Hello Everybody! 

I am in the first trimester of pregnancy and I have really been enjoying sharing with you all the joys and the trials of what this season of life looks like for me. I know for some for you all this particular advice doesn’t apply, in which case, skip on by, but a lot of you are in similar seasons of life. Whether that be wanting to be pregnant, pregnant, post-partum, have little kids, etc. so, I’m going to share this tip with you.

I am going to talk to you about the FIRST OFF, LAST ON bin! I use a large bin to store my non-pregnancy clothes that are the least forgiving and the first things to go once pregnant. Hence, the “first off (of my body), last (to be put back) on” label. This is a way that I seek to be very kind to myself when I am a fragile, sleep deprived, hormonal, postpartum human being. I know it is hard to not put pressure and expectation on your body postpartum, but I hope you know that after you have birthed a child and gone through all of these changes it is so important to be kind to yourself and not put heavy expectations on yourself. Expectations that 1) your clothes should ever fit again, or 2) they should ever look the same. It’s just the way it is. I know it’s a struggle but I want to encourage you that this is simply a normal state of life as a mom postpartum.

This bin is my own way of reminding myself how long the process of pregnancy takes and how long the postpartum process takes as well. I recently went through my closet and have already found clothes that do not fit. Mind you, I am only 9 weeks pregnant but I already have jeans that do not fit so they will go into this bin. When I am in my postpartum state, this bin will be a reminder to me that these pants did not fit me when I had 7 months of my pregnancy left, so why would i expect these to fit me when I am 6 weeks postpartum? You could even calculate your due date and tack however much time you desire on to this date, and write on the bin “do not open until __/___/___” to remind yourself that you are not going to try and squeeze into those skinny jeans when you are so freshly postpartum!

For me, our child is due in the fall and so that entire Fall season might be one where I need to purchase new jeans if i want to wear jeans in those first few months. It might take an entire year until that next fall where I can wear those jeans in my first off last on bin. With that timeline in mind, I may just buy new jeans that fit better! Or wear ‘transitional pants’ like my lululemon dupes, or joggers. Pants that are comfortable and forgiving will be the most wonderful pants postpartum. Not my skinny jeans that already don’t fit and typically don’t fit well even when I’m slightly bloated!

The first off last on bin is just a mental reminder for you when you are in that fragile postpartum state that those clothes didn’t fit then you are barely pregnant so don’t expect them to fit when you just had a baby! A kindness bin to myself. If this helps you, take it.