Wedding dress does not fit me

[mitagen1969]

I am a 24(F) 3 months postpartum and my wedding is in October. For some context, I found out I was pregnant in the middle of planning our wedding and well had our beautiful angel baby. I was 14 weeks pregnant when I first started looking at dresses since a local wedding designer recommended I look before getting big and since it takes a while to receive the dress. When trying on dresses I was the smallest i have ever been due to being very sick my 1st trimester. I lost 22 pounds…. Well fast forward I was scheduled to pick up my dress this week and well the dress didn’t even go up my butt. My waist and stomach aren’t the same size ofc from when i first tried on the dress. I ended up having a c-section due to baby being breeched so i do not know if I still have swelling. Long story short I am a breastfeeding mom in which I’m afraid intense exercise can decrease or end my breastfeeding journey. I’ve been going on walks everyday but I know it’s not enough. Dress Designer said in order for it to fit I would have to loose 4 inches off my hips/stomach area which sounds doable until he told me it’s equivalent to 20 pounds. I’m 5’3 currently weighing 166. Is it even possible to loose 20 pounds by August since that’s when I would need to drop off my dress to be altered. Any advice as to how to drop inches healthy and fast would be great. I was told to try Keto but ended up finding out that for sure would end my breastfeeding journey.

 

[nrg23]

@mitagen1969 I am confused why they had you ordered and tailored so early. If anything, they should have had you order UP a size (or two!) and then tailored.

I think you can work out and lose some weight without impacting supply as long as you stay hydrated and have clearance from your medical care team. I dropped 10-15lb pretty quickly ebf but it depends on how much is water weight (can stay on to 6mo pp) vs actual fat. Your hormones will shift as well, repositioning into different spots and muscle will help with shape/toning.

Be prepared to get a new dress, though, and plan to get it tailored about a month or two out.

 

[one_who_seeks_light]

@mitagen1969 I would possibly call this a loss. It is so hard to lose weight like that when breastfeeding if you're not one of the lucky people who lose weight just by breastfeeding . Your body has changed in other ways besides extra cushion. I got my dress custom sized ordered through Azazie, and it was $300 (granted, this was in 2019, so prices might be a little more). It was beautiful and fit like a glove. It might make more sense to order a custom fit dress at least 2 months before the wedding and then if you need to have it taken in a little can do that (I had a tailor cut some length off it and did that 1 month ahead of time). I can't recommend Azazie enough to people getting married who don't want to spend an arm and a leg on their dress but still feel beautiful!
Azazie

 

[jessica468]

@one_who_seeks_light I got my dress from Azazie in 2017! It was actually from their line of bridesmaid dresses, in white. The cut was classic and the fit was great. I’m still happy with how it looks in pictures. Seconding this recommendation.

 

[jamesdonahueusa]

@mitagen1969 I was EBF (baby is now on solids) and eating keto! I was within 5 lbs of ppw by 5 months postpartum. It does wonders for hormone balance.

If you do it, just keep your fibre up (25-30g a day), and eat enough calories to support supply (at one point I was eating 2500; now I’m at about 2200). I used this calculator:

https://www.thelactationnutritionist.com/calorie-calculator

You can get fibre from nuts, seeds and flax.

Don’t eat anything packaged/processed! It will set you back immensely. Even if it says ‘keto’. Whole foods are the way to go.

Lastly, you can aid weight loss by walking 10k steps a day and staying active. Baby wearing is great for this! If you lifted weights before pregnancy and are cleared to by a PT, it’s always great to roll in strength training.

That said, I agree with the posters who have chimed in and told you to try other dress options. You don’t want a ticking timer at the back of your mind with all the stress of wedding planning!

 

[frogmommy]

@mitagen1969 I was 74 kg first week of Jan and I'm 63 now. Drop carbs massively. Walk, walk, walk. Uphill walking is great as well. Don't be afraid of exercise and dieting while breastfeeding. Women are made for this, genuinely think you would have to be suffering from anorexia before your body would stop producing milk for your baby.

 

[reileys]

@mitagen1969 Its doable but definitely tricky! You would have to lose around 1.5-2lb a week which means being in a daily deficit of around 800kcal if you're doing the CICO method. I am 3 months post partum after an emergency c-section and have lost 13lbs in the last 3 weeks. Chalking about 5 of them up to water weight so an average of around 2.5lbs of fat a week without affecting my bf supply (just make sure youre drinking lots of water!).

I am currently eating 1400kcal a day and then getting in around 10k steps. > I am 5ft and 180lbs for reference so it would probably come off of you a little slower as you have a lower starting number.

Also, there is no guarantee that the weight would come off of your hips/stomach area. I have lost the majority off of my stomach but thats because its where I usually would lose it first. If you usually lose weight off of your boobs / arms first then expect to have to lose more than 20lbs.

I would certainly give it a good try but maybe have a backup option just in case? i.e adding a corset back or a new dress off the rack?

 

[wxyz123]

@reileys 1400 calories while breastfeeding! Holy moly, you're a beast. I'm over here struggling to eat less than 2500. Lol