You just had a baby and now you feel like nothing fits and you hate all the clothes in your closet. Now what?

I recently had a conversation with Jodi Doyle, the founder of Uplevel Redesign about dressing the postpartum body. She stated the hardest thing about dressing a postpartum body isn't finding the right pieces - it's letting go of who you were before because you're not going back, you're going forward and your closet should reflect that. We need to stop worrying about how we dressed before baby and dress for the body and life we have now. If we are always waiting for our pre-pregnancy body to return, we will always be waiting. 

I know that when I had my own children, I gained a good amount of weight and I had to be ok with removing some of those favorite pre-baby outfits from my closet so they didn't make me feel bad about not being able to fit in them.

As mothers, we are constantly in a period of transition. We move from having newborns, to toddlers, preschoolers, etc. Each of those seasons of life come with a new set of wardrobe challenges. However, overall, all we want is to look and feel good in our clothes, but we always put ourselves on the back burner when it comes to new clothes and style.

Jodi gave me a few ideas to help moms at any stage of life when it comes to your personal style.

1. Shop intentionally - before you go shopping, know what you are looking to purchase. Do you need a great pair of jeans? Has your favorite jean jacket seen better days? Do you need a new black t-shirt?

When you go shopping, make sure the clothes you are looking at go with the clothes in your closet. If you are at the store and you see an amazing shirt, but it doesn't go with anything in your closet, you are wasting money, because it will never be worn. On that note, if you own 6 black t-shirts or leggings, do you really need another one or is there something else you can add to your look to change things up like a new pair of earrings or a cool jacket.

Jodi's rule: if you can't think of three ways to wear it right now with what you already own and make your personal style better, it doesn't come home.

2. Buy for the lifestyle you have - You might be staying home with your kids or you may be heading back to the office. Your clothes should reflect that.  I know that as I made the transition out of teaching and into doula work, I realized I don't dress up anymore. So as much as I love dresses, I don't buy them often because I wear jeans and t-shirts to work and I don't dress up anymore.

3. Modernize your footwear- Your shoes can make your outfit, but are usually one of the last things we update. We buy our kids new shoes, but wear ours until they die. Give your outfits a glow-up by changing those shoes to something different. They can be comfy and great for chasing your kids, but still be stylish.

And Jodi left me with this:

"You don't need more clothes. You need clarity. And that's exactly what I help women find - starting with what they already own."

Jodi Doyle is a wardrobe stylist based in Batavia, Illinois, serving women throughout Chicagoland and beyond. She helps women close the gap between who they are and what they are choosing to wear - starting with what they already own.

uplevelredesign.com | @uplevelredesign

Rebecca Stiglitz is a postpartum doula and sleep consultant serving the Chicago's Western suburbs.