Sewing A Maternity Wardrobe: Post-Pregnancy Review

So, happy news! Baby Mabel arrived smoothly in early October, making us a new family of three. Yippee! It is by some small miracle that I find myself writing this post already. My only real goals for the first month of parenthood were 1. Keep baby alive and 2. Return to full health. 

But so far, Tom and I have been very fortunate to have a baby that will sleep for a couple of hours at a time, giving us a chance to catch up on our own rest, tidy up the strewn muslins and still have a little spare time to carry on with "normal life", albeit in short bursts. I am not going to try and claim credit for Little One's behaviour, I know it's entirely down to luck rather than our excellent parenting skills. And it is not something I'm expecting to last. But, make hay while the sun shines, as they say.

For me, this means a bit of time in the sewing room, making simple alterations to some of my favourite garments so I can wear them while breastfeeding. I had mentioned a couple of ideas in my previous post, as well as promising to document the post-pregnancy fit of the maternity clothes I made. So that is what I'm here for today.

Deer & Doe Givre Dress

The garment I was most eager to try on and alter post-birth was my trusty Givre dress. I've been told a few times now that the fabric is very in line with current research/trends in baby products. Apparently bold monochrome patterns help with babies' cognitive development, since they cannot distinguish colours for the first few weeks of life. I have to be honest - I haven't noticed any particular fascination with my dress, but maybe Mabel is still a bit young to really focus on anything just yet.

My Givre dress is made as the 3-6 month maternity version of the pattern, which has extra fabric in the front around the belly and a bit of elastic down the side seams to ruche it in. This isn't too obvious post-bump. It doesn't sit quite as tight to the skin, but it isn't baggy or unflattering. 

In its original form, the Givre is no good as a nursing outfit as I'd have to pull it the whole way up from my knees to expose my boobs! However, there is a very conveniently-placed seam across the chest, designed to allow you to have a contrasting yolk at the top of the dress. I have unpicked this seam and inserted a concealed zip from armpit to armpit. It sits smoothly and discretely, is easily accessible and, once opened, offers plenty of room to get either boob out without being too in-your-face.

If it wasn't for the fact that Covid is likely to lock us up at home for most of the winter, giving me little motivation to expand my wardrobe, I would be very keen to make more of these. 

[As a side-note: the summery sleeveless version of the Givre does not have the seam across the chest so cannot be adapted in the same way. Bit cold for it now anyway, innit?]

Sew Over It Anderson Blouse

Another item I've been wearing a lot since Mabel's birth is my Anderson Blouse. I made it long before pregnancy, but it turned out to be roomy enough to wear right up to nine months. The front panels simply fold across each other and are held in place by stitching at the hem, and a couple of hand-sewn stitches at the cleavage. This design offers a very straightforward alteration to make it nursing-friendly. I just unpicked the cleavage stitches and replaced them with a hook and eye. As with the Givre dress, it makes for an easily accessible, discrete but wide opening.

Papercut Patterns Pinnacle Top

The two Papercut Pinnacle tops that I made very late into pregnancy still look pretty good. I had made alterations to the pattern by lengthening the hem by several inches, and introducing a split up the side seams - necessary for a flattering fit with the bump. I thought I might look swamped in them after the birth, but the drape is still good and feels light and easy. 

Despite the deep V-neck, I haven't found them great for breastfeeding though. They just don't stretch quite far enough, and the fabric clings quite tightly underneath my boob, so that milk seeps into it if baby is not fully latched on. Lovely.

Tapered Trousers (self-drafted)

Also featured above are my self-drafted maternity trousers. An absolute triumph at full-term pregnancy, and - much to my surprise and glee - still looking and feeling wonderful now! I don't know how I've avoided a funny, awkward sack of fabric around the belly. A good elasticated waistband goes a long way, I guess!

As mentioned in my previous post, there are similar-looking patterns available to buy, like the Miller Trousers by Paper Theory.

Friday Pattern Company Wilder Gown

Another favourite through pregnancy was the Wilder Gown. I didn't have any worries about the fit of this dress post-pregnancy, since it has been raved about by so many non-pregnant people. But I had speculated about whether the opening at the front would be deep enough to make the dress suitable for breastfeeding. Well... it is! Easily.

The vibe is a bit summer-time, but it does have a long hem and sleeves, so with a cosy shop-bought cardi and slippers, it's perfectly wearable around the house. And hey, I kind of think it's nice to wear something cheerful in these more sombre winter months.

I do like the style of it though. And there is a non-cropped option in the pattern. So I will try again, since more loose-fitting button-down shirts would be very useful for breastfeeding. 

Named Clothing Ninni Culottes

These looked completely ridiculous at full-term, but now with a smaller waist again they are more "cool-baggy" than "clown-baggy" - well - I think so at least!? Still, they didn't work as maternity wear, and that was disappointing.

Check out my magic boot! WOW!