanded so much that I will never be able to wear a regular sized costume again if they don't retract.

I wonder if there is anything you can do to help them along after birth, like a hip corset.

Nothing will totally allow you to get your pre-pregnancy body back. Your hip ratio will change. Period. Many peoples only change a little, some a lot.

Now, the question is are we talking about the change of 1" or several? For most women who are generally healthy, we are only talking about 1 or two. At the skeletal level. Some women find that they are spending a lot more time sitting after they give birth which does help to lead to the above mentioned redistribution.

Ladies, this is what we were designed to do. If you can't get your butt back into a size zero because you have been the vessel for another human life, have had the blessing to share a heart beat with some one else, and this upsets you because you are going to have to wear a size 2, then I would suggest you figure out what your priorities and you body image issues are.

Enjoy being a women instead of a boy with boobs. It's what you chose in this life time.

I think the last time my butt was a size zero was when I myself was born. I have an Ashkenazi ass. And if my hips get much bigger, I'll have to cross state lines to put my pants on. I've never been a "boy with boobs" - I'm more like a short Mae West, without the hair.

I still maintain that my friends with kids feel more different to themselves than they look to the casual eye. My cousin's girlfriend claims that her nose looks different since her baby. It looks exactly the same to me. But because it's her nose, she's more sensitive to it.

- Leela

Leela you're knocked up?!! AWESOME! CONGRATS to you and the Happy Daddy! And Happy Mother's Day!

A friend of mine who just had a baby had to let a lot of her bras out, and her belts to account for more roundness in her hips and butt. She ended up just buying a few new ones. Buy costumes with more range, I guess, to get bigger or smaller. And enjoy Cairo baby!

Originally Posted by flimflamgirl

I think the last time my butt was a size zero was when I myself was born. I have an Ashkenazi ass. And if my hips get much bigger, I'll have to cross state lines to put my pants on. I've never been a "boy with boobs" - I'm more like a short Mae West, without the hair.

I still maintain that my friends with kids feel more different to themselves than they look to the casual eye. My cousin's girlfriend claims that her nose looks different since her baby. It looks exactly the same to me. But because it's her nose, she's more sensitive to it.

- Leela

LOL!

I'll tell you what, after my son was born, I felt more womanly, more grounded. I was a size 10 when he was born. Got down to a size 6 a few years later. Still had hips, thighs, boobs. Any changes, to me, seemed to be natural. My friends compared me to Jessica Rabbit. I'm not that tall.

Leela - you can always buy the hair.

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

Leela - you can always buy the hair.

{{{HUGS}}}

But sadly, not the guts.

- Leela

I'm one year post baby and there is absolutely no way I can fit into any of my old bedlahs right now, even though they all had room left for adjustment. I gained almost nothing during my pregnancy, and I, too, continued to wear my normal clothes through the vast majority of the pregnancy. But despite all those good intentions to get back into/stay in shape after the baby was born, there simply is not enough time in the day for everything. Where I had danced for an hour every day before the baby (which is what kept me in the shape I was in), I'm now lucky to get in an hour or two a week. I haven't sold my old costumes just yet, but I'm not at all sure I'll be able to get back into them. As others have said, not only are there skeletal changes but the weight sits differently now. In terms of even my daily clothes, things that may still fit don't look the same--and sometimes are no longer flattering, even if they technically "fit." Knowing what I know now, there's no way I'd buy a costume for post pregnancy until I was actually post preg. YMMV, of course, but that's my experience.

Originally Posted by GenevieveOfAtlanta

there simply is not enough time in the day for everything. Where I had danced for an hour every day before the baby (which is what kept me in the shape I was in), I'm now lucky to get in an hour or two a week.

This right here is why I am terrified of having a baby, and why i keep putting it off.

I would welcome a little more hip width, a little more in the "girls" and wouldn't cry about a bigger rear end. I would love to nurture another person, watch someone grow, and teach someone about love, life, etc... But mess with my "me" time, or my dance time, and I'm a wreck. And I already work full time on top of dance.

Knocked up? Pregnant surely. Or HWC. (Heavy with Child). Knocked up has terrible implications......c::

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

Nothing will totally allow you to get your pre-pregnancy body back. Your hip ratio will change. Period. Many peoples only change a little, some a lot.

I'm defo coming back in my next life as a man. Childbirth is definitely not me. Apart from losing the nice smooth flawless taut skin on my tum, there's the sagging boobs, water works problems, varicose veins, piles, all of which remain long after the agonies of childbirth (some wag told me I'd feel no pain coz I'd be too busy screaming - they were only half right). Then there's the sleepless nights, sore nipples and down below's stitches (I squeaked for 6 months every time I sat down too quickly). Add to that the wind powered nightly screeching, 3am burping sessions, full fathom five in soiled nappies (this was 35 years ago and pre Huggies), terrible two's period, hateful teenage period, culminating in the trauma of nest flying and the obligatory wiping out of one's bank account....and um... yes the difference in hip ratio left me gutted.....l;,

When's it due, by the way...

