By Jeanette Prather
[This is a re-publish from a blog post that I wrote in 2012 for a motherhood website.]
There are multiple ways to hide your just-given-birth Buddha belly until all that baby fat melts off the true way with diet and exercise.
Until then, enjoy dark fashion that puckers at the belly over-top that tummy compressor that they give you at the hospital. All of this should be done while wearing leggings with bronzed skin, and actually is a compilation of five simple ways to look a little less post-birth and a little more Victoria’s Secret model. Read on!
1. Your new favorite blouse, shirt or dress is puckered at the belly, dark with large, vertical stripes. That’s pretty much it. What your mother used to tell you (and maybe still does) about what’s flattering and what’s not on a woman’s “figure” will most certainly apply here.
The pucker look is especially flattering to the post-baby belly because you can manipulate the elastic so that it can stretch with ease across the belly, above or under it. Just make sure to pay attention to this because it can work against you if not done correctly (hint: stretch the elastic across the belly so that the rest of the shirt looks breezy while that section looks appropriately fitted).
Large vertical stripes as well as dark material in assisting the small belly goal is an old wives tale that works. Until you clock in the required amounts of StairMaster time, go for dresses with chunky vertical stripes (grey is in and Express loves it!) with other darker, more flattering head-to-toe outfits (creating a silhouette look that will most certainly take the attention off of your belly).
2. Tunic and leggings work. This is a blessing and a curse because this style is so comfortable that you’ll want to wear ALL THE TIME. And really, that’s not realistic. There are cute ways to pair up the tunic and leggings (think: a white, green and gold-patterned satin Bohemian tunic with black or green leggings), but it’s far too easy to get stuck here due to comfort.
3. Tan skin makes everyone look 10 pounds lighter. This is a scientific fact; Elle reported on it back in the late ‘90s, and it’s been tested by half the women living in North America, probably.
Not necessarily resorting to sun-scorched tanning sessions, it is easy to achieve this look with a little bit of bronzer added to lotion; much safer and much smarter than risking that pesky skin cancer.
4. That compression belly-thing that they give you at the hospital – yeah, that one – or even a corset will do the trick here. The point is to push the belly back in. If you wear this under most tight garments, then you “should” be about one to two inches smaller around the waist. No joke. If you wrap that thing around you tight enough, you can get rid of a lot of “extra.” Just please be careful about what you wear it under; there have been incidences of it worn under shirts too fine or tight, where the actual compression or corset will look like your ribs are broken.
5. Lastly, and not mentioned above because of its unreliability, is the empire waist … anything. These are great, as long as you don’t hike them up too high. Really, high-rise bottoms (jeans, pencil skirts, shorts, etc.) can come in really handy if you don’t have a serious pooch. If you have one of those (like almost everyone after giving birth), then avoid this style or wear with caution.
It’s hard to get rid of that baby-belly fat! And although you are super hot with it, there is that element of wanting your pre-baby body back as soon as possible; understood! If you follow the above fashion tips, you should be well on your way back to your normal self.
March on, mom. You’re worth it!