Pre and post baby black leggings were my BFF. They stretched and supported in all the right places. Easy to wash (or not wash) and they are the best at hiding milk stains.
After a few weeks postpartum, I had a need for something to make me feel less like a monster made of spandex and more like something resembling my pre-baby self.
So little ol’ silly me decided to try on all my pre-baby clothes. It. Was. Horrible. Nothing fit. Not even close to fitting. I ended up in tears, calling my mom, thinking she could make this all go away. She simply said “Let’s go get you something that fits you now’.
So away we went, to the mall. With one simple goal: To find a pair of jeans that I felt good in.
Y’all, this was hard. Facing my new body was tough. In addition to being a hormonal mess, I was now face-to-face with my body in floor length mirror with the not-so-flattering florescent lighting. I didn’t know what size I was. And having to stop every so often to either nurse or change a diaper, well, it made for a long process.
I left empty handed. But I was determined.
A few days later I walked into a local boutique with low expectations. A trendy pair of boyfriend jeans caught my eye. After my lesson in the mall, I knew to grab a few sizes. Then, with a zip and a button, I was looking in a mirror and I didn’t hate what I saw.
These jeans were magic.
It’s hard having a baby. Everything changes all at once and, if you’re like me, you try and grasp onto something that makes you feel like, well, you. For me that was jeans.
While these bad boys didn’t help my child sleep at night, they did provide me with a much needed boost. They helped me take a step to learn to love myself now, my body now. Not what it was, not what it might be, but how it is in the floor length mirror with florescent lighting. 
My best friend recently had her second child. Once she reached the ‘I feel like a spandex monster’ point, I knew exactly what she needed.
I gave her my postpartum jeans.
They fit her perfectly.
I told you they were magic.
Sarah Adams is an actor, improvisor, filmmaker, twilight zone fanatic, mama, mommy, mom.