Originally Posted by Sonja2

This right here is why I am terrified of having a baby, and why i keep putting it off.

I would welcome a little more hip width, a little more in the "girls" and wouldn't cry about a bigger rear end. I would love to nurture another person, watch someone grow, and teach someone about love, life, etc... But mess with my "me" time, or my dance time, and I'm a wreck. And I already work full time on top of dance.

Yep, working full time, finishing my master's, raising a kid, nurturing a marriage and trying to stay sane! .w.: Oh yeah, and attempting to salvage a dance life!

It really helps to have a supportive partner. When I do manage to get dance time in, it's because my husband says, "Get thee to the studio!" I'm going to a workshop this weekend and did another last month...that's time that I count as precious. But you really start to appreciate things like long showers, too...that's often my "me time" for the day. And after a year, things are starting to get better--the baby's on a rock-solid schdeule now, sleeping from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. I'm usually still exhausted by the time he goes to bed, but at least I know I can count on a full night's sleep. ..g.:

If it's something you really want, you can make it work. But it does take work! I'm one of those people who thrives on me time, too, so it's been a difficult adjustment. Sometimes it means redefining what me time is--going out to pick something up at Target with no entourage in tow is total bliss now!

This is why I don't understand why people have more than one child, two at the very most. I'm stopping at one, for a variety of reasons. Chief among them, I don't want more. But I have very strong feelings about overpopulation, as well, and I believe it is irresponsible to have too many children. In addition, there is no freaking way we're ever moving to the goddamned suburbs. If it doesn't fit in a Brooklyn apartment, it doesn't fit in my life.

You know, for all the dramatic worries about bodies after childbirth, I'm just not worried in the end. My friends with kids all look great, except for the one or two who don't take care of themselves. My mother had my brother at 37 and after that, looked fantastic - all due to a couple of workout videos and reasonable eating habits. It's not like I'm having my head reattached to my ass.

I have a husband so supportive that I've become spoiled. I have complete confidence in him. He's the most considerate, helpful person I've ever known, selfless and practically psychic about my smallest desires. Sadly, he's epileptic, and has seizures if he doesn't get enough sleep, so I'm trying to gird myself now for the solo sleeplessness that awaits me. But I also know that he'll do everything he can to keep me dancing. We also have a lot of examples in our life of other freelancer couples with kids - it seems like having a really structured schedule is best, as in, one person has kid in the morning, so that the other can write/illustrate/design, and the other takes over in the afternoon.

I'm also not really worried about losing my dance life. I know so many dancers with kids, of all ages, including infants, who perform. If they can do it, I can do it.

Edited to add that this really highlights the big problem in America: we're so atomized in this culture. In other parts of the world, where people have family closer to them, and there's more intergenerational mingling, young parents aren't so isolated, and mothers don't have to do everything themselves. That does scare me. I'm not only referring to places with traditional extended families. I'm talking about places as close as France, where I see that my friends with kids are far less stressed than we are here. It breaks my heart to think of it.

- Leela

Originally Posted by GenevieveOfAtlanta

Yep, working full time, finishing my master's, raising a kid, nurturing a marriage and trying to stay sane! .w.: Oh yeah, and attempting to salvage a dance life!

Ditch the sanity. Trust me, it helps! Because, my experience is, all the rules stop applying!

Good luck on the Masters. The rest should take care of itself!

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

Ditch the sanity. Trust me, it helps! Because, my experience is, all the rules stop applying!

Good luck on the Masters. The rest should take care of itself!

{{{HUGS}}}

Thanks, Tahira!

And good luck to you, Leela!

Hmm, Genevieve, are you sure it's not the Master's that's making you crazy? Grad school has been known to drive the child-free insane - I can only imagine what it would do to a person with a kid. Actually, I know, because my mother went through undergrad all the way up to her MSW after I came along (while also working), and was definitely not sane for any of that time.

- Leela

Originally Posted by flimflamgirl

Hmm, Genevieve, are you sure it's not the Master's that's making you crazy? Grad school has been known to drive the child-free insane - I can only imagine what it would do to a person with a kid. Actually, I know, because my mother went through undergrad all the way up to her MSW after I came along (while also working), and was definitely not sane for any of that time.

- Leela

LOL Well, the little one is the only "new" element. :) I was doing everything else before he came along--finished my actual classes while I was still pregnant and am now finishing up my thesis.